Still Wearing Gloves - On 10 May!

 The cursed E, SE or NE winds are persisting to keep a cool or cold wind blowing over Hornsea. It's about time it gave up, and we are overdue a slight Westerly for the next 5 months! I get out early and I still put on my gloves, as it is decidedly chilly before the sun warms the air.

 

 Despite the wind we went away for a week, inland, but the cool wind still caught up with us 😂

 

 The biggest change I've seen through the last week is that Common Terns and Swifts are now seen most days over the Mere, including today. No pics of them yet to put up here though.

 

 A walk in the afternoon on the day we got home was sunny and I saw five Painted Lady butterflies. There must have been an influx as I hadn't seen any before I left.

 

Painted Lady migrant butterfly

 Red Admirals, Speckled Woods and Orange Tips were also on the wing in the sun.

Orange Tip on Garlic Mustard

Red Admiral

Speckled Wood

No new butterflies have been seen through this week but I had a new moth this morning - an Adela reaumurella or Green Longhorn. I'm always amazed at the length of the antennae on longhorn moths!

Green Longhorn moth (Adela reaumurella)

As above

 We don't have as many Whitethroats yet as I remember from previous years, hence the lack of photos of them on this blog. I hear one or two most mornings and I managed a distant photo of one this morning while walking through Heslop's.

Whitethroat in Heslop's

Also low in numbers are Red Legged Partridge, but over the last five years this is the norm for this species locally. Just one seen this morning. 

Red Legged Partridge along the Mere south side

Red Legged Partridge, same bird as above

A bird I hear and see distantly every day without fail is the Stock Dove. Rather a handsome bird it usually keeps a very safe distance from me, but this one landed on a branch just 50 yards away so I managed to get a reasonable shot of it.

Stock Dove

Barn Owls still give me a welcome thrill when I see them, which isn't often enough these days. They are regularly seen during the day at this time of the year.

Barn Owl along the south side

Barn Owl

Wildflowers are looking more and more beautiful as the days pass by - this view over a large patch of Red Campion to the Mere took my eye.

Red Campion and the Mere

A final thought on the plants around the Mere. Groundworks are working on a plan to improve water quality and habitat around the Mere. To my mind the best thing they could do would be to get some of the reeds cut back as they encroaching more and more. This photo shows the view from Decoy hide at the west end of the Mere with two 'horns' of reeds closing from the left and the right. If nothing is done then these 'horns' of reeds will meet and totally enclose the hide, restricting views and taking up more open water.

Reeds encroaching from the left and right of the hide

Will anything be done? Who knows!