The start of the heatwave

Hello

Yesterday evening at Pitsford Reservoir there were two Yellow-legged Gulls and a Little Egret in the vicinity of the dam. Today birds noticed on the reserve north of the causeway included two Great White Egrets, three Little Egrets, an eclipse drake Red-crested Pochard (Scaldwell Bay), a couple of Grey Wagtails, a Hobby and a brood of five Tufted Ducks. Seventeen Common Tern chicks were ringed on the new tern raft in the Walgrave Bay. The meadows are full of insects and there were still plenty of Marbled Whites there and also Small Coppers are out and about along the track down to the Scaldwell Bay.

My visit to Harrington Airfield was uneventful although there were still quite a few Marbled Whites on the wing there too plus common butterflies and a variety of day-flying moths.

Two Hobbies were pursuing birds in Lamport village this morning and then subsequently mobbing a Common Buzzard at Hanging Houghton. A Barn Owl and a small group of Purple Hairstreaks were present at Lamport Hall this morning and Spotted Flycatchers persist in Hanging Houghton village.

Butterfly news and at least four White-letter Hairstreaks were found around an elm at the far-flung Easton-on-the-Hill at the top end of the county and Purple Emperors were on show at Salcey Forest where Andrew had three in the canopy by the Horsebox car park and two more on a track just to the south. Silver-washed Fritillaries were present too.

Stanford Reservoir birds today included an Osprey briefly this evening, a 'reeling' Grasshopper Warbler this morning, two Common Sandpipers and two Cetti's Warblers.

Regards

Neil M

John Tilly enjoyed
watching these Common
Dolphins whilst on holiday
in Devon!

Muntjac at Scotland
Wood today.

This WW1 replica biplane,
possibly a Se5, was 'beating up'
Harrington Airfield today.

Black-tailed Skimmer.