10th July

It’s been an overcast and rather dull weekend but the fence along the top field path is always worth checking at this time of year with three or four calling Skylarks spaced along it…

And it’s a popular perching site for (mainly young) Swallows…

I almost missed this cracking Sand Martin amongst it’s showier cousins…

Not a bird I often get chance to photograph perched.

At the bottom of this path the larger flood pool has held Green Sandpipers every day this week with a peak of three on Friday. They are as wary as ever, particularly as the pool is next to the footpath, so this (very!) distant shot is the best I’ve managed…

But it is another sign of things on the move like the sudden gathering of Swifts yesterday with a tight flock of around 60 over the garden and later a strong south-west movement of birds low over the top fields.

In the Magic Garden at least one of the Little Grebes has hatched (and hitched a lift….)

but I noticed one of the pair was continuing to cover the nest so there may still be unhatched eggs in there?

Finally, one of our neighbours had an unexpected visitor through the back door this week…