Sunday 17 April 2022

17th April 2022

Summer migrants have continued to come in but generally in dribbles rather than floods with only a single Blackcap so far and one sighting of Swallow - three birds by the river in Morton. There are plenty of Chiffchaffs though… 


and Sand Martins are back in some numbers now…


The first Willow Warbler was in the Magic Garden on the 13th with a marked influx the following day with at least a dozen birds singing around the village…

The warm weather has brought the butterflies out too with Speckled Wood, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Orange Tip and this, rather battered, Comma all seen this week…

The (Dark-bordered) Bee-flys are also out…

One species that has been notable by its absence this year is the Brown Hare. I had a long walk today right through the heart of the best locations and only saw a single animal. I hope this isn’t as worrying as it appears…

Bird sightings today were also distinctly thin but included three displaying Curlews, a vanishingly rare sight in many lowland areas these days, and still small numbers of Fieldfares waiting to leave for their summer quarters.

I’ll finish with this…

It’s the ‘hand’ of a Mole. Dead of course (in all my years I have yet to see a live one), and vaguely unsettling. You wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see this reaching round the bedroom door in an M.R. James story… 

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