Thrush Family

A local trip around the lanes at home last night from 8:00pm onwards produced many of the usual farmland birds what did surprise me was a field recently ploughed and leveled field with extremely large numbers (which I cannot estimate) of Song Thrushes. I have never come accross this sight before and would welcome any comments.


It made me recall the pictures I got of on our recent holiday in Wales which I thought I would post.


Moving on later to Wykeham Forest at dusk we heard several Nightjar chrring and two flying across the road into the distance.

Around and About

Small Skipper


Green Finch






Young Swallow(s)



Had a walk this morning in Harwood Dale. It was quite cool and windy foir the time of year. Hoping to see a dragonfly or two but non seen.
Heard Crossbill, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Cold Tit but saw very little.
The main butterflies seen were Ringlets and Small Skippers.
Moved on to Dalby and main sightings were Green Finch enjoying Oil Seed Rape (quite like the Green Finch in Green Seed Pods) followed by lots of young Swallows sat on the road. A very quite day really.
Roll on summer!

Red Kite Country

We had a few days, wet days away in Wales last week. OK camping in mid Wales until the site got a bit too wet.

We went looking for Pied Flycatcher in the Elan Valley a glorious area (even in drizzle) but were unsucessful, however we did see good numbers of Common Redstarts.

At night it poured with rain but we did get a good day last Tuesday and went for the first time to Gigrin Farm, the first of the now three feeding stations in Wales.

We were not disappointed and in decent light saw around thirty to forty Red Kites as well as Ravens and at least three Common Buzzards which fed for ages on the ground.

The Kites are fantastic birds and awesome to watch, sweeping in to grab food from other birds, passing food, and manoeuvring position in the sky.

Red Kite country, well mid Wales I believe is the one area the birds were never lost from although numbers got very low. You now see them on your travels around the mid Wales area.

The really good thing about the camp site was the presence of Buzzards and the occasional Red Kite. The Buzzards were heard overhead a lot even at 04:00am!

I have lots of pics and will make another posting with also the ground based Buzzards.

Wheldrake Ings YWT

Banded demoiselle












Please left click image and press F11, and F11 to get back to view a larger image.

A really nice visit to Wheldrake today in warm weather and no rain!

We usually visit in winter and spring time when there are masses of water about but today the meadows were beautiful with all the abundant flowers.

Banded demoiselle were along the pathway by the river with another Damselfly I failed to id and quite a number of restless Dragonfly in full flight. Quite pleased with the pictures which were handheld.

We saw three Herons fishing and heard good numbers of Reed Warblers. Whilst quite for birds there was still plenty to see and hear a Roe Deer sent Greylag geese in our direction in nice formations, who needs to go to RAF Cosford.