What's flying near you?

Spotted flycatcher in the garden yesterday. As usual this time of year the snipe sat on top of the telegraph pole just out the kitchen window shouting his little head off.

Wednesday running around but pausing every now and then to listen to the gentle cooing of turtle doves - haven't heard any for a few years.
Yesterday we took an urban walk along the Thames with geese and swans with their babies everywhere plus a few pairs of Egyptian geese.

A Golden ringed dragonfly (on the stem) and a Hummingbird hawkmoth (on the flowers) of Verbena bonariensis. Everyone should grow this.

A red kite swooped overhead at roof level then went on to soar on the thermals. A regular sight and sound over the past few week were a pair of kestrels who nested in a tall fir about 3 doors away. The pair are very vocal on approaching the nest as is the baby (ies). This last week I've seen their single baby being taken by the parents on practice flights over our garden and into fields, all very vocal still. I think we are on the last leg of baby training as they aren't so frequent now.

Well it's the week of the babies in our garden; a robin hopping about and 2 brand new looking wrens. Also family of warblers, willow or garden and looks like 2 new families of swallows. They seem seriously overcrowded in and out of the old coal shed. A family of sparrows in the eaves over the kitchen making a racket.

I was particularly pleased to see the wrens as I inadvertently destroyed their nest early in the year. I took out a 2' high roll of chicken wire to put round the peas for protection and saw the centre had been stuffed full of what looked like rubbish. I thought it was likely mice but realised it was an untidy wren's nest but I'd removed it all by then, there was masses of it for such a small bird - compared to a big wood pigeon that makes do with just a few sticks.

Then there was a heron landed on the drive before flying off down the lane, not likely a baby.

Just now seen a juvenile goldfinch on the patio having a drink from the bird bath. Looks like a sparrow with yellow flashes on its wings.

Lovely to see a few bats this evening.

A comma enjoying one of my leeks.

   

Great photo, Mark. Spotted a Comma here a few days ago, can't remember what it was on.

I have two young robins that are obsessed with the GHs. They've sussed the top windows and go in and out through them then peck around on the tomato plants. I'm sure they're doing good work in there. One flew past my face this morning when I went into GH1.

I had a sparrowhawk in the garden this week, perched on the borlotto beans obelisk. I've never seen one before, it had a huge wing span. Well, compared to the usual tits and sparrows I get here.

I haven't seen it, but I've been hearing a male barn owl for the last few nights. It sounds very close but I cant think of anywhere obvious it could be.