Patchwork

After yesterday's trip west, we decided to stay local today and pay a visit to "the Patch" . Last visit the field near the Lay-By where we park was full of White Butterflies and the Sky was full of Swifts and Swallows, well what a difference a week makes, a couple of Whites and no Swifts at all, However did manage a Speckled Wood ,what I think is a Common Blue, a flock of Linnets, a flock of Goldfinches, a family of Whitethroats and a very showy Yellowhammer although he could have picked a more aesthetically pleasing perch!

Speckled Wood

Common Blue

Yellowhammer in unpleasant setting

Plenty of Woodies about

We decided to turn left at the crossroads for a change and headed up the hill, a very distant Red Kite circled and a couple of Green Woodpeckers flew over calling, some great views from up here could be a good VisMig spot in a few weeks time. The Moon appears to be following us around as well, saw it at Church Norton yesterday and here today hmmm coincidence?😀

Extremely Distant Red Kite

Moon

Oak Tree

We headed down the hill more Green Woodpeckers eluded me, another couple of Yellowhammers, we went up and through a Vineyard quieter here, but some spectacular views at the end, and a very curious cloud formation that I Christened the Swordfish!

Scenery By Margie

Scenery By Margie

Scenery By Margie

Swordfish

Scenery By Margie

Nice Trees shame about the wires By Margie

Yellowhammer in more Appropriate foliage

We had looped around back into our regular patch now, the Swallow family still near the Church, still refusing to sit in the Gnarly Tree for a photo op! Last weeks Purple Hairstreak tree was Hairstreak free, but plenty of Butterflies and Bugs in the grass and several of them decided to bite me, note to self bright blue T-shirt may not have been the best of ideas! Goldfinch and Wren posed ok in this area as well, The noise of the Grasshoppers was incredible but very hard to see Margie did well to find one and get a pic! The Butterflies were mainly Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns ,Marbled Whites, with a few Peacocks, a couple of Commas and a single Red Admiral as well as a few Large Whites.

Meadow Brown

Goldfinch

Wren

Marbled White

Skipper

Marbled White

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper

Peacock

Hoverfly by Margie

Roesel's bush-cricket By Margie

Plenty of birds about as well, with views of lot's of Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, a couple of Blackcaps, a Green Woodpecker family were in the very productive dead tree, this tree has had something good in it on every visit so far!! This particular Green Woodpecker must have been very preoccupied as I actually managed to get an ok shot of what is usually a very elusive species!

Green Woodpecker

So with the weather warming up and clouds of midges appearing and Margie's swearing at the various critters biting her becoming an issue, we decided to call it a day and head home!! Another enjoyable walk around the patch, looking forward to seeing what comes through in the autumn I reckon the dead tree looks a cert for a Wryneck, he says with the optimism only Birders will understand!!