10th July

Warm and beautiful days are nothing to complain about so while the chilly north may be getting a fall of  two-barred crossbills we will have to be content with the beginnings of the juvenile warbler passage with Whitethroats, Lesser Whitethroats and Blackcaps trapped in the garden. The unseasonable Hawfinch continued to make regular visits to the bird table as well as the first sightings of the Culverwell Moorhen for some time. The Ferrybridge Little Ringed Plovers went from a pair to a miniature flock (3 birds now instead of 2- you've got to celebrate the small victories). 

In non-avian news the Dark Green Fritillaries continued to delight on the slopes below the higher light. 

The trio of Little Ringed Plovers at Ferrybridge © Pete Saunders:


The Hawfinch became very flighty through the morning and had the look of something that was about to head off but ultimately the lure of a bird-table full of seed proved too much and it settled back into its old ways © Martin Cade:


Its not just the rare butterflies that are looking stunning at the moment, the Painted Ladies continue to appear and the Peacocks have just started another generation © Ken Dolbear: