Chaff Chiff and some

Orange Tip (male) 30 May 2010

Orange Tip, male, 3 June 2010

Chiffchaff (10 April 2011)

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Grey Wagtail (male)

Grey Wagtail (male)

Lapwing

'The Fells' for my antipodean chums – a man-made landscape

Oystercatchers on their breeding grounds
(well this one isn't but you know what I mean!)

My first Swallows of the year, photographic evidence only m'lud.

Just recently I have seen two Orange Tip butterflies, again it seems early for them, or maybe I just haven't seen them before this early. What I have always noticed about Orange Tips is they appear to fly very purposefully, wherever they are going and keeping up with them is darn near impossible, so no pictures, instead two from last year. (To think I am out-paced by a bleedin butterfly and me an ex sub two minute 800 mtr man – I guess it comes to us all, strange but true!)

Not the best of weekends but hey that's the same for most of us, some good, some not so good, nevertheless, checking up on the Grey Wagtails, I was in the right place at the right time (only because of the sheer amount of time I spend there and see nothing) a Chiffchaff came to say hello. I'm not sure who was the most surprised. Thick in the Willow scrub, I think he's cocking his head at the sound of the camera shutter, annoyingly something I cannot silence. I say 'he' as he seems to be doing all the singing but around here it's more chaff chiff than chiff chaff!

The male Grey Wagtail was on station and here are yet more images. (I hope you are not too bored dear reader, different views, front, back side etc and some are self indulgent 'cos I like them, after all it is my blog! Sorry).

The evening found me having a rush of blood and driving up the fells towards Abbeystead for a change of scenery and recce a couple of locations for coming days. I dread to think how busy it had been during the day, but only a couple of grockles left on the roads and playing in the stream. A Mistle Thrush was close by, clearly collecting food.

I saw my first Swallow of the year, second third, fourth in fact seven in total. Oystercatchers were in the air and calling as were the Lapwings. Too many stupid pheasants on the road and masses of rabbits. The highlights were a brief glimpse of what I think was a Merlin, first in a tree and then as it flew off – a wonder I didn't put the car in the roadside ditch as I was on a single track road and going downhill! And stopping on the bridge over a stream, don't ask me which one, a Dipper bobbed up and down before flying off downstream. I parked up and spent twenty minutes in hope but the sun was setting and there was no further sign of it... there's always another day. Or is that fat lady I can see?