What have you seen

Great day "non-birding" RK.

It takes me a while to distinguish between the Melodious and the Icterine Wablers, until one of them sings. Also tends to be a geographical split but in migration or near their boundaries they can tax you.

Just seen by our pool on some wood a large Radiated Wolf Spider did take a photo but will put on here later as we have friends soon to arrive  glad I did not get to close as not keen on large brown spiders.

Have got more Swallows landing on the wires and a lot of young ones seems to early for them to go south.

Looks like the Bee Eater viewing point was closed on the 3rd of August.  The first eggs were predated by stoats(?) and since then have not any sign of breeding again. The wardens have indicated that the birds rarely visit the quarry

That's tough on them OneP.

Let's hope more of them come over next year and try again. Don't know how you can stop Stoats and Weasels or Rats come to that.

From my observations it seems like a good season for swallows with several broods so far in our nests. Those ones on the wires may be recent fledglings who will stick around, some may also assist the feeding of subsequent broods I’m told.  Also told they are likely to eventually migrate together as a whole family.

Had a Lesser Purple Emperor Butterfly on the blue bubble wrap on top of our little pool so had to stay still as I was in the pool to watch it drinking the water from the bubble wrap made my day and the other day whilst in the pool had a female tree frog on the liner of the pool so had to get it in a container as it did not like the treated water in the pool but it has now been moved to behind our fencing, amazing what you can see from having a dip in a small pool.

A lot of swallows are on the move seen more this week than I have seen in the last few years and some flying around and landing in a small oak tree possible insects flying around them.

We were in Mallorca one autumn and found ourselves watching Eleanor's Falcons feasting on migrating Hirundines.

They're a bit like a Hobby but strangely, and sensibly, don't breed until autumn to take advantage of those migrating birds. Nothing quite as violent as nature.

Lovely looking birds though.

We've still got Swallows nesting with large flying groups around when there's an insect hatch. Had a Jersey Tiger Moth on our kitchen window today, have seen several around so that's good to see. Buzzards overhead due to the wheat being cut, out to catch what emerges!

There are still Swallows and House Martins flying around in S Cumbria too.

Judging from today’s observations the swifts have gone but large groups of mixed hirundines are passing south and feeding as they come and go on higher altitude insects.