'gale Force

Time for a bit of a catch up after a couple of days though in truth not a great deal has happened. On Easter Sunday I followed the government's advice and stayed at home. While sitting in the garden I was delighted to receive a visit from a female Holly Blue though she was the only thing of interest seen on that day.

Female Holly Blue.

Yesterday was if anything even less interesting with an almost arctic wind blowing while I took my exercise stroll through Bandy Slade and out on to footpaths beyond. A few farmland species were noted but not much else. Today was mercifully a return to more pleasant conditions and I headed over to the area near Corby STW.

Rabbit and Longhorn calf.

Highlight here was undoubtedly a singing Nightingale, surprising and delightful and also my first Corby one this millennium. There was a point in the late 1980's and early 1990's when they were becoming quite a regular visitor but habitat loss and a sad decline in this species fortunes has lead to their current mega status. No other birds of note today though it would have taken quite a bird to top this, my star of the current lockdown so far and likely one of the highlights of this Spring.

Green-veined White and Small Tortoiseshell.

The warm sunny weather meant that a few butterflies were active with Small Tortoiseshell the commonest species, at least five were nectaring on Bugle flowers. Other species enjoying the conditions were Orange-tip (4), Green-veined White (3), Comma (1) and Peacock (2). Once I'd got back to my garden I spent a few hours sitting in my chair watching the bees and bee-flies buzzing about. All were overshadowed however by a large Chinook helicopter flying over while making that distinctive wokka - wokka flight call.

Hairy-footed Flower Bee and Chinook.