Cuckoo

 Yesterday's wind had eased and today was a gloriously sunny spring day that tempted me to take a trip over to Oundle. My reasons were twofold, one was to look for early damselflies and the second was to check the floods out again. I braved the crowds at Barnwell CP today before having my usual walk along the river as far as the floods.

Sedge Warbler and Mandarin Duck

There were no damsels lurking in the growing nettlebeds at the park though I did see a nice Sedge Warbler and the park's Mandarins showed well. The nettles along the river were distinctly lacking in any damselfly action too but there were quite a few butterflies flitting around. Rather pleasingly there were perhaps as many as half a dozen Small Tortoiseshells and at least one Red Admiral joining many Peacocks. Other butterflies along this stretch of river were Small White and Orange-tip. Near Barnwell Lock I heard a male Cuckoo calling which was my first of the year. Very little to report from the ever shrinking floods today with just a few Teal and three Lapwings being present. Several Whitethroats were noted on my travels and it seems that this species is becoming established now.

Red Admiral and Small Tortoiseshells

Walking through the town produced views of my first Holly Blue of the year, a female was flitting around a shrub in somebody's garden. In the churchyard the Peregrines were kicking up quite a racket and both birds contributed. At one point they departed and it was only the local Rooks that could be heard. I stayed long enough to see the male return to his lofty perch before I headed to the bus stop.

Holly Blue and Peregrine