Drab doldrums.

Looking back through my recent blog posts and they all seem a little drab? I'll try and spruce them up in coming weeks.

I have also read two of the other blogs I follow and find they are struggling to get motivated too. Its not good chaps! Come on, a few slow days and crap summer weather is what we are used to, I'm sure it will pass soon.

Locally around here over the last week or two I've managed a few noteworthy things.

Plants. I would like to do more here, but can only id the common species and even then just because I think I'm right doesn't mean I am.  I checked along the road for our sporadic Birds Nest Orchids and managed to find one.  These are drab even when fresh so forgive me here...

Bird's Nest Orchid, a stunner. 

In the same area as the orchid I found a massive mushroom that I did not recognise, but as is the way now, Facebook came to the rescue. Although it is called Lurid Bolete, it looks a tad drab to me.

Lurid Bolete. Yes really.

 We then passed some meadow in the estate gardens and found only one Common Twayblade. We had to don sunglasses for this colourful gem...

Common Twayblade

We then had a disaster with our shed Swallow nest. We found two large young dead on the floor then luckily Jane is quite thorough with these things, she found a third chick still alive on the ground. It was hastily replaced in the nest and we stood aside. The adults soon behan feeding it so hopefully all is well, but how it happened I dont know.

On 24th June I was at the moth trap at midnight when an unusual bird called overhead once then again as it moved north, a trilling, wader type call that I had not heard before. The Nocmig lads pointed me towards Water Rail so i did a trawl on Xeno-canto where sure enoughthe nocturnal flight call is my bird! Fancy that Water Rail added to the garden list in June.. amazing.

I have already mentioned the two Cuckoos, one remained the next morning but was too flighty for me to get a photo.

After an absence of a few years there are 8 Broad leaved Helleborine plants about to flower in the Village Wood, so I'll post them when they look better.

A few more Crossbills have gone south with a 3 and a single.

To bring this right up to date, a seawatch on Wednesday 1st July had 45 Manx Shearwaters N and 117 Puffins. It was generally quiet other than the local breeding seabirds in the area.

If the Bempton Albatross decides to have a jaunt northwards, I would be very grateful..

This isn't just drab, it the Uncertain.

In danger of this blog becoming gaudy, Mompha ochraceella.

Physitodes binaevella

A new hoverfly for me Cheilosia illustrata from today.