On the 2nd the Swallows were on 3 eggs in the Top Field Shelter, the female was incubating. Broad Bodied Chasers (m & f) mating at the Swallow Pond. 20 Swallows were hawking over David’s Oak with 2 House Martins. A male Kestrel was hunting over the crop. 3 Buzzards were thermalling and a family of Ravens were flying and feeding over the LLP and in a neighbouring sheep field. Meadow Pipit were seen in display flight. Meadow Browns were in flight. Six-spot burnet moth pupa showing up on the grasses. Hundreds of Foxgloves in full flower at the south side of the old crop. Roughly 20 almonds on the taller Almond tree.
A Sparrowhawk and a Buzzard were both seen over the Main Field on the 2nd The first Marbled White Butterflies of the year appeared on the 3rd.
A Swallow was seen hunting over the old crop on the 4th, there was still some Forage Rape flowering, but the area was mainly dominated by Foxgloves. In the new crop the Fodder Radish was in flower and the first Corn Marigold had opened. The whole area looked like it was dominated by Fodder Radish and Corn Marigold but looking closely, you could see some Sunflower and Cornflower plants. There are large patches of Birdsfoot Trefoil, Sorrell and Lesser Stitchwort in the rough grass and Edler flowers in full bloom in the orchard. The mown paths have lots of White Clover and Hawkbit flowering. On the 5th Harry continued with the continued with the Yorkshire boarding on the North Park Field Shelter, there was a Male Stonechat on the old crop, on the 7th there was one on the new crop, and we had a great view of a Grey Heron flying low over the orchard towards the ponds.
On the 8th we saw the first Cornflower blooming in the nectar strip on the edge of the new crop. On the 9th David mowed the paths whilst Harry and volunteers Steve and Jane puled Creeping Thistle and had a bonfire in the orchard to burn up accumulating brash. There have been lots of visitors to the new pond by the Top Field Shelter caught by the trail camera.
Daniel ringed 3 of 3 Meadow Pipit chicks from nest in main field, The Swallows were incubating 4 eggs in the top field shelter, a male Kestrel was hunting over old crop, 7 Linnet were flying in and out of the old crop (1st ‘group’ of summer). There was a Mistle Thrush by David’s bench and a Dark Arches Moth in the top Field Shelter. House Sparrows were feeding second broods of chicks in and around the Barn. A Hobby was seen flying from the north to south over the Main Field and there a was Kingfisher picked up on Flo Pond trail camera, using the camera post as a hunting perch, there were about 5 tadpoles left on the post. It was seen on the camera again on the 10th.
A family of Blackcaps, Long Tailed Tits and Blackbird were seen in orchard (Adults feeding recently fledged juveniles) and 3-month-old Barn Owl pellets were discovered in the Wildlife Tower on the 11th. Harry and Steve finished all the Yorkshire boarding on the 3rd Field Shelter.
We were excited to discover Green Hairstreak Butterflies on a small Gorse Shrub near Orchid patch in Kiln Close on the 14th. A Golden Ringed Dragonfly was seen in the new bird crop halfway down Wibble path. On the 16th Harry added roof beams to the 3rd Field Shelter and on the 17th Harry and Josh finished the front roof beam and added all but one of the corrugated roof sheets.
By the 19th the Swallows were brooding 4 chicks in the Top Field Shelter, there were 2+ pairs of Meadow Pipits feeding young in the Main Field, a flock of 20 Linnets on the old crop and a male Stonechat alarm calling around the allotments on the edge of the new bird crop.
Harry strimmed around the new winter bird crop, pushing the North Park hedge side back in by 1.5m to move the fence over so the tractor could get along the path on the 20th. He also swept out the Field Shelter in Kiln Close. In the evening the weather was perfect for our Midsummer Walk, seven people enjoyed the opportunity to see the land and meet the Goats who accompanied us for part of the walk.
A flock of 50+ Linnet were feeding on the Forage Rape seed on the old bird crop on the 21st, there were 2 Stonechat calling in the new crop and a male perching on the post in the allotments. The first Poppy was flowering in the nectar strip and there were several Marbled White and Meadow Brown Butterflies about. The Linnet flock was in the old bird crop again on the 22nd.
On the 23rd Harry strimmed around David’s Oak tree adding cardboard and woodchip to suppress the grass which had got higher than the tree. A flock of 60 Linnets were recorded on the 25th and a pair of Stonechat were alarm calling by allotments/new crop. In the evening the male was once again perched on the post providing wonderful views of the bird. Marbled Whites could be seen resting in the long grass.
4 Swallow chicks were being fed in top field shelter on the 26th. There were 12 Swallows feeding over new crop and 1 Swift over the Main Field, 1 Buzzard (moulting heavily) was seen and a juvenile Dipper feeding on the Ashburn opposite the Flo Pond. A Grey Heron was flushed from Flo Pond; 2 Peacock Butterflies were seen by the Beetle Bank in the new crop. There was a pair of Stock Dove on the Wildlife Tower and a Robin alarm calling by a nest in the Kiln Close Hedge, 2 Skylarks were calling over the Main Field and a male Meadow Pipit was displaying.
A Dormouse was recorded on a trail camera on the 25th running down the side of a Willow tree in the Pennsland Lane hedge.
On the 30th Harry added another layer of wire fencing to David’s Oak tree and removed the tree guard. Around 50-60 linnet took off from the old crop. Pip inspected the Main Field pole box and found a ringed Barn Owl on 7 eggs.
The temperature reached 25.8°C on the weather station on the 21st and on our second sensor which measures surface air temperature it reached 29.4°C. The mean temperature for the month was 15.7°C (our 20-year average is 14.77°C). We had above average rain for the month over 10-days at 76mm (61.95mm) but most of that fell on just 3-days, 15.2mm on the 3rd, 15mm on the 7th and 33.8mm on the 12th. There was no rain at all after the 17th.
