A day in the garden chilling out and our second BBQ of the Summer. Also a good array of wildlife both in and around the back garden, with the main highlights being a juvenile Peregrine Falcon "screaming" at its parents (nothing new there) and a Chiffchaff feeding on insects in the Cherry Tree before coming down to the pond for a drink.
Other birds in the neighbour were 1 Sparrowhawk, a Buzzard, 12 Herring Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, 3 Swift, 2 Swallow, 1 Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Blackbird, Great Tit, Wren, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Linnet, Goldfinch and Greenfinch.
Quite a few butterflies with maximum of 7 Large White, 3 Small White, 1 Speckled Wood, 2 Meadow Brown, 3 Gatekeeper, 2 Marbled White, 2 Red Admiral, 2 Comma and a Holly Blue.
A few hoverflies about with lots of Marmalade Hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus) and a Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta).
Bees seen were Red-tailed Cuckoo-bees (Bombus rupestris), Common Carder Bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum), a Garden Bumblebee (Bombus hortorum) and a Honey Bee (Apis)
The European Paper Wasp (Polistes Dominula) was back again as was a Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris).
A couple grasshoppers heard and I managed to track down a Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus).
Here are a few images from today.
A very dry looking back garden, which is just hanging in there.
A Gatekeeper on the valerian.
And another sat next to me.
One of the two Red Admirals seen in the garden.
A mating pair of Commas........
........trying to keep a low profile under the Privet Hedge.
A Long Hoverfly.
A Common Field Grasshopper.
Side profile.
Always a delight to see a Greenfinch.
This is a very striking male.
A male Pied Wagtail on the neighbours rooftop.
A very quick snap shot of a Chiffchaff visiting the garden.
And what a way to end the day with a BBQ.