Lesser Spotted Perform

I only took one still shot through the video camera and here it is the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker about to enter the nest hole to feed newly hatched young. I had a magical three and a half hours filming on a sunny afternoon and the big bonus was that on two occasions the male alighted at the bottom of the tree and searched for food all the way up to the nest hole at thirty five feet!

It has been very windy all week and the Golden Plover and Curlew on the high moorland will probably have hatched their eggs before I get the chance to film them.

A visit to Bowland produced a pair of Merlin on site but as yet not incubating. In the woods nearby three pairs of Pied Flycatchers were located on eggs and Redstarts were singing everywhere. It was good to locate a pair of Ring Ouzels which are now in short supply.

In the sunshine early in the week Orange Tip butterflies were active along with Speckled Wood but the heavy downpours of the last few days have put an end to their flights.

Unfortunately another poor weeks weather has been forecast so this May is following those of the last two years.