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Goldfinch

With it being a bright sunny May Bank Holiday and all I thought I'd best not walk abroad, most anywhere within walking distance would be crowded. I've started planning the first walks I want to be doing when things start to ease up slightly (I think the political events of the past couple of weekends may have knocked that back a bit). I'll be waiting for the initial rush to Martin Mere and Leighton Moss to die down before venturing that way. Pennington Flash and Elton Reservoir are enticing but understandably busy. Chat Moss is the most likely first port of call, possibly the Outwood Trail in Radcliffe next. If things settle safely Keg Wood and Marshside may be the next phase. Meanwhile I'll stick to a three mile-ish radius.

I know it's still only May but  I'm starting to worry about our local swifts. The first arrived at the end of April but there hasn't been many. The most I've seen at any one time this year has been five, most days if I see any at all it's just been a single bird. It could be that the long spell of dry weather has limited the number of low-flying midges and the like so the birds are flying too high to be readily seen.

The big flock of starlings has moved on to the little field behind the "new" houses down the road (they were built thirty years ago on most of a field that used to be part of Lewis' warehouse property). There are a couple of young jackdaws calling from one of the chimneys a couple of doors down. For the first time in a couple of weeks there's been more than one rook on the school playing field: five adults arrived in an untidy fashion, squabbled a bit then settled down to feeding.

In the garden the great tits are the latest to demonstrate their productivity. A single youngster visited accompanied by the male of the pair this afternoon and had a go at picking peanuts out of the feeder. I've not seen the young goldfinch for a couple of days even though a few adults are in and out of the garden all day.

Goldfinch