A cloudy windy day threatening rain - and the 'moulting season' kept most birds hidden and quiet but there was plenty to eat with ripe berries everywhere - no need for a frantic search.
Elderberries (Sambucus nigra) loved by blackcaps
There have been more blackcaps here by the river this spring and summer than ever before so perhaps we will see more overwintering; they are still here at present but just a fine view of a young one today with a smart red/brown cap (female). In the same thicket of riverside willows and hawthorn there were four silent blackbirds looking very untidy in their moulting plumage. Overhead a kestrel flew low, not hunting, with plenty of feathers missing whilst a second kestrel was seen in the distance. Two young nuthatches broke the silence with their calls from an oak and a bullfinch called quietly but remained completely hidden in the hawthorn whilst numerous active blue tits and great tits flew back and forth. A small flock of house sparrows flew across to a large elder bush, not to feed on the berries much but to sit and preen. On and over the field about 50 woodpigeons were active whilst many others were very inactive dozing in the oaks, disturbed only by a jay flying up to join them. The only singing birds were several robins and a wren, easily heard even above the sound of reversing trucks on the construction site across the river. The reversing alarms on the trucks are 'muffled' and sound from a distance like a very angry magpie but the birds don't seem to care.
Moth - Yellow Shell (I think) (Camptogramma bilineata) on ivy leaves
Even the cloudy weather did not deter the unstoppable Gatekeeper butterflies from patrolling their territory along the river bank nettles. They are however now looking very tatty, unlike this moth. There were a few Large White butterflies flying strongly as well, and plenty of honeybees on the brambles.
