Black tern and peregrine chicks.

Quite a contrast in weather this week. Very hot on Monday while I was looking after my sons dog. Even hotter on Tuesday when I decided to go to the raptor viewpoint at Wyekham in the hope of seeing turtle dove and honey buzzard.
I left home a good hour later than planned and by the time that I reached the car park it was full.
A couple were just leaving so I managed to park in the space that they vacated. A chap had just walked back from the viewpoint and told me that there about two dozen people there, but no sight  of my target birds, so I left.
I thought that I would drive home via the moors and stop and look for red grouse etc. However every car park and possible pull in was full, so I decided to go to Fen Bog in the hope of seeing something different.

The parking area was empty so I was able to stroll down the path on my own.

Willow warblers were singing and in the distance a cuckoo was calling.
On previous visits with my friend Chris we had seen various butterflies and dragonflies, but I did not see any.The little stream had nearly dried up.

I walked across the little bridge towards the NYMR line.  My last visit here was to see the Flying Scotsman.

Wednesday was a different day weatherwise. The gardeners had got their prayers answered as it was raining! I decided to go to Colton in the hope of seeing a yellow wagtail as my friend Chris had.
(www.chrisdownesbirds). As I sat in my car, I checked the latest bird sightings on my phone.
Black tern at Swillington, so off I set.
I parked at the far side of St.Aidans reserve and walked onto the reserve via the causeway. It was very windy and house martins and swifts were flying very low as they hunted for insects. I could have caught swifts in a butterfly net they were flying so close. I tried taking some photos.
Not ideal weather conditions, wind and poor light, so mostly just outlines.

The black tern was flying on the other side of an island in the main lake. It kept flying low and I could not see it for the vegetation.
A common tern was battling against the wind as it looked for fish. It kept flying low over the water and I was having to look through reeds to see it.

I saw this orchid near a drainage channel.

A male reed bunting was perched on a reed and enjoying the ride as the reed blew up and down in the wind.

Today the weather improved after lunch so I walked to York Minster. Dean's Park has been closed since the lockdown started in March and this is the first week it has been open. The peregrines chicks have hatched and I was interested in seeing them.
The male bird was sat on a gargoyle high up on the tower and was joined a while later by the female.

I could see two of the young peregrines on the top balcony.

They had a preen, but otherwise there was not much activity. I will keep maling visits to see if I am lucky enough to catch the young birds flying as they could land anywhere.