A late afternoon trip to Mixenden in clothes still wet from this morning started to dry nicely in the blue skies and sunshine until DJS rang me and commented on how nice the weather was. Two minutes later the biggest blackest cloud ever came over and dunked the lot on me so it was back to the drowned rat look.
The reservoir was quiet with 2 Gt Crested Grebe, 2 Canadas and 4 Mallards whilst several Long Tailed Tits moved through the trees on the waters edge.
The long hedge is now unworkable with the leaves full out and just 2 Robins were singing from deep in the foliage.
After rousting 2 youths for throwing stones at the Canadas I stood on the east banking sky watching for DJS/ AC Osprey type raptor which was heading >N over Northowram but no sign scanning over Ogden golf course area.
Ironically DJS got a South Queensbury Swift also heading >N which I,d have probably got from the garden.
As the rain cloud came in , so too did the hirundines, with Sand Martins and Swallows piling through ahead of the rain but still no Swift.
A stop off at the Ned Hill watch point found 2 Kestrels landing on fence posts then flying fast across the Causeway Foot col and back as if they were racing.
A few Swallows passed through the col but then the rain caught up with me again so it was up stumps and back to base.
BS