That final flurry

 The weather was still pretty bad this weekend and if it wasn't raining, it was cold and or blowing a force 6 North-easterly. Too wet & cold for most things, me included. A zero count in the moth trap and on Sunday the only thing of note was a small hoverfly I managed to scoop up on a willow in the garden and examine in the dry. It was a Syritta pipiens also known as the thick-legged Hoverfly.

Syritta pipiens

Today, the last day in April and ‎l had not seen a hirundine. I made an effort and managed to find a pair of Swallow at Chester Moor in the mist and drizzle this morning. Desperate to see more I was down the riverside after tea where the water level, not surprisingly was high, in fact it looked a lot higher than reported by the Enviromental Agency earlier today. 7 Goosander and a few Mallard was all that braved the waves on the river

Goosanders ride the waves

and even  most of the remaining Mute Swans took off in V formation later. A Grey Wagtail flew over looking for some calmer bit of water.

Squadron of Mute Swans take off

Sand Martins (or dots) over the river

 By the sewage works, the rain started again and brought down over 100 hirundines, mostly Sand Martin but also 20+ Swallow, 2 House Martin and a Common Swift. A singing Common Whitethroat on the far bank made my very feeble list of summer migrants slightly less embarrassing. Despite the weather that final flurry made things seem much brighter, just as the fog began to settle again.