Honey Buzzard

Lade - warm, dry and cloudy, sw 3 - Another breezy day, although not as brisk as yesterday. Over the weekend the first broods of Starling fledglings were abroad and away from the safety of their nests. Around the garden they were getting into all sorts of trouble from flying into windows and nearly drowning in the pond; while at least one ended up as breakfast for a Sparrowhawk. It was the same out back with large, noisy family flocks feeding on grubs and emerging insects from the turf-clad shingle ridges.
  A steady passage of Swifts was underway this morning high over the lakes along with lesser numbers of House Martins. Just after 1000hrs a Honey Buzzard flew over the site heading north, which sent the local Herring Gulls into a lather; infact, I probably wouldn't have seen the HB if it hadn`t been for the heads-up from the gulls.
  Around the ponds several Four-spotted Chasers and Hairy Hawkers were on the wing amongst hundreds of common damselflies. A Mullein rosette near the ramp was festooned with caterpillars and looked very worse for wear.

                                Four-spotted Chaser

                               Mullein moth caterpillars munching through a rosette