Schools out and Cuckoos gone.

The hill of Northward Hill.

Some schools broke up last week and some will today, to human perception it is the 'school summer holidays', not quite high summer but something akin, to the natural world especially migratory birds it's pretty much autumn. Yes I know it sounds awful just as we are looking forward to endless days of summer sun, which of course rarely happens in reality. Not surprising then that the iconic cuckoo is on his or her way back to sub-saharan Africa before 'our' kids have even finished school for the summer.

So, the Nightingales we made such a fuss of 3 months ago have sung, mated, nested, hatched and fledged their young and are likely also on their way home, I say 'home' because as much as we would wish, the UK is not 'home' just somewhere they go for a few months or so to raise their young.

All that said it was lovely to see House Martins, Swallows and Swifts hawking over the crop field at the entrance to the reserve.

Whether you broke up today or last week there is still plenty to see here. Gatekeeper butterflies are everywhere just a stones throw from the Bromley car-park. This was a female this afternoon on the brambles, again just up from the main car-park.

 Looking out from Sweeney Viewpoint there are still plenty of birds including Avocet and Shelduck.

There are also plenty of bees around feeding. Below is a Common carder bee on a Welted thistle.

As you can see there is every reason no have a day out at Northward Hilll RSPB reserve, bring the kids along and enjoy a picnic in the picnic area, benches await you and you can enjoy the natural world in the shrubs and bushes close-by.

Newly fledged baby birds are on the wires over-head, Greenfinches, Chaffinches and Goldfinches.

Alternatively spend a couple of hours art Northward Hill and then go to nearby Cliffe Pools RSPB reserve to see huge man-made quarrys now flooded into large bodies of water with all the birds that you would expect :-

Grey Heron, Avocet in big numbers (75+), 100 Black-tailed Godwit or more, at the last count at least 8 Greenshank. 

Little Grebe, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Green Sandpiper, 3 Common Sandpiper and Med gulls.

My thanks to Rob Budgen, Dean Evans and David Saunders for their photos all taken at Northward Hill.