Update on the Swallows and Allerthorpe

Three weeks ago I was a little concerned about the swallows in my porch. They had two eggs, but didn’t seem to be spending much time at the nest. I’m pleased to report that within a few days another two eggs appeared. The birds then got down to some serious incubation and now they have four little chicks.

Four eggs on 12 June

Four chicks today

Back in January we had a conservation work day at Allerthorpe Common, brush-cutting an area of brambles and scrub in the south east corner of the reserve. It’s now all green again and full of insect life, including these lovely Four-banded Longhorn beetles, mating.

Four-banded Longhorn Beetles (Leptura quadrifasciata)

Elsewhere on the reserve, Common Spotted orchids are in flower. They used to be rare here, but now the numbers increase each year.

Common Spotted orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsia)

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