Nature on your farm.

It's funny how we don't get polecats or weasles here and England/Wales has them.

Have noticed a pair of these lads round here last few months.I think they are buzzards.Very hard to get a proper picture as they soar very high .Never saw them before but now have seen them in a good few lacations in the west.

Doesnt have a forked tail but has white under its wings and a very distenct screech when they are hunting which seems to be mid morning for some reason.11 am seems to be their feeding time

Adult red kites would be bigger than a buzzard. Buzzards have short stocky bodies with a thick wing span whereas kites have longer bodies and wings and are more aerodynamic looking. The forked tail is one of their features that makes kites easy to identify.

Looks like a kite to me. They are regularly seen around Ballyboughil in NCD after reintroduction a few years ago. I've seen individuals in Duleek, Slane, Kells and Skryne. I understand that they were originally reintroduced in Wicklow.

The majority of swallows here have headed off on their holidays. I've only seen a few in the last couple of days around the house/yard and there are none to be seen flying in/out of the garage. The two house martin nests at the gable end of the house are still active so I presume they are still feeding youngsters.

I was late herding this evening and twas nearly dark when walking back to the house. My fleece is covered with gossamer and spiderlings drifting in the calm air from the hedgerows. The honeysuckle smells really good too.

I think the house martins that resided and bred under the eaves of the gable end of the house headed off on their summer holidays today. There was an awful silent commotion earlier this morning with about 15-20 of them flying towards the gable of the house but non of them landing in the two nests.

As an aside are Barn Swallows more vocal than House Martins???

Misty.

Sparrow hawk?

Female sparrow hawk

Actually only a few metres away .

Saw a male hen harrier flying by the yard towards dusk yesterday evening mobbed by crows and jackdaws. It's the second time I've seen one, the last time was a couple of years ago. I wonder is it the same bird.

We'll never go hungry - from tonight's British Bake off.

"Forager Abbi has to take the prize for this one: her plaited loaf centrepiece takes the shape of a tree and includes a little something called ‘dock flour’. What is that? I hear you cry. Apparently, it’s dough made with the seeds from dock leaves. And it’s all been topped with foraged wild garlic and nettle bread. You have the first slice, I insist – Paul goes onto call it “really unusual”. In a good way"