**23rd May **Halling.**

Yesterday was my first walk out for quite a while, and I couldn't have picked a better day weather wise. I didn't take my usual route, I did a shorter walk. From home I went down Marsh Road, to the river.
On the way to the river I saw the following birds down Marsh Rd, and on the Common: Robin, C/ Dove, W/Pigeon, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Pheasant, Kestrel, a Grey Heron which I spooked, Chiffchaff, Starling, Blackbird, Wren, Magpie, C/Crow, Common Whitetroat. I then heard the call of a male Cuckoo somewhere on the common. It sounded quite close, but could I find it? Could I hell as like.
While sitting by the river I saw many House Martin's collecting mud for nest building. I saw them collecting mud from the same part of the river bank last year.. Also over the river was a good number of Swifts,  plus:  Shelduck(8), Moorhen, Mute Swan, Mallard(m6,f4), Dabchick, Cormorant, H/Gull, C/Gull, B/H/Gull, C/Crow. No waders seen from here.
After a well earned rest I then went left following the river north. I didn't walk along the top path I took the well over grown lower one.  I came across my first dragonflies of the year, there was 3 of them chasing up and down over the water, but there was no way I was able to identify them.
It wasn't until I got near to the end of the footpath where the reeds are by the salt marsh that I was hearing the call of Sedge Warblers all around.
 I starting seeing various butterflies around to add to my year list, the best one I saw was a Green Hairstreak, one I don't see in Halling very often, or maybe I don't look hard enough :-) I nearly missed it but if it hadn't moved I would have missed it. The others was a male Brimstone, Large White, Common Blue.
While I was watching the Green Hairstreak my attention was taken by a couple of insects mating just below me. I have tried hard scanning my books but i am still unsure as to what they are, I am sure one of my fellow bloggers will know. ( With the help of Greenie's  "Little grey cells". I now believe them to be Crane Flies / Tipula maxima .)

On my walk back I couldn't help but notice that many of the blue Damselflies have hatched. I saw three  species, a Common Blue, a Blue Tailed,

 and what I believe to be Azure Damselfly.

After cooking, in the afternoon sun I called it a day and made my way home. En route I added a few more bird species to my days list, which was as follows: Green Woodpecker, Song thrush, Greenfinch, H/Sparrow, Goldfinch,n Blue Tit, and a Great Tit.

All in all I had a enjoyable walk. I was pleased to hear my first Cuckoo of the year, along with the other wildlife seen.
 My best sighting of the day is the ** Green Hairstreak Butterfly.**

P.S. I came acoss this while sorting out my old bird magazines, It shows some of the different bill patterns of  Whooper and Bewick Swans.