Guns, bombers, hurricane and roller - what a jubilee mix!

Gardening quietly when a text came from Barry: 'Spitfire flying round our house.' Gunfire in the distance was 3 guns firing the 21 gun salute for the queen. The spitfire was soon over us, then, unbelievably low came a hurricane, a giant Lancaster bomber and a spitfire! What a noise! I know this a birding site but a brief diversion - taken from our bedroom window.

Lancaster; Spitfire; Hurricane After lunch I took Barry to see the roller. It was cold and windy so the bird was fairly inactive sheltering by the grassy bank in the lee of the wind.

So here's a not very good shot from the other day of it in flight. Focus your mind - I can't focus the photo!

Roller Then we went on to Hornsea Mere; hundreds of swift, sand martin and house martins over the water. Egyptian goose in the distance. No sign of mandarin or the bird I wanted, the red-crested pochard. Curiously, both were reported yesterday afternoon but from where on the lake? So here are photos of what we missed, just to finish today's post.

Mandarin

Drake Mandarin Duck at Bolton Abbey on the River Wharfe.

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina at Slimbridge.

Photograph by Adrian Pingstone placed in the public domain

All other photos by Chris Downes