Late last night the weather broke with a steamy rain. It was the signal for an immense hatch of gnats and insects around the lake, swirling in soft battering storms of pale amber confetti in the infrequent car headlights. There must have been some fat bats by daybreak and a feast for the swallows and martins come morning. It is these huge biomasses of food that draw all the insect-eating migrants on their long journeys North to feed their broods upon.

Ospreys of course are drawn by the rising fish, that feed on the insects. Sorry to say though, despite our hopes of a couple more osprey fish feasters to grace Bassenthwaite, the two extra birds spotted the other day seem to have moved on. No matter, there will be more as the season progresses.