The difference is more about mood than meaning. "Recently" refers to the near past in a somewhat historical way. "Lately" means in the time around now, including now, and possibly reaching into the future. While I �ve been writing this, I �ve realized that "lately" is usually used with perfect tenses, and especially with the perfect continuous tenses.
I recently saw an old friend that I hadn �t seen in years.
Superstorm Sandy recently flooded parts of New York City.
I haven �t been visiting ESLPrintables lately.
Superstorm Sandy has been causing a lot of trouble in the US lately.
I haven �t heard much about Madonna lately.
Have you had any bad headaches recently? (before today)
Have you been having bad headaches lately? (before today, but with the understanding that they haven �t ended)
In my last two examples, "recently" and "lately" could have been interchanged, but the way I have them is more common.
Bruce
