After a week away working in Holland and a overnight stop in Folkstone it was a week since I had been on the patch .So after Willow waking me up I was out the door at 7am ,which as the clocks went forward an hour was actually 6am.
The weather was perfect with the sun rising over the mist covered river meadows and the first bird I heard was a singing Blackcap ,a first for the year on the patch and obviously just in from his winter holidays around the Med .
Chiffchaff are arriving and on the patch today were 3 singing males ,earlier than last year as I remember . I scanned the skies for a Swallow or a Sand Martin but no luck but with the winds from the south they cannot be far away and the latter have been seen nearby .
The number of drumming Greater Spotted Woodpeckers today was a healthy 4 , also a Green Woodpecker called.
Over the river meadows a Curlew called from the mist leaden river meadows ,very evocative .
On the pastures a few Meadow Pipits passed over 7/8 some straight over due north. The same can be said of the trickle of Finches as they passed over with small parties of Linnets and Goldfinches hurrying north.
A nice surprise was a pair of Shelduck heading in the same direction , the second pair this spring. Overhead the sky was full of song as Skylarks claimed there breeding territory , all of the wintering birds having now seemingly left ,I counted at least 9 birds this morning .
The bird of the day however was a superb male Wheatear feeding on sheep pasture ,a great bird, I always marvel at these global travellers , where will he end up ,North Wales, Scotland ,Iceland, Siberia ? he just was"nt big enough to be a Greenland bird . In the field next to the Wheatear sat 2 fine Brown Hare , Willow was ushered the other way.
The best of the rest were Red Legged Partridge , 6 plus Stock Dove, Mistle Thrush.
On the garden front the pair of Blue Tits are nest building but the Robins seem to be absent . For my Bullfinch fan I am afraid there was no sight or sound today despite me going to the places they usually are, better luck next time I hope.
