"For now we are young let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see" Neutral Milk Hotel.

Saturday 5 April 2014

Spring is Sprung!

A good Spring day at last, the "smog" had gone, the sun was shining and a nice SSW airstream. I joined Gary and Robert on the Cliffs around 6.30 and there was a good steady passage of Linnet, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipits & Woodpigeon. 

Typically the warmer winds brought some variation, with the highlights being the first Swallows, several Sand Martin, a Green Sandpiper, a Marsh harrier and 2 Yellow Wags.
Small parties of pipits, finches and 1-2 hirundines were noted moving throughout the day.

At Holme there was a Wheatear and Fieldfare in horse paddocks off Beach road, another Wheatear along the access road. A smart drake Pintail was on NWT pools. On the sea Common Scoter (c5000 seen by Sophe off NOA), 3 Eider, Red-breasted Merganser and Great Crested Grebe.

On the grazing marsh still c120 Brents & 23 Pink-feet. Robert & I had another Yellow wagtail flyover, we missed a Little Gull seen by NWT staff, but we did hear Willow Warbler and Blackcap singing. We bumped into Phil who was perusing a very interesting cellular slime growing on fallen pine stacks at the back of the NOA (leave this one for Phil to sort out, nonetheless it was  very interesting looking at the yellow circular blotches!!). Robert located the first Speckled Wood of the year, plus we noted 10+ Small Tortoiseshell and a few Peacock

Up at the NOA we scanned the skies and this produced multiple Marsh harrier, 2 Buzzard, 2 Sparrowhawk, 1 or 2 Peregrine and at least 130 Golden Plover moving SW along the ridge. Also moving today round c30 Lesser black-backed Gulls, noted in 1-2's.

I slipped back down to the village hides in the evening, another Willow Warbler was singing from here, plus Blackcap, Bullfinch, 2 Cettis and lots of Marsh harrier activity, but nothing else of note.

A good day, with my bird list totalling 92 for the day, my best  day total this year so far.
Small Tortoishell



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