Saturday 30 April 2016

Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2

Or perhaps that should read
Sunday, Bloody 'GOOD' Sunday 
THIS POST REFERS TO 'LAST' SUNDAY
while tomorrow, not just a Sunday but also May Day,
will be given over to a Mini Bird Race
(or TWITCH if you prefer) 
With the wind still sticking doggedly in the northern quarter, albeit with a larger western component than of late, it's surprising there is anything about but on Sunday we seemed to do very well. Still wrapped up against the chill it was the Moth Traps which first produced a modicum of interest with
 POWDERED QUAKER
 being 'first' for the year
 as is
 NUT-TREE TUSSOCK
 With a continued threat of rain it was thought best to get the
skates on and pay an overdue visit to this beat of the
River Stour.
 Dividends indeed as first up was the presumed same
 CETTI'S WARBLER
which was first located during the visit of Dave Penney.
Never wise to be too presumptuous as soon after a second was
located on song much further up the river.
 No mistaking the next chattering sound coming from what can hardly
be described as a reed-bed, a tiny patch no more than 10 feet x 3,
but an annual catchment for
 REED WARBLER
added to the Year List.
Seriously boggy ground still prevents wanderings to the western
boundary of the property, but the 'about turn' was profitable
 throwing up a previously 'silent'
 SEDGE WARBLER
 in company with
 this female (no male detected)
 REED BUNTING
All of these species had been hoped for, as expected to arrive
at any time now,
 but to get the full Hat Trick of additions to the
Year List was considered a bonus indeed with
 LESSER WHITETHROAT
joining what was now rapidly becoming a throng!
Heading for the Common and deciding to do things in 
reverse order, for no other reason than a change, we
bumped into this industrious
SONG THRUSH
 gathering nesting material at the Puddle of Mud close to the
 Sewerage Works
"what a delight"!
The 2 main watercourses were next where, at the Irrigation Pond, the Coot remains transfixed at the nest while a loan Swallow hawked insects above, so little reason to linger. At the Gravel Pit, among a cacophony of bird song, just 2 stood out predominantly, that of
 CUCKOO,
 the fourth Year Tick of an already productive day, and
 WILLOW WARBLER
not a bit phased by my close approach.
It is considered that we already have a sufficient number of
Archive Images of 
 COMMON WHITETHROAT
DARTFORD WARBLER
 CHIFFCHAFF
plus a
 male
 and female
 BLACKCAP
so, while each were also recorded, making for 9
species of Warbler on that day, we felt no need to snap away any further!
EntryPageviews
United States
320
United Kingdom
302
Germany
77
France
30
Brazil
14
China
12
Russia
12
Canada
10
Estonia
9
Spain
8