Into the Great Wide Open - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakes

 from the eponymous album

 Th Daily Doings

Started with something of a minor bang as the first 

 SKYLARK
 to grace the Recording Area (RA) this year hovered directly above Slight II singing its little heart out at first light,
now we know it is Spring?Adiquately endorsed by our Broadwey (Weymouth) correspondent

who reports the first Frog Spawn in his garden pond.
Additionally, in a passing shower and attempting to emulate the
Portland Bird Obsevatory
in coaxing a Blackcap into the garden, we did attract a 4th species to the stratigically placed apples.

 Having only just resited the apples from the shelter of the
Corkscrew Hazel
Into the Great Wide Open

 BLACKBIRD
(cor that fence ain't half rockin' about)

 now joins Blue Tit, Robin and Wren on the
Cox's Orange Pippin List
and to continue the familiarisation of our RA, not suprisingly the Sewerage Works that marks the northern boundry is one of, if not 'the' most prolific site across the RA. Blessed with having restricted access to the works, when activity is at an ebb, the usually expected Wagtails, Pipits and assorted Gulls are the main fare but it is the 'cultivated not natural'

HEDGE

that shelters the Good Stuff.
We have shown Gold and Firecrests in previous posts, which are annual,
but historically it has been the loan

 BLACK REDSTART

 there across the winter of 2015 / 16,

(with c3 others since at various locations)

plus c2 quite seperate
Yellow-browed Warbler
in 2017 and 19
There were c2 others in previous years at other locations but all fell into the catagory of
Camera Shy 
 To redress this we can field some images taken on the
Buchan Alpha Floating Oil Production Platform in the North Sea
where these tiny birds were annual, occassionaly numerous (low double figures on certain days)
and very easy to catch. In fact my Birding Apprentice then, Dave Penney, voiced the analogy refering to these captures as similar to picking blackberries.
Most were dried, warmed, boxed and sent ashore on the next helicopter.

We also know how to attract the Ladies, just show them around a
Sewerage Works
and they are putty in the proverbial, which became fact on one of the Australian jaunts.
If the memory serves we will try and dig out some images?

The Helicopter Safety Netting seemed to be a particularly good attractant for these tiny Warblers

The final batch from Norfolk

RED-BREASTED MERGANSER

 KNOT

GOLDEN PLOVER

 RED KITE

 RUFF

MEDITERRANEAN GULL

 GREY PLOVER

 RED-THROATED DIVER

SANDERLING
What a weekend Great Birds, Great Company, Great County