On the Brink of Breeding

 Thursday arrived with an unexpected

GROUND FROST
and a timely reminder of what Franklin and his 2 Oppo's

might have left in thier wake?
HOLM OAK

right outside of our window is the food plant of the fairly recent G.B. colonist the

OAK RUSTIC
which we now catch annually, in reasonable numbers, with hopes now turning to no damage having been done to change things? Down south kicked of with a second

SKYLARK

with very brief

and uncaptured

short bouts of rutting from the local

ROE DEER
but taking pride of place

some interest already being shown

by a predicted
HOUSE SPARROW

but not to the liking of a marauding
STARLING
(centre)

Up north the
COLLARED DOVEs

continue busying themselves with nest building activities with, as yet
not catching sight of the construction.
At the Irrigation Pond there was something of a surprise as a

COOT

was found there with nothing strange in that but initially thought to be the male which has spent the whole of the winter with u on the Gravel Pit. It was only when realising that this was a female that it was considered another individual before a second, a

male,

chugged out of the reed-bed.
On the way round to check if the long-stayer was still there, we encountered a singing and mobile

DUNNOCK

worthy of

click 'n' clip
before finding the original

maintaining station.
Let Breeding Commence!