Monday 20 May 2013

A few days away ,so Iwas looking forward to see if anything else had arrived or was passing through. Today was a holiday in Holland so I could get out on a Monday which is unsual. As it turned out one wanted guest appeared in the form of a calling Cuckoo our first of this year for the patch and an unexpected guest was found in the form of 4 Tufted Duck on a small pool on the edge of the patch ,again a year tick for the vicinity.
Warblers in the hedges were 3 Chiffchaff ,5 Blackcap, 1 Willow Warbler and 5 Whitethroat.Overhead 6 Swallow and  a high count so far this year of 20 plus House Martins and a Yellow Wagtail called as it passed over.
The best bird was a Whinchat that perched atop a hedge, cracking birds and nice to see as they pass on their way to the uplands to breed .
The best of the rest were 3 Red LeggedPartridge, 3 Stock Dove, 4 Skylark, 2 Greater Spotted Woodpecker and a late departing or early arriving Common Gull .
The patch list is now 80