The working week has been hot and sunny and on Thursday morning I heard a Black Redstart singing when I was walking to the office from Starbucks along Cornhill around 7.30am. It was up high somewhere and the buildings in the area are so tall that without a penthouse view there's really no chance of locating it. They do still occur in the city of London, and I used to hear them more frequently when I was based in Shad Thames when it was rather more run down than it is now.
With the girls going to Oz for Easter on Wednesday, I was home on Friday early enough to enjoy a bright evening and sat outside as dusk arrived. I saw a Grey Wagtail fly over calling (another new bird for the house) a singing Blackcap and least two bats which I'm assuming are Noctule Bats but I have very little bat knowledge.
I again went early to Selsey on Saturday, the weather had reverted to a more seasonal 10c, overcast and a cold north wind - so again there was little expectation of avian movement on the sea, but I was hoping I might see a swallow or martin as they have been arriving in small numbers over the last week or so.
3 Great Northern Diver remained on the sea with several Red-breasted Mergansers and Gannets flying in both directions, the only other movements were a couple of Common Scoter, 3 Shelduck and a dozen Sandwich Tern. A few migrants stuggled in off the sea with single Wheatear, Blackcap and Chiffchaff lingering briefly . Up to 20 Meadow Pipits, nowehere near the numbers seen last week, and a couple of smaller passerines headed straight inland.
I stopped briefly at the Ferry pool and was surprised to find a sleeping Spoonbill along with the single Avocet, a couple of Black-tailed Godwits and a Wheatear at the back of the pool. There was also a singing Willow Warbler in the scrub there, another spring bird for the year. I called briefly at Ivy lake where a group of 10 Sand Martins were high over the lake but no sign of the Little Gull.
Sunday was bright but cold and the northerly wind still persisting. I went for an early morning walk over the same circuit I've done a few times now. The bird song was tremendous I counted 9 different Chiffchaffs and 3 Blackcaps and seperately saw another pair of Blackcap. Several Crossbills were high up in some pines including some streaky youngsters (they're a very early breeder), lots of Siskins and 3 pairs of Bullfinches. No luck with the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers but in the same area there were 10 Brambling chasing around the tops of some oak trees very vocal with their buzzy, wheezy type calls - must be ready to depart North. The Grey Wagtail pair were by the pond which had a Little Grebe, Moorhen and some Mallard, but the best bird was an early Tree Pipit, which quickly flew to an area of cut pines and vanished, an early Spring arrival.
Having picked up a bit of a virus I did some mowing and not much else in the afternoon, but saw the same Raptor species as last weekend ! and the pair of Firecrest, and lastly there was a Tawny Owl sitting in an Oak by the edge of the field at dusk, given away by the local Blackbirds making a fuss.
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| Firecrest in flight -such little wings. |
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| Magnolia - I'm not a fan of the tree but the flowers are good. |
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| Wild Garlic is flowering in the garden., |
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| Chiff Chaff Chiff Chaff Chiff Chiff Chaff Chaff - guess who ? |
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| Area of cleared pines - (where the Tree Pipit vanished into) |
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| Grey Wagtail lurking in a dark sluice |
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| Fritillaries have appeared in the garden in the last week |
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