Sunday 5th March - February and Welsh Lamb

Having beaten the Welsh at Rugby, I decided to invade the country for a weekend sneakily avoiding the Severn toll bridge and driving in via Gloucester to Monmouth, It was actually a pre-arranged visit. My sheep at home are probably expecting their lambs sometime around the 10th April (I can only say probably as it will be a little longer before the visible signs are certain enough) I needed some practice is the prenatal arts, so a night in Kate Humble's lambing shed was in order.. and yes I have more than a few inquisitive comments.

I called in at Slimbridge on the way through with the wildfowl showing a good flock of White-fronted Geese (150+), Barnacle Geese (100+) Berwick Swans 200 +, a large Lapwing flock with several hundred birds and a few Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Golden Plover and Dunlin mixing with the commoner ducks.  The 9 Cranes in the fields were probably of reared stock but were still nice to see. I hadn't really thought through that this was half term week and so the place was packed although most of the visitors remained around the visitor centre café or the pens.

I had just over an hour in the Forest of Dean, no luck with any Hawfinches, just a few Crossbill, Siskin, Fiedlfare and Redwing. But the main event for me was a day and night with a flock of pregnant sheep in labour with 7 other curious souls - I witnessed and helped deliver 9 lambs in total and learnt a huge amount (mainly what might go wrong !) , but a great couple of days, and yes Kate (and her husband Ludo) were on hand the whole time ( she even cooked us dinner !).

Bewick Swan

Pintail

White-fronted Geese

Lapwing

Common Cranes with Greylags and Bewicks

Forest of Dean

Other than the significant Welsh trip, my limited time at weekends over the last month has resulted in only a few hours garden watching and a local walk this weekend from the house (I don't relaly count the 2 trips to Malta or to the French Alps which were all work related - but I suppose Black Redstart, Sardinian Warbler, Nutcracker and Citril Finch can get added to the respective list as most significant).

As the month progressed the finch feeding thinned out a little at home , but still Brambling (up to 4) - curiously feeding mainly on the Nijer seed, Goldfinch (up to 20) , Siskin (up to 20) and Chaffinch (up to 35) peaked in early in the month. A bright and breezy day around the 23rd produced a few raptors including displaying Goshawk and 2  Red Kite with up to 12 Buzzard and 2 Sparrowhawk.

My walk from house on 4th March , followed a very wet and windy week and was very muddy. The real surprise was over the normally vacant large arable field where the delightful full song of Woodlark was ringing out with 2 singing males and 4 birds seen in total. It looks a slightly odd location for them so it's either a small gathering before they disperse to the local heaths for breeding or they genuinely will try and breed near there - if so good luck !!  also  Skylark, and Meadow Pipit were in the same field and  singing Yellowhammer just along in the filed with 10ft pines - Another bird normally restricted to nearby Wollbeeding Common. The Furnace pond had a Grey Wagtail near the sluice and at the back of the pond , Mandarin 8, Teal 8 and Mallard 1.

Plenty of Frog and Newt Spawn has appeared in the pond(s) at home, now hoping I can find some time to get out in the Spring.

Woodlark field

Mandarin

Streams were full