Early morning birding

female Wigeon

I arrived early as today was technically a gardening day. A Redpoll flew over as I parked under Bannams Wood, and the first of four Chiffchaffs greeted me with its jaunty song. I was pleased to see the Tawny Owl showing well as I made my way down to the pool. Through the mist that was still lingering over the pool I could see something different, my first Wigeon of the year. The flashes were even more shrouded in mist, but the Redshank was still present, and Teal and Snipe were still well represented, with 30 and 10 respectively. My year list has now reached 73 species, but summer migrants remain in short supply.