I had planned to go anyway, but Sue kindly texted me that she had heard the Cuckoo this morning, and House Martins were starting to build a nest under the eaves of her garage. Ironically I neither heard a Cuckoo nor saw a House Martin.
I did see a Barn Owl though. Having arrived in bright sunshine, I was making my way towards the beehives when it flew over my head. No chance of a brilliant photograph I'm afraid (I did take an appalling one) it was away over the hedge in a few seconds.
Speaking of beehives, the beekeeper was doing his stuff as I walked past.
No doubt the bees did not appreciate the cold north-westerly breeze. Obviously there was no chance I was going to see any unexpectedly early migrants, such as the Common Swift which I was startled to see flying towards me. This was my first ever April Swift here, my previous earliest one was on May 1 2011.
Shortly afterwards it started to sleet, then hail, spectacularly.
I reached the flash field which contained six Teal, two Redshanks, and a Little Ringed Plover, while 15 Swallows flew around and a male Wheatear paraded on the ploughed field.
The sky stole the show on my return journey.
The evening had one last twist. As I was driving towards the village, a party of six Fallow Deer crossed the road. A patch mammal tick for me. I slammed the anchors on, and ran round to the boot to retrieve my camera while the deer made a smart exit. Fortunately one was a little more curious than the rest.
No doubt these deer are more regular here than I had believed. I actually saw five species of mammal this evening, none of them indigenous to the British Isles; Grey Squirrel, Rabbit, Brown Hare, Muntjac, and Fallow Deer.
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