Sunday April 25 - It just keeps on getting better

 This morning was pretty chilly, a fresh easterly taking the edge off the temperature. 

I was still sorting myself out by the car when the first good bird made itself known. A Grasshopper Warbler was singing loudly from a patch of scrub by the stables. Dave arrived and the bird started singing again. Then it stopped, and we failed to see or hear it thereafter. The first of three Lesser Whitethroats also piped up while I was waiting.

A walk back down the access road gave us more warblers, including the only Willow Warbler of the day. We also had brief views of a Marsh Tit. The first of three Sedge Warblers was singing by the time we returned to the Dragonfly Pools.

But the real action started as we walked past the field formerly containing a pool. Dave scanned back towards the footpath and spotted two birds of interest. He thought they were chats, and then that one at least might be a Whinchat. I saw a silhouette which did indeed look chat-like, but at that moment we noticed someone walking down the footpath directly towards the birds. He turned out to be a birder, Martin W, and we readily agreed he could team up with us as we searched for the, now missing, chats.

Eventually we found them again, and they were indeed Whinchats. In the course of the search we heard a second Grasshopper Warbler reeling at the back of the chat field.

A stunning male Whinchat

It took a while to see both birds, and we only really did so when, after two Sparrowhawks had gone across the field, the Whinchats headed for the hedge.

Two male Whinchats

We started to walk across the parched pool bed, and kicked up a third male Whinchat. It was time to check out the flash field, although we were delayed by a very close, and almost invisible, Lesser Whitethroat. I was tempted to add some film of a singing blackthorn bush, but I think I'll spare you.

The flash field was very entertaining. The two Avocets were still present and were later joined by a pair of Shelducks. Three Teal were lurking at the edge of the sedges, and at least 10 Black-headed Gulls noisily took off when one of the Sparrowhawks reappeared. With them we spotted a single Little Ringed Plover as it flew around calling. Dave glimpsed two Snipe, and we counted three Lapwings.

They need to stay until Saturday's West Mids alldayer

With the weather remaining cold I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that the Fieldfare flock, now 50 strong, was still present. There was a black bird with them, a Blackbird. Drat.

Fieldfares

The flash field had one more decent bird hidden behind the sedges. A Green Sandpiper, only the second this year, flew out and promptly settled in a place where I couldn't photograph it.

We continued to where I had seen the Wheatears on my last visit, and sure enough we found a male Wheatear. With it was yet another male Whinchat.

Whinchat number four.

The day very nearly went into stellar mode when I spotted a fast moving falcon in the distance, it disappeared behind the ridge, only for Dave to get on it as it headed rapidly southwards. We both felt it was probably a Hobby, but the views were not good enough to be sure.

Finally, Martin spotted the only House Martin of the day as it flew rapidly north over Stapenhill Wood. All in all it was an excellent morning.