Sunday March 27 - Spring applies the brakes

 A typical Spring, warm sunny days lull you into a false sense of security, then the wind swings into the north and door is slammed shut. This morning was noticeably cool with a very light northerly breeze, and it looks set to get really cold this week.

Dave joined me as usual for our Morton Bagot fix. No amount of field scanning could get us a Wheatear, but there was enough in the flash field to keep us interested. Two Avocets were seen on the furthest flash before we discovered two on the nearest. We checked back to the furthest, and eventually the two there reappeared, so yes four Avocets in total.

Two Little Egrets flew out of the field before landing again somewhat distantly. 

Little Egrets

The pair of Shelducks was still in residence, and we eventually counted six Shoveler (four males), 22 Teal, and a couple of Lapwings. The highlight was a Green Sandpiper feeding on the narrowest of edges at the back of the nearest flash.

Green Sandpiper

Female Shoveler

Nine Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a Herring Gull appeared from the direction of Redditch, and at least five Black-headed Gulls dropped in.

We headed back, hoping for any evidence of Spring. It was too cold for insects, apart from bumblebees, and plenty of Chiffchaffs were singing. A Blackcap was the first here this year. There were a few migrant Meadow Pipits showing, we counted 12, and Reed Buntings seemed more obvious than usual although only one of the five or six males we saw was singing.

The final corner of the ridge field provided evidence that winter has not gone yet as we flushed at least 50 Redwings, the most for a while. In fact even these birds were more likely to be migrants heading north. A rare visit to the south end produced a pair of Stonechats, the first for about a month.

On the drive out I couldn't resist calling in at the church to check for Black Redstarts. There has never been one there, and I didn't break my duck. However, another Blackcap was singing, and the resident Mistle Thrush flew up into a tree.

Mistle Thrush

Always nice to see. In fact, although signs of Spring were few, it felt like it had been a pretty good visit.