Sunday April 20

 The last couple of days have been pretty decent, with the opportunity to twitch someone else's find and to turn up a few things at Morton Bagot.

But before I get to all that I'll take you back to Friday morning which I spent exploring the Bank's Green area just west of Redditch. Rather belatedly in the walk it occurred to me I should post a landscape shot to set the scene. By then it was drizzling and I didn't have many options.

I'll try to do better next time. Birdwise the highlights were a handful of Swallows and a daytime hooting Tawny Owl.

Fortunately, the following evening I got a Whatsapp message from Earlswood. Matt Griffiths had just found a male Ring Ouzel in a field along Umberslade Road. I exited the house at speed and in no time at all joined Matt and Peter who were still watching the bird.

It's difficult to beat a male Ring Ouzel found in a random field on its way to the high peaks of the Cairngorms or wherever. 

This morning I was back at Morton Bagot, ever hopeful of turning up something decent. Dave was with me, which was fortunate because it was he who found the bird of the day. The sun had come out and squinting into it he spotted a Chat on a distant bush. When it flew he noticed the tell tale white feathers on either side of the base of the bird's tail which could only mean it was a Whinchat. And so it proved, a beautiful male.

Not quite the rarity of Ring Ouzel, but gorgeous nonetheless. Earlier we had heard my first Sedge Warbler of the year, had estimated at least 14 Whitethroats on site, and had spotted the first Peregrine here this year.

The flash field still has a pair of Avocets, a couple of Green Sandpipers and four Teal, plus an unusually large flock of 19 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

There are still no Lesser Whitethroats, Cuckoos, or Grasshopper Warblers, but hopefully it won't be too long.