The weekend of the Alldayer dawned bright and sunny with not much of a breeze. Not ideal. I had dithered about whether to carry on with Team Earlswood, or to revert back to my actual patch of Morton Bagot. Having made no attempt to get a team together I opted for Earlswood.
So I arrived there just after 06.00 and spent some time trying to find somewhere to park. Eventually I discovered that the Wood Lane (New Fallings Coppice) car park was open, so I started there.
By the time I had walked to the causeway between Engine and Windmill Pool my list was modest and contained nothing more valuable than singing Treecreeper. John Sirrett appeared from the other direction and we compared notes. John is very organised and produced a beautifully printed spreadsheet and clipboard.
We stood around, chatting, and scanning hopefully, and the strategy paid off just after 07.00 when what was probably the bird of the day, a Hobby, flew along the causeway, passing at close range. By 07.45 I was obliged to head home for breakfast, adding a few more common species by the time I was back at the car-park.
I returned just over an hour later and located Matt standing on the causeway. John S had headed off to try to add more species and from about this point I pretty much lost track of how things were going.
By mid-day my personal total stood at 51, while the team as a whole were in the 60s. Matt and John had added Yellow Wagtail, while my main contribution had been to lose my new bucket hat to the waters of Windmill Pool (I later fished it out by lying prone and reaching down with a long stick), and then discovering a "hooting Tawny Owl" only to discover seconds later that the tree it was coming from was occupied by a Jay. They really are most accomplished mimics.
During the afternoon the team total gradually rose to a hard earned 67 species, not that I had anything to do with it as by then I had given up. Not much of a team player I'm afraid.
This morning I joined Dave, back from his holidays, at Morton Bagot. I vaguely wondered how I might have got on had I batted for Morton Bagot instead. I suspect I would not have got any more than the Earlswood Team had managed.
We began encouragingly, finding a singing Garden Warbler across the road from the Netherstead access point. Dave briefly saw it, while I had to log it as heard only.
The weather had deteriorated since yesterday. This morning was mostly cloudy and quite cold. Dave was keen to add a few year-ticks to his own list and was pleased we heard a Lesser Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, and a Cuckoo, even briefly seeing the latter as it flew passed us calling at the same time.
I was conscious that I hadn't photographed anything all weekend, so I was grateful to one of the singing Sedge Warblers for perching on top of a blossom filled Hawthorn and singing its heart out.
We continued to the flash field where the water level looks ideal for waders. Unfortunately all that was on offer were a few Lapwings and a single Little Ringed Plover. I should point out that of all the birds mentioned so far, only Lesser Whitethroat was on yesterday's Earlswood list. If only we could have a combined patch list?
Several Swifts flew over while we were there, and we concluded that they were moving north. A Red Kite appeared (it had been the last addition for Team Earlswood), and I finally spotted my first dragonfly of the year (actually a damselfly), Beautiful Demoiselle.
We only recorded 47 species in the two hours we gave it, and my total for the weekend was 66. I've had a little tot up and I reckon the combined total for the two patches seen by all participants was 76 species.
Birds absent from both lists (but almost certainly present) included Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Cormorant, and Marsh Tit. You never see them all.
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