With a howling gale overnight, and a brisk southerly this morning, the obvious move would have been to go to Earlswood. But Dave and I stuck to our guns and paid another visit to the patch.
The early signs were promising. A single Meadow Pipit and a newly arrived male Stonechat at least hinted at passage. A couple of Swallows headed north, barely stopping to feed. The Chiffchaff and Blackcap count rose steadily to totals of eight and four respectively.
But what we really wanted was something new, and that was supplied when we tracked down a singing Willow Warbler to the hedge bordering the Morton Brook where it showed well in one of the few sheltered spots.
Once a common sight, the Willow Warbler is becoming more like a passage migrant in the Midlands as global warming shifts the breeding areas ever northwards.
We also heard the Cetti's Warbler again, and I predict this species will soon become just another tick in the notebook as they establish themselves here. Mind you, we were still no nearer to actually seeing it, let alone getting a photograph.
We counted six Avocets, 14 Teal, a Lapwing, a few geese, and a very distant Green Sandpiper on the flash field. My first Speckled Wood of the year fluttered by, but defied my attempts for a record shot.
It feels like game on for spring.
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