Cold April Patch

An early wander around the flashes en route to work today in bright but bitterly cold conditions - there was even a frost on the car! Dave H had found a smart winchat on Ashton's before I arrived, and we also saw 3 wheatears. LRPs were display flightIng and there were 2 oystercatchers on there too. A single common sandpiper was the only migrant in Neumanns. Looks like a couple more days of cold northerlies before it finally switches to easterlies and hopefully birds this coming bank holiday weekend.

April 21st Patch

A couple of visits to the patch today yielded 2 smart yellow wagtails, 2 LRP and a dunlin on the Mere, whilst over on Ashton's this evening there were 12 whimbrel, 2 redshanks, 2 LRP and a single dunlin - passage!! Reed and willow warblers now in, and good to watch the distant peregrines on and by the nest on Griffiths Road.

Easter Monday on the Patch

Spent a few hours around Marbury in cloudy conditions with a chill NE wind, hardly ideal birding weather. The highlight was watching the lesser spotted woodpeckers at the nest - changing over so presumably now on eggs. Along the fishermans footpath it was a pleasure to watch 5 shelducks in courtship at close range, lots of posturing and fighting away the unattached male bird. A woodpecker drumming across the Mere in the heronry wood sounded like a lesser spot - is there another pair? There were large numbers of sand martins over the Mere, with a handful of swallows and house martins. 3 common sandpipers were also present and my first reed warblers of the year singing from the Coward reedbed, but otherwise new migrants hard to find. Still good to be out, even if it doesn't feel too spring like.

Spring on Scilly

A late booked week on Scilly with the family and friends started superbly with a lovely purple heron, seen well in flight on the day we arrived at both Porthellick and then Lower Moors, before giving stunning views on LM pool yesterday afternoon. A fabulous bird and a pleasure to watch it painstaking stalking fish, swaying its neck and finally lunging. Awesome.

Stonking purple heron Lower Moors

Photo by Paul Hackett, who came over from London just to photograph this bird - I can see why!

A couple of days later, on Tuesday 10th April, news came through of a rock thrush on St Martin's, reported by a non birder and likely to have been present for several days. I was busy rock pooling with the family (which was great fun) and so ambled over on the afternoon boat. Lovely to be in the right place at the right time, with no pressure (as I'd seen two males previously), and to enjoy this crippler in glorious sunshine and stunning setting with a handful of friendly locals. Seen with a black redstart at one point too. Fab.



Much better image, care of Peter Tongue

There was a red rumped swallow on St Mary's and both hoopoe and Subalpine warbler on Agnes that I didn't have time for. I did see a few common migrants including my first house martins and whimbrels of the year and it was nice to see a few greenshank too. Another perfect visit to these wonderful isles.

Late March

Not a lot of birding time at the minute as work ramps up for spring, but I've managed a few minutes here and there. Plenty of chiffchaffs around but not much else just yet spring-wise for me.

He official opening of Pod's Hide was a lovely moment this week, testament to Pete's popularity and the kind heartedness of locals who came together to make it happen, which was no mean feat. Nice to see an adult Med gull drop onto Neumann's whilst the ceremony was going on too.

Earlier in the week I called in at Blakemere where the gull colony was in full raucous swing despite the cold weather. I'm just a quick scan I picked up 10 Med gulls, surely more are present and there will be a similar number of breeding pairs this year. Remarkable stuff.

Good to see common birds in the spring spirit too - magpies building a nest in the garden, reed buntings in song at the mere and lapwings I display flight. Spring feels good!

Spring Sprung

After a mild week, it's hardly a surprise that migrants have started to arrive. Sand martins and chiffchaffs are on the patch, although I've not had time to go, and swallows, wheatears and little ringed plovers are about too. Waxwings are stil around locally, and lesser spots have been drumming. Change is in the air.

I heard my first chiffchaffs of the year this morning whilst clearing amphibians from a site in Winsford. An impressive 15 cresties, plus 1 smooth newt and 5 frogs. Intriguingly, two of the bucket lids were covered in frogspawn- something I haven't seen before.

Back from boarding

Fresh back from a great week of snowboarding with the usual crowd. Lots of snow and lots of fun. Some impressive (by my standards) boarding was had, with just a few ales too. Birds were even thinner on the ground than usual, perhaps I was going too fast!! Aside from the ubiquitous Alpine cough, a single snow finch was the only bird of note seen all week.

Whilst returning to work is always a bit of a chore, today was enlivened by a quick visit to Frodsham in glorious sunshine with new Avian team member Zac Hinchcliffe. We immediately hit our quarry - a fine great grey shrike - before returning to work within the hour. As ever a corker.

Frodsham great grey shrike