Time flies....

....cant believe its been around two weeks since I last visited the site....

0355 - 0820 Overcast, brightening but remaining overcast, light W breeze picking up F1 gusting 2 later, cool

...and its amazingly green all of a sudden.....

The usual suspects greeted me when I entered the gloom from the darkness of the car - Song Thrush, Blackbird and Robin.  Setting off across the orchard a Crow cawed as it flew by, a new Cockerel greeted me, it appears to be on the western side of Five Oak Green at a guess as it was quite loud.  Not to be outdone another joined in from the east and finally one from the south, a total of 3 all calling the dawn to get a move on.

Bugle

I could hear Nightingale over to the west when I was still crossing the orchard.  This one appeared to be further south than any before.  Skylark were singing across the fields, some of which have been rolled, so I am confident that the numbers will have dwindled as this will surely have put paid to some nesting attempts.  I wish farmers would look after the countryside a bit better, its not as if Skylark hide away and rarely sing, so I feel there are no excuses for this kind of behaviour!

Red Campion

I could hear the two Canada Geese honking over on the water.
Lesser Whitethroat sang from the pits in the slightly lighter gloom and it wasnt heard again for a couple of hours.
Arriving at the pits Coot were calling with Tufted Duck for company.  Woodpigeon were calling madly all around whilst Moorhen piped up.  Several Pheasant had been roosting in trees and were startled in to erratic action, calling and flying...well...sort of flying, im not surprised they walk most places!

Red Clover

The Mute Swans were present in small groups and a Wren sang.  Whitethroat finally made an appearance as did Mallard quacking by.  Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Yellowhammer, Great Tit all reported in immediately.
Sedge Warbler was next followed by Reed Warbler.  Great Crested Grebes seemed to be in small groups around the pits, though some also seemed determined to sort out some kind of dispute.
A look and listen for the western end Garden Warbler proved fruitless both times I was in the area.  Meanwhile, the eastern end one has moved to a new site a few hundred metres away, still near the quarry, and singing well out in the open.

Hawthorn blossom, nearly there

Great Spotted Woodpecker drummed and was immediately followed by the yaffle of a Green Woodpecker.  Little Egret was a nice surprise visitor.  The usual Starlings were in the Oak tree.  Turtle Dove seems to have moved again and was found more toward the eastern end of the site near the quarry in some dense Willow.
Jackdaw and Rook were out in the adjacent corn field.  The two Greylag Geese were frequent flyers around the quarry area whilst I was there trying to sort out Nightingale numbers.  There are 14 Feral Pigeons present.  The usual Linnets jittered around and a Willow Warbler called once, twice....and no more.

Common Vetch

Blue Tit finally popped up as a solitary Swallow whizzed east.  One of the Lesser Black Backed Gulls flew over and was found a little later on one of the posts in the larger of the pits where it sat for some time.
A quick view of a Jay disappearing in to the wood whilst a Chaffinch called and a Dunnock sang brightly.
About a dozen Swift were screaming over the pits and another two were over the village when I returned to the car.

Common Birds Foot Trefoil...'eggs and bacon'

Goldfinch, House Sparrow and Collared Dove were the usual car-ward bound suspects.  Finally a single Housemartin sat on a telegraph pole by the car.

Warbler count:
Lesser Whitethroat 1
Nightingale 9, possibly 10
Whitethroat 21
Willlow Warbler 1
Chiffchaff 11
Garden Warbler 1
Blackcap 14

....quite disappointing with the number of Whitethroat down considerably from last time and Nightingales being rather quiet at the best of times apart from one or two individuals.