Whats the crack....!

0440 - 0750 Clear but clouding over, cool

Heres the crack...

....no rain....

A familiar scene usually in July and August....a dry winter and dry spring.....there may be trouble ahead.....

An early start....though missed the beginning of the choral headiness...so much so that, as I noted the last time I was out this early, the Nightingales had declined their singing somewhat as the other bids joined in...

....early morning west pit action...its all go...or gone actually....

So this mornings exercise was to try to continue the mapping of Nightingales, Lesser Whitethroats, Willow Warblers and Garden Warblers....and have a bit of  count up....though I wish it would warm up as well....!!

Kestrel on the north side....

The four warblers of my particular apocalypse...

Nightingale 13....possibly a 14th but will check another day...
Garden Warbler 7
Willow Warbler 11
Lesser Whitethroat 6

....every kids Dandelion clock....

What else...plenty of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Whitethroat, Reed and Sedge Warblers......the Cettis Warbler was again in its usual singing venue showing reasonably well....2 Cuckoos were around, one over by the Medway and one on site....the lone male Mandarin Duck flew on to island pit....12 Stock Dove were put up by a couple of skittery Canada Geese...

...home then, a successful mornings mapping, nice walk out and some great birds to follow last nights excitement....

Ribwort Plantain, Plantago lanceolata