A return....it was so long since I have been on site....yesterday!!
Actually, I went to see if I could find an early Chiffchaff singing...even though it was warmer than recent days, and when the sun shone briefly it was actually quite nice, no Chiffs...
Meantime other birds were determined to get on with things....Song Thrush, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Chaffinch....all having a go. The Nuthatch was heard briefly at the eastern end of the site.
DH and I meandered in at the top end of the site.....passing the Bluebells...
...eager to get to the light....
........to check out North Field where a Skylark was singing.....not much on North Pit though....mind you, there rarely is apart from Coot, Tufted Duck and Great Crested Grebe......however, 2 Buzzards were around the area....and a Peregrine Falcon joined the skies after a short time....
Toward the eastern end of East Pit a Redpoll was in a willow and we could hear plenty of Goldfinches around.....a Water Rail squealed along the shore of East Pit....not a usual place for them but perhaps the recent weather has moved one along a bit to find food....
At the west end of Long Strait, in the oak trees, were perched....
....the 4 Grey Herons (of the apocalypse?)...
There is plenty of Heron action around at the moment, certainly half a dozen today. This is one of their favoured trees, not too distant from the Heronry.
Isand Pit was reasonably quiet...well....if you can call 30 Greylag Geese and a couple of Canada Geese quiet. Most birds were still on Middle Pit.
The sky darkened, this picture doesn't really do it justice....as the sun cam out....
2 Buzzards were further west...4 in total for today....a Little Egret floated by, later there were 2. A solitary Lapwing meandered over calling.
90+ Shovelers were mostly on Middle Pit still....all the ice has gone so theres no more sitting on that and they have returned to sitting in the reeds on the far side....the 2 female Goldeneye were present as were the 2 Smew.
Over on West Pit the male Goldeneye had been joined by 12 Pochard.
A meander back to the cars we found two Togs seemingly lost having trampled around the site. So we showed them safely back to their vehicles....
I sometimes wonder if people listen to their own irony. Having been forced, some month ago, to use the public footpath by the farmer who didn't want us, around 11-12 stone weaklings, walking up their concrete drive but don't mind 10 ton lorries doing so and could WE keep OFF THEIR land...I didn't like to point out that they walked their dogs on someone elses land across the gravel pits which they don't own. Anyway....we have been using a cut through to get to the pits, easier, and yes, it goes across someones bit of woodland, mind you, sniff hard and you wouldn't see it....but they stopped us today and asked us why we were using that way. I listened to some sob story about 4 kids pushing a motorbikes through the same way (like it was out fault somehow?)...anyway....I had heard enough when the bloke said it was private land and he didn't want us walking on it...and...(you know whats coming don't you)...after all THEY used it to walk their dogs out across the pits....DING!! Irony time....and he even missed his own irony.....don't come on my land but I'm going to go on someone elses land.....I had to walk away....
Anyway. Off to Broadwater Warren as its that time of year when Woodlark sing before meandering off for a rest before returning to get on with business.....and indeed...
...singing Woodlark....
One was present....very nice....I could also hear 2 Ravens and eventually they swooped across the site giving great views. A nice quick hour trip out.
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