Possible record year....Nightingales

 Whetsted GP 0620 - 0930 cool but warming, overcast, slight breeze

So lets start with the bad news....heres a nice bit of habitat clearance....not!.....

....this used to be covered in scrub, its on the northern side of the site and has suffered the same fate as the bit of land that I highlighted a while back.  Quite why they have cleared it like this is unknown.  The previous bit of land they did this too is now a desert of grass.  I should have taken a photo to compare I suppose but will do so next time.  They dont seem to have any particular reason to do this, the other bit has been cleared for some time and as far as I can see hasnt been used for anything.  I know humans seem to have some kind of habit of 'tidying'...hence the serious decline of flora and fauna in this country....heres a fine example, total destruction, zero birds using this as before, fewer insects no doubt.  Well done people.

And on to some not so bad news....the Feruginous Duck is still present.  Reported on a couple of sites on the net.  To the right in the photo is a Tufted male, the rarer bird on the left.  I only h ad my phone....so its what it is.....

Whilst I was on site a couple were indeed looking for the duck.  Its rare enough to find anyone on site if theres no rare birds to look at....so im sure there will be a steady flow...but hopefully it goes soon.  They will appear over winter in the UK but by around Spring will be gone again, so im sure this one wont be here too long.

Greater Stitchwort

Thankfully theres some good news.  Very good news.  Nightingales.....there are already 15 singing on site.  The best number counted in any year for me so far is...15....last year.  There has been a steady increase over the past three or four years of one extra bird a year....most years anyway....previously the best was 12, but as I say, it has been increasing gradually.  Along with this increase and probably due to habitat change they have been spreading west along the site and there are now 4 at West Pit, the most there has been.

So, this is really good news because migration is nowhere near over.  It probably leaves a week or two for more birds to arrive.  And fingers crossed, one or two more on site would be amazing.

Bluebells

Other birds that should not be forgotten today.....

2 Lesser Whitethroat

4 Common Whitrthroat

2 Willow Warbler

1 Sedge Warbler

2 Cettis Warbler

1 Yellowhammer

1 Cuckoo

1 Treecreeper

Loads of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs..........