At last, some rain. At last, some House Martins and Swifts. It feels like a lot of the summer migrants have been around for ages. Well some certainly have but it's still only the first week of May and after weeks of fine weather, we tend to forget that.
I was hoping that these weather fronts may bring in some birds, drop down a Tern or two, but no, 'just' the regular birds. Yesterday there was been a single Little Ringed Plover displaying on the far bank of the reservoir and today it was joined by a Common Sandpiper, my first of the year here. A female Mallard was taking the attention of six males and was fickle in the extreme as they displayed and fought each other. Another female still had five growing chicks - the same family had nine chicks last weekend that had steadily reduced to five as a third year Great Black-back Gull picked them off when they strayed away from the willows. It looks like the rest have stuck close to mum.
The three pairs of Great Crested Grebes are still on their nests and the injured Tuftie still remains. Around 50 Sand Martins fed low over the water.
In Cut Wood, there are plenty of birds singing. A Mistle Thrush has been particularly noticeable in banging out its song right above the path.
A single Lesser Redpoll has been on the garden feeders and Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap are still singing at the bottom of the garden. However all of these are drowned out by three competing male Blackbirds. Four Swifts over the trees at the back were my first for the year and a couple of House Martins were back at previous year's nest sites.
A few visits down to the reservoir are called for today I think as you never know what may drop in.
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