Sunday 1 April 2018

GREY WET WEEKEND

Somebody said we'd sprung into spring well it sure doesn't feel like it. I walked around Minsmere yesterday and saw hardly any spring migrants and very little sign of courtship activity save the pictured male Reed Bunting who was trying his hardest to put a brave face on it and sing his heart out hoping to attract the interest of a female.

Reed Bunting
We picked out a couple of distant Jack Snipe in North Hide along with several Commons but otherwise it was dead quiet. No Sand Martins or Swallows yet, no singing Willow Warblers, no Wheatear. Even the locals stayed down with not a single Bearded Tit seen or heard and only a very distant calling Bittern that the Jims missed. The Harriers made one very poor effort to display but otherwise just sat about a lot. The Wader count was very low too with nothing of real note and certainly nothing new in.

We popped down to Eastbridge to watch the Ibis for a while but it never came close so we left stopping at Hazlewood to watch the Arctic Redpoll again as it fattens up for the journey north which must be just around the corner for it.

A little bit of the Arctic 
Just to break the return journey get the old man a year tick we stopped at Landguard where he quickly found a couple of Purple Sandpipers which we papped for a while before heading for home still without a Wheatear.

Purple Sandpiper at Landguard
Purple Sandpiper
Another of my favourite birds ( I have a few)


Year list now 171

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