Sounds Like Spring

The Spring Equinox but it was windy this morning, probably 20mph, wrong direction as well, so rather than trudge along to Lane Ends for a battering from the elements with probably little or no fresh migration I decided to head inland to the moss where I might find shelter.

The track goes eventually through to Nateby but I parked up before that, taking care to avoid blocking gateways, the way out for parked up farm vehicles due to recommence work from Saturday. In the fields several pairs of Lapwings cavorted noisily around, likewise a few migrant Curlew bubbled across the grass with one pair playing at breeding; but lowland breeding Curlew are pretty rare so whilst the Curlew’s bit of practice doesn’t get entered as a “B” on Birdtrack, the Lapwings do carry on to do the real deal.

Lapwings
Curlew
Two Buzzards called from the wood across, and in edge of the other wood nearest to me the Tree Sparrows at the nest boxes chip-chipped at my passing. The track grew quieter as I neared the more windswept parts of the farm, birds not obvious apart from 2 singing Corn Buntings and similar Skylarks, but I had to turn my head from the wind to hear them. I found a party of 30 Meadow Pipits on the deck near the topmost field, probable left over’s from the week as none were on the move this morning apart from when I disturbed them and they seep-seeped off.

Meadow Pipit
Corn Bunting
I spent some time near the barn where little flocks of Corn Bunting and Yellowhammers still refuse to accept it is spring and continue to search around the old tailings: 15 or so Corn Buntings and 4 Yellowhammer today with the usual attendant Chaffinch, flyover Goldfinch and Linnet plus a very smart spring attired Pied Wagtail that stayed a while.

Corn Bunting
Yellowhammer
Pied Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Chaffinch

On the way back home I saw the Stock Dove pair at the usual tree. They didn’t hang around for me but I might have expected them to be on eggs by now and perhaps for one to stay in the holey tree. I stopped for a while to look for the Little Owls, and although one was calling very loudly from somewhere I couldn’t locate it from inside my car so hung fire with the camera for another day. Maybe it looked down on me from somewhere?

Little Owl
It was a nice afternoon, dry and sunny but cool, in fact a perfect day to hear from over the garden fence the one certain sound of a British spring, yes that’s right a lawnmower. Spring has arrived.