More Spring

It was another cool and breezy morning but I went to Pilling armed with spring traps and mealworms. There was a little gang of 7 Wheatears this morning, more or less together in the usual spots, so I set about trying to catch a few. Just like Saturday, I caught two birds, but this time a male and a female, both juvenile, second calendar year birds.

Wheatear – male, second calendar year
Wheatear – female, second calendar year
Wheatear – female, second calendar year

I didn’t see much else along the sea wall, just the expected handful of Linnets, 2 Little Egret, 2 Kestrel, 55 Redshank and at Lane Ends itself, 3 Willow Warbler plus pairs of Tufted Duck and Little Grebe.

I left Pilling and made my way to Out Rawcliffe to perform a quick top up of the bird feeders. When the winds subside Will and I hope to get out ringing and catch up with more Lesser Redpolls, so we decided to maintain the nyger feeders a little longer for both Redpoll and Goldfinch still coming through the site. I topped up the feeders that swayed from branches in the stiff breeze whilst counting 10 Goldfinch, 4 Lesser Redpoll and a couple of ground feeding Chaffinch. In the plantation were at least 5 singing Willow Warblers and a single Chiffchaff, and as I drove off site, 3 Buzzards and the Little Owl sheltering from the threatening showers and the ever present wind of recent days.

Lesser Redpoll
Little Owl

Back at home the sun broke through, the wind dropped and the recently arrived House Martins circled above. I first saw them two days ago surveying their annual nest site at the big house on the corner- April 4th was a good early sighting for me, just a day behind Swallow on 3rd April.

House Martin