I had one of those days that you dream about when walking around your local patch last week. I always walk around in hope of finding something good, and usually go away satisfied that I've seen much the same as the previous day, and if the sun was out too, then that's a real bonus. But this day I turned up and straight away I heard a Lesser Whitethroat singing in the hedgerow. A great little bird, that's not often that easy to see, and very rare on my patch.
Then I continued my walk, with all the usual suspects singing or in position, until I spotted a bird jumping around the top of the hedge. I thought it might be a Stonechat, but then I saw the stripe over it's eye, and knew instantly that this was a Whinchat. A much prized bird for me, and I was absolutely delighted. So much so that I went back again that afternoon to see it again, and this time it was even closer and the right side of the sun. Superb!! It was still there the next day, but much further away and a scope was required.
You can see my latest wanderings here:
Lesser Whitethroat
This years migration is well under way. I've made several visits to one of my favourite places nearby in the Goyt Valley, and I've not been disappointed. Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts and Tree Pipits are back where they belong and I've had fun trying to locate them, with varying degrees of success. So far, I have only located one or two male Pied Flycatchers. The females are always a little later, so I will have to go back to find them. I've also only found a couple of male Redstarts, but they are great little birds, and add so much colour and vibrancy to any day. Tree Pipits are not so colourful, but they make up for that with their song. All in all, the woodlands have a lot more sound and colour at the moment, and it's most welcome 😀
You can see my latest wanderings here:
Still in Norfolk, and I was on the hunt for Twite once again. They gave me the slip on the first day, but I managed to find one at least on the second day. Really tricky little birds to find and see. The area where they were though meant I could see lots of other really good birds on the way. Lots of waders, such as Redshank, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Lapwing and Oystercatcher kept my walk both colourful and vocal.
The odd Marsh Harrier drifted over a few times, and Little and Great White Egrets were on the waters edges and close to the reeds. Although the sun was out, it wasn't particularly warm, but that hadn't put off a few Swallows and Sand Martins that passed through unfazed. A spoonbill appeared from nowhere, which was handy as I wanted that on my year list. A Wheatear hopped onto a post and looked like it was enjoying the sunshine, while in the Blackthorn were a pair of Blackcaps, with the male singing and giving away their cover.
You can watch my latest adventure here:
A long Easter weekend break in Norfolk meant that I had the opportunity to add some special birds to my year list, and all from one site. The heath at Kelling holds a couple of really good birds, but they are not always that easy to see. Spring is the perfect time to catch a glimpse, as they are more active and showy while they are setting up territories and nest building. The two birds I most wanted to see were the Dartford Warbler and the Woodlark.
If you can't see a bird, the next best thing is to hear it, which can at least give you an idea where it may be. That was how I located both these birds. I had wandered around for a while with no sign, until I heard their songs. That put me on the right track and eventually I spotted them. I love to see these birds, as they are not widespread across the country and so gives me an extra buzz when I do connect with them.
You can watch my adventures here:
The sun came out and I made an early start on the Wirral. I was hoping to see my first Wheatear of the year, but that didn't prove to be successful. However, as always in this area, there was plenty to see and I went home happy.
Starting at Burton Marsh, there were plenty of Egrets (Great White and Little) to see. A Marsh Harrier flew over and Chiffchaffs, Song Thrush, Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings provided a nice background chorus as I walked the path. There were still hundreds, if not thousands, of Pink-footed Geese out on the Marsh. Moving on to RSPB Burton Mere, I heard and then saw my first Willow Warbler of the year. Other firsts for 2026 included Spotted Redshanks and Med Gulls. All in all a very nice morning out in some very nice weather for a change.
Come with me on my walk here:
Avocet
