Spring has Sprung??? Really!

Crikey! is it May already?? no its just another one of the feints that we get thrown from time to time, except the intervals are getting shorter. Flowers pushing through allover the place and snow forecast for the weekend. The nest building Grebes will be raising their nests yet again before the middle of next month. Nice? yes, Cold? yes, unless you found a spot in the sunshine
boy! was that nice.

The path down to the Public hide presented me, again with some nice Bullfinch in the hedge row this time I had six, three pairs, all grazing on the emerging shoots, sadly none got onto the branch's with the flowers on them, a real shame. And they were real flighty blighters. Something for the next day with some light.

So after what seemed like a couple of hours I moved down to the feeding station, having heard that a nice male was courting!! among five females, and sure enough there he was, never a disappointing bird this. Mind you to try and get him in the clear and not on the floor is always a very much wait and see period.
With Tree sparrows and Greenfinch etc. all looking resplendent in their new plumage's the arrival of Nuthatch and GSW was a bonus, and all in good penetrating light. mind you a bit of thrown flash was used to lighten the harsh shadows, sort of.

Now one of the visitors I had been hoping to catch up with, had so far eluded my attempts to get a snap or two, on first checking the pool the only birds of note were Shelduck, Shoveller and Oyster catcher, but no Pink footed goose.

So after the feeding station it was another check in the public hide, as I had heard a large skein of geese arrive not long before. Whoopee!! and there it was just casually swimming in front of the hide, like it was taunting me with its good looks? And when you compare it against the accompanying Grey lag geese it is remarkably more pleasing to the eye. Don't know about the belly though!!! ;-)

Well the time did fugit and I was of to take a look around the Walcot bridge area, there was a large mixed flock of Fieldfare and Redwing moving through the fields but not a lot of anything else as I move along to the Isombridge area, mind you it retains it's potential even though the hedges have had a real strict haircut!

So with the promise of some snow on the higher ground it promises to be an interesting time up in the hills.

So see you all in a few days or so.

Paul