The sun had spurred on some spring behaviour from invertebrates and birds. In the wood I saw a newly emerged queen bumblebee (I'm 99% sure it was a Buff-tailed) prospecting for a nesting site. There was also quite a lot of singing and territorial disputes. The Chaffinches were really having a go at each other and two Coal Tits were singing with full force at each other. I even heard the Willow Tit singing and as I stood and listened I got the full repertoire of calls and songs, including the rasping buzzing 'sub-song' I haven't heard before today.
As I was leaving the gulls were just starting to gather and I followed the line of gulls dropping in upwards. There were some that were only tiny dots in the sky so must have been a few hundred meters up at least. I stood and watched them whiffling down to the water for a while but no unusual species in the mix today!
The Willow Tit 'sub song' is called the 'gargle' call, and is similar for all the brown tits and chickadees. It's used by males in aggressive interactions, so the Grimsbury bird is definitely a lad with his sap rising! Unless a female arrives (and they do move around a bit right now), he might well leave to try and find one somewhere else.
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