27th Apr 2025: Swift

The only new bird of the year this week was Swift, with 2 seen by John Beak yesterday. At least 4 Lesser Whitethroats were also recorded yesterday, but otherwise it was very much the same as the previous week in terms of species and numbers.

20th Apr 2025: more warblers

A few more arrivals this week with Grasshopper Warbler yesterday and Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler today. We just need Reed Warbler now for our set of 10 warblers, excluding anything rarer that might be recorded.

The rest of the week continued in to be nice and steady birding with the, or possibly another, Redstart on Tuesday. Which is actually pretty notable locally for this spring as there has been so few. There has also been up to 3 Common Sandpipers, Yellow Wagtails, a White Wagtail, and a very noticeable increase in Sedge Warblers and Whitethroats.

13th Apr 2025: Common Sandpiper and Redstart

It's been another steady week with a few more new additions, either taking up territory for this season or passing through.

On Monday Ian had 3 Yellow Wagtails and there has been small numbers (up to three) seen most days. On Wednesday we had 2 Little Ringed Plovers and at least 3 Willow Warblers. A little later on the Wednesday Kev had a Peregrine through.

Our first 2 Sedge Warblers of the year were singing Thursday morning and Ian found our first Common Sandpiper on Friday afternoon.

Yesterday and this morning, at least two Sedge Warblers around the Borrow Pit pool in the U.C.V., with another and at least one Willow Warbler still along the river by the reservoir. This morning there was also our first Whitethroat of the year in the bramble scrub and a male Redstart along the ditch in the cattle field. The change in the weather also meant a notable increase in hirundine numbers feeding over the reservoir.

6th Apr 2025: Great Egrets

It's been a fairly good week with a few new species recorded.

On Wednesday morning I had 4 Great White Egrets fly over south, quite high and clearly moving rather than just flying from a roost to a feeding location. Later in the day Sandra also had 2 Little Ringed Plovers.

Thursday we had our first Great Crested Grebe of the year, which is oddly very late in the year, and JFT had 3 Little Ringed Plovers.

Ian found our first White Wagtail of the year on Friday morning and in the afternoon I had an Oystercatcher and a Little Ringed Plover fly over.

The same, or possibly another, White Wagtail was around Saturday morning and today Clive found our first Yellow Wagtail of the year.