Friday March 24

Mostly cloudy with a light to moderate easterly breeze. It's the one time of the year that an easterly is disliked by the birding fraternity.

I headed for a walk around Ipsley Alders this morning. Three Ipsley Alders ticks were seen, but they only served to emphasise how much I have neglected the reserve over the years. Tick one was Chiffchaff, and I eventually tallied at least five singing males.

Chiffchaff

The next "tick" was Coot, although I am pretty sure I have seen them on the little pond before whilst driving past. It was only a tick in the sense that I had not added one to my Birdtrack records before.

The walk through the woodland produced a singing Blackcap, a Green Woodpecker, and nine Lesser Redpolls which I spent ages trying to photograph.

Lesser Redpoll in a brief moment of sunshine.

A quick traipse into the marsh produced two male Reed Buntings and lots of what I believe is Hairy Bittercress. I dug up loads of it in the garden yesterday.

Reed Bunting

Hairy Bittercress

My final Ipsley Alders tick was also my most unexpected sighting of the morning. A flock of four Grey Wagtails flew over. The words flock and Grey Wagtail do not usually go together as this species rarely occurs in numbers exceeding two.

Finally, just a word on yesterday. I spent the morning gardening, seeing Buff-tailed and Red-tailed Bumblebees, plus a small bee which I cannot identify.

Bee sp

In the afternoon we went to Hillers near Dunnington where the highlight was a very low Red Kite. Unfortunately I hadn't taken either my camera or my binoculars. Kites seem to be quite regular there though.

PS: went to Birmingham as mentioned in previous post. No Waxwings seen.