A Few Arrivals

On Monday it was forecast to be too windy and wet for our planned location so we switched to Tophill Low.  It was quite gloomy when we started, but a Swift still whizzed past D Reservoir, but it didn't hang around.  We went south and soon heard the harsh calls of Common Terns, which we saw fishing on O reservoir.  Shortly afterwards we saw a Reed Warbler on South Marsh West.  South Scrub had a relatively showy Lesser Whitethroat, and a Willow Warbler, but Watton Borrow Pits had quietened down after the large numbers of overwintering wildfowl.  
Lesser Whitethroat
Ditto
Blackcap
Ditto
Record shot of Blackcap
Reed Warbler
Willow Warbler
Roe Deer
On Wednesday although it was extremely windy we were able to continue to Skipwith Common.  We were rewarded almost immediately with a Cuckoo, a Treecreeper and a fight between 5 Hares (see also the previous post).  We heard 3 Tree Pipits in total, but the light was rather poor.  The biggest surprise was a very early Garden Warbler - usually we don't come across those until May.  

Garden Warbler (c) 2018 Tony Robinson
Garden Warbler
Hares (c) 2018 Maggie Bruce
 Hare (c) 2018 Maggie Bruce
 Hares (c) 2018 Maggie Bruce
 Ditto
 Ditto
Hare
Willow Warbler
Treecreeper
Treecreeper
Mistle Thrush
Kestrel
Record Shot of Tree pipit
Silhouette of Tree Pipit
Ditto
Thursday's visit to Noddle Hill went ahead, but the wind was pretty dreadful.  Despite this we had our first Red Kite there in the morning, and a very hoarse Green Woodpecker for an hour after lunch.  We came across our first Common Whitethroats, and (Thursday) Sedge Warblers, but The Lesser Whiutethroats still outnumbered the Common Whitethroats. Unfortunately, the Grasshopper Warbler habitat had been destroyed by local hooligans.  There were several Linnets, but they didn't pose for photograph in the strong winds.
Common Whitethroat
Silhouette of a Swallow
Sedge Warbler
Ditto 
Ditto
Willow Warbler
Ditto
 Willow Warbler [with tongue!] (c) 2018 Margaret Richardson
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Ditto
Greylag Goslings
 Ditto
 Male Green Woodpecker
  Green Woodpecker
 Exocet
 Kestrel
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Roe Deer
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Ditto
 Small Tortoiseshell
On Friday we shared cars to North Cliffe Wood, where the Bluebells were almost fully out.  It was a grey morning, and drizzle threatened at times, but it stayed dry until the last 15 mins.  We heard a distant Cuckoo, perhaps towards Bunny Hill, - this is the first we've heard at this formerly guaranteed location for about 5 years.  There were plenty of Warblers, and more Blackcaps had arrived since our last visit.  The final bird was a Yellowhammer, which can be seen with a background of rain.  
Yellowhammer



 Bluebell
 Bluebell
 Bluebells
 Dog's Mercury
 Hoof Fungus

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