Saturday 3rd.April 2010

A walk on the Common this morning , found at least 3 singing Chiffchaffs , including this one , bursting his lungs , telling every other Chiffchaff that this area , around the dead Silver Birch , was his patch . And why do I assume that this was what he was saying , well , in between his calling , I kept hearing the Chiffchaff contact call , 'hueet,hueet' , soft and gentle , and coming from amongst the Gorse , much lower down . I got as close as I dared , then set up the tripod and waited . The soft calls continued , but no sign of the bird . Then , seemingly appearing from nowhere , this bird , once again assuming , a female , popped up on top of some Gorse , a few metres in front of me , with nesting material in her bill . She didn't stay long , flying down into the thickest vegetation around , where she hopefully will make her nest and raise her brood .
At least two Song Thrushes and one Mistle Thrush were in full song , and a Sparrowhawk raced across one of the open glades and back into the woodland . Almost back at the car , I came across another homemaker , in a patch of bramble and Gorse , left in the middle of another glade . I estimate that there are 3/4 breeding pairs of LTTits on the Common , I just hope they have a successful season .
After lunch , a quick run into the hills produced fewer Adders than of late , although a group of four males were found , lying together for maximum warmth . On the way home , with the sunshine now at a premium , I stopped off for a quick look at Spring Park Woods/Pond . In the woods , in varying degrees of flowering , the Wood Anemones are making a good show in places , along with Lesser Celandine , but no sign yet of and Bluebell flower stalks . When the sun was not shining , it became quite chilly , and I was not the only one to think so , going by the body language of this Grey Squirrel . The pond still looks cold , but some of the emergent vegetation is starting to show signs of growth . The only movement I found was this Ramshorn Snail , grazing on the algae on a clump of frogspawn . More calling Chiffchaffs filled the air here too , but I didn't hear the call of a Blackcap , usually found in the woods , so I am still waiting for my first song from that species . On the edges of two clearings , I found Kestrels , perched in trees on the edges . I found a third , a male , just about to make a sortie , down into the sheltered meadow , that later in the year will hold many of the butterfly species , and also newly emerged and resting dragonfly species .
With the sun disappearing again , I made my way home .