March 20th

After managing only a short walk yesterday and not really a birding walk, it was nice to get out this morning. By the time I left the car park I had already seen 18 species, the pick of which were around 20 Redwings and a flyover Redpoll. It was a good day for Goldcrests and after the ones in the car park there were another 3 pairs round the estate. As I walked passed the Granary a BRAMBLING called and 2 birds flew west, a nice male Kestrel then drifted through the valley.
I was heading to the lake when Stephen rang to say he had found 2 Red Legged Partridge, so I diverted round the fields first, I lost track of the amount of Yellowhammers this morning but 10 would be a reasonble guess, a Meadow Pipit flew north and there was 1 Rook with 7 Carrion Crows. One thing that was quite apparent today is that there had been a good increase in Chiffchaff numbers, I counted 5 singing birds not including the one outside my house as I left for my walk, it certainly made for a very spring like walk.

There wasn't alot flying over this morning and I picked up just 11 Black-headed Gulls and 4 Herring Gulls at some height, I was struggling to locate the Red Legs when Stephen called again to say he was following them up the hedgerow, I stopped and scanned and saw the 2 RED LEGGED PARTRIDGES (77) waddling along the hedgerow in the distance.
I continued into the wood adding Reed Bunting on the way, once in the wood I found Treecreeper, 4 Nuthatches, 2 Coal Tits, 4 singing Marsh Tits, a male Sparrowhawk and several Siskins flew over calling. I tried in vain to get a decent picture of one of the Marsh Tits but frankly it was a bit laughable!! See below.

The amount of tail shots twigs etc!! this was the best!!

 I finished with a look across the valley which was fairly uneventful, a short walk this afternoon added a female Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, my first butterfly of the year a Peacock in a hurry and 2 Orange Underwing moths only my second ever sighting, the first being yesterday.