Redstart

Light rain is falling at the moment but the last few days have been delightfully sunny and warm despite a strong breeze at times. Work in the garden has restricted my birding but it's had the effect of focusing my attention on what's turning up around the house.
Yesterday a bright male common redstart graced the garden, joining with the pair of black redstarts which have been here for a couple of weeks now. It seems to be a good Spring for blackcaps and several of them been in the garden along with a few chiffchaffs. A pair of serins have taken up occupancy and sing noisily from the treetops when not chasing each other around. Speaking of treetops, a hoopoe was sitting in one of mine on Wednesday . Several cuckoos are calling from the nearby woods and I've seen them fly over the garden from time to time.
I've admitted before that I'm a compulsive bird lister and I can report that noting twenty something species around the garden is quite easy at this time of year and a local bike ride pushes this up to around forty. A black kite and few more wheatears were the highlights of a recent trip around the eoliens.
My last trip to the Bandiat turned up a few green sandpipers, one little ringed plover and a single yellow wagtail.