Black Woodpecker et al

It's that time of the year when opportunities arrive to come across birds which would have been less likely only a week or two ago. Sunday was a sunny day and I had a look around the Braconne Forest as it was not a hunting day there. A black woodpecker was calling at Le Gros Fayant which seems to be their favoured area. It was too deep in the forest to locate though and I settled for watching several obliging hawfinches.
The flooded fields are producing a few migrating birds and there was a little ringed plover together with the second redshank of the spring at Fougère today. There were still plenty of lapwing and golden plover there also and some of the latter were in summer plumage. Black-headed gulls numbered twenty four.
The first serins of the spring turned up at my garden feeders yesterday, such tiny birds alongside the other finches, while a little taste of winter lingered with a solitary redwing sitting motionless in a tree  near Saint Colombe.
Today was sunny enough to mow the lawn and I witnessed the lucky survival of the regular lesser spotted woodpecker when it was chased by a sparrowhawk at the bird feeders; it twisted impressively in its escape flight to avoid its pursuer.
Rain is forecast for tomorrow so probably not too much birding, but there will be a topping up of the temporary wetlands for future days.