Tuesday 28 April 2020

Wheatears at Last

As I’m sure I’ve said in several previous posts, the arrival of wheatears always confirms (for me at least) that Spring has definitely arrived. This is most likely a hangover from my years on the Isle of Wight when the sight of these elegant birds pertly standing on the short turf of the downs was a much anticipated sight.
They don’t turn up in the same numbers her (and, rather strangely, do so later than 400 miles further north) but I was pleased to see a single male on the nearby plains on Saturday and then another one the following day. Also up there were several blue-headed wagtails, a couple of whinchats, a pair of cisticolas, a grey partridge and a black kite.
Around the garden the song of the golden oriole has now joined that of the cuckoo, the turtle dove and the nightingale....but the resident blackbird’s song is still the most beautiful.

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