Bluebells

Well its still April, and the Bluebells are fully out - just what is going on? Mind you I spotted some winter barley orns today, and the silage fields look as though they are heading up at any moment.
Where the trees have been thinned and the light streams in the bluebells are a real picture - always something to savour - and the smell of the pollen is very impressive as well!
A walk in the wood will usually find (amongst much else) an Early Purple Orchid, and if damp enough a favorite of mine Water Avens

Ravens

Ravens have been breeding here for probably 3 years now - favouring the Cedars adjacent to the big house next door.
This year is no exception - and I just hope they leave the sheep alone.
I suspect the eggs hatched on Thursday last week as they are much noisier all of a sudden.
This is a medley of sounds (6 mins 45secs)  recorded on Saturday morning (23rd) here

Evening in river valley

At this time of year I have an evenings walk round the meadows with Swan Dave - Dave is down in this part of the world checking the breeding swan in the river system, something he's been doing for longer than he usually cares to admit, over 30 years!
Besides the more "obvious"  swan roundups in Christchurch Harbour, then "quieter" part of what he has done involves work in the Wylye valley moitoring the numbers of noth breeding birds and non-breeding flocks and meeting with fishing groups and representatives of the the ministries over the constant argument over whether there are too many swan in the Wylye and the detrimental effect this has on weed growth and therefore fish stocks. It is of course an on-going siuation - but numbers of non-breeders do at time seem to be be gently exagerated!
Besides staying for supper we usually have an evening walk around the meadows - trying to spot the swan on nest before they see us. Unlike town and lake swans these will not come to bread enabling Dave to catch and ring them, so most do not have an identifying metal or orange coloured engraved ring.
This time we heard , like most years, a Grasshopper Warbler - always bad enough to locate the singing position in the past - but with one ear out of action for high frequencies its next to impossible for me! This years bird was in a novel position - though full of sedge, so it may stay depending on what the cattle get up to when they come back that way. A Cuckoo was calling away, as were several Cetti's Warblers, and eventually I heard my first Reed Warbler of the summer, after hearing probably 20 Sedgies arguing away. I always liked the description of Mr Nice and Mr Angry for telling the songs apart.
We didnt see a Barn Owl - but as I saw one regularly back in the Winter I am hope that we will.
A late spring walk in the meadows at dusk remains one of my favorite moments, with the birds still singing as the day gradually ends.

Lapwing follow up

Well hard on yesterdays good news is even better - 7 chicks out on the grass this morning so really succesfull hatching - if only they can fledge as well.

 Last nights moth trapping was a big improvement with 25 species, including this rather fine Great Prominent.

As well as the first Hawkmoth - a Poplar.

Lapwing success

I was looking at an adult Lapwing on the edge of the cattle grassland and suddenly had to change direction.
Two tiny chicks were there in front of me.
A quick dive out of the truck to take a photo - mother calling around me as i did so, then back in the truck and start to move away.
A quick glance around to check I haven't  alerted any crows or magpies, then move away fast!

Owl

Times of migration can bring strange birds to familiar places.
So up on the down this evening on my way up to check the cows and calves I spot something sitting on a fence post. Nine times out of ten its one of the local Buzzards. But not tonight. Tonights was a Short-eared Owl, that sat there in the fading light, about 150 yards away and started to preen. Dark blank centres for its eyes moving as its head twisted around, scanning all about it, including myself.
When did I last see one here? 24/11/1981. A long time.
My brother of course has them virtually calling down his chimney - but then that is Scotland for you.
Meanwhile the other birds there soldier on.
A Lapwing did an exocet impression yesterday - flying low and fast at an offending Magpie. I'm afraid it wont get rid of them that easily.
Down the meadows yesterday the first Garden Warblers began singing away - so now just waiting  for Reed Warblers and Whitethroats to get back to their territories.

Lambs

Well they've arrived!

Corn Bunting

Two years ago I heard a Corn Bunting singing up on the Down for the first time for probably nearly 30 years.
This represented an almost instant - it was the first year - for the new small piece of downland restoration that I had started that year. The local photographers loved it - the poppies that came up that year could be seen for miles around. Unfortunately this ground that year needed to be kept under control to be seeded with brush collected seed that autumn. So the Corn Bunts didnt really get a chane that year.
Last year they didnt reappear.
But this, things are different - on 19th of March I spotted a small flock of eight. This was exciting enough. On 23rd March there was just a pair on the fence - just sitting, not singing.
Corn Buntings nest late in the season, which is why they have suffered from earler harvests - ie pre September, and therefore a late start to singing for a resident bird is not perhaps unexpected.
Then today the male is singing from the fence with the other bird in close proximity. So fingers crossed they stay the course.
So they join the Skylarks and Lapwings - all at risk from the Carrion Crows.

Cuckoo

Well the Cuckoos have arrived down the meadows yesterday morning - I was alerted to this by Ken from next door who also wanted me to check out a pair of 'grey' geese. These in turn, turned out to be a pair of Greylags. For the time of year not exactly surprising. Definately no Cuckoos on Sat or Sun.

On Sunday morning I had a pair of microphone out to record the morning chorus. Really nice and full now, and starting at about 0530. Listening back  and observing the sounds on the computer, I noticed again how a loud noise - a jet flying over - at the start of the Dawn Chorus results in an increaed level of song. Its as though either the birds put more effort into their songs - or for other birds this is the extra impulse/signal to start singing.

Meanwhile up on the Down, one Lapwing has now been sitting for a week - whilst another pair were mating. At the other side of the field a flock of 75 Linnets were feeding.

Spring filling the edges

Bird song now oozes from the landascape - Skylarks high up, Lapwing twisting around in display below - woodlands filed with Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch and a host of tit songs. Woodpeckers are hard at it with Greens laughing call coming through loud and clear every evening.
But spring is not just about birds - butterflies are on the wing. Today with Brimstone and Peacock I saw my first Orange Tip.
I ran my new MV moth trap last night for the first time - not a huge catch with just 17 moths of 5 species (Brindled Beauty the nice one!) - but there were none obviously flying in the torch light when I went to check it.
The spring flowers are bursting forth - primroses particularly good this year, as are Wood Anenomies even the Bluebells are showing a hint of the blue that will decorate the woodland floor before too long.
We still have just the three Swallows - so hope that more will appear over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile the Lapwing may be beginning to sit - or else just trying out the scrape to see if its ready! They are going to be monitored by a team from the Game & Wildlife Conservancy Trust.

River Valley

The valley floor is becoming filled with migrants.
The Blackcap and Chiffchaffs have been joined by the first Sedge Warblers and yesterday a few notes came from a Willow Warbler. This last will probably continue further north - I have not recorded Willow Warblers staying longer than a few days for many years now.
Of course there are residents equally obvious - Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers to name but two.
Winter visitors are now nearly all gone. The last flock of (118) Fieldfares was up on the Down 10 days ago. But down in the meadows there are still a few Snipe. Six were present yesterday - but they are unlikely to stay and breed. sightings may continue to the first few days of May - but they will probably disappear and go to other breeding grounds.
Another wintering bird is the Stonechat. This is also absent now - but can be expected to breed. So there appears to be two populations using the meadows at differing times of the year. Why not just stay put?
Yesterday morning was interesting in that I saw no Swallows or Martins moving up the valley - the slightly colder weather must have stalled their progress.

Morning Alarms

Swallow alarm calls this morning told me two things.
Firstly - that there was now more than one bird back - in fact three.
Secondly - that there was a raptor about and looking up above I spotted a large, probably female, sparrowhawk floating over.
So the migrants are really coming in now.
Chiffchaffs and blackcaps are to be heard in every copse with blackcaps reaching the woods at the top end of the farm yeaterday.
Meanwhile the four Lapwing pairs on the down are fighting off all comers - crows buzzards and of course themselves. I should be spotting a sitting female soon.