catching up

I haven't blogged since 13th March so thought I'd do a quick catch up.

As is usual now my time has been divided into caring for Suzanne, the grandchildren and the father in law and continued to help my youngest with landscaping and maintaining the garden of his new home.

But I have done some birding on the rare days off.

I dipped an Alpine Swift on the patch at Fishers Green on 24th March but year ticked Sand Martin.

Silver Wood Duck still surviving in the valley

A yellow-billed Pintail keeping the Wood duck company

The 25th March saw us travel down the A13 to Tilbury where we connected with the Green-winged Teal and added our first Little-ringed Plovers of the year too.

7th April and we had a morning at Abberton which allowed us to year tick Yellow Wagtail with at least twenty birds around the farm. A male Balckcap was a first for the year and a single Common Tern was also a year tick. We also saw another pair of LRP.

On 10th April I headed down to Devon to spend a few days with the grand children. A lovely week with very limited time outside playing with them but I did stop at Labrador bay on the way down where I saw a Cirl Bunting and my first Swallow of the year. On the 12th I managed another view of Cirl Bunting at Broadsands and a Shag at Brixham whilst playing pirates with George.

The 22nd saw me laying turf at my sons and allowed me to year tick House Martin.

A couple of hours at Lee Valley on 23rd was enjoyable allowing us to tick Cuckoo, Nightingale, Sedge and Reed Warbler along with  Whitethroat and Swift also new for 2013.

24th and we had an hour at Wanstead where we managed to find ten Wheatear, a Whinchat and a Willow Warbler but we failed to see the Little Owls again.

the year list at this point is just 178