Hares and wheatears (but not on the Common)

Maundy Thursday, very warm, slightly hazy. Having seen a couple of hares on Sunday when I didn't have my camera, I took myself  for a walk round the footpaths off Sandy Lane in the hope of getting a photo or two. I was initially disappointed, although I did find a brimstone butterfly for the survey, near the old graveyard.

But then, walking down Sandy Lane back towards the village I noticed a couple of birds on the brown earth of the field on the southern side. Closer inspection revealed they were wheatears - very good. A bit too far off for a decent photo, but here's what I got anyway.

Then I noticed a hare in the field which is planted with a cereal crop on the other side of the road. Having seen one, I realised there were two, and then I counted five! Four were chasing each other: not quite mad March hares, but clearly being aggressive. The fifth, which I imagine was a female watching proceedings, stayed some way off. Again, they were not close enough to get a particularly good picture, but this is the best of the ones I took.

The wildlife survey is taking off now, with a good few reports coming in. I saw my first speckled wood butterfly of the year in St. James's churchyard, so that's another one on the list. We've now had at least one report of everything we're looking at, except swifts. So who can see the first of those this year?

Song time

Had a lovely walk across the boardwalk this evening, enjoying the vast amount of bird song on offer. It started with a willow warbler, one of my favourite singers and not one we hear enough of in our neck of the woods. Soon after that I could hear chiffchaffs and blackcaps, and in the distance a song thrush.

As it happened, my route took me towards that thrush, and I eventually found myself standing beneath the tree it was singing from the top of. It was a truly virtuoso performance, and for all the wonderful songs of our visiting warblers, this bird is definitely one to treasure. It was accompanied by a blackbird and a blackcap, but that thrushwas undoubtedly the star of that particular show.

Silently, but it made my heart sing, glancing up I saw a female sparrowhawk fly across the common.

Not bad for a 40 minute stint!

Visitors arriving in droves

What a beautiful day! There have been others recently of course, but viewing them through an office window takes the shine off them. Today however was perfect: warm, but still fresh; a perfect, cobalt-blue sky; and lots of newly arrived birds to find without being too obscured by foliage.

On my walk round I heard 4 chiffchaffs sunging lustily, and was able to photograph this one at Scouts' Pond.

I was hopeful of also getting a picture of a blackcap: I heard 4 of those too, but none would stay in one place in clear view long enough. Never mind; next time perhaps.

At the junction of Chapel Road and Lower Street I found my first swallow of the year. As that is one of the species in our survey, that's another one off and running. Come on the rest of you, let's have your sightings! I can't believe I'm the only one seeing these things, especially since I'm only able to look at the weekends.So far we have 5 records of brimstone butterflies, and now this solitary swallow. There are also orange tip butterflies about, but they're not in the survey - perhaps we'll include them next year.

The orchid and cotton grass section of the common has some nice marsh marigolds growing in it: I found these less elusive to photograph than the warblers!