Thursday 10th May

Sweet Chesnut

My first walk in for 10 days - how things have changed since my last walk...nature waits for no man! The bluebells had come and gone and everything was in leaf. The Sweet Chesnut coppice had greened up and blocked views of across some of the areas I watch, particularly the path beside Gallagher's Gallop. 5x ChiffChaff (one on a TV aerial!),3x Blackcap, 2xWhitethroat and 5x Yellowhammers sang. A Goldfinch and Linnet made up the duet in the 'Duet Tree'. 10 Linnets in total were seen, 1 female of a pair carried nesting material in her beak, and a male Bullfinch showed briefly before disappearing back into the undergrowth. 2x Swifts scythed their way north as I approached Kiln Barn Farm and a Swallow dipped over the hedgerow and low across the pasture. A second Swallow was seen on the wires at Kiln Barn Lane corner.

'Duet tree'

Another Swift flew South over the strawberry plots mid-morning, and 3x House Martin weretaking water from apuddle at the back of the site garages.