Sheltering from the Chill North Wind

Today, 23rd April was cold, with breeze straight from the Arctic, even the fast flowing river looked cold, although running lower now. Compared with last year the cold wind has delayed the appearance of butterflies along the banks but the long-saturated earth has produced abundant damp-loving flowering plants such as Wild Garlic and Cuckooflower. Many birds were singing but keeping low under the banks and verges whist others were silently foraging intensely, already having young in the nest to feed.

One very active bird was heard calling first - low down on the river bank in a sheltered spot -

a fine male grey wagtail in breeding plumage.

The fast flowing river, Blackthorn blossom attracting blackcaps, the air filled with singing chiffchaffs and song thrushes - and a great spotted woodpecker drumming in a nearby tree.

A singing whitethroat was heard nearby - a welcome return to the riverside - and later a lesser whitethroat was heard singing too, investigating territory formerly only occupied by the early arrivals -the chiffchaffs, the first of the Phylloscopus warblers - and blackcaps, the first of the Sylvia warblers. Whitethroats are also Sylvia warblers but are usually later in arriving.
The cold weather seemed to have triggered a nest-building frenzy, with house sparrows and blue tits seen collecting dry grasses and mosses to furbish of refurbish their nests, returning time and again to the same source of materials.