April this year started off cool with traditional April showers, remaining mostly overcast with occasional drizzle until around the 10th of the month. It was good to observe the sudden bursts of blossom and trees coming into leaf almost overnight with something new every day.
Birdsong has been remarkable this month, with winter migrants well away and settled in their summer breeding lands and new summer migrants arriving in good numbers on favourable winds. They soon filled their chosen habitat with loud song. By the 5th April migrant blackcaps and whitethroats were joining the resident song thrushes, blackbirds, great tits, wrens and robins in loud song.
On 6th April two lively common buzzards were flying in circles together, displaying. A nuthatch was calling from an oak with numerous house sparrows chattering in the hedges below- all together with what was now the daily chorus of those mentioned on 5th.
Hawthorn blossom in bud - unlike Blackthorn, the Hawthorn
leaves appear first whilst the blossom follows once leaves are fully
open.
The Hawthorn blossom buds on this plant had already opened
(photos both at same time and date) in a less shady area.
April 8th 2019 was a special day, although damp, windless, misty and overcast. There was still much Blackthorn blossom cascading over the river banks but now with previously bare patches filled by fresh green foliage - mainly Hawthorn leaves without blossom yet, and very young Cow Parsley springing up. Many birds were very active and singing, adjusting the volume to intermittent background noise from the south site.
First there was a fine view of a male bullfinch, perched typically on Blackthorn in blossom. A female bullfinch flew across and into the thicket behind. Whilst looking down onto the river, a kingfisher whizzed along just above the surface, between the steep mud sides of the bank. Looking up, a kestrel was seen attempting to hover, wings flapping fast as there was no breeze to provide lift. A small group of goldfinches flew across into the tops of the Ash trees, leaving another group singing in a Blackthorn thicket. Common Whitethroats, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs were singing whilst several blackbirds and two song thrushes foraged on the damp grass. A nuthatch was calling, warning off a carrion crow and two wood pigeons. Robins were very visible and singing loudly with wrens clearly nest-building under the banks. A pair of coal tits were seen in the same area on 10th.
Friday 12th - the first Swallows were seen here, flying low over the riverside in erratic flight, making sudden turns, hunting insects. In addition, three common buzzards were seen overhead and later a grey heron heading for a pond. The usual inhabitants - wrens, song thrushes, dunnocks, robins, blue and great tits were also seen.
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