7th
April
A gorgeous day with barely a
cloud in the sky or breath of wind; it was quiet though round Benthall –
probably the old adage that the weather was too nice, with only a Sand Martin,
2 Swallows and 2 Meadow Pipits seemingly moving. There were still at least 9 Willow Warblers
round the pools with good numbers of Chiffchaffs and a couple of new singing
Blackcaps while plenty of soaring raptors over Benthall Edge included 4 Red Kites,
several Sparrowhawks and countless Buzzards – many of which were acrobatically
displaying in pairs.
8th
April
Another gorgeous day, warm,
sunny and calm; it was quiet again with only a handful of Linnets which
appeared to be half-heartedly moving NW.
Other birds included 5 Willow Warblers, 5 singing Blackcaps, plenty of
Chiffchaffs still, a pair of Grey Wagtails acting suspiciously just below Wyke,
distant Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, two Red Kites and the usual stacks of Buzzards
over Benthall Edge and a lingering Fieldfare at Watery Lane. It was also good to finally see some
Butterflies other than Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock (which seemed to be
moving across the fields) with a couple of Orange Tips and a Large White at Wyke.
9th
April
Another fine, sunny day with a
bit more hazy cloud and an easterly breeze; a few more things were moving with
a House Martin going north, a high flock of 16 Lesser Black-backed Gulls also
heading north and 16 Meadow Pipits and a few Linnets heading NW. Other birds included 4 Willow Warblers, 12
Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackcaps, a group of 4 Fieldfares still at Benthall, a
Sparrowhawk, a Red Kite and a Kestrel at Benthall which caught a Slow
Worm. The first Holly Blue was on the
wing up the Cart-track.
10th
April
Nice and warm again but again
with more hazy cloud and a light easterly breeze; the highlight was a Tree Pipit heard
going north over Benthall Edge – my first record for this area. There was no other real passage although 4
Greenfinches and a couple of Linnets may have been moving but other birds
included 4 Swallows, 2 Sparrowhawks, a 2cy male Peregrine over Benthall Pools,
6 Willow Warblers and 5 Blackcaps.
There was a female Wheatear
in the traditional field up the Cart-track and it was good to see a really
noticeable increase in Orange Tips all over the area, especially at Benthall.
11th
April
Lovely and warm again with
hardly any clouds or wind; quiet out and about as it felt more like a late
summers day rather than early spring but two Peregrines flew over The Vineyards
(an adult male and a 2cy female) where there was also a Green Woodpecker (first
one here this year) and a Red Kite which went south, 2 Lapwings went west and 4
Swallows were at Benthall. The first
returning Whitethroat
of the year was singing back on territory up the Cart-track and my first
Brimstone of the year was at Benthall.
12th
April
Still very pleasant but with a
bit more cloud and slightly cooler conditions; birds round the loop included 2 Cormorants
(one over to the west and one to the south), a Heron really high up over to the
west, an epic flock of 38 Carrion Crows in a stubble field, a Swallow, 3 Willow
Warblers, at least 7 Blackcaps and two singing Whitethroats (at Benthall Hall
and along the Cart-track). A distant
Peregrine was perched on a pylon over towards Benthall in the afternoon as seen
from Wyke.
13th
April
After a wild night – windy with
a spell of heavy rain, thunder and lightning, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky
all day but the keen, brisk, easterly wind certainly gave the day an edge. My enthusiasm waned through the day so I didn’t
all the way round the loop but birds seen included a Red Kite, a flyover Rook,
a group of four Lesser Black-backed Gulls over to the east and singing
Whitethroat, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.
The fun Ashy Mining Bee colony along the Cart-track was particularly
busy at lunchtime with an estimated 320 individuals in less than a 10m stretch.
The last Fieldfares of the spring
Blackcap
Buzzard
Hare
Fallow Deer
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