5th
May
Just walk up and down the lane
at Wyke a few times where birds seen included 2 Swifts, 8 House Martins, 3 Sand Martins and a Peregrine over the
woods. There was a cool little dancing
group of c12 Gren Longhorns at the gate to the Cart-track – all males, waiting
for a female to pass by.
6th
May
A decent walk round the Benthall
loop in the bright, sunny, warm conditions produced the first Spotted Flycatcher of
the year at Benthall Pools where the male Redstart was still giving little snatches of
song and the first Greylag Goose goslings were out and about; other birds
included a singing Garden
Warbler at
Watery Lane, a Swift, a Red Kite (with a second one in the afternoon) and two
new Lesser Whitethroats singing at The Vineyards
with a few more Whitethroats on territory as well. The dancing swarm of male Green Longhorns at
the Cart-track gate rose to at least 25.
7th
May
There were three Peregrines over
the woods at Farley in the morning along with 3 House Martins, a Swift, several
singing Lesser Whitethroats and a Grey Wagtail. A Sand Martin went over Wyke in the
afternoon where there was also an adult female Sparrowhawk, full-on displaying
to a 2cy male and a Silver-Y up the lane – the first migrant insect of the
spring.
8th
May
Not too much of note on the
Benthall loop with a couple of House Martins over, two Swifts high over
Benthall Edge and the usual singing warblers; there are now two broods of small
Coot chicks out on Benthall Pools along with two broods of Greylag Geese. The first Large Red Damselfly had emerged on
the second Benthall Pool and there was another dancing swarm of 15 Green
Longhorns near the Vineyards as well as a smart Scorpion Fly.
9th
May
The highlight of this lovely,
warm, calm day was a surprise Sedge Warbler singing in the cover crop just down the lane to the south of
Wyke; a Sand Martin went north, two Lesser Black-backed Gulls went west and a
couple of Lesser Whitethroats were singing further to the south of Wyke.
10th
May
A complete change in the weather
with overcast conditions and a chilly, brisk and increasing NE wind; the days
highlight came straight away with a Quail heard singing in fields to the east of Wyke, early in
the morning as I was checking the moth trap – it was later tracked down to the
corner of the Rape field, right by the gate to the Cart-track. The Benthall loop then produced a Spotted Flycatcher at Benthall Farm and a
pair of Garden Warblers at Watery Lane with at
least 26 Canada Goose goslings at the pools.
Another Spotted
Flycatcher was then at Woodhouse Farm.
11th
May
Partly
cloudy with a very cold NE wind still; not too much to mention with a 2cy Red
Kite heading purposefully NE into the wind over Benthall Hall looking like a
real passage bird (wishful thinking that it is connected to the big numbers
moving along the south coast at the moment) and two Swifts over Wyke the only
birds of note. There were 30+ Canada
Goose goslings on the main Benthall Pool along with one brood of Greylags and
four broods of tiny, ugly Coot chicks while the Little Grebes have probably
hatched as well judging from the adults change in behaviour but I didn’t see
any chicks.
Kestrel
Swallows
2cy Red Kite
Canada Geese
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