More Signs Of Spring

 Another sunny morning though the temperature was once again kept down by a cold north westerly wind. My walk today mirrored the local stroll that I took on Wednesday though I'm happy to say that the results were slightly better.  I began by checking the plover site and was happy to note a pair of Ringed Plovers and also a pair of Little Ringed though these appeared to be driven off by their larger cousins. It's nice to know that the Ringeds have returned to what is their only breeding site in the county.

Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers

Next up was Willowbrook where I checked the area for Wheatears but didn't see any. It was a little on the quiet side again here apart from the many singing Skylarks. There was nothing of note at the North Gullet at Priors Hall while the highlights in the Southern Gullet were once again Sand Martins and the still single Great Crested Grebe. One welcome change from Wednesday evening was the appearance of my first Small Tortoiseshell of the year nectaring on blossom near the quarry lake. Also making their debut for the year were several Bee-flies in the same area. On my way to the bus stop I made a slight detour to a spot in Weldon which often hosts early butterflies. My reward was a fine looking Comma which took my year list up to a less than impressive three.

Small Tortoiseshell and Comma

I'd thought my nature spotting day was over but after I'd done the shopping and started the preparations for dinner I received news that Alan Shorrock had found a couple of Wheatears at Willowbrook! Once I'd scrounged a lift I set off on a mini twitch hoping to catch up with them. Luck was with me as I found both and was able to watch them for several minutes before speeding home to continue with my chores. Where were they when I checked the same area this morning?

Wheatear