April Showers

 I had a busy morning around the house doing a few much needed jobs and it wasn't until early afternoon that I boarded the X4 for a trip to Oundle. Today's weather had returned to the seasonal norm with a mixture of sun, clouds and showers replacing the unbroken sunshine and blue skies of previous days. While I didn't see much on my travels it was good to get out and at least have the chance of finding something good.

Grey Heron and Speckled Wood

Several rarities in the county today showed an appreciation for alliteration as a White Stork circled over Whiston New Workings and a Hoopoe visited Hanging Houghton. Sadly I didn't get so much as an ooh out of Oundle as I walked along the River Nene. Any thoughts that I may have harboured of visiting Barnwell CP were soon dispelled as I could hear squealing brats quite some time before I reached the entrance. No Kingfisher today near Oundle Mill but some Swallows hawking low over horse paddocks on the opposite site of the road helped to make up for that. Several minutes later and I saw my only butterfly of the day when I found a Speckled Wood near the Princess fishing lake. Little else was noted as I made my way along to the A605 floods.

Oystercatchers and Yellow Wagtail

Things were pretty quiet at the floods, a birder from Nassington told me that some waders had been present a little earlier but had since moved on. I gave the area a thorough scan but couldn't find much, duck numbers have certainly dropped over the last few weeks. A potential reason for the lack of birds presented itself when a Peregrine dropped in and sat on the mud for a short while before departing again. Rain showers were now beginning to roll in but before I left I managed to find a couple of Yellow Wagtails joining the many Pieds feeding on the margins of the floodwater. Having decided to move on I made my way to the town centre where I was once again lucky enough to see a Peregrine before catching the bus home.

Peregrines near and far.