That Trudge Was A Drudge

 A fortnight's worth of freedom dispelled the usual Monday misery and I used my newly gained liberty to visit a few local sites. I was hoping to catch up with a few migrants but that hope was barely realised so it was perhaps just as well that I enjoyed the exercise! Weatherwise there was some good early sunshine though a strong breeze kept the temperature down.

Peregrine and Dunnock

On my way through the village I watched a small drama unfold as a feisty male Blackbird tried to protect its newly fledged chick from a menacing Magpie. Sadly for the spirited father its chick was sitting in the busy road and was hit by a white van. The fledgling though still alive at this point was then struck by another van which appears to have delivered the coup de grace. Doubtless the Magpie had its meal eventually and I wonder how many passerines our ever growing population of these charismatic corvids predate each spring? From the scene of this small tragedy I moved on to check out my local Peregrines. It's no secret that I've been seeing other Peregrines recently and I felt a little guilty about neglecting this pair. My falcon infidelity went unpunished on this occasion however as I saw the female perched in the usual spot while the male did a brief flypast.

Female and male Orange-tips

Brookfield Plantation was my next port of call though it was a little quiet, Fallow Deer and Muntjacs crossed my path on several occasions but there were no birds of note. On the way to Gretton I saw the first of three Whitethroats, they seem to be quite early this year. Closer to the village I got to play the alliteration game when I heard a Grasshopper Warbler reeling in the rough corner of a field. Unfortunately this was my only migrant of note as the hoped for Wheatears and Ring Ouzels did not appear, perhaps I should have gone to Harrington Airfield instead. I continued my walk along the Jurassic Way as far as Harringworth Lodge Lake but did not add anything else of interest to my list.

Green-veined and Small White

While birds disappointed today butterflies fared a bit better with whites in particular showing well. Three species were noted, Small and Green-veined Whites and Orange-tip though it's not always easy to separate them as they fly past. Other species seen were Peacock and Speckled Wood, the latter being fairly common in Brookfield Plantation on my return slog. I had another peek at the Peregrines before a trip to ASDA insured that Monday still had a lit bit of misery to dole out.

Skylark