It was a lovely morning today. Really spring-like. It was a clear night last night, so there was a light frost on the ground, and come morning the Sun was out in a cloudless blue sky.
The amount of birdsong has increased a great deal. The first bird to be heard was a Great Spotted Woodpecker as it drummed on a Larch - a total of 7 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen and heard this morning, 2 Coal Tits were heard singing, 2 Treecreepers were also heard singing, a Goldcrest called from a Wellingtonia, 3 Stock Doves were seen, 3 Nuthatches were seen and heard, and a Green Woodpecker was clambered up an Alder in the Alder wood along the River Len.
On the Lake were 2 Mute Swans, 27 Canada Geese, 9 Pochard, 7 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe, 7 Great Crested Grebes – with 2 pairs displaying, and the countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 21 Common Gulls, about 50 Black-headed Gulls, and an elegant-looking winter plumaged adult Mediterranean Gull. Also, in addition to these birds, a Grey Heron stood along the banks of the River Len, and a Kingfisher fished along the Lake’s northern edge.
The amount of birdsong has increased a great deal. The first bird to be heard was a Great Spotted Woodpecker as it drummed on a Larch - a total of 7 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were seen and heard this morning, 2 Coal Tits were heard singing, 2 Treecreepers were also heard singing, a Goldcrest called from a Wellingtonia, 3 Stock Doves were seen, 3 Nuthatches were seen and heard, and a Green Woodpecker was clambered up an Alder in the Alder wood along the River Len.
On the Lake were 2 Mute Swans, 27 Canada Geese, 9 Pochard, 7 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe, 7 Great Crested Grebes – with 2 pairs displaying, and the countless Mallards, Coots and Moorhens. The gull flock on the Lake consisted of at least 21 Common Gulls, about 50 Black-headed Gulls, and an elegant-looking winter plumaged adult Mediterranean Gull. Also, in addition to these birds, a Grey Heron stood along the banks of the River Len, and a Kingfisher fished along the Lake’s northern edge.
Wild Daffodil
Narcissus pseudonarcissus
Also of note, 20 Magpies were observed perched together in an Ash, the first of this year’s Daffodils were in flower, and a walk through the wet woodland to the north of the Park produced the first Violets, Lesser Celandine, Snowdrops and Primroses to flower, and the Bluebell leaves were roughly 5-6 inches above the soil.
(A glade that has recently been created.)
Lesser Celandine
Ranunculus ficaria
Snowdrop
Galanthus nivalis
Primrose
Primula vulgaris
2 comments:
Nice pictures Simon - still very early for Celandine....must keep a look out for my first of the year..
Glad to hear that Med Gulls have reached you - they are a lovely bird, especially in winter white.
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