Wednesday 16th March

Today there were no lectures at Uni, and at 6.30am I woke to hear the distinctive calls of WAXWINGS from outside my bedroom window!!!! Upon peering out of the window I could see a flock of 27 in my garden!...WOW, how lucky is that?! I couldn't believe my fortune that I didn't have to travel to Uni! I kept an eye on the birds for most of the morning and I timed my visit to Mote Park when I watched them fly off together and into an ash tree on the Willington Street boundary of the park - (tick!!!) - a new bird for the park's bird list, both for me and the park records, FANTASTIC!!!! What a superb bird!

WAXWINGS

(I thought the occasion would never happen!)

It was a very foggy morning with limited visablity, and the temperature was lower than forecast too.

4 Goldcrest were seen, 3 Nuthatch were heard, 4 Treecreeper were heard singing, 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers were noted, 2 Green Woodpeckers were heard, 14 Redwing were seen, a Grey Wagtail was heard flying over, 2 Sparrowhawks were seen, a Jay was seen, a few Siskin could be heard along the Len, a Stock Dove was seen, a Chiffchaff was heard singing - probably the first migrant of the year - 5 Herring Gull flew north, and it was interesting to note a large flock of Greenfinch in the parkland trees.

There were 3 Mediterranean Gulls on the Lake with at least 85 Black-headed Gulls and around 16 Common Gulls, 6 Mute Swan were down by the 'duck feeding area', and 1 Great Crested Grebe was seen.

White Sweet Violets

The first Coltsfoot, Butterbur, and Sweet Violet were in flower.