Willow Warbler and Wheatear

 a slow trickle of spring migrants locally this weekend with Willow Warblers and Blackcaps building up and my first Northern Wheatears and House Martins but could do with some sustained sunshine

Juvy Willow Warbler

Greenish may be rarer but juvenile Willow Warblers are so attractive and its been a great week for them locally after a lacklustre spring

a fairly slow week

worst light I have known this week, just haze and shimmer and yuk -- male Marsh Harrier and a new female, my earliest ever Swift by one day beating the 2 on April 19th 2010, Willow Warbler in a willow, Tree Pipit in a tree and not, Common Crossbills in an oak 2 of 11 today, an unexpected forest Hen Harrier this morning that from iris colour looks to be a 2cy male, a paler Buzzard and a darker one

Willow Warbler juvs moving

seems to be a decent passage of juvenile Willow Warblers locally in the last week

5D4 first day out

not quite but the first day trying to blast off a few sample images; after much soul searching went for a Canon 5D4 in my continuing quest for a lighter weight camera set up used with the Canon 400 DO2 and 1.4III converter -- variable cloud cover and cold wind today so not much bird action locally -- herewith a series of first fly by grabs and an under canopy Willow Warbler  Mallard in a shady ditch -- IQ seems amazing and lack of noise really significant but early days -- dull day Swifts are often a good indicator

Willow Warbler

a bird that know's its place

Tree Pipit, Willow Warbler and Common Crossbill.

a selection of breeding bird survey registrations