Dry and Sunny.
A fairly uneventful few weeks have passed since I last added an entry. Many of the Summer visitors have appeared over the last weeks, not least a Cuckoo could be heard from the garden last week. The first I have heard here for several years. There are plenty of Swallows and House Martins about the village too. I have heard a Blackcap singing in the hedge at the bottom of the garden, although I've not seen it. Several Chiff Chaffs are about the area making their presence known with their distinctive call. A pair of Hedge Sparrows are nesting in our large Clematis Montana " Rubens ". They are making dozens of visits a day, now, to the nest so must have youngsters there.
Only one unusual visitor to the garden recently, a Green Woodpecker, on the feeders.Quite a few Butterflies about now that the weather has warmed up. Peacocks, Orange Tips and a Speckled Wood have all been noticed, along with a few Red Tailed Bumble Bees. Many young Rabbits about the verges too, with a lot of them failing to out run the traffic.
The first fledgling I have seen this year was a Mistle Thrush being fed by one adult in a small grass paddock nearby.

Mild but damp after overnight rain.
I really must try to keep this more up to date. Most of the local birds appear to be busy singing and nest building. Almost everything is carrying bits of stick, moss, grass, feathers etc. depending on size and species of course.
I have seen a single Lesser Spotted Woodpecker on several occasions, sometimes drumming and usually high up in large Oak trees. Also one sighting of a Greater Spotted Woodpecker in the Oak wood near our village football field.
Members of the Thrush family seem to be very much in evidence probably because I see them feeding out in the open. A Mistle Thrush was seen chasing a Jay this morning, I hope it hadn't lost eggs or young to this colourful member of the Crow family. Song Thrushes and Blackbirds seem to abound at the moment, I guess it is easier feeding now that we have had an appreciable amount of rain. When it is very dry they seem to spend a lot of time rooting about under shrubs and through the accumulated leaves on the ground, looking for sustenance.
A very unusual sighting from my window yesterday. A pair of Mandarin Ducks flew in and landed in an Oak tree before dropping into the recently replanted area of Forestry land adjacent. I guess that they were nest site hunting. There are surely plenty of nooks and crannies among the piles of treetops etc. that are to be found on that piece of ground. It is a long way from any water and that is only a tiny brook that leads off towards the A48.

Cold and misty early, hot and sunny later.
Plenty of birds singing now. Our resident cock Blackbird is certainly letting everyone know that he is about. There is a Robin singing almost all day long, I guess he must stop to feed at times. There are several pairs of Hedge Sparrows in the garden and you can usually hear one singing. I'm sure that one pair are nest building near the house, although I haven't found a nest yet. Wrens have nested in the Ivy covering a fence in past years, so may do so again. There are definitely Jackdaws busy in one of our chimneys.
I watched some Jays this morning, searching under oak trees,no doubt looking for acorns that had been hidden during the autumn. Magpies have been busy nest building, or at least adding to last years remaiders. Some of them are becoming quite enormous, nests that is, not the birds.
Blue and Great Tits seem to abound, so much so that they appear to be the only birds about at times. Starlings seemed to be much in evidence today after going some days without seeing any. Greenfinch numbers seem to have picked up here and Goldfinches are very numerous.
Plenty of squirrels around today and rabbits, including youngsters. A Peacock butterfly was also sighted this morning just sunning itself on the ground.

Showery with cold northerly wind.
Dog walking this morning showed plenty of birdlife but nothing unusual. The chimney Jackdaws seem to be busy bringing sticks so are obviously intent on nest building there again. Magpies and Jays always let you know when they are about as do the Crows and Ravens which are always to be seen in the fields to the rear of home.
There do seem to be many more Song Thrushes about at the moment but they are much shyer than the Blackbirds which abound. Two Mistle Thrushes seen again on the local football pitch. If I keep walking they usually stay on the ground but if I stop to have a better look they take off and head for tall trees somewhere close at hand. Long Tailed Tits seem to have paired off because I no longer see these in large groups, only pairs. Blue and Great Tits are still plentiful especially on the feeders which abound round the village. Wood Pigeons, I believe are already nesting but Collared Doves will be following shortly.
Robins, Wrens and Hedge Sparrows all seem to be plentiful, especially in the garden. They all can be heard singing almost all day long. The local Buzzards can also be heard calling away during most of the day. If you step outside the door you can mostly hear a Buzzard calling. House Sparrows are also plentiful but mostly at the other end of the road.
The highlight of the day came this afternoon when a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flew into the Whitebeam tree at the roadside in our Garden. What a delight, the first I have seen for some years.

Cold, wet and windy.
Some weeks since I added to this blog. I have made a visit to the RSPB site at Newport Wetlands and called in at the New Fancy feeders on a few occasions.
Not much in the way of unusual birds around the village. A pair of Mistle Thrushes are frequently seen at various sites, either feeding on the football pitch or or one of the small paddocks about here.They often give their alarm call and fly off into cover. Even today there were two Redwings feeding in one paddock with two Song Thrushes and three Blackbirds. A pair of Buzzards were very vocal flying over towards the Forest this morning. Wrens, Robins and Hedge Sparrows were all singing in the garden today. The hedge at the end of the garden showed some Greenfinches, Goldfinches and a pair of Woodpigeons which seem to be nesting in some Ivy. A Long Tailed Tit was seen with a beakful of nesting material. Great Tits and Blue Tits seem to be in evidence everywhere.
At the New Fancy feeders there are always a good mix of the tit family.There usually seem to be about 50 Chaffinches with a few Bramblings amongst them. The lone Hawfinch is often seen but not on every visit. Four Siskins were on the feeders on my last visit.
On a recent visit to the Newport Wetland Centre there was a large flock of Goldfinches on the feeders near the visitor centre accompanied by a pair of Reed Buntings and a few Greenfinches. The water outside this centre was patrolled by a Little Egret which was not at all put out by the frequent human visitors.
Further away from the Centre we saw Tufted Duck, Pochard, with Curlews out on the mudflats.

Mild but cloudy day. Some sun later.
A fair day for birdlife with a good variety on show today.
Three Buzzards were circling over the house this morning making a lot of noise as they did so. On my walk around the village today Crow, Magpie, Jay and Jackdaws all put in an appearance. Great Tits, Long tailed and Blue Tits were all busy in the shrubs and small trees that I passed. Only one Fieldfare in the orchard with a couple of Blackbirds and a Chaffinch keeping it company. Woodpigeons and Collared Doves seem to be everywhere making a lot of noise as they went about their business.
A single Nuthatch was seen in a neighbouring garden. Robin, Wren and Hedgesparrow all put in an appearance in the garden together with Greenfinches and Siskins. A Song Thrush was singing well in the bottom hedge this morning competing well with the resident Blackbird. Highlight of the day was a Goldcrest flitting about the hedge at the end of the garden. A Pied Wagtail put in several visits to the house roof whilst I was gardening.

Frosty overnight, followed by a grey day.
The lamb pictured is the first to be born to one of the street sheep that frequent the village. You do have to slow down when you are driving about as they are very inclined to stroll out into the road just as traffic is approaching.
Very quiet on the bird watching front today. Several Song Thrushes were seen along with one Fieldfare and two Chaffinches feeding in the orchard that I pass when dog walking. The oak wood revealed about dozen Blackbirds, two Jays and a large number of Woodpigeons. A Buzzard soared over the tree tops in the Forest and two Greenfinches sang from the top of a large Leylandii hedge. Robins trilled their mournful winter song from numerous trees and bushes as I passed. House sparrows seemed to be very busy and Great and Blue Tits were also much in evidence.