Spring Alive. After the virtual silence of long winter months, a kaleidoscope of sounds to herald the first major arrival of the year. With the snow largely gone and a respectable 13 C marking the weekend, what a pleasure it was. Birds everywhere, hundreds of Skylarks pouring north, flocks of Fieldfares too, Blackbirds in the forest, Grey Herons dropping into the colony.
A notable reduction in intensity at the feeding station, but the din echoing from meadow and forest certainly compensated. Yodelling, drumming, trumpeting, chirping from all quarters. Leading the pack, Common Cranes in the meadows - a pair, a flock of four, two singles - certainly not vocally-challenged! Also in the orchestra, occasional peee-weeets from Lapwings, a constant musical backdrop of Skylarks, rude kronks of Grey Herons and mega-decibel White-backed Woodpecker drumming from the forest, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker adding a soft accompaniment, the other woodpeckers throwing in their added extras as desired.
And then an almighty yapping yodel, a White-tailed Eagle dropping into a clump of think pines a little beyond my cabin. A good bird for my land, I rarely see more than one or two a year here, so what was to follow was a treat indeed. From the forest emerged not one, but three adult White-tailed Eagles, most clearly a pair and an intruder, a good deal of argy bargy and noise till the undesired one finally lumbered off, the pair then engaging in full aerial display for some half an hour, repeatedly dropping back to the very same patch of trees. Hmm, interesting. Never seen three together here, so a good sighting all in all.
Better still, from the forest edge, where the undergrowth met the still frozen swampland, up flushed a Woodcock, only my third record on the land. Yay, spring is here, bring it on.
Also added a rather stunning Goshawk. No sign of my Three-toed Woodpecker however, I guess he has finally decided it time to move on.
29. Grey Heron.
30. White-tailed Eagle.
31. Goshawk.
32. Woodcock.
33. Common Crane.
34. Meadow Pipit.
35. Mistle Thrush.
36. Blackbird.
37. Fieldfare.
38. Starling.
39. Jackdaw.
40. Chaffinch.
41. Linnet.