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March 2020 at Gramborough (1 Viewer)

firstreesjohn

Well-known member
It was not to be: I’d had hopes, yet again, of a February Wheatear. The weather charts were potentially favourable – and one did turn up in Essex. Although flowers started to come into bloom impossibly early, and insects began to multiply, it took until St Patrick’s Day for the first avian migrants to appear on the Hill.

In over 20 years of watching my ‘patch’, I’ve not recorded Waxwing. They have, of course, been regular visitors to the Village. They must go through occasionally: I had one fly W over the cliff-top path at Weybourne, only 1½ miles or so to the E.

The first Wheatears were very brief on 17th.

A male Firecrest puzzled me by being the first I'd seen here not crawling or flitting around. It 'lasted' 10 minutes, before disappearing.

22: FIRECREST (♂) heard singing and seen several times in flight around main Brambles, briefly in morning. This will be the last sighting posted here for the time being.
21: ♂ Wheatear, Chiffchaff (very briefly, in a.m.), Song Thrush (in a’noon).
20: ♂ Wheatear.
19: ♂ Wheatear, Red Kite.
18: Red Kite.
17: 2 fleeting Wheatears (♂♀, foy), then flew inland. Chiffchaff (foy) singing. Red Kite.
14: 7 Ringed Plovers doing some kind of ‘line dance’ on grazing meadow ! 1♂, 2♀♀ Stonechats in a’noon. That long drive from the Beach Road, once again, to the Waxwing tree.
13: Lucky for some ! An arduous drive took me to 5 somewhat elusive and inexplicably brief Waxwings, in a tree across the road from Salthouse Duckpond. Thanks to the visitor - and a local - for the alert.
12: ♂ Blackbird.
11: 2 Blue Tits, 13 Turnstones (max. count for year, so far). ♀ Marmalade Hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus (foy).
10: Ground Ivy in flower.
9: Sea Aster in bloom. (Should be July.)
7: 2 COMMON CRANES ↑W in a.m. (RBA).
4: original (?) pair of Stonechats remains. First Peacock, Ladybirds & Hoverflies of year.
3: Hen Harrier (ringtail) ↑SW. Stonechat in song (foy), with 2♀♀.
2: Scandinavian (littoralis) ROCK PIPIT (thank you, Richard), 4♂♂, 1♀ Stonechats. Lapwing in 1st of year display call.
1: 2♂♂ Stonechats.
 

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