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Sunday - March 21st Jon Lloyd
Well today the wind has subsided apparently from 80mph to 50mph!!! The Fieldfare flocks were still on the ploughed field below the Tibberton Grange. There were a small number of Chaffinch on the edge of these flocks and a large number of Starling in them. One Redwing hopped on the ridges near to us and later on the walk another small group flew over. The number of Redwings on the Wall seem to have fallen first and Fieldfare numbers if anything seem to have grown in the first half of spring. I wonder if Redwings tend to return north earlier than Fieldfares. We found a good badger track in a small copse and plenty of evidence of freshly excavated badger latrines. In places Blackthorn was out and now looking a little worse for where, surprised there was anything left at all after yesterday. The usual small flocks of Yellowhammer were foraging seeds from the hay left for the cattle. Approaching the wetland a male Sparrowhawk chased low over the far end of the pools to the west. These pools were being used by a small group of Coot and single Little Grebe. I counted three Grebes today, they were probably here yesterday but keeping low . I suspect the coot numbers are still changing, there were more than 10 here today but as usual its difficult to do a precise count. The two Canadian Geese were grazing the field to the east of the wetland. I couldn't find the Stonechat that had been seen this week.
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