The patch !

Great day at the patch but b4 that I must mention that I had a cracking day out at thrigby hall on the 16th march with the kids and wife which was made even better by the appearance of a Red kite overhead along with the mobbing corvids. Lovely birds in the gorgeous sunshine.

Now back to the patch today:-

Target birds were LRP , willow warlber and the lingering little egret that still I've not got on !

 I set up on the bridge and scanned away enjoying a cold can of coke as I did. Then after watching a pair of close Gt.spotted woodpeckers a pair of raptors approached. As they got closer i could see these were a pair of Peregrine falcons . The female cruising along in a perfectly flat line towards me while the male climbed in hight and performed a figure of 8 and then falling almost on top of her. She then climbing along with the male in height and then both displaying as they continued onwards in a westerly direction over towards the Whitlingham centre . This wasnt my first sighting of a peregrine here but my first ever sighting of a pair and in display-simply  fabulous !

As I got round to the mash scrape I was proved right with my LRP prediction as 2 took off on flew to the shingle on the broad. I never saw then again but wondered if they had just arrived or been here a few days? Earliest arrivals of this species on the patch was in 2012 , when i had  a single bird  on the 21st march .

A grey heron and a common buzzard over head was seen as I made my way towards the hide. 

2x oystercatchers , 3x lapwings and a pied wagtail on the shingle spit and 14x teal,2x gadwall and 14x tufted ducks on the broad . 

A nice little return to form for the patch but still that little egret escapes me

Happy birding, 

Shaky