April at the Patch.... Part 1-

so a couple of visits in beginning of the month starting with  4th April when the following birds of note:-

8xSwallows,

1x House Martin ,

4x common buzzards (1pair displaying low over the broad)

1x kestrel

1x reed bunting 

On the broad 

2x Canada geese

2x grey lag geese
4x Gadwall 

4x Teal among the many Tufted ducks .

A nice total of 11x Stock doves bathing in the sun (my highest April count I think ) love this smart bird

4x Cettis , 1x Sedge warbler in sub song ( near the small mooring ) chippy had it a day earlier 

& plenty of singing Chiffchaffs!

  Now Onto the 5th April ,a Sunny afternoon-   Walking down bungalow lane I picked up Willow warbler singing at crossing.Then Swallows overhead and 12+ Sand martins heading south west

Willow Warbler- classic sign of migration

At the hide I scanned the broad.
Today only 4x Stock Doves and a couple of Lapwings. Plenty of gulls too!

Overhead a Sparrowhawk soared and then that familer call .... A kingfisher! I love this bird and was waiting for this moment for many ah visit ( no sighting last year for me!) I picked it up along the river perched.  I simply soaked it up  and just watched ..... After a while u simply took out the I phone and digi -scoped before it decided disappear into the bank before emerging and flying down towards Whitlingham.   Superb!

Stunning Kingfisher at rest

 Then onto the 12th April late afternoon after a day of rain.The sun broke out and a common buzzards over bungalow lame and a 2x willow warbler . Then east of bungalow lane I picked up cracking male Marsh Harrier , this was only my second patch record of a male( often seeing female ) also in the sky was a  sparrowhawk.

common buzzard

Then I added Gt Spotted WoodPecker to the day list ,at the kissing gate (where it used to be !)and then 3x blackcaps as the weather become dull overhead. 

Then From the hide -
 I picked up what I thought was a common sandpiper ?, from this distant it was hard to make out the colour in the overcast conditions but it seemed to be bobbing a lot . I decided to walk closer and view again. This time the bird was more viewable and it was quickly evident this was in fact a Green sandpiper ! My first new patch tick ...no.110!

Green Sandpiper (no.110 patch tick)

It was making its way along the shingle bank and I watched as it went out of sight. Great stuff!

Couple of  common buzzards over head as I scanned the spit.

6x Egyptian geese and 2x stock dove and 2x gadwall 

Then as I walked around towards the cattle pen a sedge warbler started to sing and on the river yare my first brood of mallard ducklings,a total of 9.

female Mallard with x9 Ducklings

 Then  to cattle pen I saw loads of swallows passing through and a pair of gadwall to add to the pair on broad earlier. 4x Cettis and another blackcap (4 in total) ended off a nice start to the month! Spring migration was in full swing so more arrivals or birds stopping off on route to come me hopes!
Happy birding,
Ricky