The Village Patch.....What A Great Visit!.......Saturday 11th April

Another wander around the village patch today,saw some fantastic birds being recorded,the following is what i saw.
 The first notable,was a single Fieldfare watched flying over the edge of the playing field as i walked towards the quarries,a feature of recent visits of this north bound winter visitor.A further 5 birds were observed later on in the visit,a sure sign spring is here properly.
 As i neared the sewage works,that scratchy,familiar song of a male Whitethroat was heard and after a bit of searching i managed to see him.This little area of scrub,has a pair every year and it was great to see one back here after their long journey from Africa.
 More of the usual fare was seen as i walked down the edge of the plantation and included several Chiffies,Blackcap,a couple of Willow Warblers,Green Woodpecker and a Jay scolding me as i passed by.
 As i reached the far side of the quarry,i was sure i could here the distinctive call of Avocets and sure enough there were 4 birds.This is the first time i have seen this species here and i'm not sure whether i welcome them or not,as they may drive the Little-ringed Plovers away if they settle down to breed.
 On the theme of LRP's,i could only see three birds today,which may have something to do with Avocets being present,or it may be that the dominant pair are settling down and have driven the others off their patch.
 A prolonged scan from the top of one of the mounds to try and see any passage of birds overhead,had the desired effect,as a female Ring Ouzel dropped in on the edge of the quarry,sat there,called a bit and then she was off and flew off high to the west.This is the first bird i have had down here since 3 on the 19th April 2015,so was a welcome sighting indeed.
 More scanning added another great sighting for here and another first for the site,a Little Egret and overhead a lovely male Yellow Wagtail passed by with his lovely flutey call,my first of the year.
 I decided to walk up the hillside past the little pond and then carry on up to St.Mary's Churchyard and on to Melton Ross.
 More of the same usual migrants from the last few previous visits were seen and included several Chiffchaff,Blackcaps,4 Swallow and a lovely singing male Corn Bunting still singing away near the tip,all nice sightings to keep the interest going.
 As i eventually made it to Melton Ross and Knabbs Bridge i began the final stretch of the walk back towards Barnetby,when all of a sudden a flash of a red tail flew infront of me and i thought to myself 'That was a Redstart!',as i walked and tried to relocate the bird,a Ring Ouzel 'tacked' and shot off from near my feet into the adjacent bushes alongside the railway and quickly disappeared and then i was back onto the red tailed bird and it WAS a cracking Redstart and a male.Bloody hell,talk about a hectic few minutes,the Redstart and Ring Ouzel must have been within about 30 feet of each other,what a fantastic pair of sightings for my little local area.
 For the rest of the walk home i was on a high and i enjoyed seeing several butterflies along the railwayside which included male Brimstone,Peacock,Green-veined White and Small Tortoiseshell.
 What a fantastic visit today and just goes to show what can be found on your doorstep.

Blackthorn Hedge Near Church Hill,Barnetby.

Hoverfly sp. Eristalis pertinax.