Pretty flipping amazing...

INSPITE of the dull weather on Friday, the birding was out of this world.  The list of special species for me included:

• first calling cuckoo
• 100s of swifts
• 5 bitterns in the air at once, and one calling
• 6 hobbies in one field of view
• marsh harrier
• kingfisher
• endless warblers (white-throat, garden, chiff-chaff, willow, sedge, Cetti's, blackcap)
• drumming gs woodpecker
• singing nightingale (first for 20 years in the area)
• first emerging damselflies of the year

...pretty flipping amazing!

The white-throat appeared in a bush in front of me before I had even got out of the car - so the car was quite a good hide.

white-throat

My first sighting of a garden warbler of the year - it was quite unabashed in its song post.

garden warbler

From within one hide I was able to watch a willow warbler gathering material for its nest; the nest was about 3m from the hide itself

willow warbler

 

An unidentified egg on the footpath:

I was hugely excited to hear the tones of a nightingale for the first time in many, many years.  Other people had heard it too, but I was the only one able to photograph it:

It that was not amazing enough, there was much excitement at the sight of a pair of bitterns being chased by another pair overhead.  They all wheeled around for ages, flying off into the distance then returning.  I had never seen anything like it.  The light was really poor for photos, but at least this is a good record.  At one point there was five birds in the air and one calling too.

Bitterns

 

The first damselflies that I have seen emerging en masse was a welcome sight - good food for the hobbies!

A truly wonderful day.