Winter in April

The silence of the last two days has been caused by the most atrocious weather imagineable. Two days of gale force freezing northerly winds accompanied by driving rain some of which fell as snow on higher ground.  The temperature yesterday never topped 5 degrees. This is obviously not great weather for migrant birds heading up from Africa and as you would expect not easy to find.  Today the weather was at least sunny but still windy and cold.  Breakfast saw us watching a ringtail Montagu's Harrier hunting the meadows in front of our kitchen window.  As I went outside a Black Kite battled its way up the hill followed by a solitary Yellow-legged Gull the latter quite a rarity up here.

One of the many Kestrels seen today

I decided to search all the local sites and see what might be about.  The morning effort produced a Sparrowhawk but little else except for a few singing Subalpine Warblers which have been here a while now.  The afternoon was a bit better with a new singing Nightingale and a male Montagu's Harrier.  Checking the vineyards I found a pair of Hoopoes prospecting an old building and a Little Ringed Plover again in the vehicle washing enclosure.  Woodlark activity was very obvious as were a larger than usual number of Kestrels but still no sign of new migrants.




The very welcome male Common Redstart


Getting back home at last a lovely new male Common Redstart feeding in front of the house.  Lots of things that should be here include Red-rumped Swallows, Orphean Warblers, Pied Flycatchers and much more.  Finally a pair of Short-toed Eagles did their impressive display over the garden.  Mustn't Grumble!