All fool’s day

We felt like a couple of idiots wandering around the valley in thick fog at first light having cancelled our trip east because of the weather we did not expect it to be so bad locally. Hardly saw a thing apart from a ghostly image of a Red-legged Partridge and a few Tree Sparrow.

Decided a long breakfast would improve things so eventually arrived at the pond just before nine but though visibility had improved slightly it was soon obvious that very little had arrived overnight apart from the pond’s first Little Ringed Plover of the year. No obvious sign of any Little Gulls or mergansers though the Long-tailed Duck was still around. Only birds noted in two hours was a Wigeon, 3 Gadwall and 13 Goldeneye.

After lunch the sun finally came out and Brandon Marsh had plenty of warblers singing if not always showing themselves and our walk produced 8 Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, 3 Shelduck, Snipe and 4 Oystercatcher. Butterflies were plentiful with 8 Small Tortoiseshell, 6 Brimstone, 2 Comma and 3 Peacock. One unidentified mouse seen. Raven and Buzzard over Lawford Heath.