Right, let's forget the election and football for a while. Outside, spring's supposed to be well and truly here, but the weather's doing its best to pretend otherwise. North-easterly winds and chilly nights mean it feels more like early March most of the time.
Where birds are concerned, that's made for an odd couple of months. Some spring passage migrants have been surprisingly easy to see (four Ring Ouzels in one field, an obligingly showy Redstart, grounded Whimbrels, etc), while some breeding summer visitors are still notable by their absence. Even now, I've only had a handful of House Martins and Swifts on my patch.
Hopefully that'll change when the winds turn around, maybe later this week. In the meantime, I caught up with three Greenshanks and a Wood Sandpiper at Wanlip Meadows last night - it'd be hard to find more elegant waders. In stark contrast, a dumpy little Dunlin was getting harassed by the breeding Little Ringed Plovers.
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