Local Patch ..29th May. Pictures of little ringed plover, great crested grebe, sedge warbler, mistle thrushes, whitethroat

Local Patch – 29th May The last few weeks have been busy for breeding birds. Lapwings and little ringed plovers were already on the large pond by the time the whitethroats arrived and set up territories in April. Sedge warblers arrived about 10 days later. Swallows are darting in and out of the stables but there is a definite shortage of sand martins. Everything seems early this year with us experiencing one of the driest springs on record. Water levels in the pond are good at the moment but I do wonder how long this will continue. Resident birds have been busy with great and blue tits now feeding youngsters. Blackbirds are struggling with the hard ground to find insects and a family of mistle thrushes have taken over the pony’s field where there must be insects in and around the stables. I’ve previously found mistle thrushes quite shy but this family has been most obliging. The little ringed plovers seem to be guarding their site on the large pond and sedge warblers have set up territories all around the small pond. Lapwings are all around but as yet I have seen no evidence of successful breeding. The grebes have done a fantastic job this year, probably a young couple last year that did not breed but this year they have got 3 youngsters, some of whom 3weeks later are still hitching a ride in the downy feathers of the adult’s back.