Warming Up

 Not the weather, that's about to do the polar (pun intended) opposite. But the birding, if only temporarily.

After a couple of mornings in which I enjoyed the delights of the New Forest on Sunday

Hawfinch

And then a reasonable morning at Barton with a little bit moving through - in fact whilst it wasn't actually that great, Trektellen suggests I had the busiest vismig patch in the country on Monday (reasonable numbers of the more common species of gull helped).

Last night I went to bed with a little bit of eager anticipation for this morning. Undecided amounts of rain were forecast to fall this side of the Channel, and there was a chance it might be dry on the Cherbourg Peninsula, so I was hopeful of a few birds being dropped in to patch, despite the (admittedly light) continuing NE winds.

Packing my waterproofs did the usual job of keeping the rain to a bare minimum, but it was still a productive morning (for Barton). 

A new-in Chiffchaff sang half-heartedly from Becton Bunny, and then on the edge of the golf course the day's first Wheatear, a fabulous male (aren't they all?)

Made my way along to Hordle Cliff, an area with masses of potential but most of it in inaccessible areas - from the clifftop you look down over large swathes of (mostly) sallows that it's impossible to get in amongst.

But a flick of red just below the top of the cliff got the pulse racing, and soon I was enjoying my second Black Redstart of the spring

In roughly the same area were another couple of Wheatears

And then, accompanied by a subdued fluting of subsong, the first Willow Warbler of the year. It did also give one full burst of song, but mostly it fed actively in silence.

 

Offshore there wasn't a great deal going on: gulls again mostly, Black-headed mostly, but also a single Dunlin headed east, plus a small mixed flock of Wigeon and Teal, and later another pair of the latter.

Heading back past the golf course there were now two Wheatears, which may or may not have included the first male.

With no work due until this afternoon I then extended my walk to the undercliff - normally I'd head straight back to the car and the depressing necessity of gainful employment.

The extra walk was certainly worthwhile too. In amongst the rocks were at least 11 Purple Sandpipers (but they are a nightmare to count accurately without disturbing them), accompanying 22 Turnstones (with another singleton of the latter further along).

Also along the beach, two more Wheatears, making it six (at least) for the morning

And as I walked up the slope back to the clifftop another, silent, Willow Warbler fed on the sallow flowers by the path.

All in all a very enjoyable morning out. I could easily have done it all again. Maybe not that much seen compared to some other sites, but definitely a good morning for my patch. Hopefully, once the predicted imminent cold snap has passed, there'll be a few more!