Migrants

Writing this on a very warm and bright Sunday afternoon, it is no surprise that the summer migrants are already with us and that spring is finally on its way.

I saw my first sand martins by the Town Bridge on Wednesday, three of them swooping and darting over the river by Charters. And there were two more along the Maxey Cut yesterday, 20 March.

And today, I heard and saw my first chiff-chaff, calling from Oxey Wood. There was a lot of bird song in the woods, first think this morning, with chaffinch, song thrush and nuthatch quite vocal.

And this afternoon, a brimstone butterfly in my garden!

But just to prove that it really is the turn of the seasons and not quite full spring yet, there were three green sandpiper feeding in the pits south of the Maxey Cut yesterday afternoon, with a flock of 500 golden plover flying over head!