Holmpton 2020 - a different feel

Having been laid off I guess I'm temporarily "retired"...so I might as well make the most of it...in a responsible manner...of course.

Bad luck for Richard and I yesterday as we waited at the end of Seaside lane for the hoped for Red-rumped Swallow heading South. We gave it till 1pm, then headed home for lunch. Of course it was seen down the road around 1.30...so we possibly missed it by minutes!!! Ah well.

This morning we headed north to the Sewage. Dreams of Osprey and/or Red Kite failed to materialize but as we walked along the edge of the rape field a Ring Ouzel (H.74, P.99) flushed and flew strongly South calling. A great start to the day!! This smashed my earliest record date which was previously April 20th.

As I reached the farm I noticed a decent amount of activity on the lawn. Two golden dots proved to be my FOY Yellow Wagtails (H.75, P.100)...

Another earliest record...by a day!

An impressive FOUR male Wheatears were also present. Another interesting sight...at least to me...was this Skylark singing its full repertoire from a dead stem...

I can't recall ever seeing this behaviour?

On our journey back I received a message from Richard informing me he'd found a Black Redstart in the clifftop paddock! This was a possible Village tick for me...so I amde my way back South...rather hastily. On arrival I saw him on the far side of the paddock but the bird had disappeared, almost ceratainly due to the horse owners arriving with their dogs! Richard headed for home but I remained...hopeful.

After around 30 minutes I re-located the bird but it was at the other end of the paddock...of course. My camera battery was flat so I returned home for another, dropped Bud off and returned. After another 30 minutes or so I managed to get close enough for a pic...

Black Redstart (H.76, P.101)

Yet another great find from Richard...I need to up my game...lol! You called it Tim, although I couldn't add it to the garden list...I tried...hard. My 173rd species for Holmpton.

I had another look for it between 6 and 7 but there was no sign of the bird. The walk did pay off though as I had 8 Teal (H.77) flying "in off " and continuing inland. You just never know...