Classic mid April...

In most recent years, I have been away working in other parts of the country during April, often undertaking raptor and other breeding bird surveys in various parts of Scotland. So whilst the current low workload may not be especially healthy for the bank balance, it does provide the opportunity for some local birding. 

After a couple of days of easterly winds, with heavy rain and fog yesterday, it was to be expected that there would be some arrivals at The Nab in light WSW winds and showers this morning. I had a fairly leisurely start, not arriving at Crook Ness until 0720hrs. A wander along the south side of Crook Ness yielded a couple of Goldcrests in the bushes, plus two flocks of Curlew and a trickle of Linnets heading N. Signs that birds were indeed on the move. A bit further south and my attention was grabbed by the chuckling of a female Ring Ouzel which perched on the top of a hedgerow before heading high and away to the north-west. Clearly in a hurry then! A few paces on and a second Ring Ouzel flushed from a gully and perched on the same hedgerow, before it too rose up and headed off NW. Excellent, a very nice start indeed!

Male Ring Ouzel

I spent a while watching for visible migrants and among the continuing flow of Linnets heading N were smaller numbers of Meadow Pipits, a handful of Swallows and a House Martin. Sand Martins were busy around the colony at Cromer Point, making interpretation of whether any were actually on the move tricky. A bird dropping in from great height proved to be the first Northern Wheatear of the day, always a welcome sight,

Newly arrived Northern Wheatear

With dark clouds gathering to the north, I slowly headed along the cliffs towards the Obs. Just south of the Obs, a Short-eared Owl appeared and slowly headed west inland. Whether it was a newly arrived migrant or the bird from a few days ago remains in doubt. A bit further along and the distintive wheezing call of a Twite drew my attention to the individual concerned arriving from the north and then pitching into the arable field behind the Obs. I received news from Micky on the castle, that he'd got a tristis Chiffchaff; a very nice find. I meandered my way up to the ringing site full of hope, as always, that it would deliver something of note. It was mildly disappointing on this occasion, with just half a dozen Goldcrests, a Willow Warbler and a female Blackcap to be found along with the local Chiffchaffs and the seemingly resident Treecreeper still present. 

I'd noted a handful of Yellow Wagtails heading south during the morning, so it was not a huge surprise to find a fairly approachable smart male on the fence line near Fields Farm. However, with their vivid burst of bright yellow, they are always a joy to see.

Male Yellow Wagtail

By now it was late morning and the showers were becoming a bit more persistent. A surprise Green Sandpiper was on a small pond, whilst another Wheatear was presumably recently arrived. Heading back in the direction of the car park, a further group of Wheatears were along a stone wall and nearby a bird flitted behind a hedgerow before soon reappearing and revealing itself to be a smart male Redstart. Wonderful. A rain-soaked walk back to the car yielded Snipe and a further male Redstart and a couple more Willow Warblers, all concluding one of the more enjoyable spring mornings I've been fortunate enough to experience on the patch.

Ok, so its an awful photo, but you get the idea! Common Redstart.