The Courage of Others

I've been listening non-stop to this fantastic album by Midlake today - made my lonely vigil in front of my PC slightly more bearable. I think they show signs of being into birds. Note how one of them has climbed a tree to get a better view of whatever they're all twitching. They are obviously far too cool to sport a pair of bins in a publicity shot, but I bet they have them stashed away just out of the picture.

Anyway, it is officially Spring in my book. The garden pond is crammed full of frog spawn (that's the newts well fed for the year then), and despite being confined to the house to work in the absence of the Clerk of Works and Assistant, I managed a trip to Siblyback at either end of the day. This morning was damp and cold and low cloud hung over the moor, which added atmosphere to the distant sound of bubbling Curlew somewhere way off to the north, and I tramped round. Not a great deal doing - 4 Chiffchaff and on the water 10 Tufted Duck, 2 Little Grebe, 2 Great crests and 27 Coot. A couple of Siskin were tazzing about, and 3 Reed Bunting. I was expecting my first hirundines but they were surprisingly absent. However, in the willows at the North end, was a very weakly singing Willow Warbler - one of those early birds that sounds like its a distance away, until you realise it is just above your head. Always nice to get in March, and I don't think I've seen one before Sand Martin very often.

After getting quite into Yeovil's economic fortunes, helped by the aforementioned Texan combo, I headed back up to Siblyback at about 5:30 thinking that this would guarantee me the evening hirundine influx. Sure enough - a dozen or so were hawking over the lake - about equal numbers of Swallow and Sand Martin. Job done. A couple of Greater black backs were also loafing on the raft.