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6 May 2020 Garden gold

I cannot compute how many hours I have spent scanning the skies above and around our garden during lockdown. Without much success. The odd Peregrine and Hobby, for sure. And a Red Kite during inclement weather. And a Marsh Harrier when alerted to it by Will Soar, 1km south of me. But I've missed Cranes several times, several Ospreys, White-tailed eagle, Arctic Terns - all of which should have been just-ab-out-visible from home. On 4 May, however, a particularly irritated gull call alerted me. I finished the paragraph I was writing and headed outside. I wish I hadn't waited. If I had left the office immediately, I would have had the Osprey straight overhead. As it was, by the time I got on it, it was southing. A quick call to Will Soar and he picked it up hovering over Colney gravel pits. Garden gold - and a massive boost to an increasingly fragile mental state. The same was true with finding two local goodies: a pair of apparently breeding Firecrest in a local wood and (while standing a suitable distance from Nick Watmough) a Little Ringed Plover on the marsh outside Will's house. Remarkably, not only had Will not seen it, but it was a full-on house tick for me. He was rather chuffed when I phone him from the riverbank. But what else has he missed on what currently looks lovely Wood Sandpiper etc habitat...

Anyway, time for a few photos. The moth trap has been quiet, due to cool nights. But milder nights are on their way.

James Lowen

Wildlife