Migrants

Garden Warbler (Russell F Spencer)

Sunday's planned trip with the Potters Bar & Barnet RSPB Group to Sandwell Valley RSPB Reserve in Birmingham became a trip to Fishers Green in the Lea Valley with Russell my photographer and his delightful wife Yvette. They were very pleased to show around their local patch on a day that was promised as being nice and sunny but ended up grey with sunnier breaks.

We enjoyed our first Hobby of the spring - in fact we had 3 birds together over 70 Acre Lake, plus several Swift and my first Common Terns too. Earlier in the day, I discovered that I couldn't get any public transport to the coach meeting point in Potters Bar so I opted for an early morning stroll around The Scrubs. Aside from a female Northern Wheatear the only migrants were a couple of Swallow. The only fall I experienced was the rain that poured on me whilst I stood by the grassland in an Adidas track top and Cape Clear baseball cap.

Today was a good day. I sent my latest piece in my BBC Wildlife 'How To Be A Birder' series on note taking and received a complimentary email from the editor that pleased me no end. Looking forward to climbing up the Tower tomorrow for some viz miggin'. The signs are good; southerlies, sunny and warm. Let's see what goodies get brought in. I'm also being interviewed by the Sunday Express and being photographed as the figurehead for the ThamesWatch an initiative which is supported by Buglife and the RSPB. The idea (which has been running for a couple of years now) is to get school kids to look out for wildlife by the Thames during May.

Wish me luck with the migrants for tomorrow!