Migrants arriving all the time now, the first Swift and Whinchat was seen today in the Gelt Valley. Also there were 190 Golden Plover in one flock, these dark faced birds were almost certainly stopping over on their way further north.
Grasshopper Warblers were heard yesterday, Common Sandpiper, Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Tree Pipit have been present since the weekend. Willow Warblers (like this singing bird here) arrived in numbers on Tuesday, coinciding with the good spell of weather. The warmth has brought out a few butterflies, mainly Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock, but the highlight was Green Hairstreak seen today.
Some birds are now nesting, this Reed Bunting is watching over a sitting female nearby. Many birds are nest-building like this Dipper which briefly visited an old nest site before collecting more nest material for its new nest.