Easter Jolly To Arne

Mrs PB's new job means I seem to get all sorts of odd hours to myself, Easter Sunday morning being one of them. The weather was set fair, so I set forth before the hordes would arrive.I was greeted in the car park by the jolly tunes of a Robin

Skittering about the roped off area was a Mistle Thrush

And on one of the wires above the roped off area, Mr Stonechat, looking smart.

The Mistle Thrush was obviously peckish....well it was sort of breakfast time... and Wiggly Worm was on the "Specials" board

Mrs Blackbird hopped by to say hello

And Mrs Stonechat was heard to cry "Have you seen my Sidney, I only sent him out for a pint of milk?"

The Mistle Thrush was put off by this raucous outburst, and skedaddled

Back at cafe Car Park, on the small bites menu the Robin found something appetising

And Mrs Stonechat decided she's waited long enough for Sidney, and opted for the Arachnid Antepasti

Enough frivolity I thought, time to head into the reserve proper.... Give me a "Chiff"

Give me a "Chaff"

.....It's so much easier when you hear them and see them at the same time lol

Lat year I complained about my dearth of Speckled Wood until late in the summer, this year I've seen half a dozen or more already

I suddenly had a feeling of being watched....and I was...no more than 10 yards away.... just time for one snap, before she walked silently away

Further along the path, and into a more open woody area, another few Speckled Woods flitted

Whilst underfoot huge numbers of ants were milling about, Red Wood Ant here I think

Several times the explosive song of Wrens nearly made me jump out of my skin, but sightings were few and far between

I headed down the the new viewing area that overlooks Middlebere, but there was nothing so see, but just before the purpose built screen, away in the distance, were several Shelduck... some practising for their BGT debut as "The Great Balancing Duck"

A little further away still, a Curlew (or Whimbrel, picture is too poor for me to be sure, but there have been some very recent arrivals)

And a little to the right of the Curmbril, some Godwits...presumably Black Tailed, but again, to distant for me to be sure (wait 'til I post my trip to Weymouth for some better Godwit shots!!)

I headed back to the main reserve area, and Mrs and Mr Chaffinch whizzed by me... the combination of lichen and blossom to much for M'dam to resist

whilst monsieur was just happy to be in the vicinity, I think lol

There was a lot of Skylark singing, and lots of birds pretending to be other birds, parachuting, sitting atop gorse bushes like Dartford Warblers, playing chase at breakneck speeds over the heather... Linnet pretending to be a Dartford? unfortunately it didn't turn around so only a  distant back view amid a sea of yellow

Meadow Pipit posing like Stonechat?

Skylark looking streaky enough to be a Meadow Pipit?

Magnificently camouflaged Common Heath Moth (thanks Cin for ID)

The breeze caught it, and a hint of underwing is showing

Two different birds both presumably Meadow Pipits

So, almost finished, back to the car park, and the Mistle Thrush was still there

And had been joined by a Pied Wagtail

There was no sign of the Stonechats, I expect Sidney was in the dog house, but the Robin sand a cheery refrain as I got back in the car

And so concluded a lovely couple of hours. And to top it off, on the way home, perched upon some wires crossing the road, the 1st two Swallows I've seen this year... spring had definitely sprung!!

All ID confirmations/corrections gratefully received, as always

Thanks for reading, and Stay Safe All