Patch week 18

30^th April  was the warmest day of the year so far and found Les and I waking between Nortonbury to Radwell. A female kestrel drifted over us making lazy circles over our heads. We were surrounded by ducklings at Radwell all looking for a hand out. We heard most of the warblers singing and a number of swallows hawked over us around Nortonbury. Lots of butterflies were in evidence but no new ones for the year. The rabbit population seems to have just about recovered from the scourge  of Myxomatosis, this dreadful disease was imported from France to a private estate in East Suffolk in 1953.

1^st May  rained all day

2^nd May  Tim & and I did our big day out at Minsmere, sadly without Ken whose knee is no longer up to the rigours of lots of walking. A cold Northerly wind stifled a lot of our quarries on the day, nothing seen on the sea except kittiwakes and very few warblers were singing. The highlights were a sparrowhawk swooping to try and catch a sedge warbler, a Dartford warbler and a pair of stone curlews.

3^rd May the only sighting of interest was a pair of crows sparring with a sparrowhawk over Radwell, one would harry it for a short while and then its mate would go on the attack, they eventually went their own ways with honours even it seemed.

4^th May Les and I went to Lakenheath fen on a warm and sunny day, quite a few cuckoos were flying about, we saw four bittern flights in our first twenty minutes from the first view point. There were about eight hobbies hawking and I saw my first swift of the year

5^th May  Les and I went to Little Paxton. A few nightingales were in song as were a good selection of warblers. Common terns were fishing over the lakes. A brief glimpse of Kingfisher and a fly over cuckoo.

6^th May  house hunting