After a night of heavy rain, great to see a few patches of blue sky among a sea of grey cloud – “enough to make a sailor a pair of trousers” as my Gran used to say, though I’m not really sure if that means a little or a lot!
Some surprisingly bright sunshine lights up Bournemouth and pours a golden lake onto the sea.
Despite the drizzle and gusty winds, the swelling chorus of birdsong is a reminder that spring is on it’s way. This is a great time of year if you want to start learning, with just a few distinctive soloists, before the rest of the choir joins in!
All over the Park, the ‘teacher-teacher’ song of Great Tits can be heard – although this is one of the most familiar of all songs (and their most common), they have a huge range of alternate tunes. I’ve often spent ages puzzling over a ‘mystery birdsong’ only for it to finally reveal itself as a Great Tit!
The emphatic song of a competing pair of Robins rings out from opposite sides of the Timeline, as they compete for territory, with the song of Blue Tits and the sweet notes of a Blackbird heard nearby.
On a Caravan Terrace, a Chaffinch is ‘warming up’ it’s accelerating ‘bouncing ping-pong ball’ song, with the harsh croaks of Jays, excited chatter of Long Tailed Tits and piercing calls of Goldcrests heard in the woodland.
Near the Aviary Glade, Snowdrops are just starting to open their flowers, with Daffodils also coming into bloom near the Castle. Lots of glossy green Cuckoo Pint leaves are pushing their way out of the bare woodland floor, along with the leaves of Cow Parsley and Herb Robert
Catkins dance in the breeze on the coppiced Hazels nearby, with lots of fresh green Cleavers, starting to scramble up a dry stone wall.
At sea, Guillemots and Razorbills are scattered across the water, as Fulmars carve smooth arcs above them. Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Mediterranean Gull and Kittiwake also on the wing.