Every March the Wheatears turn up, and Karen gets bothered that she hasn’t seen one yet (even though we’ll see loads as the year moves on). We haven’t seen one yet, but it was a major surprise when the first Wheatear of the year turned out to be a Desert Wheatear at Goring yesterday afternoon. Karen has never walked 5 miles as fast (and she was well behind me, as I was going like the clappers). Fortunately it was still there when we arrived and showed beautifully at times. A smart bird. Otherwise it’s been a bit rubbish on the migrant front (unless you seawatch while I’m at work, it’s great for them).
Sompting
One of the disadvantages of getting a great start to the year is that it has to end sometime. Recently I’ve had a series of long and medium walks that have yielded very little. Still, it’s better than staying in a house that’s in turmoil due to prolonged upheaval as we get our kitchen done.