Spring sightings

Two good sightings on our home bird feeders.  Several times over the last few days we've had single Redpolls with our usual mass of Siskin, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow and Chaffinch on the seed feeders. 

Then yesterday we had a first - a male Blackcap appeared on the feeder tray and stayed, on and off all day.  It's very rare for us to have had a Blackcap in the garden at all, let alone on the feeders.  No photo I'm afraid - the window was just too covered in seed mess!

This morning Jane and I had a long walk around the Low Hedgeley site.  We've never seen hirundines in such numbers.  All the gravel ponds were swarming with Sand Martins and Swallows hawking over the water and there were a few House Martins with them.  The river had a pair of Common Sandpiper and we got a good close view of a Dipper.