#BWKm0 - another good day in the garden

Strange times at Fujifilm SIS (and everywhere else - in no way are we unique) means that yesterday might be my last late-shift for ten weeks! There's quite a bit of contractual stuff needing to be sorted out but, it looks like the factory will be on reduced manning for nine weeks, commencing 4th May. Knowing this was on the cards I took a camera to work, so that I could record us, my shift colleagues and I, partaking in the ritual Thursday, 20.00 hrs, NHS tribute "clapping" before we are split up to provide a minimal production capability within the plant. It was quite a poignant minute, as one of our shift is off, in isolation, as his wife, who's a front line nurse,  is showing symptoms of Covid-19. Our thoughts and best wishes are with them, Twatters & Alison, during this difficult time.

I was outside, this morning, around 07.00 hrs with all the regulation items close to hand; coffee being top priority at this time of day. It was a reasonable sunrise, although a layer of high, broken, cloud ensured that the sun didn't really do much more than cast a shadow. There was certainly no warmth, early doors. Four Chiffchaffs, two each of Willow Warbler and Swallow had been recorded within the first twenty minutes; so clearly there was some movement happening.

As the temperature started to rise, so the raptors appeared with a couple of Common Buzzards and a lone Red Kite providing the early sightings. It wasn't long, however, whilst I was straining to decipher the distant song of a Chaffinch, that the unmistakable display song and flight of a Common Whitethroat was performed in the adjacent garden. Camera quickly called into action, I'm relatively happy with the outcome of this briefest of encounters.

55 - Common Whitethroat

The action didn't stop there, oh no! Next up was another Common Buzzard which quickly attracted the attentions of a pair of Ravens! Then, to put the cherry on the cake, a Marsh Harrier appeared in the binocular view and, once again, the long lens was pointed skywards.

56 - Marsh Harrier - quickly moved over the garden headed NE

I needed to get ready for work, so had to cut short the session before raptor o'clock, but still managed to add a further nine Common Buzzards, four Sparrowhawks and two pulses of Black-headed Gulls before I packed up for the day. Garden birding? Under these circumstances, you can't knock it!