At last the first Willow Warbler(90) and Common Whitethroat (91) turned up on the 17th.Unfortunately I missed out on a Reed Warbler on the lake which was seen by Andy.
Back to today and although the sun shone later on, it started off with a sharp frost which soon turned into a heavy mist when I left the house at 07.00am.
I was soon in Kirkins and the first thing I heard was the Cuckoo as it called from a tree behind the farmhouse. It didn't take too long for the mist to clear and with the sun shining I was hopeful it might be a half decent walk.
As I skirted the field I eventually managed to get some great views of the Cuckoo atop an Ash tree.
In the hedge I found my first Whitethroat of the day. There had been an increase in Blackcap numbers and I eventually found 2 pairs and 3 more singing males.
Two Willow Warblers were singing from territories which were occupied last year and interestingly both territories also held Whitethroats.
As I walked up the track towards the lake a female Lesser-spotted Woodpecker landed in a tree to my right and as she flew off, calling a male landed a little ahead of me before following her. Fantastic, it's always a joy to see these little beauties.
As it warmed up raptors got up and 5 Buzzards, 2 Sparrowhawks and a Kestrel were seen.

Chiffchaff

Three butterfly species were seen today, Comma, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell.

Comma

On the walk home I saw a group of six Jays.