Birds in Early Spring

The Raptor has captured another sign of an early spring in the air - a pair of buzzards going through their courting routine, a spectacular aerial display.

Curlews are shy birds, so the Raptor has done well to capture this one in flight against the snows of Ben Hiant. Curlews are still to be found inland, working in groups across the sodden croft fields as they probe for earthworms.

We don't seem to have as many resident geese this year as in previous ones, usually greylags, so I tried to get a good shot of these three as they came over, but the quality of the picture isn't good enough for me to make a firm identification.

No less than ten grey herons were in flight over the marshes today, in a long convoy patrolled by gulls. Each year at this time, the local herons, which are usually solitary and disputative birds, do their best to get together socially.

This was a surprise: a song thrust singing in the upper branches of a tree near our house as if he, like our robin, is already staking out his territory. Isn't this rather early in the year?

Many thanks to the Raptor for his pictures.