Finally I have had a bullfinch in the garden. I had done nothing to attract it, indeed I have not been feeding the birds for a while. I was just eating breakfast and happened to be looking out of the window at the moment that he perched in the garden. No doubt flocks of them have been through the garden when I wasn't looking.
There are now decent numbers of swallows locally but I haven't seen any swifts or house martins yet.
I haven't been posting much due personal matters but still have my eyes open. One thing that has struck me is the eastward spread of birds of prey. I have seen buzzards over Havering-atte-Bower but the big suprise in the past month as been a red kite over the M25 near Stapleford Abbotts in Essex. The skys still look empty by Chiltern standards though. A nice little spot last week was a goldcrest during a visit to Kew Gardens. I have downloaded the Merlin app which supposedly identifies birdsong. I have had little opportunity to try it out but a quck test in the garden showd that it correctly told me that I could hear jackdaws and a robin. I look forward to using it on the coast to see if it can distinguish the various waders for me.
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