Chiltern Birder

I saw my first swallow of the year this morning. One flying past and one perched on a phone line near the village. I was then told that they had been around for a while already but none had crossed my path.

At the moment I am hearing more bird song than I am seeing birds. I am getting a pair of coal tits coming to the feeders so, hopefully, they have a nest nearby. A garden in Great Missenden was open for the National Garden Scheme today which showed up my lack of knowledge about bumble bees as there was a pure black species in the garden with the laden pollen sacks showing up in marked contrast. It was striking that all the plants were well in advance of my exposed hill top location. Coming back we did see a red kite between Missenden and Chesham. A short while ago I had to make repeat of the trip to Goring that I mentioned last May. This time I did not see a single kite on the way down although I did glimpse one flying high over Goring at lunchtime. Coming back I saw a group just before the wonderfully named village of Britwell Salome and regular numbers after that.

I put fat out for the blackbirds and robins but it regularly gets carried off by squirrels. I have had complete feeders carried off recently. The answer seems to have been to put a fat block in a square cage feeder and place it inside the cage over the ground feed hopper. So far it has lasted but something seems to have tried to take it away as this morning as the cage had been moved bodily by over a foot. Sunday's snow was spectacular while it lasted and I am sorry I didn't have time to take any photos. A brief look into the garden revealed goldfinches and wood pigeons. On Saturday I saw a red kite low over a house on the road past Bovingdon Brickworks. Not really surprising but the first that I have seen in Hertfordshire, even if it was only a couple of hundred yards across the county boundary.