Easter - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Circumstances dictated that I stay at home over the holiday, so my ringing was confined to the garden (orchard corner). We, trainee and I, had hoped to get out on Bank Holiday Monday but the vigorous Atlantic low conspired against us. So, here's a record of the start of the spring migration beside the southern coast of the Bristol Channel, on the uninteresting bit!

Day 1: - 3 birds late afternoon after a bit of garden maintenance; Willow Warbler 1, Blackcap 1, Robin (1)

The Blackthorn is in full flower along the lane leading to the meadows. It was here on Maundy Thursday that I heard my first Blackcap of the year in full, glorious song. Magic!

Day 2: - 7 birds before tea-break (mid-morning ration of Xmas cake); Great Tit (1), Willow Warbler 1, Wren 1 (1), Song Thrush (1), Goldfinch (2)

One of the two 'young' Wrens trapped on Good Friday

Day 3: - 8 birds before lunch (gammon leftovers) and a new Robin at dusk; Willow Warbler 3, Blackcap 1, Song Thrush (1), House Sparrow (2), Robin 1, Greenfinch 1

One of the (male) Phylloscs from Saturday morning

Day 4: - 6 birds split post dawn and early afternoon; Willow Warbler 2, Blackbird 1 (1), Greenfinch 1, Goldfinch 1

Day 5: - nil = a blowout/washout. Rain, from dawn, forecast for the rest of the day (best part of an inch?) with strong westerlies from the off. Old Severn Bridge has a speed limit imposed at the moment; possibly shutting later.

To sum it all up - the week-end's effort amounted to 25 birds, of which 15 new (plus 10 re-traps); top birds were - Willow Warbler 7 , Goldfinch 1 (2) , Blackcap 2 , & Greenfinch 2 , very typical of spring migration in this neck of the woods. The Song Thrush pair were feeding on dried meal worms that I had scattered on the rockery. To my surprise, considering that both species are nesting (laying/incubating), I ringed a new female Blackbird and a male Robin; with blanket coverage throughout the year, I would have not anticipated catching any new birds right now until the first broods had hatched and were on the wing.

S. atricapilla - Now there's one been singing at the bottom of the garden.

One mystery - no Long-tailed Tits since the end of February. Have numbers plummeted or are they a little delayed in breeding this year? The next two weeks will tell.

Sunrise currently 06:30 BST
Sunset currently 20:00 BST