The highlights of what has been a poor spring birdwise for me both came in the last few days. On Wednesday morning my attention was caught by a little rattling song coming from the garden of a house along ocean view terrace. I looked up at the bushes to see a Male Serin sat at the top in full song. I watched him for ten minutes or so and then left thinking "you won't get much luck singing there mate, so you won't be there for long". Cracking views, though unfortunately I was camera less, not that they'd have been much good but you might have been just about able to see what it was.
The second highlight came this afternoon. Whilst driving to Truro a Male Montagues harrier flew over the A30 in the big dip between Hayle and Camborne.
Back at the patch a number of Sedge warblers have set up home with three singing males along Burthallan lane, another near Clodgy and another or two at the back of Mans head. I also had one singing in my garden briefly one morning. Whitethroats too are plentiful but the only Grasshopper warblers I've heard here seem to have moved on.
Meadow pipits appear to be doing quite well with three pairs in the Clodgy area, two of these are already feeding young.
A male Kestrel seems to be finding favourable hunting along the cliff tops and adders seem more plentiful this year.
A female Tawny owl has taken to occasionally roosting in the big Monterey cypress at the end of our road and sometimes is visible during the daytime as she does not like to share her roost with pigeons or crows and she makes quite a fuss if any of them try to sit in there with her!
A young female Badger has started turning up along our road between ten and eleven thirty but I have no idea where she comes from as I know of no sets on this side of St Ives.
Finally plant news and this years showing of vernal squill is the best I've seen for years and the first Early purple orchids are showing in the pony field behind the Garrack hotel.