So....I had Saturday (30/04) morning spare before playing cricket in Northampton during the afternoon. With the sun shining, I couldn't resist going back for seconds on the Lesser Spots on the edge of town.
The male again didn't disappoint and showed very, very well again, regular coming back to drum on the very same branch as the previous week. He was calling a lot more this time which was nice.
I still had an hour to kill. I fancied trying somewhere different from the 'mainstream' Summer Leys, however I didn't have much time, so I crumbled and headed there. To be fair, it has been turning up plenty of stuff this spring. I decided to have a look from along Mary's lane for the recently reported Whinchat. It was pleasing to hear there were in fact now TWO there which was cool and after a bit of a wait, both male & female were in view distantly along the big wire fence that encircles Pete Wilde's lake.
Probably more exciting for me though, was an 'Hepatic' brown phase Cuckoo further along the same fence line, together with another standard form Cuckoo. Brown phases are a pretty rare sight and in fact only my second ever. Distance and heat haze meant that photos weren't even remotely possible!
The Sunday & Monday were largely spent catching up with family & friends, however Em & I did head out for a walk around Bernwood Meadows, the other side of Bicester on Sunday (01/05) afternoon. The place was well worth a visit for the spectacular display of Green-Winged Orchids and after failing to get over there last year, I was pleased to get my fill of what was a new Orchid for me.
The display was still a good week or two off it's peak, however there were still lots of plants to enjoy. Also here were my first Garden Warbler of the year, a couple of Lesser Whitethroat & a Common Lizard.
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