I ended up wandering around the perimeter of the wood and making my way across the fields towards the Ver-Colne Valley. Here, the habitat is far better than I could have wished for as the open mixed farmland and flooded fields have created a temporary habitat for a couple wetland species including a flyover Snipe and drake Mandarin. Reed Bunting and Lapwing were also present and further on was by first Herts singing Willow Warbler of the year followed by my first 2 Swallows of the year! I also saw my first 2 Orange-tips of the year, located 3 Wheatear in the nearby horse paddocks and the woodland and farmland was filled with the site of Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshells and Peacocks.
Just as I was planning on heading back I received a text from Ephraim with news of 2 Wheatear on patch! I had no choice but to head straight for the manure field by Middle Farm where I managed to catch up with the remaining male Wheatear but not the earlier short staying female. I was fortunate enough to find a patch first in the form of a stunning male White Wagtail also using the fields to its advantage and making the most of the early evenings emergence of flies! A brilliant patch reward which keeps reassuring me that decent migrants can be found in any habitat however dull they may seem on first glance.
White Wagtail
White Wagtail
late afternoon sun over the manure fields at Middle Farm
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