Well, today is Sunday 3rd May and nearly all seems well with my world. Exeter City have just won promotion for the second year running - no-one can remember them ever doing that before - I've just invested in a bigger and better caravan for the enjoyment of my extended family, my contract at the PCT has been extended, BBC4 has been showing some great programmes about the Blues, and I've just completed my early visit to my patch near Boxford for the British Breeding Bird Survey. I first started surveying in 2002 and I've done two visits every year except 2007 when I was in America. This year was the worst habitat-wise, with rampant rape growing everywhere, even on land that has previously been set aside. No doubt this is the consequence of some change in the CAP. Whatever, it's bad for my respiration and for my birds. Even if there are birds present amid this pestilent crop, there's little chance fo detecting them, the cover is so thick. So no partridges or lapwings this year but skylarks seem to be holding up and I was gratified to find a pair of yellowhammers again (I found none last year, which seemed to confirm an alarming decline nationwide). I was also grateful to hear what sounded like a sedge warbler. On checking my video guide, I was delighted to learn that they do indeed frequent rape fields as well as their more typical habitats. There were plentiful blackcaps and a garden warbler too, though the only whitethroat I found was outside my patch. No roe deer this visit either: another first. Other missing regulars were kestrel and buzzard, though no doubt they are still around. A red kite favoured me with a prolonged dislay of aerial grace until it was eventually seen off by a mobbing rook. I'll return again towards the end of June and hope to be able to report that the old favourites are still around. I also have to do some two hour surveys of nearby "tetrads" for the Bird Atlas 2007-11 project. These are less awkward for timing, since they can be conducted during normal hours, whereas the BBS stipulates a dawn visit (I was up at 5:30, having watched blues to 1:30), and are so local that I don't even have to get in the car. It's a great way of getting some exercise, getting to know the local area, meeting a few people (who are initially suspicious of someone perusing their houses with binoculars) and enjoying wildlife in its (almost) natural habitat.
Anyway, off to the pub now. Happy days!
