It was feeling far more springlike this morning, as Josiah, Sophia and I ventured around Broad Water. The flock of 16 or so Teal I picked up last weekend were nowhere to be seen; I wonder if their apparent departure coincided with the dwindling of Storm Darcy. It’s hard to imagine that only a few days ago, Ashburnham was carpeted with snow, particularly given the cacophony of birdsong and flashes of purple from the Crocuses beneath the Walnut tree, outside the Orangery.
Having the kidlets in tow meant that there was rather a lot more shouting and puddle-splashing then one might expect on a bird walk. Nevertheless, there was plenty to see, both on the lake and around the wooded fringes.
A pair of Tufted Duck drifted close enough to the periphery of Broad Water for me to get a semi decent shot of the male bird. There have been several of these smart looking ducks wintering at Ash, with a total of six birds present this morning.
Also on the lake, I was pleased to spot a lone Great-Crested Grebe, presumably one of the same pair that tried to breed unsuccessfully last year; here’s to better fortune this time around. Additionally, two Greylag Geese stood out amongst the usual ranks of Canadas.
Interestingly the small troop of Black Headed Gulls sunning themselves on the lake, showed considerable variation in their various plumages; the bird at the front sporting almost a completely brown head, ready for the breeding season, whilst the bird to its left, very much still confined to its winter colours.
Further into Burrage Wood, the competing songs of numerous species - Goldcrests, Song Thrushes, Nuthatch, for example - only added to the springlike atmosphere. I was fortunate to spot one of these louder residents, a Nuthatch, partaking in some rather unusual behaviour as it foraged on the ground close to the temple.
A calling Marsh Tit, close to Lady Spring, remained still enough for me to get a fleeting snap of it, and moments later - the highlight of the morning - a beautiful male Bullfinch, alighted on one of the trees further up the path, allowing me the opportunity to photograph one of these shy birds out in the open.
