Back on the bike

Far too long without any proper action - fencing, GCSE teaching, laziness, cold May weather - take your pick!

Swift (135) was nailed some weeks ago, and there were Reed Warbler (136) and Hobby (137 - two hunting over the garden) to count, too, but this morning was the time to plug several glaring omissions in the year list.

So it was off and away to Redshoot Wood/Milkham Inclosure in the Forest, and with hardly any trouble at all (after a flyover Hawfinch and some singing Firecrests), the targets fell into my lap. First up were three singing Wood Warblers (138), shimmering their way through the oaks, plus numerous Redstarts (139). Much less easy these days was a Spotted Flycatcher (140), and it was good to find a singing Tree Pipit (141) without too much trouble. The icing on the cake was a Whitethroat (142) down by Highwood - a scarce bird in/near the New Forest, although presumably not too hard when I head west later in the week into the farmland again.

So now up to 86% - and still some summer migrants to find - Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Honey-buzzard and Nightjar spring to mind - and gallingly Julia had one of the latter feeding over the garden a few nights ago  -when I wasn't here!