Indeed it was a good day.  Looking at my text a Paul Burke wrote to me "I think we should forget 6am and see what it's like in an hour".  It was a good day indeed even though we missed Sparrowhawk and Wheatear and just about got Long Tailed Tit!

It is longest I spent up Grane and highlights were:-

1.  That very close Blackcap

2.  The minimum of 8 Nuthatch on feeders

3.  The surprise Tawny Owl and chicks in the last hour.  The last 1 hour was the Golden hour especially with the ticks and the quality of birds just increased.

4.  Mediterranean Gull - the first recorded on a bird race and one which has evaded the teams since their increased visits to Grane since 2015. 

Strange I had Herring Gull the day before but not on the day but it has been a poorer spring for this species.

Here is our totals and some photos taken on the day - the infamous road kill also added :-

Before Bird Race Meeting:-

House Sparrow

Collared Dove

Feral Pigeon

Holden Wood Reservoir and near by areas:-

Oystercatcher 9

Goldfinch 12

Swallow 4

Starling approx. 60

Chaffinch 5

Woodpigeon 7

Black-headed Gull 9

Pied wagtail min 10 incl a family party of about 5-6

Dunnock 1

Willow Warbler 6

Blackbird 3

Wren 4

Stock Dove 1

Dipper 1 (in out flow) - one that we did not expect to see here

Grey Wagtail 2

Blue Tit min 4 incl a family party

Great Tit 2

Robin 2

Reed Bunting 2

Mallard min 7

Moorhen 4

Magpie 2

Lapwing 3

Song Thrush 2

Jackdaw 8

Meadow Pipit 12

Lesser Black Backed Gull numerous flying over

Swift 3

Raven 3

Crow 9 incl family parents with 3 chicks

Blackcap 3

Kestrel min 3 visible over side of Ogden

Curlew- min 2

Dunlin 1

Pheasant 1

Buzzard 1

Skylark 1

Cormorant 1

Canada Geese numerous

Common Sandpiper 1

Mediterranean Gull 1 poor quality photo attached and any objections to the identification please say!  (seen at end of the day).  Took a lot of desperate scanning of the tedious Gulls and if I had noticed it seconds later it would have been too distant to confirm!

Greenfinch 1

Ogden:-

Blackbird 2

Swift min 40

Meadow Pipit min 14

Common Sandpiper 1

Stonechat 2

Wren min 3

Willow Warbler 2

Reed Bunting 2

Mallard 5

Great Crested Grebe 2

Grey Heron 1

Jay 1

Carrion Crow 2

Skylark 2

Pied Wagtail 2

Woodpigeon 2

Swallow 2

Grasshopper Warbler 2

Calf Hey Reservoir:-

Willow Warbler min 10

Redpoll min 4

Blackcap 5

Wren 10

Meadow Pipits 12 min

Kestrel 1

Chaffinch min 9

Robin 3

Great Tit 5

Dunnock 1

Common Sandpiper 1

Mistle Thrush 8 a family party of 4

Blackbird 6

Song Thrush 5

Goldfinch min 14  -  incl at least 1 juvenile

Starlin min 30

Goldcrest 8

Nuthatch 9   - 8 at Calf Hey Feeders could have been 1 family with 6 young or 2 family parties

Coal Tit 1

Siskin min 5

Treecreeper min 2 sounded like a family party though

Buzzard min 3

Great Black Backed Gull 1 adult

Magpie 3

Blue Tit 5

Common Sandpiper 1

Reed Bunting 1

Pied Wagtail 3

Stonechat 1

Woodpigeon 7

Whitethroat 1 or 2 but took about 20 minutes to confirm as not singing!

Greenfinch 1

Chiffchaff 1

Long Tailed Tit 2

Heap Clough:-

Willow Warbler 7

Robin 4

Dunnock 2

Chaffinch 8

Black Headed Gull min 11

Mistle Thrush 2

Blackcap 1

Pied Wagtail 11 incl a family party of 6

Song Thrush 3 

Sand Martin 6

Woodpigeon min 10

Mallard - - min 3

Skylark min 3

Goldcrest min 8 incl family party

Common Sandpiper 1

Magpie 3

Swallow 9

Meadow Pipit min 10

Linnet 1

Starling approx. 200

Great Tit min 6 at least 1 family party

Goldfinch min 10 incl a juvenile

Siskin min 6

Green Woodpecker 1

Greenfinch 1

Carrion Crow 8

Curlew 2

Blackbird 2

Other noted wildlife:-

1 Common Blue at Calf Hey seen by Paul only 

1 Common Frog at Holden Wood seen by Paul only