No.74....... and about time!

It's officially spring. I don't care what anyone else says. The sun was shining, the birds were singing.... It's spring. O.K, that wind was a bit chilly but so what?
After coaxing my daughter to come along and take photos for me, we took a quick jaunt along Mill Lane to add Grey Wagtail to my Gloucestershire Year List (96) and then made for the Orchard Centre:
First up was a female Kestrel, quickly followed by a Pied Wagtail. By the time we had got to the hide it was evident that the dull birdless winter days were finally over.
3 Canada Geese sat elegantly in the water opposite the hide. Moorhens and Coots had pretty much disappeared over the winter but I could see at least 2 of the former and 4 of the latter from where I sat today.

Canada Goose

8 Mallards, 12 Teal (alas, none of the Green-Winged variety) and....oh, steady on! A Little Grebe. Where have you been since November chum?
O.K, you're thinking, fairly standard fodder so far. But I was really enjoying this. And the real beauty of it is that we were on our own. This place is special because it is so rarely frequented by the Lens Brigade. What a joy it is to sit here in absolute silence without being jostled by a throng of eager birders, in their sagging khaki britches and camouflage jackets, playing the "My lens is bigger than yours" game.
O.K, got that off my chest. Move on.
A few Common Gulls drifted over:

Common Gull

A Lapwing put on a superb ariel display for us and two Buzzards made good use of the thermals above. I got a photo which wouldn't win any sharpness competions but I love the way the light shines through the tail:

Common Buzzard

A walk along the side of the main pond revealed 8 Snipe and then my daughter spotted a Stonechat flitting along a line of fence posts. Well, this was very exciting, "Get some photos girl!" I shouted and she duly obliged. What a cracking bird and a patch first for me which is very belated I know, but I was well happy to put No.74 on the list.

Stonechat

So, we meandered along the ponds for a while. There were plenty of birds in the hedgerows, including Long-tailed Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits and numerous Robins and Dunnocks. All this was set off against the mellow and uplifting sound of singing Skylarks.
I can't normally bear to see photographs with myself in but I thought that she captured me perfectly and in my element here!

A study in contentment

How long before the first dragonflies emerge, I wonder?