Sunshine at last and a beautiful clear morning began on the coast at Cowden. With the prospect of some warmth today, birdsong was everywhere. Common Whitethroats were on the bush tops and making short song flights from their perches. Still early morning and a few Swallows were already passing through. Two Common Swifts flew North and Sand Martin were chattering in the air. A Barn Owl was out hunting one of the more open fields. Two Cetti's Warblers called, concealed in the thick hawthorns. Blackcaps were more obvious and three Lesser Whitethroats were much more showy than on recent visits. A single Grasshopper Warbler reeled for a brief moment and was never seen. Sedge Warblers though were everywhere. Two Cuckoos chased each other over the fields and after an hour, I decided to move on. A clear night last night and fine weather today would only lessen my chances of many new migrants. Calling in at Hornsea Mere, I was looking out for passing Terns and checking the increasing number of hirundines. Two Common Terns flew overhead, making their way out to the sea and there was no sign of any Black Terns, unlike the previous week when fourteen had appeared on one day. Very uplifting was the sound of the Swifts screeching as they raced around the sky above me, many more could be seen at the far end of the Mere. Time for some challenging photography!! This Common Swift had a small white mark on its rump, not enough to set the heart racing and too large a swift for a 'white-rumped'! Always worth checking hirundine flocks though and Common Swifts are a lovely bird to watch . Leven Canal. This canal is a new birding venue for me. Although I've known of its existence for many years, having fished it at one time, it is a very wild and beautifully natural place. I had a very strange start in the form of a leucistic House Sparrow feeding in the reeds, where I began my walk. My findings remained very much 'white' as I watched this extremely pale Willow Warbler. It called and sang perfectly normally and with the bright sunlight today, it really shone out. I believe that some birds can be very pale in the Spring. I walked for a couple of miles along the canal, finding more Cetti's Warblers, Mistle Thrushes, Bullfinches, Yellowhammers and many other species. My fourth Cuckoo of the day was calling along the canal, finally passing me into the sun a little. A really enjoyable walk, Buzzards in the air, hares and roe deer in the fields, orange-tip butterflies and even a large pike seen in the canal. Finally, I made my way around to Wansford where two Common Cranes had been seen the previous day. I later found that they had flown through Spurn the same afternoon. It was worth spending a little time in Wansford where the superb chalk trout stream - West Beck flows through. Other than a Grey Wagtail, there were few birds on the waters' edge but I couldn't resist watching the superb 'game' fish on this private 'fly-only' stream. These are Grayling and both specimens were around 14" long. Some sizeable Brown Trout also.
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