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With the recent warm spell and lengthening daylight, there has been much more activity around. Even during the poorer weather, there were reports of little grebe (dabchick), bullfinches and song thrushes, which have been scarce in the area. A water rail, looking like a dowdy water hen, and skulking in the undergrowth near the Gypsey Race, was reported along with coots, teal and continued sightings of the kingfisher. Linnets have reappeared, and there has been a single redpoll, the first seen in the village for many years. Redpolls are birds of coniferous areas and, even then, they are not common.
There have been several reports from the Southside Lane area of a smallish blackbird-sized bird with shining greenish-blue plumage, a dark facial patch, black beak and a bright yellow-orange eye. It turned out to be a blue-eared glossy starling, which is not native to this country, but originates from Africa. Winds at the time were in the northeast and it is therefore most unlikely to have flown from its wild haunts and is very likely to have escaped from someone's aviary. It is being fed locally by residents putting food out on their lawns and it has readily accepted this. When doors are opened it does not fly away in a panic, suggesting it is used to human presence and is therefore probably not a wild bird. It is obviously quite content in its adopted area, as it has been around for some time and shows no sign of moving on.
At least three of our garden birds have started breeding, as there are reports of blackbird, robin and wren at nest, with the first two definitely sitting on eggs, and there is even a report of ducklings already hatched.
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