Just for a change, sunshine and showers were forecast following the downpour yesterday. When we arrived at Ichenor the sun was out and we had a brilliant blue sky, so uplifting after so much wet and windy weather. The harbour was colourful instead of grey and more signs of spring, some of the mud berths had been cleared. Such a delight to see with the soundscape of Redshank alarm calls and the thrip of Teal.

In the hedgerows some Blackthorn bushes had been in flower for a while; now they were all out. On this one there was even a bee foraging for some nectar, he must have enjoyed getting out, probably the first time in quite a while.  Alongside the Blackthorn were Hawthorn bushes just starting to come in leaf adding a green tinge to the hedgerow. Blackthorn flower before the
leaves appear, Hawthorn afterwards which is how you can tell them apart.

There were plenty of other bushes and trees starting to wake up with buds just starting to turn into leaves. There must have been some stirrings underground too with this fresh molehill appearing in the last 12 hours; all the other ones had been flattened by the intense rain.

The tide was out exposing plenty of mud for waders to peck at amongst a few wigeon a couple of Shelduck and the inevitable geese. Not much flying about though, just one cloud of Curlew and some noisy Redshanks.