Stonechat

I'm not sure whether it's just me, but this male stonechat seems to have a distinctly grumpy expression. His other half seemed much less disapproving! Both were seen on an afternoon walk round Ferry Meadows where the paths were just about passable but with some very muddy stretches. I was keeping an eye out for them, as I'd photographed a pair on this stretch of path last February and they often return to the same areas. And they do seem to love perching on a good barbed wire fence. 

Other new birds for my 2021 list were little egret feeding in some floodwater, and song thrush with at least three different birds singing. This brings my total up to a rather lacklustre 66 - in a normal year I would have had at least one trip to the Norfolk or Lincolnshire coast by now, which always bumps the numbers up. I do find I'm pining for the sea but it will still be there when we move out of lockdown. I'm also very lucky that Chris and I spent so much time on the coast in the autumn, including our last trip to Holme-next-the-sea before the November lockdown. Happy memories!