New Forest

16 April - A very successful morning in the New Forest. I arrived just after first light as the Black Stork had roosted at Ocknell Plain the previous evening, but there was no sign of the bird in the pines. An hour later, the bird was flushed by birders from a stream and flew into the valley, but it then obligingly appeared and circled round before gliding off to the south. The photos (1-2) are copyright Joe Cockram and are of the same bird taken a few days earlier. Also at Ocknell Plain - several Cuckoos singing, my first of the year, with 2 seen and a female calling. Several Redstarts (5) and a Tree Pipit were also singing, and a Woodlark (4) was seen and sang briefly. At Bolderwood I heard a Firecrest (6) singing but could not locate it high in the canopy. Several Stonechats were seen at various locations (7).Finally after quite a lot of searching I eventually found a Dartford Warbler (8), a male that was singing and was seen well perched up on the gorse.