More Cuteness and another Reed Warbler

Barely a week after dropping everything and dashing out of the house for a Reed Warbler, which at the time was a patch tick, I found another one this morning. This always happens. You wait ages, and then there is a flurry. I was on the way back home after a fairly unexciting early morning jaunt. In interesting bird terms, the kind of morning jaunt where you wonder why you bothered. In other words, patch birding at its finest. Kicking stones by Shoulder of Mutton Pond, I noticed that the reedbed had grown quite a lot. Let's be clear, it's not going to have a Purple Heron in it any time soon, but as I walked past and noticed the reeds, I wondered why we never got any Reed Warblers in it. As if on cue, a faint "Gurr gurr gurr" came from within it. Amazing! It never really got going, and I never saw it, but at least a long-standing prophecy has been fulfilled. I wonder how these birds find it? I mean, this patch of reeds is probably about ten metres long by about a metre wide, it's hardly Minsmere. As they're flying over, do they suddenly detect the presence of reeds far below, or are they down there, sniffing around, so to speak? I carried on home, and tested my new magic powers. "Hmmm, that hawthorn bush looks perfect for an Isabelline Shrike." Didn't work.

The main objective of the morning (other than find a Wanstead mega, which is standing orders) was to see if the Mute Swan Cygnets were ready. They were!! As a blogger who has very, very occasionally been known to display photos of cute baby birds on the interweb, this was welcome news. It may come as less welcome news to perusers of the interweb, particularly as there is more than one. Many more than one. Sorry, my blog, my rules. Don't worry, it'll be June soon.