2 weeks ago there were snow drifts on Big Moor and everything was silent. One week ago the snow had gone and the blue tits, great tits, wrens and blackbirds were busy nest building and the plaintiff cry of the curlew could be heard across the moor.

This week – what a change!  The trees in Barbrook Plantation are alive with the calls of warblers.  These birds are usually the first to return in good numbers to this area.  The only warbler I can detect is the common willow warbler but I am sure true birding folk can detect other species.  For me the sound is the thing, and at any time of day they make a great noise.  The dawn chorus in a few weeks time will no doubt be as good as ever.

Among the birds still to arrive are the redstarts, stonechats and whinchats as well as the swallows and house martins and cuckoos so there is a lot to look forward to!

I saw my first swallow on the 16th April last year but no signs yet in 2012.