Garden Warblers have arrived at Dalton Crags.

(Please click over map to enlarge, then click again to supersize if required)

Good Friday April 22nd 2011 from Plain Quarry up to Trig (0830hrs - 1030hrs)
On way to Plain Quarry had a pair of Red Legged Partridge near Russell Farm.
Garden Warblers had come in force during last night because I had six singing birds and watched at close distance, scattered around the bottom of Dalton (Plain Quarry Car Park vicinity).

The Tree Pipit in the clearing before you start going up the Crags was singing his little heart out, and what a wonderful sound he makes...

The Blackcaps seem to take a back seat when the Garden Warblers arrive, and are well outnumbered at present..

In total I had six Garden Warblers at points shown on the map above. The ones I numbered 4 and 5 where actually chasing around after one another probably in courtship mode!

Lots and lots of Willow Warblers singing and fairly well spread out in their distribution of the area.

Also: a few Meadow Pipits overhead heading N (one party 7), also Swallow, 2 Greylag Geese flew overhead N, Redpoll calling, and a Green Woodpecker seen at Dalton and yaffling.

(From 1415hrs to 1715hrs) Did a check out of Warblers in Slape Lane, Burton Fell (lower sections only) and Lancelot Clark Storth (lower sections only). I mapped out the areas and had the following results - purely registered on singing birds only.
Slape Lane, Burton In Kendal (from Vicarage Lane up to Curwen Wood seat): One Blackcap (possibly two) and one Willow Warbler.
Burton Fell (lower section only: 6 Willow Warbler, 3 Chiffchaff, 1 Blackcap and 1 Garden Warbler.
Lancelot Clark Storth (lower section only around to rear of Dalton hamlet) 15 Willow Warblers, 3 Chiffchaffs, 3 Blackcap, 1 Garden Warbler.

also: Purple Vetch, Cuckoo Flower, Greater Stitchworth, Ramsons (just starting to flower), Water Avens, Bugle and lots lots more, some still to identify. Also lots of Orange Tip Butterflies, Peacock Butterflies and just the odd Small Tortoishell Butterfly, Several Speckled Wood Butterflies.

In the Lancelot count I did notice that one of the Chiffchaffs calls was very different to the usual, with regard: It did the normal Chiff-Chaff, chiff-chaff, a few times as the norm and then would every now and again insert the additional notes of "diddoo diddoo" in the same syllabic range as the "chiff chaff", I have never heard this before and have took it to be probably a (malfunction), rather than the norm....

First "Early Purple Orchids" showing up near Trig Point. Also a little white flower with red anthers.