Immigrant Song

I had the misfortune to have a BNP leaflet pushed through my letter box the other day - a misfortune indeed since no one wants to find a pile of excrement on their doormat first thing in the morning (or indeed at any other time of the day). After allowing myself the briefest moment to be thoroughly sickened by the lies and bile, I did the only thing a decent human being could - I tore it into tiny pieces and submitted it for compost. At least some good may eventually come of it in this form.

I only mention the incident because it came back to me when I realised I had just spent the most beautiful Warwickshire morning surrounded by African immigrants. Birds of course, and I'm pretty sure even the BNP doesn't object to bird migration, but who knows what idiocy their stupidity and lack of basic human decency might lead them to?

Anyhow, back to the birds. Brandon Marsh was alive with recently arrived migrants. The warblers included Reed, Sedge and Willow, Chiffchaffs and Whitethoats, as well as the resident Cetti's. All were singing loudly, but sadly there were no Grasshopper Warblers reeling along with them. Over the Newlands reedbeds I saw Buzzards being mobbed and a pair of Kestrels courting, and then I headed off to the pools.

Here I found more recent arrivals - a Ringed Plover and a pair of Little Ringed Plover, a pair of Oystercatchers, three Redshanks, five or six Common Terns, and a small flock of Sand Martins. It was a lovely morning with good weather, good company and plenty of variety. And I finished on a thoroughly 'English' note - my breakfast being of the full English variety. Nothing wrong with this sudden outbreak of patriotism of course, because patriotism isn't the same thing at all as nationalism - as has been often said, a patriot loves his country while a nationalist hates the other person's country. It is a distinction people would do well to remember before stuffing leaflets through my letterbox.

Bird of the day: Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), a beautifully marked migrant wader with a striking orange eye ring.