On a more positive note! My first Swallow was spotted on home terf which is such a reward! Followed by 2 others in Newinn while coming home from a short 30 minutes at Llandegfedd. Most of my day however was spent on the Canal where I got to meet a few lovely people which happened to be enjoying the Toads which were in full spring swing today! Over 20 Chiffchaffs were singing today in this area, I also saw 8 Jays showing very different behaviour than their usual winter flocks. I assume this time of year they will become more aggressive to each other as they pair up to breed. Our local Nuthatch is defending his patch well while protecting what looks like a hole with the lady already sitting on eggs! Either that or he is yet to actually find a female because no other bird was sighted but he didn't enter the hole, he just protected it.
Was unfortunate to find what looked like a smooth newt that had been run over. I'd strongly recommend no late night bike rides along the canal this time of year. You'll also find a lot of Toads along with path in the night time.
