First swallow...

Spent the morning at Pulborough Brooks, an RSPB reserve in West Sussex. I heard, and saw, chiffchaffs; they’re easier to spot before the trees are in leaf. I saw half a dozen swallows swooping over the water - my first of the year - so today is the day that I’ll cut and paste all the book chapters into a single document. Though the reserve was quiet, I enjoyed walking through the woods, enveloped by birdsong. The best sighting, just before I left, was a female blackcap…