Last Monday, my first Swift of the year passed high over my balcony in a north-easterly direction. Obviously a migrant, this was around ten days earlier than I usually see my first local birds but, yesterday (Sunday) morning, there was already a small group of three to five hawking insects above the park, at one point even being chased by a Peregrine! Yesterday was the second time I managed a day list of 23 species from my balcony, strangely with quite a few different species each time but I just can't seem to break the 23-species barrier. Other than that, I've done a couple more walks in the forest now that the birch pollen season seems to be coming to an end. The first was pretty birdless although I did get to watch one of two Reed Warblers singing away in the reeds of the Etang de Boitsfort. I thus paid a bit more attention to the flowers than I usually would and was pleased to find these Yellow Pimpernels.
Today, I tried to find the pair of Ravens which were discovered over the weekend and look as if they might be setting up territory for the first time within Brussels. There was no sign of them of course but my first Garden Warbler of the year was a nice consolation prize and there were a lot more butterflies around, including this rather plain Green-veined White, which should normally show at least a hint of a black spot on the forewing.
Since my first butterfly of the year just over a month ago, I've seen Holly Blue and Brimstone from my apartment, with Orange-Tip, Large White and Speckled Wood in the forest. The biggest surprise of the day and perhaps my confinement so far was still to come, however, as I passed the boating lake in the ever so busy Bois de la Cambre only to notice this pair of Garganey. This is a scarce passage migrant in Brussels and I usually have to twitch someone else's birds in order to add them to my year list so it was especially pleasing to discover my own on the way home.
