A new walk in warm spring sunshine, vocal lambs, Celandines and Primroses, plenty of bird-life – truly glorious! Led by David Tombs, 25 of us set off from opposite the Village Hall just as the sun was breaking through the mist. Our departure was marked by the busy, noisy occupants of the Rookery in the trees above. Some were still repairing their nests; others might already have been sitting on eggs. After crossing the playing field, we entered the wide valley of the Doncombe Brook, having already seen a flock of 150 Common Gulls wheeling high above, as well as Long-tailed Tit, a flock of Chaffinches in a ploughed field, one Buzzard sitting in a tree and another Buzzard calling above us. As we entered the edge of Cloud Wood we heard Skylark, then Nuthatch, and noted Goldcrest, Wren, Pheasant and Magpie. At coffee break, before we entered Marshfield Wood, we saw a Kestrel being mobbed by a Crow while a Buzzard circled nearby. In the wood, a pair of Ravens were calling, and Chaffinch, Coal Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker were heard. Back near the village, Jackdaw, Bullfinch, Jay and Yellowhammer were seen. Then, in the churchyard, came what for some was the star sighting: a female Grey Wagtail seeking insects on the church roof. As it posed obligingly, revelling in the sunshine, we admired its bright yellow markings which showed so well against the roof tiles. Species recorded, 37. Thank you, David, for finding and leading the walk – we hope it will become a regular. John Beaven