 Despite the cold and quiet past few weeks of February little signs of Spring are beginning to creep in to view. Easterlies have dominated the month so far with temperatures struggling to get above 5 degrees Celsius. The cold, overcast conditions have not proved conducive to early Spring passage but finally, mid-month, it feels like we may be on the brink of Spring. The sun actually came out yesterday and this coming week promises a new and warmer weather system. By the last few years' standard, returning Oystercatchers are now officially late but little clues to early movement have appeared. Today the lone and patient Coot was joined by another - I assume they can now get to the business of courtship and nest-building but I'm sure challengers will arrive! Tufted Ducks have returned with numbers now up to 13 birds and just yesterday, 3 Mandarin Ducks arrived with 5 today. Despite their love of parkland pools with mature trees for their nests these ducks seem to really enjoy the bare gravel pits and appear to find plenty to nibble at on the stony ground.  Wildfowl numbers in general have fluctuated and never seem to have recovered from the shooting onslaught unleashed by the farmer on his pet Mallards. Unfortunately, the more savvy wild ducks are quick to leave and while occasionally visiting soon vacate the site once they spot human visitors. These have included around 30 Wigeon, similar numbers of Shoveler, a few Gadwall, a single male Teal and female Pochard. Other regulars have included the 2-3 pairs of Stonechats, 2 Green Sandpipers and varying numbers of Egyptian Geese arriving to roost in the evenings. A high count of 24 birds was noted on 5th Feb. A Chiffchaff was also foraging with the Stonechats on 5th. Highlights of the first few weeks of February include 2 Jack Snipe flushed along with 10 Common Snipe on 10th Feb and an adult Yellow-legged Gull on 4th Feb. A Little Owl was also calling from its usual area on 5th and a Little Egret was noted on 1st Feb. A Great Crested Grebe on 8th Feb and a pair of Grey Partridge on 9th were also new for the site year list. With a pair of Red-legged Partridge seen on 15th the site total now stands at a healthy 85 for 2025.  Adult Yellow-legged Gull on 4th Feb 2025 One final highlight of the month so far has been the continuing sighting of Marsh Harriers with a wing-tagged bird on 13th and a male on 14th. The male has been presumed to be an immature - possibly a 3rd calendar year bird - with contrasting underwing and dark trailing edge to it wings. However, it does not appear to be the same as a similar bird seen in November 2024 that had darker wings with dark ends to its tail feathers. In addition a full adult male was seen on 26th June last year along with a juvenile and female bird. Assuming some of the sightings are of the same birds it seems that there may have been 5-6 individuals involved over the last 12 months. With records in every month for a whole year it seems to bode well for a possible breeding attempt somewhere in the area at some point. Below are 4 of the birds seen over the last year: Having recently been introduced to a paper on Marsh Harrier identification I am less sure about ageing Marsh Harriers as the paper suggests it is nigh on impossible! The paper can be found here and makes for interesting reading.
Whatever the case, hopefully these birds will continue to be seen in the area and one day stay to breed.
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 You always know it's been a quiet end to the month when Coot headlines the blog! However, this bird that turned up on 31st Jan is the first one of the year and signals the start of some spring movement of birds. Many more will follow and, hopefully as in years gone by, will breed at the site. The last half of January was quiet but the site list grew steadily to 77 by the month end with singing Mistle Thrush added and 3 Pochard on 31st. A pair of Pintail on 24th was a nice surprise along with 55 Wigeon, 27 Gadwall and a few Shoveler. A pair of Peregrine were also in the big field on that day and at least 5 Stonechats were on site.  Peregrine on 24th Jan 2025 The regular immature male Marsh Harrier came through the site on 31st whilst the Skylark flock has held at about 50-60 birds along with up to 200 Fieldfares. Mute Swan numbers have fluctuated but tend to be around 15 birds and Lapwing numbers have varied from 30 to 100 birds. A couple of Green Sandpipers continue to favour the site, commuting between the long drainage pit and pools in the arable fields across the road. Gulls continue to provide a bit of interest although the 3rd winter Caspian Gull seems to now be favouring Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits a few miles away. A possible adult Caspian was present on 29th but at distance it wasn't possible to be 100% sure and, despite the nice clean head and darker grey mantle, I couldn't rule out a hybrid bird. Some video-grabs of the possible adult Caspian Gull on 29th Jan 2025 On the passerine front, Linnet, Goldfinch and Chaffinch numbers have dwindled and only about 20-30 Meadow Pipits are in evidence. A couple of Reed Buntings have also been mixed in with the flock along the track. February beckons and with it the hope of some migrant waders arriving at the site - hopefully Oystercatchers but maybe also Dunlin and Redshank.
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