I'd like to say that it's been a manic few weeks trying to keep up with all the arriving Spring migrants but the opposite is true!  Instead, in the face of high pressure weather systems, at time bringing strong winds and freezing temperatures, not much has arrived.

It would be easy to blame the impoverished pits with water almost entirely drained from the main pit and much reduced decent habitat than in previous years but, truth be told, it's been a fairly slow start throughout the County.  Any sign of movement has therefore been very welcome and the last couple of weeks have seen some further new arrivals.

For me, the headline species has been the 2 male Wheatears that arrived yesterday in strong, freezing winds and are still present today.  They are such smart birds with their grey backs, white rumps and peachy-cream breasts adding a welcome bit of colour to the pits.  They join the Little Ringed Plovers (up to 9 on 24th) as the first arrivals from Africa.

Another hint at movement came on 23rd with the arrival of the first White Wagtail of the year - a smart male - and it or another bird were present again today.

This evening the first 2 Swallows flew through the site, committed to a westerly flight path and not, it seems, tempted to linger at the diminished pits.  Unusually they have beaten the Sand Martins to it and we still await the latter birds' arrival.

Two other highlights stand out from the last couple of weeks.  Firstly, a male Stonechat appeared on 22nd and promptly set about singing - a rare sound in Herts and begs the question whether this species might consider breeding.  Sadly, something which the bird will not know is that the habitat from which it sings is ear-marked for destruction come mid-April.  A second bird was also present with both males being seen again on 24th and a single male again today.

The second highlight came this evening with a singing Little Owl - another sound that I must admit I haven't heard much before.  A mournful, hooting call made at regular intervals, quite unlike the usual sharp 'qwick' call that usually alerts me to their presence.  It is the first record at the site this year and indeed for a little while since their original nest tree was blown over in a storm.  Hopefully the singing indicates that there is a female nearby and that breeding may be resumed at the site this year.

In other bird news from the site, a variety of wildfowl remain in small numbers - up to 10 Gadwall, a few Tufted Ducks, up to 9 Shoveler and possibly as many as 15 Teal.  A few Mallards linger along with at least 6 Coots and 2 or 3 Moorhens.  At least 3 Little Grebes continue to pop up on any of the waterbodies while 6 Egyptian Geese and a few Canada Goose pairs have lingered.  Noticeable by their scarcity this year are the Mandarin Ducks with just one pair resting on the middle pool island on 21st and again on 23rd.  A pair flew over this evening too but did not land.

Migrant waders have yet to appear (aside from the Little Ringed Plovers) with Dunlin, Redshank and Ringed Plover all expected together with an increasing range of possibilities as April unfolds.  But will they still find the site attractive I wonder?  At least 2 regular Green Sandpipers continue to use the site with a further 3 birds flying through on 23rd.  A high count of 6 Jack Snipe on 13th was nice but, with the flooded fields drying out, the count was down to 2 on 21st.  At least 30 Common Snipe were flushed on 24th - surely another potential breeder if the marshy habitat was preserved.  Encouragingly, at least 6 pairs of Lapwing seem to be taking up territory on the rough ground areas so hopefully they will follow through to breeding success.

Small flocks of about 50-100 Fieldfares remain around the site with the occasional smaller flock of Redwings passing through.  Other signs of passage included fluctuating numbers of Meadow Pipits and 5 Siskins through on 13th with singles at other times.  Crossbills seem to have vacated Symondshyde Woods now but we may still get the odd passage birds.

With the first Swallows through this evening, eyes will be to the skies for more passage birds but for now I will content myself with this Raven that flew through this evening!

With the recent additions the site year list now stands at 89 species - poised to receive all the summer migrants over the next month!

A few days earlier than last year but bang on schedule a Little Ringed Plover appeared on the mud this last Sunday 8th March. Such a welcome sight as it represents the first true migrant from African shores.  It vanished the next day but today there were 3 on site.

Whether they will find the site suitable for breeding this year is another matter. Work to 'restore' the remaining rough areas of the site to arable farmland is set to commence in mid-April - probably before these birds have settled into breeding.  Hopefully they will find a suitable corner, possibly in the remaining workings, but I shall be keeping a close eye on any established nests!

The damp, misty weather on Sunday also felt right for a Rock Pipit to drop in and while I was convinced I heard one I could not locate it.  I did however find one at nearby Coursers GPs so my hunch was correct.

A Great Crested Grebe spent the day of 4th March on the main pit - a scarce visitor but annual around this time of year.  The evening before a small flock of 27 Golden Plover flew south over the site and a few days later, on 7th, two were present on the mud for the morning.

A lovely warm evening on 5th March saw me linger late till dusk while I enjoyed great views of a hunting Sparrowhawk and then a real site rarity in the form of a Roe Deer, sneaking down the the water in the last light.  A Noctule Bat also came out and hunted over the site along with at least one presumed Daubenton's Bat.

Up to 5 Shoveler have visited the middle pool on and off while at least 2 Green Sandpipers have been seen regularly.  The flooded areas seem to contain many snipe with up to 4 Jack Snipe flushed and a peak count of at least 33 Snipe yesterday.

Spring is definitely in the air with foraging bees and a noticeable increase in midges along the track - all good fodder for the approaching hirundines hopefully!  Some notable absences so far this year in the form of Mandarin Ducks, Shelduck and Oystercatchers but there is still plenty of time for these to show up.  A pair of Mandarin Ducks did fly high over the site on 8th but declined to land.  Will we see the same numbers at the site as in previous years or will they turn their beaks up at the newly restored farmland?

The site year list has progressed to 86 species and no doubt this is set to grow with the imminent arrival of Spring migrants.  Hopefully there'll be some good ones!