​With still no rain, nor any forecast, water levels have dropped naturally, exposing lots more mud.  Despite good waders turning up at other sites not too far away nothing out of the ordinary has dropped in.  Two more Greenshank appeared on 15th and staying until 17th while the year’s first 2 Ringed Plovers appeared on 12th with another 2 present on 17th.  Little Ringed Plovers continue to display and stake out various areas of the site but, as yet, have not been pinned down to specific nests.

​A Marsh Harrier and a Hobby briefly on 16th were the only other highlights of the past week along with fairly regular visits from a Little Egret.  Sand Martins continue to number around 30 birds with at least 30 holes counted in the workings.  The first Mandarin female appeared on 15th with 6 new ducklings and no doubt we’ll see more in days to come.  Interestingly, at least 10 male Mandarins were found roosting on the pond in Dogsheart Spring copse.  It seems likely these are non-breeding birds (unless they really have left all the work to the females!).

​I recently spoke with a manager from Cemex the quarry operator and their plan is to continue the ‘restoration work’ shortly.  To that end they have installed a pump to remove water from the Deep Pit (on the left as you come in from Coopers Green Lane) and water levels are now falling rapidly.  Temporarily this exposes lots of nice mud but this will dry quickly and make way for the diggers to return.

​The plan is for the diggers to landscape the area leaving just a small kidney-shaped pond in the far left-hand corner.  The rest of the area will be smoothed with topsoil and will presumably be suitable for farming.  This of course is likely to mean the loss of deep water at the site perhaps making it unattractive to the Little Grebes and diving ducks.
 
The increased disturbance will also make it unlikely that Little Ringed Plovers will breed successfully in this area.  Thankfully other areas still remain available however, beyond this section of works, there are plans to drain the Main Pit (on the right as you enter the site from Coopers Green Lane) and continue with topsoil landscaping to restore as much as possible to farmland.
 
The site manager did express his reservations that water would be able to be controlled and fully expects that lakes will re-form after heavy rain.  Various elaborate pumping systems have been explored to take water off-site but no final plan is in place.  As I have mentioned before, trying to fight nature and take vital water off the land seems crazy and my hope is that nature forces the outcome!  When water is such a valuable resource and when flood zones are under increasing pressure it seems ridiculous that money and resources would be spent trying to pump water off-site and away to other systems.
 
Unfortunately, the plans are the product of many parallel thought processes and interests with little to unify them into sensible coherence.  Historic restoration plans do not seem to take into account current realities – such as the excellent habitats created by quarrying – and ecological assessments are species and habitat-obsessed such that the wider ecosystems and natural re-wilding processes are considered free to be sacrificed or ignored in favour of new planting.  Vested interests of landowners and managers that (understandably) seek profit and reward dictate that works are carried out to take advantage of current funding meaning that levelling everything and starting afresh can be the preferred option.
 
Hopefully something good will be left but for now it is best to enjoy it while it lasts!

Stable periods of high pressure, easterly winds and very little rain have made for a slow passage this Spring.  Glaringly absent from the roll-call are waders such as Black-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover, Curlew and Whimbrel.  But Spring is not yet over and there have been some highlights over the last few weeks.

Perhaps top of the bill was a female Marsh Harrier that spent a few hours early morning hunting over the middle pool on 26th April.  It was constantly harassed by Carrion Crows and Red Kites but nevertheless spent some time on the ground.  At one point it sat next to a Brown Hare and they just stared at each other!

April 21st saw a little bit of movement with the arrival of the first Common Sandpiper of the year and a high count of at least 6 Wheatears on site.  The Common Sandpipers increased to 2 birds on 6th & 7th May but just one remains on 11th May.  At least 3 Wheatear hung around but the last bird was seen on 6th May.

In other wader news, Greenshank have been a feature so far this Spring with singles on 21st, 22nd & 28th April followed by 3 birds on 7th May and another single on 11th May.  Unringed Green Sandpipers were also seen on 22nd, 27th & 28th April with a very late bird on 10th May.  It is likely that these are passage birds rather than from the local overwintering population.  Three Common Snipe were seen on 1st May and at least 2 remained on 7th May.  Little Ringed Plovers seemed to have settled into pairs with at least 4 pairs on site and starting to sit on nests.

April 22nd saw a Great Crested Grebe visit the site and the next day a late White Wagtail put in an appearance.  Good numbers of Yellow Wagtails remain on site but most seem to have paired up and moved out to the fields, hopefully to breed.  A pair of Meadow Pipits have also been displaying and favouring the weedy area so it's hoped they might breed too.  A common species in the winter they are a scarce local breeder.  The site's resident pair of Grey Partridge were seen on 23rd April and again on 11th May.

Swifts arrived back on 26th April with at least 8 birds present.  Thereafter they have once again become a regular feature of the skies with overcast weather bring a flock of over 100 in the past weeks.  Sand Martins have established at least 12 holes in the quarry workings with at least 30 birds regularly on site.  Hopefully their nests will be unaffected by quarry works.

In non-bird news, Brown Hares continue to be abundant on site but less visible now the crops have grown and courtship is dying down.  Painted Lady butterflies have been seen along the track a few times while a Small Copper butterfly was seen on 1st May.