A Slow Spring

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!

A short video clip of the hunting Marsh Harrier on 26th April

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.

Common Sandpiper & Wheatear

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.

Green Sandpiper & Greenshank

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.

Clockwise from top left: Great Crested Grebe, White Wagtail, Meadow Pipit & Yellow Wagtail

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.

Swifts flying in tandem post copulation!

While many birds are still getting underway with breeding there have been some early successes with a female Mallard appearing with 7 ducklings (now sadly down to just 2) and a pair of Canada Geese with 6 new goslings.  Hopefully they are the first of many fledglings with at least 7 pairs of Lapwing on site and the Mandarin Ducks vanished to the woods to hopefully return with offspring.

​With the new additions the site bird list stands at 114 species for the year.

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.

A Small Copper Butterfly on 1st May