I headed over to Beckingham Marshes on Tuesday to meet local RSPB volunteer and ringing expert Chris du Feu to have a quick check on the growing population of tree sparrows and to take a peek in the resident kestrel box.
It didn't take long to realise the reserve has been a hot-bed of nest building activity these last few weeks, with virtually all the available tree sparrow boxes neatly packed with moss and feathers. In addition, the odd nest box has been snapped up by a prospective blue tit, and the kestrel box , although placed in a rather wonky position, also had some signs of activity. A grand start.
What really caught my eye, was the new arrival of a redshank pair feeding along a shallow pool of water. There were records of redshank breeding here in the past, but not recently, so fingers crossed for this pair to settle in and hold territory. The redshank were added to the April breeding wader survey, and as I meandered past fresh badger tracks and a newly dug sett, together with the odd water vole burrow, I counted a total of 10 sitting lapwing.
The next few months will be busy for Chris as he patiently rings all the tree sparrows on the site, with me lending a hand and propping up the odd ladder. The records and data is of huge value to the site and as the ringing project has been running for a few years we are already seeing a steady rise in the breeding population as more boxes are provided - a great sign for the future.
I'll be expecting Andrew Hill's cows to be appearing any day now to graze the fields, and we should see a few more spring migrants drop in including the colourful yellow wagtail and skulking lesser whitethroat. It's always an exciting time of year anticipating the new arrivals - we may even get the odd surprise so keep an eye out if you are out and about...
float like a butterfly