With the weather feeling more like its Mid June during the day many birds seem to be on the move at the moment or declaring their breeding territories as they sing from the reedbeds and willow scrub. And despite a bit of fog at the weekend there has been times when the light has been lovely for getting good views of the many varied birds that have been showing.
The first signs of whooper swan passage have included two that have been feeding on Marshland lagoon for the past two days and also a ringed individual on Ousefleet
Plenty of other wildfowl around with the occasional pintail or three, usually on a Saturday for some strange reason, also plenty of whistling wigeon, shoveler, teal, shelduck, mallard and gadwall on the dabbler front while there is now a notable increase in tufted duck although just the odd pochard. At the weekend there were skeins of high flying pink-footed geese heading back towards Iceland.
Pintail at Ousefleet on Saturday
Male wigeon eating the fresh spring grass growth
Preening teal and sleeping shoveler
Shoveler
Tufted duck and pochard on Ousefleet lagoon which was recently de-silted
And look closely at this picture of a preening mallard - he seems to be showing off his modesty. Strangely something I've never seen in 40 years of birding, I always say you always see something new when out birding but I think once will be enough in regards this observation!
A sure sign of spring is the increase in little grebes and coot on the lagoons while there is often a couple of little egrets but no sign of bittern as yet. But its early here on the Humber for bittern where they are often later breeders than in the freshwater reedbeds due to a difference in timing of food abundance.
Little grebe just attaining its full breeding plumage - Marshland lagoon
Coot on First lagoon
Waders too are showing signs of change with two green sandpipers feeding on site as well as a pair of oystercatchers, a few snipe and lapwing, up to 70 curlew on the grazing marsh and then three black-tailed godwits on Ousefleet yesterday evening. Down at Reads Island there is currently an amazing 600 avocets as they work their way Northwards to breed and also 240 black-tailed godwits, also heading towards Iceland.
Green sandpiper at Ousefleet - recent radio tracking down in the south of the UK is indicating that these wintering birds are Scandinavian breeders, and that the birds are often quite site faithful in winter
Lapwing - you can see here why they were called green plover as an alternative name
One of the Oystercatchers also in front of Ousefleet hide
Black-tailed godwits on Ousefleet late yesterday evening
Curlews and Konik
Raptor news includes a sighting of the male hen harrier yesterday afternoon from Singleton alongside the almost guaranteed views of both marsh harrier and buzzard at the moment. Barn owls too are very active with sighting most afternoons from about 4pm onward, last night I was watching one when it was attacked by a curlew that was flying up river!
Barn owl
Plenty of small birds singing at the moment on both a morning and late afternoon, most notable are the reed buntings who are very early in such large numbers who are accompanied by song thrush, blackbird, cettis warbler, wren, dunnock, robin, chaffinch and skylark up at Ousefleet.
Reed bunting singing away in the morning haze today
The tree sparrows are certainly busy at the moment staking their claim on the nest boxes while also look out for the odd yellowhammer one of which was also singing yesterday. Also notable was water pipit still on Townend yesterday and then this morning a couple of bearded tits flying 20ft over the reedbed near Singleton.
Yellowhammers, such a handsome bunting
The stock doves are looking very dapper in their breeding plumage and often noisy as they coo at each other - watch and listen out for these lovely doves at Ousefleet hide, they are often sat near the barn owl box.
These had come down to have a drink
With all this nice weather spring flowers are emerging strongly with both lesser celandine and coltsfoot in evidence around the local area and reserve, while bees and butterflies emerge and even the odd bat is now on the wing on an evening around the car park!
Lesser celandine and a very quick off the mark pollen beetle!
Coltsfoot
I'll leave it there for today - for technical reasons the blogs been a bit of a nightmare to write so I'll quit while I'm ahead and go and plant some great burnet plugs.