It certainly feels like we are having a Mediterranean spring at the moment both weather and bird wise here on the Sands, plants are growing, birds are singing and blossom is emerging but is the wildlife being also lulled into a false spring?
Comma butterfly yesterday on the office roof!
In reality it was water we really needed to help fill up the wetland ready for the breeding season and on Wednesday morning our prayers were partly answered when we had a little bit of a high tide that pushed some water onto site. Although it wasn't quite as much as we would have liked it has managed to at least put Ousefleet back to being a shallow flood rather than a muddy field.
Ousefleet this morning with water back in it!
And this change of fortunes seems to have helped increase the numbers of birds around site a little although unfortunately our star bird was an all too brief male firecrest that was seen outside our office window! (still technically part of the reserve!), maybe it will work its way down the Humber and onto site for the weekend.
Record shots of this beautiful little woodland sprite
And for the first time this year the marsh harriers seem to be getting a bit more territorial and fighting among themselves and with some of the local buzzards giving some excellent views this dinnertime as I had a meeting in reception. Also still showing nicely are the barn owls on an evening.
With a bit more of a splash of water across the site there are a few more duck who are looking very dapper in their breeding plumage especially the wigeon and shoveler and increasing numbers if tufted duck, but also a few more teal, shelduck, mallard and the odd pochard. Also increasing numbers of coot and little grebe with the little grebes going crazy last night trilling their territorial war cries across Xerox lagoon towards each other.
Tufted duck
And with little grebe
Wigeon
Sleeping gadwall
Pochard - Marshland
There were quite a few pink-footed geese this morning with parties of 50+ migrating North-West and also this bird with greylags on Singleton lagoon.
This little egret seems to be enjoying the fishing in the lagoons.
And the first black-headed gulls are returning to site
A bit of wader interest too with up to 30 black-tailed godwits seen yesterday, ruff, and green sandpiper along with the lapwings, 70 curlew, snipe and redshank while 50+ golden plover were out over the apex late afternoon.
Lapwing - Marshland
Redshank this morning at Ousefleet
Curlew feeding in the oil-seed rape field next to the reserve (have a look at my recent blog on curlew feeding preference to see why they are using it)
Over 70 curlew were using Ousefleet yesterday evening
Plenty of singing birds this morning with reed buntings chiming, song thrush, blackbirds, robins, dunnocks, wrens and Cettis warblers making it feel more like late March. But there are still up to four water pipits around, and a few fieldfare passing through, plenty of tree sparrows around the car park and skylarks singing at Ousefleet.
Song thrush
Chaffinch
There is also in the evening a small starling murmeration of about 1200 birds over the river from Singleton hide
I'll finish with a bit of spring
Snow drops
Koniks