The weather may not exactly feel like it's spring here on the Humber (wrap up warm if you visit!), but the easterly airflow and depressed temperatures seem to have had some benefits to the birding on site.
Very nice to have had up to three little gulls on Marshland hawking the insects and mixing with the black headed gull colony. The little gull is on the right
One of my favorite types of gull they are more like a marsh tern in many ways and with their black under wings are always a pleasure to watch and certainly a challenge to photograph in flight!
This one hasn't quite moulted into its black hood
Adult in full summer plumage on the evening
Two birds together in the evening light
Other notable sightings over the weekend and last couple of days was the years first osprey over the site yesterday, the male hen harrier streaking right across the reserve on Saturday giving some great views, a single spoonbill on Monday, two tardy whooper swans and of course lots of marsh harriers and avocets.
Male marsh harrier nest building
And one of the females
Male hen harrier record shot
Wader numbers have certainly decreased, probably as usual with birds moving over to Alkborough but you have a good chance of seeing snipe, curlew, oystercatcher, redshank, lapwing, and a lone black-tailed godwit up on Ousefleet. On Saturday there was also the years first ringed plover, always a sign that there is a bit of wader movement but it seems this time it was a little bit of a false dawn!
Ringed plover with very washed out wing coverts
Redshank and shoveler - are they both on their way to Iceland or Scandinavia?
Oystercatchers
Our wintering green sandpiper is also still being seen occasionally, great to see it getting its white breeding plumage speckling.
Plenty of duck still on site no doubt due to the cold weather deterring them from moving north, 129 shoveler was probably a record spring count while there are still 230 teal mixed with a single female pintail yesterday, a handful of wigeon, gadwall, tufted duck, pochard, little grebe, and the occasional little egret.
Male pochard
Whoopers on Ousefleet lagoon
Now is probably the best time to come and see Cettis warbler with many of the singing birds now often sitting out in the open, best tip to see them is give them a little space which gives them the confidence to move out into the open. Migrants are very slow at the moment with very few singing and passing, there are blackcaps and chiffcaff on site and a few sedge warblers but they are staying hidden and feeding most of the time rather than singing. Also just a few sand martins in the past few days but little else of note apart from a few bearded tits flying across the reedbed. We need a bit of warmth and a few April showers!
Cettis warbler - Saturday morning
When the sun does come out though the cowslips look lovely along the flood bank to Ousefleet and its been nice to watch the wild bees and varying insects both here and in Horseshoe meadow that are making use of the other main flowers at the moment the dandelions. Never underestimate how important these early flowers are for our struggling insect populations. Also look out for our little lesser celandine colony which is underneath the willows on the path that goes down to Ousefleet hide on the right.
Bumble bee on cowslip
Small wild bee species - don't forget how important pollinators our wild bees are
Wild bee species on dandelion - vital for collecting pollen for brood rearing
Fly species - probably some type of hoverfly?
Also on the warmer days there have been a few butterflies emerging including the first orange tips of the year, these were on the white dead nettle flowers.