Its been a long time since we had a spring ring ouzel on the reserve (only one other in the last 20 years!) so it has been particularly nice to have a bird arrive and stay at Ousefleet for the past couple of days showing at times particularly well in front of the hide searching for worms. What a cracking bird they are with something quite magic about them whether you see them on migration or on their breeding grounds in the Mountains.

Not quite sure what sex it is! Complicated birds ring Ouzels

And certainly the last week has been a bit of a roller coaster both bird and work wise so apologies about the lack of recent sightings blogs, but certainly some fine birding on site with a bit of everything, plenty of marsh harriers which are now regularly food passing and over 50 avocets on Townend lagoon.

Avocets and greylag chicks

Bitterns too have suddenly returned in force with regular booming and at least two birds flying about site, as said in previous blogs our bitterns on the Humber often don't arrive back on site until quite late compared to freshwater sites! Some visitors have been getting great views so watch out for them flying over the reeds at the back of the lagoons, you may also see a few bearded tits which were this morning still regularly flighting into the back the lagoons to collect food for the young. It shouldn't be too far off that a few young beardies are fully fledged!

As I drove to the Office this morning there was also a SPOONBILL flying down river towards the reserve! Also one or two little egrets!

A poor shot of a bittern low over the reedbed!

And it seems that the pair of common crane have made the reserve their home as they wander around the local countryside but often return on an evening to site if they've had an away day! And at last I've got a few pictures to share so many thanks to Jane Simons for sending them to us, very nice indeed. 

Cranes last night flying into roost - Pedro

I always like the black-headed gull colony on site, they really do tend to attract other gulls in with over the last week a pair of smashing Mediterranean gulls on Saturday and then on Monday and Tuesday some equally as nice little gulls. The pictures speak for themselves.

Med gulls - Mike Pilsworth

3 Little gulls with black-headed gull - Pedro

Waders too are starting to move with an impressive peak of 9 greenshank this morning on Ousefleet and also quite a few whimbrel moving west with the odd one or two alighting on Ousefleet flash, the springs first bar-tailed godwit joined the black-tailed godwits, other waders have included a pair of little ringed plover, redshank, curlew, lapwing, a single dunlin, oystercatcher and the odd ruff from time to time. Its that time of year when the waders move but they can be fickle, it can often be fantastic or equally poor! It all depends on the wind....

Bar-tailed godwit

Whimbrel

Greenshank

And of course not forgetting the summer migrants! (I'm just realizing how good its actually been this last week!!!), the first hobby of the year streaked through pausing only briefly to wallop an insect snack over First hide, plenty of warbler activity with plenty of sedge and a few reed warblers in now, a couple of singing lesser whitethroats, plenty of blackcaps and now whitethroats, cettis warblers are still singing and showing and there has been the odd chiffchaff and willow warbler. Rather worryingly only two grasshopper warblers reeling and currently none near the footpaths, lets hope this changes. 

Chiffchaff - Jane Simons

Its been a relatively good passage of wheatears this year with birds regularly around the Konik grazed grassland, watch out for them at the gate. 

So there you have it, I'll finish with a superb setting sun

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