All change!

The days are almost as long as the nights, there's a hint of warmth when the sun shines and the breeze drops, and the first swallow has been seen here.  Does that make it Spring?

This week has seen our first summer migrants, with sand martin on Friday (13th), singing chiffchaffs and a single swallow yesterday (14th). But as everyone knows, that one does not a summer make. The sand martins are on time, but the swallow is one of the earliest ever recorded here, and only the second in North Wales this spring.

But migration isn't just about the arrivals, it's about the departing birds and the passage migrants too.  Our pochards have already left, and we host just a single goldeneye, as these ducks head northeast towards their nesting areas. 

Other migrants are less obvious, but definitely birds on the move: up to five stonechats this week, with at least one still here this morning; skylarks, redwings and siskins overhead on several mornings, and best of all a yellowhammer on Wednesday (11th), sadly an all-too-rare bird in this part of the Conwy Valley now.  A firecrest has been seen several times this week, perhaps a passage bird, different to the overwintering trio that have not been seen for a month.

The starling murmuration is still quite impressive, with reports of between 5000 and 15000 birds this week; around 5.45pm is the optimal time, but catch them soon as they'll be departing for Russia in the next few weeks.  There have been several red kite sightings this week, including three together, which is great news as they spread north towards the coast.  A common scoter was here over the weekend (last on Sunday 8th), up to five rock pipits have been on the saltmarsh (Saturday 7th)

Other signs of spring this week include the first coltsfoot and cowslips in flower, lapwings displaying, the first Canada goose on a nest, peacock butterfly (Tuesday 10th), and frogspawn in the ponds.  Both weasel and stoat have been spotted this week, with weasel particularly active around the Coffee Shop.

Our habitat management is now finished for the winter; with the help of additional volunteers, we have been able to cut back some more scrub along the estuary, opening up the south-facing grassy banks that should be good for insects.  From the start of April, we switch into monitoring mode, when the first breeding bird surveys begin. 

Thanks to Bob Garrett for the stunning swallow photo, on our Flickr page, taken a couple of years ago. It may be a few more weeks before we see another one, the main arrival time being mid April.  But look out this week for more chiffchaffs, and hopefully our first wheatear.