Another osprey and our first house martin, but northbound migrants are slow

It's only a week since we were writing about glorious weather, but the northerly wind and rain this week have slowed summer migrants, and kept a few wintering birds at the reserve.  The highlight has been another osprey this morning, hovering right above the coffee shop.  There are more sand martins feeding over the lagoons than last week, and a handful of swallows have been seen each day.  Our first house martin of the year was spotted on Monday (2nd).  One or two willow warblers have been heard each day, and blackcap has been singing since Tuesday.  Wheatears were seen on Monday, but these have been surprisingly scarce so far this spring.

On the water, our pair of great crested grebes are still here, displaying but showing no signs of nest-building, though a couple of pairs of Canada geese are already on eggs and one of two of the lapwings are bottom-shuffling, making scrapes that might become nests.  Shovelers and pochards have both been seen, and a few black-tailed godwits remained through the week.  Many of the curlews and redshanks have already left for their breeding areas, but a large flock of oystercatchers remains.  A first-winter Mediterranean gull was seen here on Monday and Tuesday. 

It's not been a great week for butterflies, but the stoats have been reported occasionally and it's worth looking in the pond to see if you can spot a newt - there are two species, palmate and smooth in there.  And for a splash of spring colour, the cowslips outside the coffee shop are still looking impressive and the dog violets on the estuary provide a purple patch for those on a longer walk.

Finally, a quick plug for a couple of events that are booking up.  The Birds for Beginners on Sunday 29 April is the first of three over the spring and early summer, while Wake Up with the Dawn Chorus on Monday 7 May is always a popular event, perhaps because it includes breakfast.