Easter surprises

It's a great time of year to get outside and enjoy the weather - just as lots of families are doing here right now on our Easter Egg hunt!  As they go round the reserve this morning, they'll hear the rasping songs of sedge and reed warblers, along with the mellow tunes of the many blackcaps and, perhaps, they'll here the machine-gun chatter of the lesser whitethroats that are now arriving from eastern Africa.  They're the only one of our regular songbird migrants to get here through Africa's Rift Valley rather than around/across the Sahara.

Visitors who came earlier in the week were treated to a few surprises.  Wednesday's treat were two avocets that stayed for the afternoon (20th).  Puffinman, one of our regular contributors to the Community Gallery pages was fortunate to connect with them - the first ones he'd ever seen of a bird that remains scarce in North Wales and has yet to breed here.  Unfortunately, the two didn't stay and were seen near Llanfairfechan the following morning.

Thursday brought a male common scoter, which was slightly lost as it headed north to its breeding grounds.  It didn't look too healthy initially, but after a couple of days was feeding on the lagoon and flew off strongly north on Saturday (24th).  [Only to reappear here this morning - Monday 25th]

Other migrants this week have included whimbrels and wheatears on most days, whitethroats since 19th, swift (23rd), little ringed plovers (19th and 20th) and greenshank (19th).  The male goldeneye was still here on Friday (22nd) and beware of the strange looking hybrid duck.  Alex Jones, one of our volunteers (and finder of the avocets), took this photo and started a debate on its identity, which we think shows features of male teal and male mallard!

Easier to identify is the brood of mallard ducklings on the bridge pond; there were still three this morning, though Mum had left them to it.  Look out too for common sandpipers, a pair of which were displaying here yesterday - will they breed for a third successive year?  Already breeding are the house sparrows in the nestbox on the side of the Visitor Centre, though she has no idea that we watch here every move on SparrowCam.  She's brooding four eggs, with the first due to hatch on 2 May.

The good weather has brought out the butterflies, with good numbers of orange tips (anyone else think there are many more around than in the last couple of years), and a few holly blues.  With the bird's foot trefoil starting to flower, there should be plenty more insects nectaring in the next few weeks.

By the way, if you're visiting in the next few days in a high vehicle, please give us a ring (01492 584091) when you get to the Lapwing entrance Gate, as we're having to keep the height barrier shut at the moment.  We'll come out and open it for you.

Finally, did you see the article in this week's North Wales Weekly News about the reserve and RSPB Cymru's Centenary.  There's a link to it here, but you'll have to buy a copy if you want to see the photos too.