This weeks blog post has been written by one of our volunteers, Andrew Norman:
They say that the month of March ‘comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb’. Well, it certainly felt like the ‘lion’ side of it weather-wise at the RSPB Dungeness nature reserve on March 1st, with grey skies and frequent (albeit relatively short) downpours.
Still, that’s not to say that there isn’t much happening in the area. One of the highlights at the moment is a long-eared owl at the dipping pond. It’s not particularly shy and tends to perch quite close to the front of one of the trees at the waterside, so it’s very easy to observe.
Long-eared owl by Andrew Norman
The ARC pond seems to be quite a hive of activity just now. A lot of ducks seem to be gathering there (for obvious reasons!). A pair of coots seem to be getting a head-start on the other birds, picking their nesting site already. Several tufted ducks are showing well, along with two favourites at Denge Marsh: great crested grebes and lapwings.
Lapwing on one of our rafts at Denge Marsh by Andrew Norman
Hoping for better light next week to show off some breeding colours and looking forward to some early spring migratory action.
Grey lake by Andrew Norman