At long last...

...spring is truly here!

Along with the sunshine and warmth, here are some of the wildlife highlights you might encounter at the moment.

Skylarks are singing their hearts out as you approach the reserve, above the fields just to either side of the entrance road. Roll down the window and enjoy this prelude to your walk. If, like me, you grew up somewhere without these lovely little birds then follow the link and have a listen to their song, which they deliver high overhead during their springtime display flight. You might be able to spot the tiny fluttering speck up above, but sometimes it seems as if the music is coming straight from the sky.

As you drive in you could also look out for striking yellowhammers and reed buntings, often perched high up in the bushes along the entrance road.

Our first butterflies have been out and about since last weekend. So far we've spotted small tortoiseshells, peacocks and brimstones. These species are always amongst the first to appear because they spend the winter hibernating as adult butterflies, so as soon as the first warmth of spring arrives they're ready to emerge. Others which have overwintered as eggs, caterpillars or chrysalises need more time to develop before they appear.

A grass snake nearly got trodden on today, enjoying the sun along the drain between Oxholme and Elney Lake, and kingfishers have frequently been spotted zipping up and down this drain and that between Elney and Moore Lake recently. I was pleased to hear that a common toad had been spotted this afternoon as well, one of my childhood favourites.

Image: Common toad by Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

Brightly coloured snails were out too last night, decorating the Busway after the rain and making for a fraught bike ride home.

Overall it was an exciting weekend for raptors, with superb views of marsh harriers low over Holywell Lake and a red kite passing over, not to mention buzzards, sparrowhawks and kestrels. An osprey crossed the Busway not far away near Oakington on Saturday morning too, a reminder that all kinds of things can turn up during this time of migration.

The hirondines - swallows, sand martins and house martins - have returned from their wintering grounds in various regions of Africa, just as we start to see more insects around on the reserve again for them to eat. It's beautiful to see them swooping and turning, often low over the lakes, as they hunt acrobatically. 

Meanwhile the last of our winter wildlife is still around, with redwings and goldeneyes in particular lingering. Both will no doubt be heading back north to their summer homes (up towards Scandinavia and Russia) soon.

Add in some flowering blackthorn, the odd hare and Cetti's warblers exploding with song all over the place and you have a very different picture to a couple of weeks ago!

Image: Brown hare by Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)

Come and enjoy it for yourselves, and if you're passing through the car park at the weekend do drop by our welcome and information point at the trailer for a cup of tea and a chat.

For a fuller list of species seen this weekend have a look at the wildlife sightings thread (which everyone is very welcome to contribute to) here.