OK, so I have prematurely hailed the arrival of spring once already. But this time it is looking rather more positive. Although the wind is still a strong north-easterly today, during the weekend it is predicted to swing around to the south. This will bring in warmer (albeit wetter) weather. And hopefully some of our long awaited migrants.

I am glad though that the wetter weather will be waiting until the middle of next week, as this Saturday we have our first Family Fun Day of the year. You can come along to make an Easter Bunny mask, make a badge, have your face-painted (12 - 3 only), plant a sunflower seed or paint an Easter egg. No need to book, just turn up. To take part costs £1 per child. And the Easter Egg hunt is still running, so still time to follow the clues to a chocolatey reward!

Whilst the kids are having fun, you might like to gaze out of the windows and admire the view and the wildlife. So what have we seen so far this week?:

Mediterranean gull – We do get many gulls coming in to roost at 4 - 5 o'clock in the afternoon. This rarer bird was amongst the more usual black-headed gulls on Wednesday. 
Twite – A flock numbering 40 or 50 birds was seen on Thursday, on the wet grassland 
Avocets – Good numbers today, with over 70 on the reserve 
Brown hare – Boxing hares are currently a common sight out on the wet grassland

Looking at the weather report though (see below) it may well be we get some extra migrants coming in over the weekend.

Into your waders? The following tide times should give you an idea of when best to visit (either Frampton Marsh or Freiston Shore)

Weekend tides

Day Date Tide (am) Height (m) Tide (pm) Height (m)
Fri 5 02.21 5.8 14.32 5.9
Sat 6 03.46 6.1 15.53 6.3
Sun 7 04.52 6.6 16.55 6.8
Mon 8 05.44 6.9 17.43 7.1

And if you do visit, what will the weather be like?

Weekend weather

Friday - Sunny. Temperature isn't too bad, with a high of 7 Celsius, though the moderate northerly breeze will make is seem colder.

Saturday – Not quite so sunny, with light cloud broken by sunny periods. Temperatures will edge up a bit to 8, though with the wind lessening this might seem more.

Sunday – Light cloud all day. Temperatures are still edging up and the wind will have shifted around to the south

Monday – Still light cloud forecast for all day. Temperatures will dip a little, though not much. Top temperature forecast to be 7 C. The wind will veer round to the east and be rather strong.

Reedbed, freshwater scrapes, saltmarsh and wet meadow. Frampton Marsh has it all! Come and pay us a visit soon.