The two big highlights of the week were near misses that escaped the masses including a bit of a *stop press* flyover rough-legged buzzard from this morning (13th - letting you all know outside of the 6-12th March window, I'm just to good to you sometimes) and 2 reports of great white egret, the first on the 9th on North Scrape and then on Marsh Farm wet grassland on the the 12th. There's a good chance that the egret is the one Anthony had a couple of weeks back and so may well be relocated by the many eyes scrutinizing the reserves nooks and crannies this weekend. The buzzard on the other hand didn't look like it was hanging around at all, that's not to say don't keep an eye out for it of course.....
While we had no new migrant bird arrivals this week, signs of spring are all around with boxing hares on the grassland (and some leverets out already), coltsfoot bursting through on the path edges and our first butterfly of the year (a small tortoiseshell) on the 10th.
Whooper swan numbers rose once again with 72 coming in to roost on the 11th. There seems to be no fixed pattern during the day with small parties seen across the reserve on occasion but they are guaranteed as the night draws in.
Whooper swan - Neil Smith
The raucous burble of brent geese doesn't seem to be quite at the level it was a few months ago but there are still plenty to see feeding on the saltmarsh and bathing on the scrapes. An Egyptian goose was with them on the 10th, but no black brants have been reported for a while so worth taking time to pick through them just in case.
Dark-bellied brent geese - Joe Stockil
Dark-bellied brent goose - Neil Smith
The reserves water management I talked about last week is going well with south scrape now at t level and our attentions turned to north scrape. Flooding out loafing areas has pushed many of our waders and wildfowl to the waters edge and in many cases closer to the hide, a perfect combination of good management for birds and for people which won't be stopping any time soon.
Pintail - Joe Stockil
Not sure if this will work or not but we have a mystery bird photo for you this week. Feel free to answer in the comments below or get in touch on twitter or facebook. The links to our pages can be found at the bottom.
Any guesses?
Avocets are unmissable at present. Their piping calls slowly becoming more noticeable as numbers build. There were over 80 present mid-week. What chance a three figure count this weekend?
Avocet - Neil Smith
Avocet - Joe Stockil
Avocet (notice the colour ringed bird on the left. Details for this have been sent off so please keep your eye out and report any you see or take pictures and pass them on to us and we'll do the leg work) - Joe Stockil
As the daylight lengthens and the temperatures creep up, many of our waders will start to do two things, moult and think about moving on. The former has started but the latter is not an option yet as their breeding grounds will still be frozen and awaiting sunshine though it is still a consideration. Changing all/most/some of your feathers (moult) is a very energy demanding task for a bird and when you consider that after this many will have to fly hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles, you get an idea of just how vital places like The Wash and our two reserves on its shores are. Birds need a large and constant supply of food from now till they leave in order to not only survive the journey but be in good enough nick visually and physically to make the effort worth while. The management regime we have in place on our scrapes and grassland is designed to provide an abundance of food to allow many of waders to get in their summer finery and have a solid start to their Northern journey. The ruff below is tucking into a bloodworm (Chironomid larvae) which is the staple diet of many species here and something we are managing for to give these wading birds the best chance of making it back here in the Autumn, hopefully with the next generation in tow.
Ruff (and bloodworm) - Joe Stockil
Dunlin and teal - Neil Smith
Redshank - Neil Smith
Black-tailed godwit - Joe Stockil
And it isn't just the small birds we try and support. The daily presence of kestrel and barn owl shows we have provided some great small mammal habitat, which in turn means we must have a solid food resource for them to feed on. The presence of so many birds of prey on the reserve is a fantastic indicator that there is a healthy and abundant food web supporting them.
Kestrel - Neil Smith
Skylarks are now in full song and are very active round the reserve while meadow pipits haven't arrived in numbers yet. These two species are often confused so worth getting to know the finer identification features of the lark when they are as close as you could ant them from the 360 hide.
Skylark - Joe Stockil
The bird below was a nice surprise when it turned up on a twitter feed. We see plenty of 'nominate' petrosus rock pipits on the reserve and saltmarsh but this chap is a little different. He is Scandinavian littoralis rock pipit, told by the grey head and prominent eye stripe. There are more intricate details to identification and if you'd like some id papers to sift through to aid you in the finer plumage points then feel free to peruse this one and/or this one.
Scandinavian littoralis rock pipit - Joe Stockil
The stonechat round the back of the reedbed is proving to be very popular indeed. Not only are these wee birds gorgeous but also fun to see as they balance perfectly on their perches, looking for a tasty something with those big eyes.
Stonechat - Neil Smith
And so to our sightings map, your cut out and keep guide to what to see and where on the reserve this weekend.
1. The great white egret eluded many but a verbal description on the 9th followed by a photograph of one on the 12th confirms there is one lurking....
2. Still entertaining everyone with regular fly bys. Dawn and dusk are still best but will no doubt make a surprise appearance at some point during the day.
3. Middle scrape is the place to be for this emblematic species. Can you get a three figure count?
4. Make sure you stay as late as you can to give yourself the best chance of seeing these guys en masse.
5. Check the shore of the reservoir for water pipit. The rock pipit identification papers linked above also mention water pipit too so worth getting genned up.
6. Merlin continue to dash across the reserve, buzzards kettle overhead and harriers hunt the saltmarsh.
7. The grebes are weed dancing on the reedbed. An experience not to be missed.
8. The plumage transformation s underway for many of our ruff as their mantle darkens and an orange base to their bill creeps in.
9. Walk the back of the reedbed trail and keep an eye out for a small bird balancing on top of the taller vegetation.
Do check the tide table linked below as we are in for some good ones this week. Make sure you time your visit accordingly to get the best from your day out to see us.
That's all from me this week. Enjoy your weekend everyone, and if you can't wait 7 days to know what's going on here, keep your finger on the Lincolnshire Wash Reserves pulse by following us on Twitter and giving us a ‘like’ on Facebook. Alternatively if you enjoy taking pictures and have a Flickr account then please join our group and share your images with everyone. If you are thinking of paying a visit from near or far please do check out the tide times which can make a big difference to both numbers and variety of birds seen on the day.
The more you're out the more you see - https://twitter.com/BoyWonderBirder