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Stephen Couch

Another week and indeed another month has flown by and we're into March - the start of spring? It's certainly felt very spring-like at times this week although there was always a very cold breeze to remind you that winter may not quite be done with us yet. 

Wildlife is responding to the slightly milder (and thankfully dry) weather. A small tortoiseshell butterfly was spotted at the car park yesterday and I saw a large bumblebee (a queen I'm guessing) buzzing around on Wednesday. 

Bitterns are of course now booming and a little stronger each week. In fact it's now only a fortnight until our first of 2 early morning booming bittern surveys. This involves staff and volunteers getting in early (at least an hour before the sun is up) to count the number of booming males. They would have to go some to beat last years massive total of 22 boomers on Ham Wall, with a further 2 just off our border. You can hear them throughout the day, although earlier in the day is often better.

Many more birds are now singing including song thrush, robin, blue tit, great tit, goldfinch and dunnock. Thanks to John Crispin for his song thrush photo taken this week:

Dunnocks seemed to be everywhere this morning including a pair perched together in the car park. They were also in amongst the brash piles from the extensive tree work we have undertaken along the front edge of Loxtons. This is part of our rotational management of trees along the edges of tracks but it has also opened up much wider views across the reeds. This part of the Loxtons trail also gets very muddy in winter and the extra light and heat getting onto the track will hopefully keep this area a little drier and make access easier. 

Like the dunnocks love is in the air for many birds but there also seems to be some competition and aggression out there too. No surprise coots can often be seen fighting but this week has also seen disputes between little grebes, goldfinches (in an aerial confrontation this morning from the old rail bridge) and house sparrows - 2 males were sat beak to beak calling at the top of their little lungs right into each others faces yesterday - didn't wait around to see who the winner was. 

Love always wins out in the end you'd like to think and grey herons are already well underway with nesting - you'll be able to see them from the Tor View Hide in amongst the reeds. I also noticed some long tailed tits carrying material into some bramble bushes around Loxtons this morning, so nesting underway here too. 

Marsh harriers are also busy - plenty of sightings throughout each day - the Avalon Hide often a good place to try. This male was spotted picking up nesting material from the Tor View hide this week and photographed by Andrew Kirby (he has also posted film of the incident on Twitter if you're interested). Thanks Andrew:

We've been frantically finishing off certain works this week before March kicked in - an end now to any habitat management work for the season. We finally managed to clear the last bit of scrub obscuring views to the barn owl box (often used by tawny owls) in the wood behind the hide. Lets hope some owls take up residence to give great views from the hide. Views to the boxes to the west were completed last week. 

Marsh harriers have been seen regularly and interacting in flight recently. Other birds interactions are even more wonderful such as the great crested grebes, often elaborate courtship. 

There are several pairs around the site currently - at least 2 in Waltons, perhaps 3, a pair seen in Loxtons this morning and over in front of the first viewing platform(VP1). These were seen mating for the second time recently. Thanks to John Crispin for his sequence of 4 photos. It took 9 seconds apparently - blink ad you might miss it:

Thanks also to Andrew Kirby who took these shots from the Tor View Hide this week - one of a pair head bobbing and another of a grebe in flight. Not something you see that often - it takes a second or two to register sometimes as to what your looking at:

Could love be on the cards for our glossy ibis this year? Although they seem to be around at this time of year most years recently but have consistently let us down (I'll not get quite so excited this year). They are still being seen daily from VP1 - often earlier in the day and then they tend to fly off north and feed in parts of the reserve to the west of the Avalon Hide - often just out of sight. This morning they left the VP1 area at about 8.50am apparently.

Thanks to John Crispin for his shot of a glossy ibis in flight: 

Wouldn't it be fantastic if they did decide to breed here. One of many new colonists in recent years - some more successful than others. Some are just really hard to find (or even know if they are still around each year) such as little bittern and night heron, whilst others are far more easy to track down such as cattle egret. There were 7 in the field next to the car park on Tuesday and I saw 3 there yesterday but they were spooked when the farmer came to check is cows. 

Perhaps the easiest to track down and by far the most successful has to be the great white egret. It's quite rare these days not to see one during a visit and often you will see one just flying over the car park as you arrive. They will most likely start setting up nesting territories around now but they are colonial nesters, so several nests together is very common. Looking to beat last year's total of 66 fledglings across the Avalon Marshes. 

Many are just moving into their breeding plumage, whilst others are already there. Tanks to John Crispin for sending in these two shots taken this week:

The second shot is pretty much there. Note the reddening of the legs (tibia tarsi), the bill changing from yellow to slate grey/black and the very green lores (where the bill meets the face) and check out the very elegant plumes. 

As the breeding season gets underway we will begin to see a lot less of certain species. Starling numbers will diminish fairly quickly this month and nearly all wigeon and teal will move to their breeding grounds (individuals of both stayed in the Avalon Marshes last spring/summer). Fieldfare and redwing will also disappear - on Wednesday both could be seen flitting about in groups in the ivy covered alder trees near the toilets at the car park. 

Most of our waders will disappear too, although we do often have a few pairs of lapwing which stay on to breed. A group of 40 or so flew over us yesterday whilst we were out on the reserve. 

Snipe don't often hang around as things warm up. 15 or so were loafing on the cut island at Waltons earlier this week but appear to have been ousted by shoveler - there were certainly a good number of shoveler using this area this morning. 

Of course we will soon welcome lots of new arrivals in the spring - my favourite time of year. 

Also this week: blackcap heard singing at VP1(think I heard one between here and the car park this morning - briefly), red kite seen over the car park on Sunday and again on Tuesday, Ravens seen and heard over the reserve frequently, peregrine over the car park on Sunday, Egyptian goose along with 3 pintail (1 male, 2 female) seen from VP1 on Sunday, 4 buzzards soaring together over the car park yesterday, lesser scaup still being reported over at the Long Drove area this week, green woodpecker seen near the Avalon Hide this week - I heard one calling in the woods to the west of the Hide on Wednesday, great spotted woodpeckers seen and heard daily, kingfishers seen daily - try Waltons, the Avalon Hide or the old rail bridge perhaps and this jay photographed in flight by David Love yesterday between VP2 and the closed bridge over the drain (he was on the grassy footpath side) - thanks David:

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend.