We still have spaces available on our ‘through the seasons’ trips running on the 10 and 23 March. March is one of the best times to visit Havergate Island – it is when the large numbers of birds gather before they move onto their breeding locations and our brown hares are at their most active. These trips are the perfect opportunity to be taken to the favourite ‘hare haunts’ to spend some time with the hares as well as learn some stuff about the island and its wildlife.
I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful it has been on Havergate Island these last couple of weeks, obviously helped by this beautiful weather that we had. The island is awash with birds all gathering on the lagoons. This past week we have had record numbers of golden plover approx 1800, 500 lapwing, 70 grey plover, 5 ruff and 3 spoonbill. I have had regular sightings of at least 3 barn owls gliding up and down the seawall, a couple of marsh harriers and a hen harrier.
This unseasonably warm weather has livened up our resident hares no end and they have gone from hunkering under the bushes and being a challenge to spot, to laying flat-out on the shingle sunning themselves.
Photo credit: Victoria Matthews
We have been preparing the island for spring by adjusting the water levels, litter picking the never ending amount of litter that is washed up, and we have even brought out our plastic spoonbills and placed them back in position on the nest platforms in the hope of enticing the real things to nest on the island.