The excitment of a night's moth trapping has well and truly passed this week as the temperatures have dropped once again, but I did notice a couple of signs of the recent warmer weather in the woodland yesterday as I walked along the footpath - many of the elders on the path edge are coming into leaf and a few small snowdrop stalks are poking their heads above ground!
But whilst the insects have hidden themselves away again for now, there are still plenty of birds around to keep us entertained. The biggest surprise of the week was the welcome return of the bearded tits. A bird was seen on Wednesday by volunteer Graham Usher flying into the reedbed on Phase 1. There had been so sign of them since the beginning of the month, so great to know they are still on site. The cetti's warbler is still present in Phase 1, being heard most days, it's burst of song really brightens up a winter's day. And the Phase 1 feeding station is still busy as ever, with a lovely brambling and a pair of siskin regularly visiting this week.
The bitterns have been regular sightings this week with one bird seen flying into Phase 1 last Friday, another sighting on Phase 1 on Tuesday and then a great spot by volunteer Graham Gamage on Wednesday as he saw a bird in one of our specially cut channels in the Phase 1 reedbed near the containers. The regular group of 9 whooper swans are still coming into silt lagoon 5 late in the afternoon and have been joined this week by good numbers of mute swans, with up to 32 seen flying into the silt lagoons on Thursday.
The marsh harriers have been providing a good display over Phases 1 and 2, with a male and a female confirmed and possibly a third bird also in the area. Two peregrines are on site, with one seen hunting over Phase 3 and the other over Phase 1 within 15 minutes of each other. And you know you are seeing something special when you have a peregrine and a marsh harrier in your binoculars at the same time as we did on Tuesday - it doesn't get much better than that!