Things are heading back to some form or normality and our team of dedicated WeBS volunteers were out again recently counting up the waders and wildfowl on the reserve. Jenny and I had done the last couple of counts during the main lockdown period, but with things easing off, the volunteer team were back in action. A few of the wintering ducks were still present on the count day, but their numbers will now quickly drop away as the temperatures warm up.
We have a bittern booming on the reserve (always very exciting!!), well he's mainly just grunting at the moment, but as his throat muscles start toning up, his illustrious boom will start being heard from a good distance away. In the past, booming has been heard from the public car park and also from the village of Holme.
Bittern
1
Black headed gull
302
Canada goose
44
Greylag goose
17
Coot
79
Great crested grebe
14
Mallard
49
Moorhen
5
Shelduck
8
Teal
63
Tufted duck
198
Wigeon
145
Gadwall
10
Grey heron
Snipe
2
Mute swan
Cormorant
20
Pochard
15
Shoveler
6
Goldeneye
40
Smew
Little egret
Goosander
Lapwing
11
Common gull
33
With the warming weather, spring migrants will start to be seen. Sand martins are already moving through with 100 counted this morning and avocets are around and about. The warm weather should also bring out more butterflies and along with listening out for the bittern, it's worth listening out for the singing chiffchaffs and trying to spot the pair of mistle thrushes which are nesting in the woodland and coming down onto the field next to the car park to feed (photo of one of them below taken by Stuart Carlton).