If there's one species that marks April on the reserve, it's the Lapwing. Mating, nesting, displaying, calling; they seem to be everywhere, though by far the best place to see them is from the Waterston Hide. This year is already looking good, with 13 nests identified so far, 9 up on the same time last year.
Another prominent group just now are the Black-headed Gulls. These birds are hard to miss, especially at the Carden hide, where the din they make tends to drown out the Skylarks. This small colony has continued to increase in size over the last three years.
Just recently arrived, for the third year running, is Little-ringed Plover. So far there is only one bird, first spotted on Tuesday the 7th, and it's been seen at the back margin of the Carden Flood for the past three days now.
Pairs of Pintail and Shelduck have been pretty constant visitors on the Carden Flood, and the Redshank are beginning to venture out around the margins. Earlier this week, I watched a male Wheatear in bright spring plumage on the fence over by Kirkhills
Up at the Visitors Centre, most of the the infrastructure work to spruce up the east side is now finished. It does look a bit bare , but the plan is now to plant with a selection of native flowers and shrubs.
The Chiffchaff are back, and can be heard singing around the Centre, competing with the ever-present call of the Great Tit
The Pink-footed Geese are leaving us now, as they move north, though there is still a chance to see the occasional flock on passage.