After being so excited about spring being just around the corner I was disappointed to return from sunny Devon last week to find yet more snow. The cold weather does seem to have slowed things down a little, but that is probably no bad thing just at the moment.
We are starting to be greeted with the sound of black headed gulls now, rather than the call of whoopers. Most of the whooper swans seem to have left, although there was one spotted at the back of the reserve yesterday. The mallards seem to be paired up now, and the greylag geese are behaving suspiciously, as if they may already have nests.
The numbers of shoveler and gadwall seem to be very small at the moment, so I am hoping we get a few more on the reserve soon. Other wildfowl are hanging about in loose flocks still, with around 15 wigeon, 30 teal and 25 mute swans, although a few of the swans are marking their territory already.
With 100 or so lapwings around, 50-60 oystercatchers and the first redshank of the year I am glad we put so much work into making the marsh look attractive to these species once again.
It won't be long now before the ospreys return to the area, along with the warblers, and the reserve will have such an uplifting sound to welcome you all.