Finally the mix of southerly winds and fairly persistent rain showers have started to bring some nice spring migrants on to the reserve. In weather like this most of them, especially the smaller birds, like to find shelter in the plantation between the loch and the dunes or out in the gorse on the marsh. The wader survey at the end of the week found Grasshopper Warbler and Willow Warbler on the marsh, and a visitor reported Sedge Warbler near Tower Pool Hide. Two visits to the plantation this weekend have added Blackcap to the year list, one yesterday and both male and female today. and found some of the first genuine Chiffchaffs of the spring (although at least one has been around all winter!).
The weather has also bought a very impressive arrival of Robins. There's been at least 15 in the plantation over the weekend, with another half a dozen in the bushes near Rattray Head. These birds have probably arrived from the continent and will hopefully breed here this summer.
The rest of our regulars are still around and the Greater Yellowlegs and 'Red A' the White Tailed Eagle have both been reported over the weekend. We also, after a bit of a break, saw a male Osprey fishing in the loch again on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. It even made it onto the house kitchen window list on Saturday which has definitely made Tom very happy!
It's the last Goose count of the season tomorrow and the reserve is noticably quieter, so we'll probably be reporting very low numbers. Hopefully most of the birds will make it safely to Iceland and be back again next autumn.