The last few days at Middleton Lakes have been some of the best we have had for a few weeks. Prolonged sunshine has dried the site out, both for the benefit of visitors and the birds and the sun and warm weather has really helped the migrant birds return bringing with them a distinct feel of the sunnier Mediterranean about the place.
A Glossy ibis has decided to make Middleton its home for the past couple of days and has been seen down to 40ft from our riverside screen. Well done to RSPB volunteer Peter Herd who first found the bird while conducting a breeding bird survey!
A female Red-crested pochard has been frequenting the river recently and if you are lucky, it can sometimes be seen from Fishers Mill as you look up river.
The Med theme continues as we have now doubled our Mediterranean gull count to 2! They can be seen best on the North Pit and stand out nicely from the Black-headed gulls.
With this warm weather the migrants have returned aplenty. The Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Willow warblers are back in good numbers, Yellow wagtails can be seen on the wetlands and Wheatears are being seen sporadically across the site as they make their way up the country. Lesser Whitethroats are being seen more on site, yesterday saw the first Reed warbler and Common whitethroat reported and with Sedge warblers, Grasshopper warblers and Cuckoos sighted and the skies alive with Sand Martins and Swallows, spring is in full flow.
Other birds on the wader front include Avocets, Black-tailed godwit, Ringed plover, Little ringed plover, Redshank, Dunlin, Sanderling, Oystercatcher, Common sandpiper and Green sandpiper and the duck continent are being held strong by good numbers of Shoveler, Shelduck, Gadwall, Tufted duck, Teal and Mallard.
Little egrets are being seen regularly and the Heronry continues to entertain with more than 25 nests with at least 9 with chicks in.
The Butterflies have been in great form this week and the sun traps in the woodland are the best places to see Peacocks, Small tortoiseshell, Brimstone, Orange tip, Green-veined white and Speckled wood while the first damselflies for the year were spotted in the form of Large red damselflies, seen by the silt pool viewpoint.
Every day at Middleton Lakes is different at the moment and it feels like there something new to see on site every time you go out
So what should you be looking out for in the coming weeks? Swifts and Hobbys will make a return in late April/early May and there could be a chance of seeing an Osprey, Whinchat, Redstart or even a Turtle dove. More and more butterflies will start to come out, as will the dragonflies and damselflies and you will have a chance of seeing grass snakes as they slither through the grassland or water courses.
So with a decent forecast for the Easter weekend, why not come down to Middleton Lakes and see what you can see!