I took advantage of the glorious sunshine today and took a lovely walk around the Scrape at lunchtime. This week I am going to be away from the reserve for a few days on a training course and I wanted to have a good look around before I go as the reserve can change so much in just a few days. It was with this in mind that I began my walk I started thinking about all the changes I had seen on the reserve since I arrived in late January.
As I was busy thinking I noticed that the wildlife around me also seemed particularly busy today. They were obviously taking advantage of the glorious weather too and going about their business in the splendid sun. From the office I walked through the woodland and around the Scrape towards South Hide there were busy buff tailed bumble bees around flowering ground ivy and numerous birds singing in the woodland. I stopped to listen to a wren singing near the reedbed as I came out of the woods and I couldn’t help but admire the shear gusto with which it was singing. For such a little bird it really was singing it’s heart out! Some greylag geese flew over my head whilst I was standing watching two mute swans hastily searching below the surface for food and the noise coming from the Scrape behind me sounded like it was bursting with activity.
As I approached The Sluice and walked up the beach I looked down the coastline at the stunning views from this part of the reserve. Even the sea seemed busy today with large waves rolling towards the beach crashing relentlessly against the shore. I spent some time in this area in the hope of seeing a black redstart which had previously been spotted around here last week. I did not see one but I was not disappointed because I was given a great show of herring gulls and sand martins flying over the dunes in the blustery winds and making the challenge of flying against the wind look effortless. Amongst the flowering gorse a linnet and a dunnock were perched singing with passion and the first swallow I have seen this year flew over.
Busy singing!
When I got to East Hide I looked out over the Scrape and was amazed by the variety of birdlife to be seen. It really was a stark comparison to one of my first trips to East Hide back in January when I looked out and saw an empty looking scrape.
The Scrape in late January.
A very busy Scrape today (April)
I was completely immersed in the hive of activity in front of me, many gulls, redshank, oystercatcher, dunlin, black-tailed godwits with their splendid orange breeding plumage and as a real treat avocets feeding right in front of the hide. The wildlife around the reserve seemed to bustle with activity today but inside the hides the birders were in no hurry at all and were taking their time to enjoy all to be seen around them, myself included. I have noticed such a change in the reserve over the last few months and am filled with excitement about all of the further changes I will no doubt experience throughout the year.
A glistening Scrape.