Following on from last week's blog where I celebrated the return of the Chiffchaff, this week has seen the return of another typical early spring migrant. Our first three Sand Martins returned on Monday and immediately started to investigate burrows in the recently steepened sandy cliff beside the cafe terrace.
It's always great to watch the Sand Martins hawking for insects and swooping in and out of their burrows, and numbers quickly increased through the week to low double figures.
Three Sand Martins investigating a nest burrow this week - photo by Les Cater
I usually expect the first Sand Martins to return from around St Patrick's Day (they arrived the following day this year), although the bulk of the birds won't return for another couple of weeks. The first Swallows typically arrive about ten days later, so one that was seen on Wednesday was quite early. We may continue to see the odd Swallow during the month, before the rest arrive during April.
Another bird that is typically easier to see in March than other months, especially in gardens, is Siskin, so it was no surprise to find a pair of these gorgeous little finches sharing the feeders at the visitor centre with the regular Goldfinches, Chaffinches and tits. A Great Spotted Woodpecker has been regular, too, with others drumming in the woods.
Male Siskin by Les Cater
Much more surprising was the discovery of a roosting Long-eared Owl in North Bushes on Sunday. This is a rare migrant at Minsmere, and is never an easy bird to locate when roosting in thick scrub, so well done to the finders of the special bird. If only it had still been present on Monday morning! Less surprising was a report of a Short-eared Owl along the dunes today.
While migration is only just getting underway, if weather conditions are favourable it can be a great time of year to spot soaring birds on the move. Yesterday was certainly a good example, with a minimum of16 Red Kites seen during the morning. Others have been seen during the week too, as have Common Buzzards and a Peregrine. The now resident pair of Common Cranes were also joined by five more on Tuesday morning, with the latter group giving many of the staff superb views as they circled low over the office, trumpeting loudly.
Common Crane by David Naylor
Like the Cranes, Great Egrets are most likely to be seen in flight above the reedbed, as they move between feeding pools. The same is currently the case with Bitterns, though with at least ten booming males present, plus an unknown number of females, there are, at least, more opportunities to see these secretive herons - and there's very good chance of hearing them.
Bittern taking off, by David Naylor
There's lots more to see around the reedbed too. Yesterday, for example, at Island Mere I counted an impressive 49 Tufted Ducks and nine Pochards, with several Coots and both Little and Great Crested Grebes present, while other visitors have reported good views of Bearded Tits there this week. The latter have also been showing well along the North Wall.
It's also fantastic to see the Scrape looking much more as would be expected for early spring, with falling water levels revealing the islands, and flocks of gulls and waders quickly returning. Although numbers fluctuate between days, some counts this week have included 150 Avocets, 30 Black-tailed Godwits, 12 Curlews, 25 Mediterranean Gulls and 600 Black-headed Gulls, while less common species have included Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot, Grey Plover, Green Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank. There's also still some good numbers of ducks, including Shelduck, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard and Shoveler, although Wigeon and Pintail are becoming more scarce. The first Sandwich Tern was spotted yesterday, too.
South Scrape, as viewed from the Public Viewing Platform
With the falling water levels, we've been able to welcome our contractors back this week to install a water control sluice onto West Scrape, as that job had to be abandoned due to flooding in the autumn and this was our last chance before the breeding season. This should now give give us better control of water levels on the Scrape throughout the summer.
Finally, on sunny, warm days we're now getting regular sightings of insects, such as Early Colletes bees, Dark-edged Beeflies, Peacock and Speckled Wood butterflies, as well as the Adders at the Sand Martin bank.