I love the unpredictability of spring. One minute we're bathed in warm sunshine, rejoicing that winter is over and wandering whether it's time to get the shorts out of the wardrobe. The next, we're running for shelter as the latest in a series of squally showers drenches us in icy rain, or shivering from the chill of brisk northerly gale whipping down the coast.
Whatever the weather, spring also ushers in a period of change, with new birds arriving from the south every day as other bid us farewell for the summer as they head off to the Arctic to nest, while all around us flowers are bursting into bloom and in turn attracting an ever increasing range of insects.
My walk around the Woodland Trail yesterday perfectly illustrated the latter, with patches of Bluebells, Primroses and Ground Ivy providing ample feeding opportunities for various bees, hoverflies and beetles, plus the predatory spiders that were in turn hunting the pollinators. These were joined by Green-veined White, Orange Tip, Peacock and Speckled Wood butterflies, and even the first early Large Red Damselflies of the spring. Reaching the open acid grasslands of Saunders Hill and Whin Hill, the flowers included many of our smaller blooms: Cornsalad, Sheep's Sorrel, Common Stork's-bill and Dove's-foot Crane's-bill among them.
Common Stork's-bill
Around these same fields alongside our entrance road, a male Ring Ouzel paused on his migration to the moorlands farther north, and both Common and Lesser Whitethroats sang from deep within the thorny hedges. As is often the case, these warblers remained hidden from view, alerting others of their kind (and me) to their presence by their wonderful songs.
It certainly pays to learn birdsong if you are to make the most of your birdwatching in the spring, with many of migrants being easier to hear than see. That is certainly true of the Nightingales that are singing at the car park entrance and in North Bushes, the Willow Warbler in North Bushes, Grasshopper Warbler along the North Wall and Sedge Warblers that are now widespread in the reedbed. The first Cuckoos have been heard too. The best way to learn birdsong is to join our guides on our weekly Sounds of Spring walk, at 7.30 am every Tuesday until the end of May. Please book via our online booking pages.
Sedge Warblers do sometimes show in the open, as this one did for me a few years ago
Not all migrants sing, either. Some of those that are just passing through don't worry about singing until they reach their final destination, as there isn't much point in trying to defend a territory when they don't intend to stay. Luckily, some of these will show quite well as they busily feed up to refuel for their onward journey. Some examples this week have included a male Redstart in North Bushes, Wheatears in North Bushes and the dunes, Ring Ouzel off the entrance road, and a lovely female Red-backed Shrike that was found along the North Wall this morning.
This stunning Redstart (left) was in the North Bushes last Friday, and the Red-backed Shrike (right) was along the North Wall today. Photos by Les Cater
Other migrants are much easier to see, such as the Sand Martins, Swallows and House Martins that are zipping around the reedbed in pursuit of flying insects. These, in turn, attract the attentions of one of our most agile predators, and I was pleased to see the first Hobby back yesterday. For now, the martins may be safe, as the focus focus their hunting on larger flies, like the distinctive black St Mark's Flies with their dangling legs.
The skies above the reedbeds can be quite busy at times, with male Bitterns chasing females in courtship flights, Marsh Harriers quartering for food or bringing long strands of reed back to their nest, the occasional flight of a Great Egret or our two resident Common Cranes.
The Scrape is also increasingly busy, with hundreds of Black-headed Gulls joined by several Mediterranean and Common Gulls, the first Common Terns accompanying about 100 Sandwich Terns, and flocks of several hundred Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits. There is also a variety of other passage migrant waders stopping off, some for just a few hours, others for several days. These include Knot, Dunlin, Ruff, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Spotted Redshank and Common Sandpiper, some in lovely breeding plumage already. Add in the breeding waders - Oystercatcher, Redshank, Ringed Plover and Lapwing - and the remaining flocks of ducks - Gadwall, Shoveler, Shelduck, Teal and Mallard - and there as loads of birds to see on the Scrape. There was even a lovely drake Garganey present on Wednesday.
Drake Garganey by Steve Everett. This is only duck that is a summer visitor to the UK, so is sometimes called a Cricket Teal
Of course, not all our birds are migrants, with many being present throughout the year. Some of these will be familiar to most visitors - Robin, Chaffinch, Blue Tit, Jackdaw, for example - but others always popular as they aren't necessarily seen regularly elsewhere. These include Reed Buntings in the reedbed, Linnets and Stonechats in the dunes, Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Treecreepers in the woods, Sparrowhawks in skies, and Little and Great Crested Grebes at Island Mere.
Are you planning a visit this spring? Let us know what you see.
Update: shortly after posting this blog we had reports of a White-tailed Eagle from Bittern Hide that landed in the reedbed. It has subsequently flown high over the reedbed, heading northwest.