A busy Easter week for visitors and wildlife, mostly down to the warm weather! Hundreds of children have been enjoying the activity trail through the woodland and some fantastic close views of bitterns, otters and adders.
Star species this week include a cuckoo on Wednesday morning, hobbies over the reedbed, a great white egret at Island Mere and a little owl at the woodland crossroads. We've also heard and seen the return of our migrant warblers: reed, sedge, willow, Savi's and grasshopper warblers, joining the resident Dartford and Cetti's warblers, plus the newly arrived blackcaps and chiffchaffs. Nightingales have returned to the heathland and can be heard along the entrance roads. Stone curlews have also returned, with a pair visible from the viewpoint on the North Wall. Wheatears and yellow wagtails have also been seen here, while lesser and common whitethroats and a firecrest have been showing well from the North Bushes.
Out on the wetland scrapes the dominating species are the mass of black headed, common and Mediterranean gulls, with the occasional appearance of Caspian, lesser- and greater-black backed gulls. 74 Sandwich terns was the highest count this week from East Scrape, with several common terns on South Scrape. Around 70 avocets have paired up across the scrape, joining the lapwing, greenshank, redshank, dunlin, turnstone and ringed plovers. Bar tailed godwits have also been seen on South Scrape and little ringed plovers were seen on Lucky Pool on the Southern boundary of the reserve.
Sand martins have returned to the burrows by the pond, and swallows have been found at the Sluice and feeding over the scrape. Bitterns have been putting on quite a show at both Island Mere and Bittern Hide, with several feeding right in front of the hides and circling over the reedbeds. There's also been lots of sightings of bearded tits at both hides and on North Wall, marsh harriers carrying nesting material into the reedbeds, but the stars have been the otter family appearing at Bittern Hide for several mornings this week and fishing right in front of the hide for almost an hour each time! Water voles have also been seen at Bittern Hide.
Adders have been basking on the adder trail, but with the appearance of females the male adders have become more active. They have also been seen in the dunes on the beach, with one black adder in particular showing well. Stonechats and Dartford warblers have also been seen in the dunes, please be careful in this area - the birds are nesting in the bushes and we don't want them to be disturbed from their parental duties, plus the adders don't appreciate being stepped on!
Our first butterfly survey found 120 individuals (mostly peacock and speckled wood) but commas, green-veined white, small white, orange-tip and small copper were also present. Our first damselfy of the year - a large red - was also found. Beeflies, hairy-footed flower bees and mason bees can also be seen around the woodland glades and feeding on ground ivy.