As we approach May, the wildflowers that will soon be carpeting the reserve with their vibrant colours are beginning to blossom. Spring squill, dog violets, sea campion and thrift to name a few are already starting to flower and will soon be joined by Northern marsh orchids, tormentil and bluebells.
Thrift: Photo Credit - Robert Conn
This delightful assortment of wildflowers is an appetising and alluring draw for many bees and butterflies such as small tortoiseshells and red-tailed bumble bees.
Meadow pipits seem to be everywhere you turn, displaying overhead and chasing each other around as they defend territories and gather nesting material.
Male linnets with their bold red chests are frequently singing around the willow patch and house martins and swallows appear in the skies more numerous each day.
Linnet - Photo credit: Andy Hay, RSPB Images
Kittiwake, guillemot and razorbill are still spending a lot of time on the water, rafting around in large numbers, and shags are often seen flying with surprisingly large portions of vegetation that they have gathered to add to their scruffy but robust nests.
Grey seal and harbour porpoise, although elusive, continue to be sighted intermittently around the headland and gannets persistently grace the skies as they effortlessly pass on by, heading out in search of fish.
Grey seal: Photo credit - Robert Conn
The RSPB Visitor Centre continues to be open each day between 10am and 5pm, where our friendly staff and volunteers will be more than happy to chat to you about what wildlife you can see and the best places to go, or why not join us on one of our regular guided walks, every Wednesday at 1pm.