The past week or two have really been the fulfilment of Spring. The air has been full of song from our year-round birds and from our newly arrived migrants. We’ve been listening to the earlier migrants for a few weeks, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs, for example, and now they been joined by Reed and Sedge warblers, Common and Lesser Whitethroats and, much to our relief by at least one male Cuckoo. Another species that has made itself known this week is the wonderfully brilliant booming bittern. Reports of it booming most of the week and a nice sighting of two around 6am on Saturday morning. A visitor proving the bird does catch the early worm was treated to a barn owl as it flew down perry lane as the sun rose the same day.
Image credit: Phil James
We’re happy to watch chicks being taken for a swim across the café scrape by their parents – Mallards, Canada geese and Moorhens have all hatched young and been seen swimming round.
Image credit: Kirsty Lindsay
Image credit: Sarah Parmor
Our insects are not to be outdone. Bumblebees are working on the Comfrey flowers and butterflies are visiting the Dandelions. We’re especially pleased to have seen our first Shrill Carder Bumblebees. Dragon flies and Damselflies are beginning to climb out from the murky depths of the reedbeds, emerge from their final moult and begin their adult life. We’ve watched damselflies slowly and carefully stretch out, expand their wings and leave their larve skins behind on reed stems.
Image credit: Jeremy White
And, of course the plants are taking on their summer green leaves and some are in flower. The Reeds have already grown a couple of feet, the Hawthorns and wild apples are smothered in bloom and first orchid leaves are pushing their way above the ground. Willow down is being blown around in the lightest of breezes and settling everywhere.
Avocet, Barn owl, Bearded reedling, Bittern, Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-headed gull, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Canada goose, Carrion crow, Cetti's warbler, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Collared dove, Common Whitethroat, Coot, Cormorant, cuckoo, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Gadwall, garden warbler, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Green woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey heron, Greylag goose, Herring gull, house martin, House sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Lapwing, Lesser black-backed gull, lesser whitethroat, Linnet, Little egret, Little grebe, Long-tailed tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh harrier, Moorhen, Mute swan, Oystercatcher, Peregrine falcon, Pheasant, pied flycatcher, Pied wagtail, Raven, Redshank, Reed bunting, Reed warbler, Robin, sedge warbler, Shelduck, Skylark, Song thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stock dove, Swallow, swift, Treecreeper, Tufted duck, Wheatear, whimbrel, willow warbler, Woodpigeon, Wren, Brown-banded carder bee, 7-spot ladybird, Buff-tailed bumblebee, common carder bumblebee, early bumblebee, Garden bumblebee, shrill carder bee, Brimstone butterfly, comma butterfly, Green-veined white butterfly, holly blue butterfly, large white butterfly, orange tip butterfly, Peacock butterfly, Red admiral butterfly, Small Copper butterfly, Small tortoiseshell butterfly, small white butterfly, speckled wood butterfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Hairy Dragonfly, Brindled beauty moth, Common quaker moth, Flame shoulder moth, Hebrew character moth, Dock bug, Bank Vole, Brown Rat, Grey Squirrel, Stoat.
Author: Jeremy White