March is officially the first month of spring and there are signs all across our reserves of Pagham Harbour & Medmerry. The warm sunshine encourages lesser celandine to open its flowers like splashes of gold on a green canvas.
Lesser Celandine
The silky paws of the pussy willow catkins ripen, transforming into yellow puffs full of pollen, attracting early bees and hoverflies. Blackthorn hedges burst into blossom while male brimstone butterflies flutter along lanes and hedgerows on pulsating wings of lemon yellow, looking for a pale green female to mate with.
Brimstone
This is also traditionally the month that the first of our summer migrants arrive back on our shores. Jutting out into the sea and with much urbanisation to the east and west, the Manhood Peninsula and our reserves in particular, are a hot-spot for migrating birds. Having travelled across the Channel many will stop off in need of a rest and food before continuing their journeys further inland.
Wheatears are often the first to touch down and can be found along the beaches and in fields across both reserves.
Wheatear
Hot on their tails are chiffchaff – I have already seen one in our Discovery Zone feeding hungrily – and sand martins.
Chiffchaff John Bridges (rspb-images.com)
Sandwich terns have already been seen along our coastline plus the odd swallow and house martin coming in off the sea.
Sandwich Tern
Meanwhile, buzzards and kestrels have been displaying above and near our Visitor Centre and blue tits have already stars of our nestcams.
Buzzard - Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)
It is a time of crossover, when you can see winter migrants before they all leave, summers early arrivals and of course our resident birds as well.