Come on Spring! Pull your finger out! Today it almost happened... the air was warmer, the sun came out unexpectedly and there was no breeze or hardly any clouds. The hoped for sprinkle of migrants never happened and we are still awaiting our first Wheatear, Sand Martin and Little Ringed Plover but some of our other migrants remain in situ with up to three Jack Snipe being seen around the Purfleet Scrape area since the weekend and today’s one was particularly showy from the centre where it bobbed and bounced along the edge of the newly names ‘Hairy Island’...
Jack Snipe - Neil Hughes
Common Snipe are quite easy to pick up as well and the Spotted Redshank came back in again yesterday at hightide along with one of the four Avocets today while Oystercatchers and a Common Sandpiper were on the foreshore. Only one Golden Plover is now left and if the numbers go back up again it will be because new birds have come in I suspect.
Golden Plover - Neil Hughes
Avocet - Alan Reynolds
Lapwings are still tumbling and providing some great photo opportunities but more of that in the next post!
Lapwing - Tony O'Brien
The Short-eared Owls are still here with at least four today and one went up to give a Red Kite a good seeing to this morning probably just as I was telling a visiting U3A group to watch the skies as it felt like a Kite day.... if only I had turned round as the bird was only just above the Purfleet Hide!
Red Kite AND Short-eared Owl - Jon Galt
and two more lovely Owl shots fropm Jon Galt - he had a good day!
Four Marsh Harriers and five Buzzards were seen today as well as our odd pale falcon and a pair of Peregrines. The male Kestrel showed very well near the Serin Mound once again.
Marsh Harrier - Mark Swallow
Kestrel - Mark Swallow.
That Falcon - Ian Bradshaw
As with the Jack Snipe, I also predicted Common Scoter in the last week and after one on Friday, two more were seen Sunday and then four drakes and female on Sunday when this superb shot was captured by Magnus down at the Stone Barges.
Five Scoter and The Diver - Magnus Andersson
Pat Hart also got some good video of them along with the Spot Red and ‘Bob’ the Jack Snipe..
The Kingfishers are now spending more and more time around the bank and both birds have been seen inside the hole while the Little Grebes just outside have been trilling like mad.
Kingfisher - Tony O'Brien
Little Grebe - Tony O'Brien
Grey Herons and LIttle Egrets are becoming moere obvious again and I suspect that the former may already have chicks in their nests whiole the egrets are a little bit more laide back about starting a family!. There are still plenty of duck to be seen and the Pintail look especially smart – even when they are mostly underwater! How long till a Garganey arrives I wonder?
Little Egret - Russ Sherriff
Pintail - Tony O'Brien
Unsurprisingly today had also seen the first good day for butterflies and other insects with Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Red Admiral, Small White and Brimstone on the wing along with our first hoverfly of the year at long last, a couple of furry Dung Flies and a few Buff-tailed Bumblebees and Honeybees.
Comma - Jerry Hoare
Peacock - Jerry Hoare
Peacock - Tom Bell
Eristalis pertinax hoverfly - Jerry Hoare
Yellow Dung-fly - Scathophaga stercoraria - Jerry Hoare
Yvonne Couch has been searching for the small stuff and amongst the various shieldbugs, weevils and ladybirds that she has discovered was a tiny non-descript little reddish Rhyzobius ladybird which is new to me and the reserve. She went out and found another one for me today... not quite sure how she does it!
22 spot and Rhyzobius ladybirds- Yvonne Couch
Sallow buds - HTV
And so as we head towards the Easter Holidays prepare yourself for a spring onslaught of incoming migrants, impatient musterings from those species wishing to be on their way north, the stirrings of our Marsh Frogs, Grass Snakes and Lizards and the thrumming explosion of insect life especially with more Willow budding and Slow and Bullus in flower... I can’t wait!
22-3-16