Well, it has certainly been a mixed week out on the reserve with interesting weather from all directions and some great wildlife spectacles to absorb yourself with.
The crossover between our wintering Lapwing and Redshank and those arriving to breed is well underway and the sci-fi sounds of mad tumbling male Lapwings and frantic attacks on any passing corvid are well underway. The Redshanks are currently a little more understated with lots of loafing around and a bit of posturing.
Male Lapwings in mid show down - Steve Young
Meanwhile the Common Snipe continue to show ell around the edges and have included a very cold icy bird and an exceedingly rusty headed bird at the other end of the spectrum but both are within normal Snipe plumage range. Up to three bobbing Jack Snipe have been seen in the same part of the Purfleet Scrape and one showed well again for most of today. They are so cryptic and disappear with great ease.
Wildfowl continue to get frisky and the Mute Swans have been engaging in synchronistic courtship almost mirroring the pair of Great Crested Grebes on Aveley Pool. Geese are now in pairs with some pre nuptials taking place and groups of Teal and Shoveler in particular are indulging in single sex group displays with much head bobbing and tail posturing.
Amorous Canada Geese - Howard Statham
Two male Shoveler sizing each other up - Lawrence Rogers
The Marsh Harriers have been active and two each of male and female have been seen and this afternoon one of the female quartered the Winter Pool before dropping down. We thought that she was going to have a bath as she was almost belly deep but after a short while there was a disturbance under her feet and s struggling male Teal attempted to rise for air before being firmly pushed back under and pinned down. Two Carrion Crows were in attendance the whole time and followed her when she eventually carried her now limp prize to drier ground. It did not take long for them to force her to react to their provocations but after ten minutes of flying around she returned to her dinner.
The Peregrines were similarly energetic today and the male put on a stunning display harassing duck and Woodpigeons out front before heading off while his mate actually spied the Harrier kill and came down for a good feed too. Kestrels are ever present at the moment and the Buzzards and Sparrowhawks seem more active while the first Red Kite of the season was seen on wet Wednesday.
Buzzard - Moi Hicks
Reed Buntings are now singing well and the males are looking very smart indeed and Cetti’s Warblers are certainly warming up. Two each of Blackcap and Chiffchaff have been singing in the Cordite and along the Mardyke where a quick look this morning revealed that the first leaves of Cuckoo Pint – or Lords and Ladies if you prefer had unfurled and the flowers on the Victoria Plums were opening.
Male Reed Bunting - Howard Statham
Chiffchaff - Russ Sherriff
Cuckoo Pint - HTV
Victoria Plum - HTV
Only a few Garden and Early Bumblebees were to be seen on them and the swathes of Sallow now coming into flower and I will need another sunny day to look for any of the early emerging hoverflies. Jerry and Alan did find an Eristalis tenax yesterday though. This is the one that looks a bit like a Honey Bee.
Bombus terrestris - Bob Cooper
Sallow flowers- HTV
Alder flowers - male and female - HTV
Sloe buds - Howard Statham
Dog Violets were found in a couple of clumps and the little tete-a-tete daffodils are appreciating the newly laid hedge (which is just starting to bud back into life) and its extra light while a Robin watched me eagrely as I crep up onm the dafs!
Dog Violets - HTV
Tete-a-tete - HTV
Watching me - watching you - HTV
Five species of butterfly were also seen yesterday in the warm sunshine with Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell out of hibernation and Brimstone emerging for the first time.
Peacock - Tom Bell
It looks like we now have two pair of Bearded Tits on the trail and at the moment they seem particularly attracted to the old Reedmace heads which they are ripping apart with abandon in the search for insect larvae. One pair was right opposite the benches at the bottom of the ramp today and I could even see them from inside the centre!
Male Bearded Tit - Russ Sherriff
Female Bearded Tit - Russ Sherriff
Male Bearded Tit - Moi Hicks
and don't laugh but even I got one today...
Mr Kingfisher has been checking out the posts down at the MDZ today and both birds are heard every day on the Mardyke and can be seen with patience from any of the three bridges. With calmer weather, the Short-eared Owls have been showing incredibly well and Ian Plume seems to have a certain knack for getting the most stunning shots at the moment.
Short-eared Owl - Ian Plume
Short-eared Owl dropping on prey - Ian Plume
This morning I even managed a pre-work amble up onto the landfill where I was surrounded by the song of displaying Meadow Pipits and Skylarks while paired up Linnets were roving around in flocks with a few Goldfinches. I was hoping for the first Corn Bunting of the year and was delighted to find a jangler on the riverward side of the loop as he sang from one of the gas release pipes. Let’s hope we have as good a year as the last. My bunting happiness was made all the better by a female Yellowhammer feeding in the path almost immediately afterwards!
Tomorrow is my monthly Kids Birdwatching Club so I will definitely be out on a circuit in the morning and perhaps that first Wheatear or Little Ringed Plover will be waiting for me and the crew...
10-3-17
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer