Hello
Arriving this morning i was greeted by a singing chiff chaff closely followed by a redwing just in front of the visitor center, so a bit of summer winter over lap.
For the first time we have a pair of kestrels in the box at the kingfisher hide and another pair in the box in the car park. The car park pair are proving very photogenic. Other birds of prey have include occasional sightings of sparrowhawk, peregrine 17/3 and red kite on 13 and 15 March. Two buzzard have just flown past the visitor center quite low, nice.
The Draper is drawing in a few waders with a pair of oystercatcher popping in occasionally, probably from Amwell, also about are green sandpiper, a few snipe the odd lapwing and a redshank on the /3/16. A pair of shelduck are also popping by regularly. Common gull are occurring regularly among the black headed gull and today a herring gull joined the flock.
Our good winter for gold crest has continued with sightings still being reported but not a regularly, but we have also had another fire crest reported on 6/3 again around the Draper hide area. The RMRG have been fortunate enough to ring 2 fire crest on site this winter, lovely. I was lucky enough to come across 3 yellow hammer roosting in the lee marsh reedbed on 8/3, we have had a few other records this winter but they are defiantly not as common a site or as good numbers as they used to be.
The pair of kingfishers have been present around the bank for more than a month now, the bank is being thoroughly investigated, so looks good for the rest of the season.
Other sightings include a treecreeper 3/3 at kingfisher hide, a pair of bullfinches 11/3, 2 male reed buntings are regulars at feeders, green and great spotted woodpeckers, and great crested grebe an unusual sighting for us on 15/3. Stock doves are a regular sight on draper with 8 birds present on 13/3, they look to have settled in to nesting in the owl boxes once again, although a pair of jackdaw did try and take over one box.
Mammals have been well represented with a stoat 5/3, muntjac at the kingfisher hide also on 5/3, fox on 17/3, water vole continue to show from the Ashby hide bridge, a weasel on 17/3 in the car park, a few unfortunate voles have provided lunch for the kestrels in the car park and the ever present rabbits around the visitor center.
My first moth trap of 2016 resulted in a lovely oak beauty.
Spring migrants are moving with species such as sand martin and whetear reported in the UK, so keep your eyes peeled and happy spotting.
Vicky