Hello All
This week there contiued to be signs of spring passage with highlights being a first year male Marsh Harrier on 22 and 23 March. We were hoping this may be the return of the femle that spent the summer with us last year but sadly this was not to be and he did not hang around beyond the weekend. Toby a member of the Rye Meads Ringing Group (RMRG) also recorded a Stonechat, 13 Chiff chaff and 3 Redshank on the 22 March. The 5-6 Redshank were also recorded today 28th March with ones and 2 being reported through the week. The RMRG also caught 3 Jack Snipe on 22 March and bought them over the visitor centre for release so any one who was lucky enough to be around got to see these great birds in the hand. Other highlights were a count of 14 Snipe and a Little ringed ploverreported on the 22 March.
The Black headed gulls continue to dominate the rafts and courtship activity continues. Despite the rafts having been in position now for 3 weeks there is very little sign of nest construction as yet.
The Kingfishers continue to put on a great display with the male bringing the felame increasing numbers of fish and mating occuring on one of the posts outside the bank..... frequently! Kingfishers generally have a clutch of 6-7 eggs so with all this mating activity this week it cant be long now beofre the clutch is complete and the pair will get down to incuabation.
On the subject of Kingfishers the new kingfisher bank from the Draper hide is practically finshed, hurrah. We have removed the shuttering and rendered the front and are working on profiling the edges with soil to make it look more natural. Once this external work is complete (hopefully tuesday) all that will be left is finishing off the inside ie adding acces flaps to the back of the nest chmabers in case we ever need to install a camera and construction of some bat hibernation areas.
New Kingfisher bnak at Draper Hide 25 march 2014
Note - A pair of Peregine were seen on one of the pylons on the morning of 27 March so worth having a scan of these structures as you wonder round site.
This weeks sightings:- Grey Heron, Little Egret, Coot, Moorhen, Water Rail, Little Grebe, Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal, Pochard, Tufted duck, Shelduck, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Cormorant, Green sandpiper, Red shank, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Snipe, Jack Snipe, Pied Wagtail, Black Headed Gull, Common gull, Lesser black back gull, Herring gull, Kingfisher, Great tit, Blue tit, Long tailed tit, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Blackbird, Song thrush, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Green finch, Chiff chaff, Cettis warbler, Stonechat, Great Spotted woopdpecker, Kestrel, Buzzard, Marsh harrier, Peregrine, Crow, Magpie, Stock dove, Wood pigeon,
Thanks
Vicky