It seems this March is off to a wet and windy start, yet despite the cold weather the birds are still out and enjoying the pre-spring rain showers. Several birds have been spotted this morning, both on the feeders and down on the lake.
Willow tits, great tits, blue tits and even the long-tailed tits have visited, to-ing and fro-ing from the shelter of the Hawthorn trees which are now beginning to flower. They were joined by a whole host of greenfinches, bullfinches and chaffinches. Stonechats, dunnock, reed bunting, starling and grey wagtails were also seen - the latter's bright yellow plummage standing out against the dull grey weather. The robins have been out too, and several have been enjoying finding their lunches in the freshly dug up earth left by the car park work party.
The great tits and robins have been displaying territorial behaviour recently. It's quite normal for adult male birds to become territorial this time of the year. Every species has its own preferred size territory but for most garden birds its can range from a few square metres up to a whole acre. The robin is one of the few garden birds to hold its territory all year round, and in winter it is down to each robin to find its own territory.
Down on the lake some of the birds have been braving the stormy weather over the last week courtesy of Storm Doris. Goosander, tufted duck, teal, pintail, great crested grebe, shoveler, oystercatcher, black-headed gull, lesser black-backed gull, swans, mallards, canada geese and lapwings have all been seen enjoying the drizzly weather. The snipe are still out and about too, hiding down in the marshes amongst the reeds.
One of our foxes has also been spotted this morning, taking its usual route around the front of the visitor centre towards the feeders and then round and back through the car park.