The New Viewing Shelter is now open!

The big news this week is the new viewing shelter is now open!  There are a few jobs that still need to be done but we didn't want to delay your enjoyment of the new scrape any longer.

Benches will be installed within the next few weeks so you won't have to stand for too long. I went up this morning for the first time and was rewarded with sky dancing Marsh Harriers.

Some unusual guests visited us this week. A pair of Bahama Pintails arrived on Sunday in front of the Discovery Centre. They didn't have any rings on them but are obviously escapees. We wondered if they had popped in for a chat with our resident Hooded Merganser :-) Fortunately, RSPB volunteer, Martin Jones-Gill happened to be the Discovery Centre at the time and took the above snaps.

Our resident "Hoodie" has been out an about on the reserve today. I saw him ducking and diving up by the concrete bridge. Later when I returned to the Discovery Centre he was by the duck feeding platform looking for his lunch. Hoodie also appeared in front of the window in the Centre delighting our visitors. Half a dozen Pochards have also been about. I snapped this one by the boardwalk having a good preen before motoring off at top speed to join his pals further upstream.

Martin also managed to snap this Chiffchaff up in the trees having a chirp. Chiffchaffs have been back singing for the past few weeks but this week the first sighting of a Willow Warbler was reported. The Sand Martin numbers have been increasing since the first sighting in February and now the first Swallows has also been reported. Cetti's Warblers have also been singing madly in the hedgerows and the Bearded Tits have been heard in the reed beds. Goldfinches and Chaffinches have also been about chirping. Our last sighting on the Bittern was on Monday but 9 Cattle Egrets were seen flying north over Radipole Lake.

Spring is now bursting forth on all fronts.  Our footpaths recently awash with displays of the Sweet Violets are now disappearing under the fresh new leaf growth of Cow Parsley, Hogweed and Hemlock Water Dropwort. The flowers are still there if you peek through the leaves.

Not many people realise we have Apple, Pear and Plum Trees on the reserves where passersby years ago have casually there the cores or stones away in the hedgerows. The Apple Tree on the way to our new Viewing Shelter is coming into blossom. 

The Lesser Celandines in bud I snapped last week are now in full flower. Many of our Hawthorn Trees are now in leaf but three now have flower buds with some about to burst. It's still only mid March!  

It was lovely to see a solitary Peacock Butterfly valiantly fluttering in the breeze near the Viewing Shelter on the Buddleia Loop. Last Monday though was warm with sunshine which brought out the Peacock, first Brimstone, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell.

For the latest sightings, contact Radipole Lake Discovery Centre, details below or pop in and see us. Hot and cold refreshments, sandwiches and snacks available.