Late Spring sees the reserve at one of its' best times.
The woodland floor is covered in bluebells with other spring flowers such as primrose, wood anemone, lesser celandine, stichwort and wood sorrel.
The trees are coming into leaf with a lovely fresh green and the air especially in the mornings is full of birdsong.
So far on site we have willow warlbers, chiff-chaff, pied flycatchers and redstarts - enjoying the hard work of the winter grazing cattle with lots of bramble cleared. Blackcaps, whitethroats,reed buntings and sedge warblers, grasshopper warblers singing loud and clear on the wetland route.. House martins, sand martins and swallows - some have moved into Saltings hide.
The return of the breeding pair of red kites means that the path to Domenlas hide is closed for now, the osyercatchers also enjoying the peace with two eggs laid this week on the wall in front of the hide - seen live on camera in the Visitor Centre.
There are many pairs of of redshank and lapwing nesting on the wet grassland and island pools, their display flight and calls delighting visitors. Great white egrets are stillaround as well as the little egrets and on Friday 29th April a bittern was seen too.
Male cuckoo seen in flight and calling regularly. Meanwhile over the river the ospreys have been seen catching fish.
Many birds are busy with nests already as can be seen by this lovely image of a willow warbler nest
Grasshopper warbler
Bittern