More Spring ... and some of the results

Even though we're still seeing wet days, there's no doubt that Spring is now in full swing. Indeed, there are some signs of Summer (sshhh... don't say it too loudly). The reed beds have been full of loud scolding rattles as Sedge Warblers stake their claim for territory. While they are often heard, usually if they're seen at all it is as a fast-moving blur dashing through the reeds. Here's two snatched shots, note the prominent white eyebrow (supercilium, to use the technical term).

 

Other migrant visitors include these flycatchers. The first a Pied Flycatcher, seen at Penyschant, near Conwy, and well worth a visit for a quiet few hours. These were seen flying in pairs at high speed around and through trees, the female playing 'catch me if you can' with the male. The second is a Spotted Flycatcher, seen at Pagham Harbour, darting from it's branch to hover almost like a hummingbird as it plucked flies from the air, and then back to it's perch.



Other birds are resident all year round, but still make a pleasing sight. This a Goldfinch rummaging through the grass for seeds.

The grey Heron is also a resident, and a firm favourite of mine. This one trying his best to do a 'Darth Vader' impression early one morning.

Spring of course means one thing: lots of squeaking, squawking, quacking, and flapping of wings. This particularly indiscreet couple were flagrantly performing at Arundel WWT.

Obviously they weren't the only ones as all around the grounds there were signs of new life. Goslings, Coot and Moorhen chicks. One proud Mallard Mum even took her chicks for a tour of one of the hides

And if you think it's just the birds at it, here's some lambs too!

And as the month has moved on, we've started getting Summer visitors too, Swallow, Swifts and Martins joining the throng. This Swallow was also inspecting the inside of a bird hide, making for an easy photo, while the following Swift was much harder work, needing dozens of shots to get one passable view.

 A trip to the Great Orme was worth all the Bank-holiday traffic problems when it yielded Chough's, an uncommon member of the corvid family, related to rooks, crows etc.

 And sea-level has provided some new birds too, this a Common Tern, posing on a fence post at one of the pools at Arundel WWT.

 Arundel also provided this shy little Mandarin duck, tucked away in a wooded area. Is this an escapee from the 'captive' part of WWT, or a genuine wild bird? Don't know! Either way, it was a very pleasant sight.

Nearer to home, RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands also delights. This Wood Sandpiper dropped in for a morning visit, causing quite a stir - it should have already been up in it's Artic breeding grounds, another casualty of the late spring.

 Also at Burton Mere, this Willow Warbler delighted with some lovely views, including this one with flies caught in it's beak.

 Again at Burton Mere, we were treated to a visit by a stunning female Marsh Harrier. Unfortunately the Black-headed Gulls took exception to her presence, and mobbed her across the reserve.

And finally, I finish again with another common bird, but I couldn't resist the pose of this Chaffinch, this taken at Frodsham Marshes.

Spring has finally sprung

What a difference a few weeks make - a bit of warmth and things begin to change.

 

Those who have wintered here have begun to change into their summer clothes, and the migrants have begun to pour in... and pour out too..

 

Early in April this little chap was still present on Deeside, a Water Pipit showing off breeding plummage, a delicate pink underneath that the photo doesn't do justice to.

Talking to a local birder, there have been one or two of these scarce birds present in a specific small  area since at least the 1920's when they were first recognised. Obviously it's not the same bird each year - they would be almost 90!! And yet it seems that somehow the knowledge of this wintering ground has been passed on. How wonderful, and yet how fragile. I've not heard anything of this bird since, so presume he is on his way to his summer in the high mountains of Southern Europe.

 

I'd never really appreciated before how much birds change their plummage through the year. This Black-tailed Godwit has just begun to change, developing a browny-red around his head. These are a threatened species, yet in the Deeside/Wirral/South Lancs area they are one of our more common wading birds; a marker of how important the era is for wildlife, and how important it is to protect them.

Talking of markers, here is another one. While this particular bird looks a bit chilly, the Little Egret has been steadily moving into Britain from the Continent, probably as a result of Global warming. Twenty years ago they were occasional visitors; now there are some 70-80 breeding down at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands. Each morning they disperse around the area, returning at dusk.

Evening walks have shown up many of the returning migrants; the local paddocks being a favourite for many small birds dropping in for a quick refill and a night's rest before continuing their journey. Here are Meadow Pipits and Wheatears. The Wheatears showing as small white blobs moving around the fields, scuttle and stop, scuttle and stop, while the 'mipit's have much better camoflage - there have been times when I thought the fields empty, and then as the eyes adjust, I've realised that there are dozens of these small birds moving through the ground.

 

The same fields have brought the occasional 'special' too. Around one of the pools that had formed in the paddocks was spotted this small wader, a Little Ringed Plover.

The hedges and trees have seen new occupants as well; if your ears are good you may hear the high-pitched whistle of Goldcrests. These tiny bundles of energy can be found deep in hedges and trees busily moving around. Trying to get a picture of one of these was deeply frustrating; they barely stopped still long enough to point the camera, and the autofocus would often pick on foreground twigs instead of the bird deep in the bush. I didn't think I'd got a picture, but when I loaded them to the PC, I found to my surprise this shot, catching one of the blighters just as it was lurching from one spot to another!

In one of the bushes near work (what else is lunch-time for?) was this delightful warbler singing away - a Whitethroat.

And drifting slightly from birds, the same lunchtime saw this Peacock butterfly rest on the path, literally before my feet.

It's a pleasure to see the Swallows and Martins back; I was amazed to see Swallow's drinking while still in flight, dipping their beaks into a puddle as they flew low across the fields. No, there's no picutre of that, not a chance! Instead just this shot of a Sparrow resting on the wires, a real sign of Summer evenings approaching.

As well as the usual suspects, these weeks have brought a few specials too. We treated ourselves to a day at Martinmere and were treated with views of a Spoonbill and of a Crossbill. Please excuse the poor shot of the Crossbill, but it was high in a tree, with just glimpses as it moved through the branches. Just visible are the distinctive overlapping tips of the beak, giving the bird it's name.



Last weekend we had the chance to drop in for a few hours at Arundel WWT, a chance to wander around some of the quieter corners, and let out some of the stress of the weekend. We heard the call of a lapwing, but this call sounded different. We soon spotted the bird, and then beside it we spotted some small bundles of feathers. And so for an entirely gratuitous 'cute' shot of a lapwing-chick.

And finally, to bring an overdue and consequently overlong blog entry to and end, a shot of a Wren, for no other reason than it brought a smile to our faces at the end of a long and hard day...