Today's blog written by Ben our residential volunteer-

After a rather cold wet spring, it seems that summer has finally decided to show itself. The bad weather over the past few weeks has meant it has been difficult to keep up with all the survey work on the reserve. So I took advantage of a bright sunny Monday afternoon to catch up with ringed plover surveys.

The survey basically involved a walk along one of the most spectacular beaches you’ve ever seen (volunteering can have its perks!).

Diana kindly agreed to drop Ed and I off at the cut, and no sooner had we entered the lagoon than we were greeted with a flock of 12 ringed plover moving around with a group of dunlin. This boded well for the rest of the survey, and so it proved. Ed and I saw no less than 27 ringed plover along with many dunlin, sanderling, turnstone, oystercatchers, shag, cormorant, common tern and greater black backed gull, all on the beach. Diana had agreed to pick us up at Rattray Head, where our survey finished, and on the walk back to the car park we were greeted to the sound of displaying lapwing and to the sight of wheatear hoping around the car park.     

Let’s hope the good weather continues and who knows what else might turn up on the reserve.

Ben

Well, well, well, just look at the things are coming back to us!

The Greater Yellowlegs has returned and we're all very happy to see it back on the Low Ground.

2 Cranes have been seen intermitantly throughout the week but the Wood Sandpipers have been less visible.

Also gracing us with their presence are a couple of Avocet. These birds do seem to be ones that you just need to be in the right place at the right time as lingering isn't something that they do!

What has been a nice surprise this week though have been the 2 Little Gulls that at times half-heartidly 'mob' us. It does sometimes seem a little strange to see 2 Little Gulls flying round the farmyard and their delicate call is quite obivous above the noise of the Common Terns and Black-headed Gulls.

 (Little Gull on the left with a Black-headed Gull preening.)

Good numbers of Swift are coming through as well and almost a flock of them were hunting over the Low Ground yesterday.

Black-tailed Godwits are around too in various plumages and occasionally nicely veiwable from the Centre. The mystery plover hasn't returned again although a few Ringed Plover remain on the Low Ground.

On the Loch, there were a 4 Eider swiming around yesterday and even a solitary Pink-footed Goose!

Here are the weeks birds in numbers: Greater Yellowlegs 1, Little Gull 2, Avocet 2, Common Crane 2, Ringed Plover 6, Black-tailed Godwit 3, Whimbrel, Snipe, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Pink-footed Goose 1, Eider 4, Marsh Harrier 1, Short-eared Owl 1, Redshank 2, Lapwing, Mallard, Pintail, Gadwall, Great-crested Grebe, Osprey.

Ever since the Greater Yellowlegs abandoned us for a stay on the River Ythan, the low ground has been looking a bit strange and empty without it. However, early this afternoon Vicky caught sight of a pale wader with yellow legs wandering down one of the ditches on the low ground. A long search from Tower Pool Hide didn't manage to refind it but when we got back to the centre we had a quick look from the windows and the Yellowlegs was back, showing really well near one of the low ground bridges. Hopefully it's now got the urge to wander out of its system and will hang around for a few weeks more!

The trip to Tower Pool Hide wasn't entirely a waste of time as while we were there a visitor picked out two Common Cranes on the edge of the silt trap. One was a full adult, the other stil had juvenile plumage- greyer and without the red patch on the head. These are most likely the same two that were in a field a few miles south of the reserve over the weekend and possibly the two that have visited the reserve a couple of times during the spring. They never seem to stay long on the reserve, dropping in to drink and feed and then leaving soon after, but we're hoping they too will continue to be regular visitors for a while longer.

Now, in the spirit of a day of final minute twists we had a similar experience here.

During the day there had been discussions through the day about whether we were watching a Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover or something else.

When I went to lock up the centre I was lucky enough to 2 Plover sp and one of them was an absolute definate Little Ringed Plover! What was fortunate was the mystery bird was with the Little Ringed Plover and to me it looked very much that we have 2 Little Ringed Plover here. What was interesting was that the mystery bird was displaying to the Little Ringed Plover! Diana has pointed out that just because there was displaying it doesn't mean that it was one Little Ringed Plover displaying to another Little Ringed Plover but there is definately 1 Little Ringed Plover here. I hope that makes sense to you!

Here is a blurry photo of one of them...I think it's the mystery bird.

What was easier to identify though were the 2 Wood Sanpipers and here is one of them:

Well, the week isn't over yet and still there is a chance of something else turning up.

First headline was the 2 Shore Larks that me, Diana, Ed and Robert found in the Lagoon on Monday. A new bird for all of us and one of those things that you just don't expect to see out of the truck window.

They were such special birds to us it's worth using Diana's photo again!

2 Avocets also and we actually have some waders that are hanging around with 2 Wood Sandpipers either on the Starnafin Pools or the Low Ground.

I've been having Yellow Wagtail headaches after I saw a Yellow Wagtail which could have been a very distant Blue-headed Wagtail but it hasn't been found again so who knows? Fortunately we have had a more traditional flavissima here too. I did take a photo said funny wagtial but it looks like a far away tennis ball so maybe it's not much use!

Our Marsh Harriers have been around as well and there are/were definately 2 birds here. There was also a stunning adult male Hen Harrier on Tuesday.

The Big Sit in the Visitors Centre yesterday produced 80 species and thanks to them I filled in one of my many holes in my life time birds as I finally saw my 1st Little Gull!

here is the listed highlights of the past week:

Shore Lark 2, Wood Sandpiper 2, Avocet 2, Yellow Wagtail 2, Pied Wagtial, Marsh Harrier 2, Hen Harrier 1, Whimbrel, Swift, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, Dunlin 1, Ringed Plover 5+, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Redshank 1, Whooper Swan, Mute Swan, Osprey, Peregrine 1, Kestrel, Pochard, Little Gull 1, Black-headed Gulls, Arctic Tern, Common Tern, Sandwich Tern, Wheatear, Tree Sparrow, Barn Owl 1, Short-eared Owl.

And finally, could this green blur be the Northern Lights that we saw last night? Maybe...