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Some distinct signs of autumn over the last week: the first few redwings have appeared around the trail (I saw/heard about 20 early on Sunday morning), a few redpolls and siskins and single grey wagtail have been overhead the last few mornings, and goldcrests are now appearing with increasing frequency...

Migrants appeared today! Wheatear on south brooks, several swallows and sand martins low over the north brooks (accompanied by the background of a singing chiffchaff at the hanger viewpoint) made it all seem very springlike. Well, if it wasn't grey, murky and a tad chilly. When the sun has burst...

A yellow-browed warbler still in the scrub/trees at the top of the zig-zag path today (ie about 100m from the visitor centre) - elusive but a few folk have managed to catch up with it. It was found on Monday by a couple of regular visitors and by the sounds of it, has been roaming between west mead hide...

2 firecrests showing well again along the 'green lane' this morning - one of them came to peer at me from about 5 ft from my head. I found at least 8 goldcrests too at a variety of points around the trail. Plenty redpolls and a few siskins to be found around the heathland trail. Wildfowl numbers...

A barn owl has been roosting in the box in the visitor centre roof for the last couple of weeks. The tea room roof is clearly a favoured perch. On the north brooks yesterday a little stint, 4 or 5 ruff, at least 1 green sandpiper. A peregrine caught a teal at about 07.45. A few small parties of swallows...

Out early this morning to see if there were any sand martins or swallows feeding over the brooks - no such luck, but I'm sure they will be here soon. The only spring migrants I could find were 2 or 3 chiffchaffs singing between the hanger viewpoint and Nettley's hide. There was quite a lot of...

A pair of great spotted woodpeckers drumming this morning about 20m apart on the edge of the heath. The male's drumming was bizarre - rather weak and distinctly irregular- whilst the female's was the usual fast, short, clipped burst. I think he needs to get his act together... In the same...

Ca. 25 redpoll yesterday morning in the birches at the start of the nature trail. A ring ouzel was reported nearby. The brooks are nicely flooded for the winter and ca. 1000 wigeon spread across the site, plenty teal, mallard, shoveler, pintail, lapwing and snipe (you could see them once the fog had...

Around the trail, after the strong winds and torrential rain this morning, plenty small birds were active - (lesser) redpolls in the birches nr the visitor centre, redwings and fieldfares all over the place, blue and great tits in the hedgerows, 2 or 3 green woodpeckers and a few small parties of goldfinches...

First frosts of the autumn over the last two nights has given the site a much more wintry feel. There are few redpolls to be found feeding the birches around the trail, a few siskins in the pines on the heath and small groups of fieldfares and redwings have been seen passing overhead. Yesterday morning...