It's my first day in for a few days and just taking a quick check around the reserve I notice the first buds are peeping through on the willow outside the Gatehouse.It doesn't feel like Spring on a cold, wet day, but for nature, new life is well underway.
I heard at least two noisy nuthatches as I walked around and large numbers of chaffinches and other finches are feeding around the shop and at the hide. A female brambling has been amongst them, often seen under the feeders on the shop lawn.
We'll be listening and looking for the first Spring migrants to arrive soon, it's likely it will be a sand martin, flying over any day now or a chiff chaff, calilng from a high perch to loudly announce it's arrival.Then Spring really is in the air!