It seems that the thermostat has suddenly been turned up out here in the countryside and what a difference a few more degree's makes! Insects buzzing around the reedbed, May flower out in bloom and smelling so strong it makes you sniffle, and of course a little Blacktoft baby boom!
What with the previous few weeks weather been so miserable I thought that it was never going to happen but suddenly it's right here and now! The first baby avocet yesterday and lots of fat little black headed gull chicks looking all very innocent and well kind of sweet. And some of my scrub land favourites, young long tailed tits, tree sparrows and a brood of robins in the toilet block who are almost near to fledging. Even the bearded tits are showing signs of having young with the adults now collecting large beak fulls of insects and taking them back to the nest deep in the reedbed. Unfortunately it looks like the first brood of beardies was very badly hit by the cold spring of April and May with many nests and young succumbing to the effects of the cold. Fortunately they can have three broods so lets hope they get moving and rear some good summer clutches.
I have'nt updated the sightings too much recently unfortunatly due to the team and myself being a little waylayed by 17 very unruly heifers. Apologies for any disturbance during visiting hours due to this recently but unfortunatly thats what you get with livestock!
Raptors have been entertaining with a superb hobby last night at Singleton catching insects and eating them in mid air over the nesting avocets, also some great marsh harrier food passes going on, hen harrier, buzzard and short eared owls still showing well and peregrine hunting on occasions. Barn owls have also been very good with at least three pairs using the reedbed to hunt over with one poor owl only just escaping the attention of 5 great black backed gulls who were trying to get it to drop its prey. Poor old barnie just made it back into his box though and with his vole!
Last weeks mad rush of waders seems to have slowed down again but a few still going through including up to 27 curlew, dunlin, ringed and little ringed plover and the odd snipe.
Still plenty of bittern activity on site with the males booming big time last night and birds showing on and off during the day. Migrants still trickle in with a big influx of reed warblers in the last few days to join the sedge, grasshopper warblers, whitethroats and blackcaps all singing away. A cuckoo has been heard a couple of times but is still not regular.
The hare's seem to get tamer by the day with a young leverett actually sniffing my wellington yesterday evening, poor lad, he won't be the same again.
Groppers have been a bit shy this spring but here's an excellent photo by Malc Exley
And a photo I took this morning showing how late summer is this year - my first damselfly on the sands, this one's a large red
And the Koniks showing how they manage wetlands!
