Blackthorn and the demise of an Otter

A warm sunny day (max 15 degrees) and the first blackthorn blossom has ventured out in the hedgerow along the south side of Hornsea Mere. The blossom appears on naked twigs and branches well before the leaves come out.

Blackthorn blossom

In second field there was a sad sight - a dead Otter. There were no signs of it being shot or attacked by dogs so it was a mystery as to what caused its death. I've no reason to believe any suspicious circumstances were involved but I reported it to the local Wildlife Crime officer just in case.

A visit to the hide at Wassand was pretty quiet as usual at this time of the year, but 3 Cetti's Warblers singing close to the hide gave me something to try and locate, but although there were fleeting glimpses I had no chance of getting a photo.

A Treecreeper appeared on the alder right next to the hide but because I had the long lens on my camera it was too close to focus on! I had to wait until it went further up the tree before I could get a pic.

Treecreeper

The Marsh Harriers were out and about again and one of the females was battling against a strong headwing when trying to land in the reed bed.

Female Marsh Harrier soaring

Signs Of Spring

My usual walk onto Kirkholme Point then round to the footpath along the south of Hornsea Mere was a real joy yesterday. The sun had a warmth to it that has been missing since late last year - although the breeze was cool and it still felt cold if you were in the shadow of the sun.

A nice surprise was seeing a couple of flowering Common Field Speedwell in first field. Several of our wild flowers are emerging now and in a few weeks we'll have more colour back in the fields, woods and grass verges around town. 

Common Field Speedwell

Two Skylarks were singing high in the air over the fields and a flock of 36 Lapwing flew over, heading north. I counted 5 Cetti's Warbler singing! This little, unobtrusive bird is seldom seen as it sings its loud song before moving to another song perch in the undergrowth. Numbers are on the increase around the Mere which is great news.

A Fox was mooching along in the sun, walking slowly some way ahead of me along the hedgerow. It eventually heard me and turned round to give me a once-over before heading into cover:

Reed Buntings are now singing their usual song and it's great to hear them in the reed beds and willows - Spring is definitely in the air.

Walking towards the hide at Wassand, a female Marsh Harrier was heading west over the reeds. These birds are present at The Mere all year round, but they are particularly active at this time of year as they are displaying and pairing up for the breeding season.

Female Marsh Harrier

female Marsh Harrier

2 Redwing were flitting about in the hawthorns looking for berries, but they were hard pressed to find any as most of them were eaten well before the turn of the year.

In the hide there were 3 Marsh Harriers above the reed beds and lots of wild fowl as usual (but nothing of note unfortunately). The Goldeneyes are worth watching though as the males are displaying to the females, and anythingf else that's about too :)

 

drake Goldeneye displaying

Then, the sight I was hoping for - an Otter! It was swimming about 50 yards from the hide but mostly underwater. It broke the surface every now and then before diving again and it was impossible to guess where it would emerge next in order to get a photo. This was the best I could do - nice tail, pity about the rest of it.

An Otter's tail