Warblers Arriving

 Chiffchaffs have been here for a while so it's time Willow Warblers made an appearance locally. They are present at Tophill Low and other places close by but we haven't come across one yet.

Blackcaps were found in Wassand Wood yesterday and today, two birds on each day located by song. My previous earliest record was 30 March.

Blackcap with twig in the way as usual

Bees and hoverflies are growing in number and the most common hoverfly at the moment is everywhere.

Tapered Drone Fly

I came across this plant in Wassand and wondered what it was so I looked it up. It certainly isn't native to these shores so I don't know how it got here. American Skunk-cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) is an invasive species and causes problems with drainage systems along waterways apparently - we need to get rid of it so I'll speak to someone at Wassand.

Invasive species - American Skunk-cabbage

The Marsh Harriers have started displaying and nest building at the Mere with up to four birds seen around the reed beds. Images to follow in due course.

The paths and tracks are drying up nicely now and wellies are a thing of the past (for now!).

It hasn't been this dry since last autumn!

Welly-free zone

Roe deer are becoming more active by the day and I see several most days now. These four were keeping their eyes on me this morning.

Roe deer at Weatherhill

The set aside is greening up and showing colour now with the brassicas flowering. They will be ploughed in later when this year's wild flower mix is sown (hopefully).

Set aside brassicas in flower

A drake Common Scoter appeared on the Mere on Wednesday but stayed distant. A few heavily cropped pics are shown here purely for the record.

Drake Common Scoter on the Mere

Yellowhammers have been few and far between with just two singing around the Mere in the past week. This one was photographed south of Southorpe so not in the Mere recording area.

Male Yellowhammer

I would like to do at least a couple of posts each week but it does depend on whether there is enough wildlife around to make it interesting. With spring well and truly up and running I am positive that this will be the case.

More Shades Of Grey

 Well the good weather didn't last long 😂😂😂 we're back to grey days with mist or drizzle optional. The one thing that has been absolutely unchanging is the mud underfoot. Well, I say unchanging - the depth and quality of said mud has varied a bit!

It has been 20+ days since I saw the first Small Tortoiseshells of the year back in February, but to see another on Tuesday looking smart and pristine rather than faded and worn was a bit of a surprise. Stream Dike was the location for this beauty.

Small Tortoiseshell

Just next door was a bumblebee, not just any old bumblebee but my first Common Carder Bumblebee of the year.

Common Carder Bumblebee

I've been walking on the seafront most mornings to escape from the wet, muddy ground and the need to wear wellies (urghhh sweaty feet generators!) and every now and then you are presented with a picture postcard view. Cue a nice line up of gulls on the groyne by The Hub.

Wonder what they are queueing for?

Elsewhere the birds are starting to move, with Meadow Pipits and Skylarks in the vanguard.

Meadow Pipit on the cliff top

The number of Chiffchaffs arriving has also increased, with double figures every morning now being the norm. They are usually to be found feeding and singing in the tops of trees but come down into the lower branches and into shrubs if food leads them there. This morning's light was poor, hence the poor quality of these images.

Chiffchaff along Southorpe Road this morning

As above

The Rookery at Weatherhill is good and busy with birds bringing in twigs, large twigs and what look to be branches sometimes! They don't always just fly straight in to the nest to drop their wares, occasionally they circle with the twigs in their beaks until some message reaches them that the recipient in the nest is ready to accept the offering.

Weatherhill Rookery - the sound of spring

Rook with nest material

It's early days yet but the Marsh Harriers and the Common Buzzards at the Mere haven't shown much sign of hooking up yet. A few encounters have been observed but nothing to suggest any serious pairing up.

Back at home things are looking good for our resident Smooth Newts, both male and female were seen in the pond yesterday - but they were camera shy as always.

Norman Newt hiding from the papparazi

SPRING!!

 First of all - we had two Great White Egrets at the Mere this morning. I saw them from Southorpe Road after Jon told me they were present, then when I eventually got to the hide they flew in.

Two Great White Egrets in Decoy reedbed

Spring was definitely in the air this morning. It was calm and sunny and warm. Birds were singing, bees were humming, flies were buzzing and flowers were...well, flowering 😀

I spotted my first Speedwell of the year - lots of them in the set aside field.

Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica)

The blackthorns are flowering now too, like a few shrubs they flower before the leaves come out and then the blossom eventually turns into sloes later in the year. They are quite long-lived too - up to 100 years.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)

On one of the blackthorns I spotted a fly, it turned out to be a Yellow Dung Fly, not on its usual patch of sheep poo😉

Yellow Dung Fly on blackthorn

I found a new fly species for me today. Gonia picea. At first sight it looked like a bee.

Gonia picea - quite hairy for a fly

After only mentioning the other day that I hadn't seen a Brown Hare for a while, one ran across a field yesterday morning. It was way off in the distance so no chance of a pic but it was great to see.

Back to this morning's walk and a Mistle Thrush flew up from the ridge and furrow field by Weatherhill into a tree. I managed to get relatively close for a pic or two.

Mistle Thrush

In the wood the dawn chorus was sounding really good this morning. I stopped about half way to the hide and listened for about 5 minutes and here's a list of the birds I heard, either near by or distantly:   Great Spotted Woodpecker (call and drumming); Great Tit; Blue Tit; Rook; Jackdaw; Pheasant; Mallard; Buzzard; Blackbird; Dunnock; Robin; Wren; Chaffinch; Chiff Chaff; Cetti's Warbler. This will only get better as spring wears on and the early warblers get into the wood and surrounding area.

While I was in the hide waiting for the egrets to emerge from the reedbed again (they didn't!) there was plently to keep me entertained:

Like ships that pass in the night

The long-staying solitary Tufted Duck

Male Marsh Harrier

Cream crown Marsh Harrier

Grey Heron

Grey Heron close up

A few Goldeneye

As I was walking back home the two Great White Egrets came back to the area by the Cormorant Trees.

Great White Egret at The Mere

At last, something to write about!!

I found a Great White Egret and a Smew (redhead) this morning. The GWE was a year first but the Smew wasn't as we've had a few brief visitations already. The GWE was over on the north shore and the Smew was mid-Mere so nothing but record shots.

This and pic below - redhead Smew

Great White Egret at Hermitage

GWE in Hermitage reedbed (60x digiscoped)

GWE digiscoped and cropped

On Tuesday I had 5 Grey Herons over the north reedbed in Decoy making a hell of a racket as they sorted each other out.

Three of the five Grey Herons over Decoy reedbed

Last week I enjoyed the sight and sound of 4 Common Buzzards over Seaton pond. With a lovely blue sky as a backdrop it was a glorious few minutes before they soared off.

Common Buzzards over Seaton pond

Common Buzzard

I have only seen a single Brown Hare this year so I hope they start appearing soon.

Buzzard and Barn Owl

 Just one Buzzard and one Barn Owl this morning but they took the majority of my time.

The Buzzard was making a racket, calling over and over again, and as I was in the wood I couldn't get a clear shot for quite some time until I got a clear patch through the trees. Even then the branches of the tree it perched in got in the way 😂. Sometimes you just have to accept that it wasn't meant to be.

Common Buzzard

Obscurred By Branches

As for the Barn Owl. I spent about an hour trying to get a closer shot than a zillion yards - but it didn't happen either. Still great to see though and really happy these days to see one locally, never mind get a pic too.

Barn Owl