Monday 2 April 2018

Easter Weekend

Four days off for Easter and the weather has been awful, cold, wet, windy at times and hardly any Sun. I normally expect to potter in the garden, take a few photos and generally chill out but the garden is weeks behind schedule and I haven't done much at all. To make matters worse, the birding hasn't been all that great either, migrants are late, and those that have arrived have been in very small quantities.
On Saturday I spent a few hours at Rye Meads. I left Stevenage in persistent rain so i thought I'd made a good choice in destination, with plenty of hides to shelter in, but luckily it dried up as I drove south. It remained dull, overcast and chilly though.
I got my first year tick shortly after leaving the visitor centre when I heard a rather brief snatch of Blackcap song in the dense ivy by the livestock pens. Moments later I heard my first Chiffchaff of the year over by the Water Vole view points-the first of about five birds heard today, and by far the latest date for singing birds for me.
I spent a bit of time in the Draper hide but there wasn't a great deal happening. Black Headed Gull numbers are very high with imminent signs of breeding, and there were lot of Shoveller and Gadwall still, with a few Teal, Tufted Duck and Pochard and a Shelduck. Water levels remain high so there were no waders present.



On to Gadwall Hide serenaded by several Cetti's Warblers and Chiffchaffs. A few Tits and Chaffinches were noted but not much else. Lots more Black Headed Gulls on the rocky islands of the drained north lagoon, one Oystercatcher and one Green Sandpiper.


I spent a while in the Kingfisher Hide but there wasn't much happening, and a stroll to the Meads didn't get me anything either. I kept scanning the skies in the vain hope of a flyover hirundine but it was just too cold to expect any to appear.

Sunday morning was spent on a circuit around Aston End. I did consider going to Norton Green as Tom Spellar was there and watched a White Stork drop in (unfortunately one of the rather dodgy ringed birds that seem to be resident in southern England). It was another chilly dull day with a keen northerly breeze. It was rather wet, with a lot of very muddy footpaths and the river Beane was in full spate-something I haven't seen for several years now, usually by the beginning of April it is virtually dry. Will be interesting to see how long it lasts.
Very few birds seen at all, and very hard work finding those I did. Highlights included three singing Greenfinch-which appear to be recovering in numbers locally, three Song Thrush, two different Green Woodpeckers, a pair of Bullfinches, and at least four Stock Doves-not a regular species here. I had hoped to hear a Chiffchaff or two but if present, they were staying very quiet. It looks like the wintering thrushes have departed-I had a chat with a someone I see occasionally and he had seen a large Fieldfare flock by the ford the previous week but none since.
While some of the willows are flowering, others are still in bud, as is the Blackthorn. Compared to recent springs, everything seems to be 2-3 weeks late. I still haven't seen a butterfly, and only a few bumble bees.

No comments: