Spring is Here

Oorah!! for week 11 I think its returned I saw it this week evidence that new life is being reborn life that only comes at spring time…what.. you know, I saw frog spawn this week in the pond on my work patch area this week evidence that spring has sprung and if that wasn’t enough how about spring migrants returning from africa evidence again. Reports of Little Ringed Plovers, Sand Martins, Wheatears, White Wagtails and Osprey this week had me looking around My Patch area at Broadstones Reservoir.

My day started early about 7am and it felt more and looked more like winter this early but things started to warm up and then the birds started singing Chaffinch [Video Link] were in full song along with Yellowhammer, Linnet, Dunnock, Wren there were all in full song. On at the reservoir Oystercatchers [Video Link] 8 in all making their calls and piping in the near by fields Curlews and Lapwings were in evidence too. On the reservoir water Mallards, Canada Geese, Common Gulls, Black Headed Gulls, and Little Grebe along the inlet banking Grey Wagtail and Reed Bunting could be found.

I made my way back to the car and onto the Common area fields to find a pair of Little Owls sitting a top the fence posts enjoying by now the spring sunshine, Pied Wagtails, Crow, Jackdaws, Lapwings, Curlews all in the ajoining fields. As I made my way around to Cheesegate Nab I made a pull in next to a nice sloping field short grass a place were I might find a Wheatear they like this kind of open grass area. firstly I saw Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and then a wagtail which turned out to be a White Wagtail [Moticilla alba alba] a subspecies of our Pied Wagtail [Moticilla alba yarrellii], a spring migrant from mainland Europe showing its paler grey back distinctive black cap appearance, cleaner and whiter appearance than Pied and then in to view a Male Wheatear followed closely by a female now spring has sprung I told you it had, my first true migrant of the year and seen before March was out. It was nice to have the sun on my back and the feeling of warmer days to come bringing insects back to life a new season of Butterflies and Dragonflies happy days.