Enjoying the Summer Sun: Bird Report for 18/05/20 - 24/05/20

Another week has passed by, with all manner of different weathers experienced. As we creep slowly towards summer the birds continue to keep up their prodigious activity, so as always we've had lots of great records. 

Waders are something you are guaranteed to see around the Wig, however, such is our variety of species that no two weeks are ever the same. This week was good for Dunlins and Sanderlings, which were seen quite regularly and had good counts of 18 and 16 respectively. Ringed Plovers are still present in substantial flocks (60-70), along with Curlews and Whimbrels. We even had an immature Knot, recognizable by its well-patterned wings and lack of orange breast. 

The loch has been good for seabirds this week, with up to 60 Gannets being recorded in one day. We also had the return of Razorbills, which despite them breeding locally on Ailsa Craig, have not seen sighted on the loch for a while. Black Guillemots have been similarly scarce of late, so it was very nice to see them more frequently this week, including  11 in a single afternoon. 

Black Guillemot in summer plumage

On sunny days walking along the beach can seem like a hot prospect, and so I take my walks in the shade of the woods. Brief as they are, I was still able to catch some great views of a Nuthatch, as well as a glimpse of a passing Whitethroat. Over in the Estate woods, there were even more of these, along with some Great-spotted Woodpeckers, and a lone Treecreeper. 

These woods are also a hot spot for our local Tawny Owls, and whilst they can be hard to get your eyes on, they occasionally call to let us know they're present. Birds of prey have been doing well this week, and alongside our regular Buzzards, we also saw a Sparrowhawk on two consecutive days. It was certainly hunting successfully as we saw it carrying prey as it flew by. 

This seemed to upset some birds, as when it passed by a group of 3 Mistle Thrushes, they began to mob it. Perhaps we need more raptors to pass by since these were the only Mistle Thrushes recorded this week. Song Thrushes are as vocal as ever, and we often hear (more often than see) 5 or 6 in a day.

Swallows seem to be alright locally, at least we are still seeing them on a daily basis. Recently though we had a House Martin boom, with up to 50 individuals recorded in a single sitting. We even saw a pair of Sand Martins earlier in the week to round out our collection. 

Greylag Goose, taken at Aldouran Glen

For a final species, I couldn't help but mention the Greylag Geese over at Loch Connell. Unlike the many geese that winter here and then leave in the spring, these have actually travelled here in the spring to breed. The evidence, 11 Greylags alongside 13 cute and fluffy goslings!  

Alongside all of our birds, there always seems to be some additional wildlife surprises in store for us each week. This week we had a Diving Beetle, an unusual record since we don't have a lot of ponds or similar habitats which they are normally found. This one was in a cattle trough of all places! That wasn't all, as out in the loch we saw a pair of dolphins bow-riding a fishing boat. These are occasional visitors to the loch, and it's nice to see that they are enjoying themselves in the sun.

And that's the end of another exciting week. May is starting to draw to a close, but I'm sure next week will continue to provide a plethora of records, and hopefully, one last surprise before summer arrives.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]

The Buzz of Activity: An Introduction to Bees

With spring rapidly heading towards summer, more and more signs of new life can be seen every day. The breeding season is certainly well underway for the birds, as well as our bees. Not as large or as vocal as our birds, bees are common visitors to our gardens that are often overlooked. The increasingly sunny weather is perfect for looking out for our buzzing neighbours. Hopefully this article will teach you a little bit more about and inspire a deeper appreciation of these furry pollinators.

Did you know that there are over 270 species of bee in Britain and Ireland? Bees are Hymenopterans: a class of insects that can be told by their narrow-waist appearance. Many will have guessed that wasps (indeed many of these can be very similar in appearance and difficult to distinguish from bees) are also in this class but – perhaps less obviously – so are ants and sawflies. Here we will look at some of the more common species of bee.

Bumblebees

When you read that this blog post was going to be about bees, I wouldn’t be surprised if the image that sprang to mind was of a bumblebee. Large, noisy and furry (and adorable!) bumblebees are more obvious and easier to identify than other bee species, not to mention they can more frequently be seen at garden flowers. There are around 24 species of bumblebee in Britain, some are ubiquitous whilst others only occur in specialised habitats. No doubt many of you can already identify different species, even if you don’t realise it!

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee, covered in pollen!

Perhaps the commonest species that you will encounter are buff-tailed bumblebees, white-tailed bumblebees, garden bumblebees, tree bumblebees, early bumblebees and red-tailed bumblebees. Buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) are large bumblebees with an orange-yellow band behind the head and another across the abdomen (the ‘tail-end’ part of the body) and their characteristic buff tail (beware, this fades to white on older bees!). This pattern is very similar to the slightly smaller white-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum agg.), with a pure white tail and more lemon-yellow bands (useful for distinguishing buff- and white-tails later in the season). As well as a yellow band behind the head and a white tail, garden bumblebees (Bombus hortorum) have a wide yellow band across their middle that crosses where the abdomen and thorax (large body section behind the head) meet. Whilst also white-tailed, tree bumblebees (Bombus hypnorum) are fairly distinctive with their fluffy thorax being orange in colour. Having only arrived in Britain in 2001, the tree bumblebee is now fairly widespread. The early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) is a relatively small bumblebee. It has a similar pattern to white-tailed bumblebees but has a red-coloured tail. Not surprisingly, the red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) also has a red tail, however, the rest of its body is completely black.

Whilst they go by different names, carder bees and cuckoo bumblebees are also bumblebees. Carder bees are generally completely orange-brown all over. The common carder bee (Bombus pascuorum) is the species that you are most likely to come across in your garden. Cuckoo bumblebees are parasitic bees – they take over the colony of their host and deceive the workers into raising their own young. As such, cuckoo bumbles can look very similar to ‘normal’ bumblebees. Queens can be distinguished by a less hairy appearance (they have no pollen baskets) and they fly with a deeper buzz but males and workers can be rather difficult to differentiate in the field.

Honey Bees

Despite what many people think, not all bees make honey. In fact, the formation of structured hives and the production of honey is limited to only honey bees. Other bees make their homes in holes in the ground, buildings or even in hollow twigs and stems. The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the only species of honey bee in Britain. It is in fact non-native, being introduced from Africa by beekeepers, but has since established feral populations and is a common sight in our countryside and gardens. Around this time, honey bees may also be seen in a dense swarm. This occurs when an existing hive has either split into two or been destroyed and the bees are on the lookout for a new home. These swarms may look intimidating but worry not, for if you keep your distance then the bees will not bother you and swarms generally move on within 24 hours.

A Fabricius' Nomad Bee from the woodland

Other Bees

Despite them containing more species, solitary bees are less well known due to their smaller size and similar appearances (especially the males). Whilst some can be accurately identified on sight, others require detailed pictures and others still can only be identified under a microscope. Andrena (mining bees) is the largest genus of bees in Britain, containing species that burrow into bare patches of ground. Of these, the tawny mining bee (Andrena fulva) is fairly obvious (being tawny coloured all over). Tawny mining bees are currently expanding their range in Scotland, so keep your eyes peeled! Another bee that you are quite likely to see is the red mason bee (Osmia bicornis). These love to nest in holes in walls and can also be readily attracted into your garden by putting up ‘bee hotels’. My favourites to look out for are nomad bees (genus Nomada; wasp-like black, yellow and red-banded bees) and blood bees (genus Sphecodes; small black and red bees). These are cleptoparasites (similar to cuckoo bumblebees) and their presence also reveals the presence of their host species without even having to see them!

In my enthusiasm, I seem to have waffled on for longer than intended – I hope that after reading all this your head isn’t buzzing! Hopefully you might look twice at our bees now, you might be surprised what you can find.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]

Coming across Crossbills: Bird Report for 11/05/20 - 17/05/20

We've finally seen some breaks in our sunny streak this week, with the occasional rainy days causing some damp. Fortunately, this never seems to bother our birds, and we saw all of the many species that we have been recording of late. Hopefully the sun comes back soon though, rain doesn't make for the most pleasant outings after all! 

Starting off the week we have a boatload of records from the other side of the loch. Gill Deacon has sent us a load of records from around Leffnel Point (in between Cairnryan and Stranraer). Some of these included Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and plenty of Wheatears. This last species is particularly encouraging to hear about since locally we haven't seen as many Wheatears. Going even further out, there were Whinchats and even some Crossbills up in the conifers on the moors behind Cairnryan. These are very exciting to hear about, and hopefully we can get over there to see them ourselves. Thanks again to Gill to providing these records for us. 

Over at our end, things have seemed a little bit quiet this week, though maybe that's because the rain kept us indoors more often. Regardless of the weather, you can be always certain of seeing some gulls. This week we had regular sightings of Black-headed, Herring and Common Gulls, alongside good numbers (2-3 daily) of Greater Black-backed Gulls, and even some Lesser Black-backed Gulls scattered across the week. Quickly looking at our Terns; Sandwich Terns have been daily sightings, we've had a couple of Common Terns and one impressive group of 8 Arctic Terns on Thursday. 

Flocks of male Eiders certainly do look magnificent

Out on the loch our ducks have been starting to flock together. Male Eider have been gathering in groups of 30-50 individuals, with only the occasional female spotted. The males are gathering to moult, whereas the females have mostly headed off towards their breeding grounds. Whilst nice to see in these numbers, in the past we have seen several hundred of Eider round the Wig at the same time, so it is sad to see that they are not doing so well of late. Whilst the Scoters may have disappeared from our waters, Red-Breasted Mergansers are still about and were seen daily in groups of around 20 birds. Finally, in the marshes, we have been seeing some more Mallards again, but as of yet still no ducklings. 

The marshes did have a pleasant surprise for us this week however, a record of the illusive Moorhen. Normally they stay well hidden in the vegetation, as indeed this one was. Fortunately it announced its presence by calling, which is encouraging know they are still about. Much can be heard from the marshes, as this week we also had three Sedge Warblers and a single Reed Bunting. 

Of course, many species are showing continued signs of breeding. This week we saw it in Stonechats, with records of a male, female carrying food, and even a juvenile male as well. Many birds are showing more and more individuals in breeding plumage, including several Dunlin and our first summer plumage Turnstone. Whilst we're on the waders I have to mention the Ringed Plovers, which whilst are not uncommon around the Wig, tend to be only recorded in moderate numbers. This week we had over 170 in one day alone, truly an impressive count!

Just a tad of tadpoles!

Finally, it's not only the birds that are actively breeding at this time. Not only did we have our first Common Frog sighting, but within the marsh pond we had over 5000 toad tadpoles (approximately, the thought of counting them individually was too much!). Hopefully a few of them are able to survive, and perhaps we'll see them again but as frogs this time. 

That's probably enough for this week. Hopefully the rain lets up going into next week, after all, there is so much to see! There are still a few more species that we hope to see over the coming weeks, and I for one would love to see some Crossbills, so perhaps we'll get over there and you can hear about it in next week's article.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]

Trading Winter Feathers for Summer: Bird Report for 04/05/20 - 10/05/20

There's not much to say about this week, the weather has been fantastic and so have the birds. The incoming migration of species might have slowed down (though we still found a new one!), but the bird diversity is higher than it has ever been before. Even from short local walks, we have been seeing tons of bird activity, as well as some right in our garden.

Last week I spoke of many breeding plumages, and this week it was the Great-Northern Divers turn to show off. Not only did we have 7 in one day (our highest recorded count of the year) but 6 individuals were in their majestic breeding plumage. Furthermore, we also have the return to the blog of a Great Crested Grebe. They have been absent these past few weeks so it's nice to see one back on loch. Another rare visitor this week were Red-necked Grebes. Previously we only had 2 records over winter, however this week alone we were able to match that! They were also in their summer plumage so showing off their distinctive colouration that gives them their name.

A Dunlin showing off its summer plumage, most noticeably it's black belly

Another species showing off their summer plumage are the Dunlins. Over the winter we have had the occasional record of an individual or small groups of birds, but now those numbers have increased substantially. With flocks as large as 67 birds, they have been staple records this past week. Sanderlings have also been on the rise of late, with three instances of records across the week and a max count of 14 birds. Our other waders included a pair of Bar-tailed Godwits, some Turnstones and several flocks (20-40 birds) of Ringed Plovers. 

On the loch itself, the final few species I want to look at are some of the ducks. Common Scoter used to be a daily record for us as they winter on the loch, often in large numbers. Most of these have since headed up north to breed, but we still had a flock of 54 this week which was nice to see. Also diminished in numbers, Long-tailed Ducks are still making their presence felt this week. These breed further north on Tundra's, but that hasn't stopped a few males displaying their chocolatey summer plumage.

We recently had a restock of bird food, so that means plenty of activity in our garden again. Alongside the innumerable House Sparrows and Starlings, we are also seeing Coal Tits fairly regularly in the garden, which is particularly nice. We have even found evidence of them nesting nearby, so hopefully they will continue to keep up these appearances. I occasionally see Coal Tits during my daily walk through the woods, but Blue and Great Tits are definitely the most prevalent.  Another garden delight was the arrival of another new species for the blog, the Greenfinch. Whilst Chaffinches are very common and Goldfinches pretty regular, Greenfinches are practically a rarity locally, so it was very nice to see (and hear) one right on our doorstep. 

A Coal Tit, you can just see its white nape which helps differentiate them from Great Tits

Not that we have been lacking in things to hear this week. Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers all compete to be heard, resulting in a magnificent chorus that continues all the way around the Wig. Amongst them you can also hear Reed Buntings, Whitethroats, Sedge Warblers, and even a Meadow Pipit. There were plenty of birds flying about though, including Linnets, Nuthatches and a single Goldcrest. The fields, hedgerows and woods are all a hive of activity now, and these are just a taster of what can be seen. 

Once again we've had a great week, a trend set to continue for the rest of the month hopefully. Perhaps the best news is we are now allowed to go out for prolonged durations, so you can bet we will be using this to the fullest extent and going even further afield than before. What new records this may result in, you'll have to check back in later for, but you be sure that we will have plenty of more exciting records in the coming weeks.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]

A Choir of Calls: Tips for Learning Bird Song

It's at this time of the year when birds suddenly burst into song, and our gardens, hedges and woods are filled with their beautiful and varied calls. Whilst listening to the birds can be a great experience in itself, it is also a key way of identifying and recording species. When they're all singing at once this can be somewhat of a challenge, especially if like me, you are not very well versed in your bird songs. In this article, I will not highlight how to identify particular species, but rather try to highlight some tips that have helped me improve on my bird song identification.

The sheer volume of species, songs and calls can be a very daunting prospect, so the best place to start is with one species. Depending on your local area, current experience and level of confidence this could really be anything, but you want to ensure that it is a species that you are guaranteed to hear. It might be a common garden bird, like Blackbirds, Robins, or Chaffinches, or a hedge or woodland based songbird like Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, or Willow Warblers. If you go out anywhere in Dumfries and Galloway you have a good chance of hearing all of these birds, and so they can be an excellent first species to practice on. And if it so happens to be raining on the day you want to practice, sound clips of bird calls can be found very easily online and so are a great resource to practice with. I have included some of these below, so definitely check out the website if you're looking for a place to start. 

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/common-blackbird/

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/european-robin/

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/blackcap/

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/willow-warbler/

One great way to pick-up bird calls quickly is by giving them an easily recognizable phrase that you can almost hear in the noise they make, a mnemonic.  Of course, very few birds speak in English, but sometimes they sound very similar, and you can almost hear them trying to make these phrases. The one I've known since very little, it's the Great Tit call "teacher-teacher". Other examples include the Chiffchaff's namesake call "chiff-chaff", and the hungry Yellowhammers "a little bit of bread and no cheese". There are many such mnemonics, so look in your bird guide for what species have them, or even make up your own ones once you have a good grasp on what the call sounds like!

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/eurasian-great-tit/

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/chiffchaff/ 

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/yellowhammer/

Some species are particularly helpful in that they have truly unique cries that are distinct and easy to pick out, especially given their preferred habitat. Around the Wig, Eiders are a great example of this, with their deep "ooh-e" cooing sounds that can be heard across great distances. Another distinctive call you might hear coming from the water is the high pitch eerie "aooooh-wee" of the Great-northern Diver, which would not sound out of place in a horror film. Elsewhere you can hear the loud screaming "kya-kya" of a Jay, or perhaps the iconic "cu-koo" of the Cuckoo itself. Whilst a lot of these species can be hard to find, or may only be around at certain times of the year, knowing these characteristic calls will help you pick them out when you do hear them. 

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/common-eider/

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/jay/

https://www.british-birdsongs.uk/common-cuckoo/

Learning bird songs from scratch is an intimidating prospect, but like most tasks, it will come easily with practice. You might be surprised to find that you already know many calls. Whilst you might not instinctively know what species they belong to, I bet nearly anyone will recognize a Herring Gull's cry or a Blackbird's song. From there the library of cries is immense and more varied than the species that make them. As challenges go, however, it is certainly pleasant on the ears, and every species learned is an experience you can enjoy each time you hear them after. 

I hope in this article I have provided some pointers on how to start learning bird calls and maybe instilled some motivation to get out there and try it for yourselves. This is by no means an exact science, as I am pretty new to this myself and so this is my approach to it. However, I think they are certainly a good starting point for you to work from and let you build your confidence off of. If you are unfamiliar with bird calls then I hope this will encourage you to go out and try learning them, or at least to stop and listen to the beautiful chorus that birds can provide. 

Feeding, Cross-breeding and Ducklings! Bird Report for 27/04/20 - 03/05/20

This week we finally hit May and looking back over April its safe to say that it has been our best month so far, in both daily counts and new species recorded. This was all due to the spring migration, which whilst this did see a few species leave us, has otherwise been a huge influx of birds coming to our climate in order to breed. This is something we expect to continue throughout May, so be on the lookout for birds in breeding plumage, local nesters, and maybe even some young birds. 

Many species have very distinctive breeding plumages, such as the Red-throated Diver, where it gains its namesake colour. Whilst some do breed in Scotland, they are up at Arran, and more of them over in Iceland. There are a few on Loch Ryan right now at least, and they are certainly magnificent to look at if you can find them. They aren't the only diver about, we are still seeing some Great-northern Divers, up to 4 on one day!

A Gannet takes the plunge

Whilst not divers by name, there are a lot of species of seabird which stoop into aerial dives and plunge into the water to fish. Largest of these are the Gannets, which breed locally on Ailsa Craig. Whilst they hunt all over the North Atlantic Ocean, we still see them daily over the Loch, with up 50 birds recorded in one day. Alongside them, we also get lots of the smaller terns. Sandwich Terns have been around for a while now and are the most numerous, having 107 seen on the Scar this week alone. Common Terns are about in ones and twos, and this week we finally had our first Arctic Tern of the spring! These birds have bred locally in the past, but normally we see them stopping over the Loch on their migration north. 

The last seabird I want to mention is the Cormorant. Most days these can be seen either out on the loch fishing or sitting on the Scar sunning themselves. Whilst many of these are local birds we had a visitor from distant shores this week. The subspecies P. c. sinesis is native to western Europe and eastern Asia, however, given the widespread nature of the Great Cormorant (our local species), it is not uncommon to see these sub-races crop up from time to time. 

If subspecies didn't make identifying birds hard enough, how about when two different species inter-breed? The resulting offspring are called hybrids and are seen in lots of species, including ducks and geese. Our local hybrids are from the corvid family, between Carrion and Hooded Crows. Often amongst regular Carrion Crows, we saw two of these such hybrids this week. Jackdaws and Rooks are common sightings around the Wig, and we rounded the week out with some Ravens as well. 

Loch Connell as seen from the road

Whilst a lot of our records come from around the Wig, another good local spot is Loch Connell. Located up the hill behind Kirkcolm, it is a small loch in the middle of some farmland. Whilst not much to look at, it does have some unique species that we don't really see elsewhere. In the winter the surrounding fields are host to hundreds of geese, most of which have since left us, yet at least three Greylag Geese still remain. Out on the water and there are many species of duck. This week Teal were out, alongside a family of Mallards with three little ducklings! Gulls are pretty much a staple species anywhere locally, but alongside large flocks of Herring Gulls, Loch Connell featured our only Lesser Black-backed Gull of the week. Birds aren't the only animals to see, as alongside Roe Deer in the fields we also had an Otter in the Loch as well. These are relatively easy to spot, you just have to be willing to get up early enough in the morning!

With all this animal activity, May certainly has got off to a strong start. Many of the migrant species have already settled in and have become staple records each week. Hopefully, this trend continues, and I'm sure we will see plenty of new species in the coming month!

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]

The Song of Spring: Bird Report for 20/04/20 - 26/04/20

April is drawing to a close and yet our bird activity is showing no signs of slowing down. Perhaps this is to be expected, with many species preparing, or even starting to breed. And yet somehow we're still getting new species appearing each week, such is the bountiful nature of the spring migration.

Following on from last week's guide, and we're already seeing Swallows on a daily basis. House Martins are becoming a regular sight as well and a couple will be breeding locally within our village. Friday was a particularly good day for them as we had 20 individual birds, our highest Martin count yet. Whilst not as frequent as the other two, we still did see a couple of Sand Martins over the week. These used to breed locally at Soleburn, but can still be found at Piltanton, or over on the west coast at Dally Bay. To round out the set we even had some Swifts, with four being recorded over the Hospital within Stranraer itself.

Spring could definitely be called the season of sounds, with so many birds calling to their mates, or singing to attract one. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer variety of songs, but it certainly never helps when some species like to spice it up with every sound they make. No more is this true than for the Song Thrush, and I spent a good amount of time up in the woods this week trying to pin down what was making the plethora of bizarre calls, only to find a Song Thrush as the culprit each time! What was also very nice to see this week has a high number of Mistle Thrushes. Not normally as prolific as their vocal cousins, we had consistent records of them in the Corsewall Estate Gardens, with up to as many as three in one day. That wasn't all on the thrush front, however, as we also had several records of Fieldfares this week. These birds winter in the UK, amongst other countries, and are now in the process of migrating back to Northern-Europe in order to breed.

Song Thrush in prime position to call out to the world

We are very fortunate that around the Wig there is a great diversity in the habitats and the species which they support. One such habitat which can be easily overlooked are the marshes. They are a short strip of tall vegetation that run alongside the beach, and this week they have been an explosion of activity. Staple species include Grey Herons which prowl the ponds, and the many ducks that feed alongside them. It is very common to hear Teal calling from behind the banks, however this week it was all about Mallards, with males showing very prominently on the marsh pools. No ducklings yet, but we did see some of those over at Loch Connell later in the week. Back to the marsh, and often the best way to find something is to hear it, as numerous birds call out from within the safety of the shrubs. Previously we've had Reed Buntings and Willow Warblers recording singing here, but this week we added another three species to the list! Expanding our Warblers roster, we had both Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers singing from within the marsh this week. Alongside them, our first Whitethroat, which we have heard many times since then. Every week I think we've seen the last of the spring migrants arriving and yet every week we manage to get a couple more, so I'm excited to see what next week brings.

Springtime is breeding time for many species of birds, and that includes our waders. For us locally this is on the Scar, a sand bar at the end of the track running up the Wig, and it's surrounding areas. Because of the breeding birds here, the area is off-limits from May till August, so if you are visiting the area please watch out for the signs and try to keep to the footpath.

Oystercatcher eggs are well hidden amongst the shingle

That doesn't mean we still can't see these birds, indeed this week provided a lot of action on the wader front. Alongside staple Oystercatchers (who breed along the beach, so watch your footing) we also had Curlews and 28 Whimbrels! There were also Bar and Black-tailed Godwits, Ringed Plover and Turnstones, and even some small flocks of Dunlin and Sanderling.

On a final note, I want to highlight our Raptors. We've been collecting and dissecting a lot of pellets lately and using their contents to determine their owners. To me though, it is no substitute for seeing them in person. Fortunately this week we've been pretty lucky, and alongside the more common Buzzards, we also had a Kestrel and Tawny Owls. Normally we only hear the Tawny Owls calling, but this week we not only saw 1, but 3! The Barn Owls still prove to be elusive however, and whilst we have evidence of them in the area, it's been a while since we've seen one.

Another week comes to close, and with it we're suddenly in the month of May. April has seen an explosion of bird activity, with so many migrants arriving, as well as our resident birds getting ready to breed. Going forward into May we can expect this activity to continue, and so hopefully we will have lots of more exciting records to report in the coming weeks.

[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]