March has been a spectacular month (bird-wise at least) and has brought all the delights of spring, fine weather and lots of great birds to see! This trend seems only set to continue, as since moving into April we've had yet another jam-packed week, with the spring vagrants in full show and yet more new species for the blog!
Let's just jump straight into the new species, starting with a Magpie, in our own garden! Whilst pretty common across the UK, we just don't seem to get them locally, so any time we see one it's a pleasant surprise. Corvids aren't unusual in the garden for us, and often we have Carrion Crows (even a hybrid from time to time), Jackdaws and Rooks all coming down to investigate the fat balls on the feeder. Elsewhere on our walks, we had records of Ravens and even a Jay, so getting our full corvid compliment this week.
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| A Moorhen comes to the water to clean its muddy bill |
The marshes were the hive of activity this week though. Teals and Mallards are common sights (and sounds), with a Grey Heron making an appearance now and then. Previously we have had records of Snipe in the marshes, however this week we had our first Jack Snipe! Due to their small size and camouflage, they can be very hard to pick out, and so its possible there could well be more hiding out of view. Perhaps not as glamourous, but still nice to see was our first Moorhen. They have always been about, but with limited habitat and a reclusive nature, they can be quite challenging to spot locally. If that wasn't enough, we also had our first Reed Buntings of the year!
Away from the marshes and we had plenty of other waders this week. Ringed Plovers and Turnstone were around in small groups, and a single Dunlin managed to find it's way to our shores midweek. Finally, alongside a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, we had records of Black-tailed Godwits (70 of them no less!) up in our end of the loch.
Elsewhere around the beaches, we had some records of Rock Pipits. Alongside them, a pair of Grey Wagtails. Whilst we get Pied Wagtails fairly regularly (up to 10 this week), Grey's are more infrequent and so very nice to see. Another uncommon record up until now, Blackcaps have started appearing again. These are partial migrants, so whilst we might have some locally overwinter, we still get a spring influx as they return from the warmer south. Finally, the spring Chiffchaffs are out in full force, with as many as 9 seen (and heard) in one day.
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| Sandwich Tern in the midst of a plumage change |
Indeed many of the species we saw for the first time in the past 2 weeks are now present in considerable numbers. From a single Sandwich Tern last week, we now have 10 records, and we expect this only to continue to grow in the coming days. From terns to gulls, this week we've done very well. Black-headed, Common and Herring Gulls are as regular as ever, with even a couple of Scandinavian Herring Gulls thrown into the mix as well. Lesser and Greater Black-backed Gulls have also been fairly prevalent of late, with 8 and 11 birds seen respectively. Amongst all this activity, we also had our first Mediterranean Gull of the year. Contrary to their name they are often sighted on our coasts, indeed it's likely that this bird wintered in Britain somewhere.
March has been a spectacular month, with 15 new species across both birds and mammals. What better way to end in then, with the sighting of our first March Hare. Normally they are nocturnal and quite elusive, however, spring means breeding season and so we should expect to see more of them in the coming weeks.
It has only been a few days and April is already shaping up to be a terrific month for birding and (the advantage of writing these a week behind) I know we're going to see even more new species as the month progresses. If the weather stays like it is, then it should be a beautiful spring, so here is hoping that we're allowed out to enjoy it!
[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]
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