January 1st - What a start to the year...

As my previous blog mentioned, the first day of the year is an exciting time and is eagerly awaited as an opportunity to start the new year's bird list. This Wednesday will certainly stick in the memory as an interesting start to the year - but not really for the reasons I had hoped.

Like all the best laid plans of mice and men, my intentions of getting up and being on the patch for first light fell by the wayside after having a couple of drinks too many whilst celebrating the arrival of the new year. The weather forecast for the day was no secret - it was meant to be awful. It appeared as though the weather gods were not going to be impressed with the fireworks that were to wake them when the clock struck midnight and had decided to wreak their revenge in the form of high winds and heavy rain - at least that is what the forecasters were predicting. In a rare bout of optimism however I thought that maybe they had got it wrong and I would wake to glorious sunshine.

As it happened, it seemed to be somewhere in between. I woke and it was already light - damn it - but the rain was not hammering the window and the trees were still standing. I headed straight out and I had one specific target in mind.

The great northern diver that I mentioned in the previous blog was, at least before darkness fell on the 31st, still present on Swan Pool and seeing as it was the first to be recorded in Sandwell Valley I thought it would be a nice way to start the 'year of the patch'. When I arrived I found a number of other birders and photographers were already present; clearly they had the same intention as me. The diver was performing in its usual manor. It gives amazing views for a tantalising few seconds but after gracefully descending below the waves it reappears on the other side of the lake - or sometimes it seems not to reappear at all!

The weather started to deteriorate almost as soon as I arrived at Swan Pool. The wind was beginning to pick up and those few drops of precipitation that were previously not a problem developed into much more of a persistent annoyance. As I set up the tripod to attempt to catch the diver on film, I was delighted to see two kingfishers fly out from the bank in front of me and straight across the lake. This was a massive bonus because, despite kingfishers being recorded every year in the Valley and regularly breeding in the area, they can be a pain to see. By this time the rain was becoming a problem and it was becoming increasingly apparent that birding in this weather would be difficult to say the least. Small birds don't like the rain and the wind so it would be a challenge to pin them down today.

Having set the tripod, I scanned the lake to see where the diver had got to. Panning across I saw an interesting 'rump' (not a phrase one often gets to use) disappear below the water. Shortly after, it surfaced. A black and white duck - but not the all-to-common tufted duck that is resident all year round in the Valley. This one has white sides with some delicate black markings on them and a white patch just behind its bill that glowed like beacon. A goldeneye!

Goldeneyes are annual visitors to the Valley and two or three birds are usually resident throughout the harsh winter months. However, it was particularly pleasing to see this male, and subsequently a female as well, because I had not seen one in the Valley as winter descended during the later stages of 2013. These ducks are strong little creatures and regularly spend time on the sea. It is when the cold winter sets in that they come inland and you can see sizeable gatherings of them on some of the larger reservoirs and lakes. They are a migratory species that travel north in the Spring and Summer months. There are a few pairs that breed in Scotland but many migrate much further into Scandinavia, Northern Russia and even Siberia.

With rain beginning to soak the camera the diver decided to make an appearance not too far from me. I quickly moved the tripod and filmed. I will let you be the judge of the resulting video but all I will say is that the water in Swan Pool does not flow up!

At some point during the day, the diver showed really wonderfully and another of the Valley patchworkers managed this fantastic photo.

Great Northern Diver - Sandwell Valley - Pete Hackett - Jan. 14

I walked around the rest of Swan Pool and had a look in the paddock area. The weather had clearly driven a lot of the regular smaller birds deep into the undergrowth. The softened ground proved good for some though when in one field I spotted a redwing feeding with some blackbirds. Then, like when you attune your eyes to an ant, more and more became apparent. After I cleared the rain off my glasses and binoculars, another look showed the ground was alive with redwings. A rough count showed there to be well over 100 all furiously feeding in the soft ground.

With glasses becoming an increasingly untenable solution to my poor vision due to the rain, I had to beat a hasty retreat to the car. I drove to the RSPB end of the Valley and popped into the centre to exchange New Year's greetings and with a slight hope that the rain would ease - it didn't!

I braved the weather one final time to walk around Forge Mill Lake. After the camera trauma of Swan Pool combined with rain, I decided to leave the camera behind to avoid any potential breakages. Now as all photographers know, there is an annoying paradigm showing that when you don't have your camera, you get an opportunity for an amazing photograph. Sod's law again prevailed and after not seeing much in the rain some of the Valley's ring-necked parakeets landed in a tree no more than 5 metres ahead of me. One of the best views I've had of this non-native species that seems to be spreading rapidly in the Valley. With this in mind, I'm sure photographic opportunities will only become more frequent.

The walk around the rest of the lake produced all the other regular lake orientated species that I'm sure I'll talk about in more detail in subsequent blogs but, as predicted, the small birds were conspicuous by their absence because of the rain. Approaching the car, the rain finally breached the final defences and soaked through my trousers. Home time and I would be back in time for lunch - not what I had in mind.

I was hoping to finish the day with a list as long as my arm of bird species that I had seen around my patch but the weather certainly put pay to those hopes. I saw just over 40 species when I had hoped for 60 or more. At least this leaves plenty of bird finding enjoyment for the subsequent visits.

2014 - The Year of the Patch...

It is a New Year!

With a flurry of fireworks and the intake of disproportionate amounts of alcohol (the British way apparently) it is the 1st of January, an exciting time for birdwatchers the length and breadth of the country. At this point, a question arises. Do birdwatchers across the world get the same excitement from the New Year?

To us Brits the new year brings the excitement of a new list; in this case a 2014 list! For many it seems New Year's Eve is a time for planning the following days and months of birding to give yourself the best possible chance to get the most impressive list of species seen in that year. Please do not think this is me being high and mighty about the situation. If it wasn't for my wonderful girlfriend insisting I have a social life, I would in all likelihood be doing the same. As it happens, with time to spare this evening, I'm now doing it. Dreaming of trips to the highlands for those speciality ticks. Thinking of when it would be best to visit the woodlands of Mid-Wales to get cripplingly good views of some of the summer visitors. Telling myself that a trip to the Farne Islands is an essential part of my 'life experience' and not just an excuse to tick some breeding sea birds.

Pied Flycatcher - Gilfach Farm - Mike Ixer - May 2013

So to revert to my previous question, do people in other countries derive this same pleasure from 'collecting' ticks? Or is it, as the now infamous BBC documentary implies, a very British obsession? It is not a question I'm in a position to answer but any views would be much appreciated.

Anyway, this year I've decided to take part in the patchwork challenge - a competition between birdwatchers to see who can see, and more importantly find, a combination of the most and rarest species on their patch. Now, without wishing to patronise but I realise I have some non-birdwatchers who read this, a patch is an area that a birdwatcher basically calls 'home'. It is usually a manageable size (the competition states no more than 3 square kilometres) and it is where you make regular visits. You get to know the way the seasons affect it and you know where and when you can find certain birds. So this year, as the blog title implies, is going to be my 'year of the patch'.

"So where is your patch?" I hear you cry (metaphorically). Well, as previous blogs have hinted (may be even stated) Sandwell Valley is where I do the majority of my birding. It is a good site that has, over the years, been tarnished by some erroneous reports that have led people to loose confidence and not believe any reports of birds that have been seen. It has a mix of habitat including plenty of water, the life blood of the birding world. A patch without water would be a kin to a hospital without an A & E department. You would have your long-staying residents but there would be no regular turnover, no chance of regular fresh arrivals, just the same things you always see. Unfortunately, the massive problem with Sandwell Valley as a patch is the number of people who use it and the variety of activities that occur there (both encouraged and shady). This results in a lot of disturbance and therefore birds either don't stick around for very long or don't stop in the first place. However, that said every year (almost without fail) over 100 different species of birds are recorded.

Sandwell Valley - Google Maps

I generally stick to the east side of the M5 with Forge Mill Lake getting most of my attention and regular walks to Swan Pool and around the paddocks and woods there. In 2013 I managed to see 108 species around the Valley despite missing a number that stopped for only a day. The Valley as a whole acts as a sort of service station for migrating birds. When flying over they see the lakes and fields as a good opportunity to stop, rest and feed ready to potentially fly hundreds more miles. For this reason a lot of birds do only stop for a short period, often just a day, before continuing their journey. Last year there were some real surprises when some excellent birds were seen. Firsts for the Valley included an avocet (which I missed), a ruddy shelduck (which I missed) and a great northern diver (which I saw).

Great Northern Diver - Sandwell Valley - Mike Ixer - Dec. 2013

Also, some birds that have been seen before but are equally impressive - a bittern (which I saw) and a spoonbill (which I found!).

Bittern - Sandwell Valley - Mike Ixer - Oct. 2013

So my attentions are turned to 2014. What will we see this year? 'We' of course refers to the regular birdwatchers who also use Sandwell Valley as their patch and a fine bunch they are too. If I was forced to make a prediction about the next new species for the Valley that could potentially appear this year I would have to go for either great white egret or glossy ibis. Both species have featured a lot around the country in 2013 and both have been seen within spitting distance of the Valley - but we shall have to see. There has also been some fairly extensive work completed by the RSPB remodelling their island and improving their marsh. Taking this into account it could be a good year for wading birds and we could possibly record some more of these than usual.

All of this talk of the new year and the Patchwork Challenge has got me excited about the possibilities for this year. Fingers crossed for a good one...

Summer Year Ticks (part 2)...

So having managed to see and tick off seven new birds for the year in the space of three days I had a feeling my luck was probably going to run out and I would see many an empty lake or silent tree for the remainder of the summer.

 

30/07/13 - RSPB Minsmere (again)

Having had a productive session at this wonderful reserve a few days previously I decided to try again and maybe catch up with the sandpipers that had defeated me last time. I arrived early and again tried to see the stone curlews near North Wall. Again this ended fruitlessly and I was becoming convinced that my luck had expired.

I got to East Hide at a reasonable time and was again confronted with numerous spotted redshanks and black-tailed godwits and sat next to them, two curlew sandpipers!

Nice to see them showing some of their brick-red summer plumage. Further scanning through the waders revealed similar species as on the last trip with good numbers of green sandpipers around. At the back of East Scrape I saw a sandpiper feeding that appeared to have a speckled back and bold eye-stripe - a wood sandpiper? As I got it in the scope I was pretty convinced it was but it flew off seconds later - very frustrating!

A look out to sea having left the hide was well worth it when a whimbrel flew south and a sandwich tern flew towards the scrapes with a sand eel in its beak.

I set off along the seasonal wader trail with little expectation after the previous visit. I was chased along the path by a very large flock of goldfinches that were feeding in the thistles.

I got to the furthest pool and at first glance it appeared devoid of wader activity. A few geese and ducks loafing around but very little else. I set up the scope anyway and scanned around. Just as I got to the western end (which was fairly well obscured by reeds) a saw a sandpiper moving in some low vegetation. A quick repositioning of the scope and it had disappeared. I then found a couple of common snipe in the same area and then the mystery sandpiper reappeared, this time with a friend. It was a wood sandpiper, as was its friend, and then his friend in turn. Three wood sandpipers all together! What a result. I continued to watch them with the snipe until they all took to the air due to this chap marauding through the pool.

The rest of the visit was uneventful as far as new birds go but there were still fabulous views of four bitterns, marsh harriers, bearded tits and Cetti's warblers to be had. At the centre I asked about the stone curlews and met the very helpful Ian (who I have communicate with before from the RSPB Sandwell Valley twitter account). He gave me some tips, one of which I tried as I left the centre. To my amazement standing right there were two stone curlews - amazing! They we a little far away (in the rain) for the camera so here is an attempt with the proper camera and an attempt at phone-scoping them.

31/07/13 - Christchurch Park, Ipswich

Having completed the depressing task of saying goodbye to the ever-wonderful Beth at the station in the evening I thought I would quickly sneak into the park before closing and have a brief look for Mabel, the obliging tawny owl.

As you can guess from the snow, this photo was not taken this July! This is another one I took of her a while ago - she wasn't home on this visit. I quickly looped around the pools hoping for a mandarin and, as the light was fading along with my enthusiasm, one appeared. I had no camera so I had to make do with my phone in bad light.

02/08/13 - Melton

Dad and I decided to go for a brief afternoon visit to one of our favourite areas, The river Deben at Melton. This area is usually great for waders and this visit did not disappoint. Over the course of the visit we saw dozens of oystercatchers, at least 40 curlews, a couple of common sandpipers, ringed plovers, dunlin and lots more. Greenshanks put on a good show as they chased invertebrates in the water.

However the greenshank was not the year tick from this visit (it would have been a week earlier before the first trip to Minsmere). The tick came in the form of that most sort after bird - a turtle dove. Having earlier commented to dad how it would have been nice to find one in a fanciful manor I was looking at doves in dead trees when one with a particularly pink breast caught my eye. It was miles away and only just identifiable but the very pink breast combined with a very patterned back led me to believe that this was in fact a turtle dove. It was much to far away to photograph unfortunately but I look forward to hopefully getting that opportunity some time in the future.

 

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Summer Year Ticks...

So July roles in August and birders everywhere seem to turn to insect spotting owing to the birds just "sitting in trees and bushes going tweet". With birds seeming elusive at best I didn't hold out much hope of finding much on my trip to Suffolk to see the family. I had however overlooked the fact that early wader passage had begun!

27/07/13 - Upper Hollesley Common + Melton

On my first day I took a brief stroll around Upper Hollesley Common. I was hoping to fill a gaping hole in my year list with a bird that I know breeds there. Yellowhammers should be an easy find but they always seem to escape me. I also had vague hopes of finding some dartford warblers or some crossbills - both of which I had seen there previously. After a certain amount searching I had heard a number of yellowhammers and a single dartford warbler but had thus far failed to see anything except butterflies. Finally one popped up and sat singing for a while - first year tick of the trip!

On the way home from the common I had a quick stop at Melton to have a look at the tidal mud flats but much to my horror, despite the possibility of an early wader passage, there was virtually nothing with long legs evident! Some consolation was this nice showy reed warbler.

28/07/13 - RSPB Minsmere

My first trip to this flagship RSPB reserve for a number of months and I was seriously excited about the prospect of some of the waders that had been mentioned on various websites. When I arrived I headed straight past the North Hide for a scan across the field behind the visitors centre where stone curlews had successfully bred this year for the first time in three years. Alas they were nowhere to be seen and I was keen to start searching the scrape so I vowed to try again later in the day. I arrived in East Hide and was greeted by the sight of 30+ spotted redshanks along with copious numbers and varieties of other waders.

In a single scope view I was treated to views of spotted redshank, common redshank, dunlin, knot, turnstone, lapwing, avocet and black-tailed godwits - crazy! Elsewhere on the scrape were green and common sandpipers, ringed plover, a brief visit from a kittiwake and then four little gulls.

After a long stay in the East Hide I left and headed out for a look over the sea. There was very little evident in the strong winds but a few turns were feeding and I suddenly spotted two little terns heading towards land. They flew straight over my head and landed on South Scrape. As I approached the sluice I was surprised to find what must be an early departing wheatear since I'm not aware of the, breeding locally.

It was the first time I had a chance to explore the temporary wader trail despite it being open annually. I had high hopes but I was a little disappointed not to find anything new. Everything then left the scrape and appeared on the North Levels but still nothing new. I completed the loop around the scrape with very little extras to add to the day's sightings. After stopping to refuel in the cafe I tried again for the stone curlews with familiarly disappointing results. I decided I would go for one last look from East Hide and this was rewarded with a couple more year ticks. A pair of sanderlings landed as the tide drove them from the shore and a lone sandwich tern was a nice addition.

29/07/13 - Levington Creek

Having returned from Minsmere the previous day I was frustrated to hear that I missed a series of year ticks through not being in the right place at the right time. I spent most of the day at home but I decided to head for a quick look a Levington Creek at high tide. Much to my annoyance, I arrived to find the tide was already in and there was almost nothing to be seen on the creek itself. Round the corner there was still some exposed mud and elevated areas and these had been taken over by dozens of golden plovers. As I looked through the plovers something else became obvious, a pair of whimbrels sat in the vegetation.

I had hoped to see some of these birds, it was one of the main reasons for trying Levington. The previous day there had been reports of record numbers of whimbrel past the Spurn Observatory and it was one of the birds I had missed at Minsmere.

 

Year ticks so far...

• Little Gull
• Little Tern
• Sanderling
• Sandwich Tern
• Knot
• Yellowhammer
• Whimbrel

 

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Suffolk Birding - Day 2...

So, as always when back in Suffolk, today I decided to visit the RSPB's flagship reserve, Minsmere. As you have probably noticed from previous blogs I have, in the past, been a regular visitor to this reserve but today's visit was my first of 2013. I was hoping for a flood of spring migrants but having looked at recent reports online, I knew that this was unlikely.

When I arrived I headed straight back down the approach road towards Island Mere Hide. It was a joy to walk past the work centre and towards the Whin Hill watchpoint at this time. There was nobody around and I got wonderful views of some common, but beautiful, birds. At least four green woodpeckers flew from the ground and stuck themselves to trees and telegraph poles, jays escaped silently into the woodland, great spotted woodpeckers shouted at each other deep in the trees, marsh tits 'sneezed' at me and a pair of red-legged partridges turned their heels and scampered away in an almost comic manor.

A quick reminder of winter flew over Canopy Hide in the form of a couple of redwings. Onward through the rhododendrom tunnel and more marsh tits greeted me alongside many other small woodland birds including a song thrush and these very obliging long-tailed tits.

Long-Tailed Tit - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Entering Island Mere hide the garganey that had been showing well recently were immediately apparent - because they were sleeping just in front! Not good for photos but a very easy sighting by garganey standards.

Sleeping Garganey - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Whilst waiting for the ducks to wake up a male marsh harrier gave some stunning views as it hunted in the low morning sun out to the side of the hide.

Marsh Harrier - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Marsh Harrier - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

A bittern flew across the far side of the mere and we got more excellent views of birds as this little grebe fished progressively closer to the hide until it was lost to view (possibly underneath us!).

Bittern (record shot) - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Little Grebe - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Finally the garganey awoke and spent about a minute wondering around before finding an even worse position, tucking their heads back and falling asleep again.

Garganey - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Other birds of note from the hide were the calling bearded tits and Cetti's warblers along with the teal, common snipe, mute swans, great crested grebes and other regular waterfowl.

Off to bittern hide and the walk between the two hides provided my highlight of the day. No, it wasn't another bittern or more marsh harriers, it wasn't anything unusual - it was a goldcrest! Nothing special you might say but it kept hopping straight towards me from bush to bush until it passed me by too close to photograph. I am very happy with what I did get though.

Goldcrest - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Bittern Hide was pretty quiet so I headed for an early lunch. Massively recommend the cheese and ham toasties! Also recommend the view - it was a finch fest...

Finch Fest - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

From then on the birding became harder work. The wind got up and the complete lack (other than the garganey) of spring migrants became painfully apparent. Offshore there were a handful of red-throated divers fighting the wind heading north and the Scrape was full of black-headed gulls with a few others. One subtle sign of spring was the number of avocets that had returned - they all seem to disappear in the winter.

Avocet - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Quickly, a dampener was put on that spring feeling with a count of 10 smew! Not that seeing smew is ever a bad thing - but in April?!?

Smew - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful with turnstones, a dunlin and a black-tailed godwit being the only highlights on  the scrape and a grey plover on the levels.

All together I saw over 65 species but the second half was indeed hard work with the windy conditions. A good day.

Suffolk Birding - Day 1...

So today I have returned to (slightly surprisingly) sunny Suffolk to see the family for, unbelievably, the first time in 2013 - quite remarkable considering my weekly returns a couple of years ago. As previous blogs have shown, when in Suffolk I do like to get out and sample the local bird life so over the next few days we will see what can be seen.

Having arrived back in the early afternoon we had some lunch, chatted for a while and then noticed that two short-eared owls had been seen today at Levington Lagoon/Creek. With no further ado we jumped into the car and headed down to try our luck.

It was high tide when we arrived (presumably the owls were seen when the encroaching tide pushed them out from the edge of the river) and other than some wigeon and teal there was very little to see on the creek.

The waders had all massed on a small peninsular quite a way away and out of camera range. Further small groups of redshanks and dunlin darted and swirled through the air to join the assembled flock as the tide crept to today's high.

Wader Flock - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

We arrived at the lagoon to find more waders that had escaped the tide. There were more redshanks, a couple of oystercatchers, some common snipe, 3 grey plovers and a handful of shelducks.

Shelducks and Grey Plover - Levington Lagoon - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

After speaking to a local photographer about the apparent absence of the reported owls we moved further down the creek and found a lovely spotted redshank. A real bonus because it was a year tick for me.

Spotted Redshank - Levington Lagoon - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Wigeon, Snipe, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank -
Levington Lagoon - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

We watched a skein of Brent geese (c.40) fly down the opposite bank of the river and eventually two of them landed on the water just offshore from us.

(Dark-Bellied) Brent Geese - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Whilst watching them a real flying rarity flew up river.

Sea King Helicopter - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

These sea king helicopters have been such a constant presence through my coastal childhood that it is sad to think of them all now being decommissioned.

Anyway, as the tide began to retreat it took no time at all for the waders to literally flock back to the newly exposed mud flats. They came back in their hundreds; dunlin, redshank, turnstone, grey plover, curlew, avocet and oystercatcher all featured.

Wader Flock - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Waders - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Dunlin - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Having watched this feeding frenzy we decided it was time to return home. No short-eared owls (again) but a very enjoyable hours birding.

Let's see what tomorrow brings...

April in Sandwell Valley...

I have been making the most of the last couple of weeks freedom and managed to get over to the Valley on a number occasions to try to catch as much of the migration action as possible. Alas with the weather being as it has, migration has been but a trickle and I know just as the wind shifts and a possible torrent of migrants hit the country I will then be busy. That said, the 'trickle' has provided a few year ticks and some nice views of birds sitting soaking wet regretting the decision to make that effort to get over here. This chap for example.

Whinchat - Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

The advantage of this weather lies in the smaller number of people out around the 'country park' and therefore less disturbance. It means that a little patience is rewarded because the birds would eventually work their way towards you.

Whinchat - Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

The best example of this was the common sandpipers which started a long way down the newly profiled bank from the RSPB hide. I managed to fire dozens of photos as foot-by-foot they scampered towards us; eventually getting so close that you couldn't see them below the windows without standing.

Common Sandpiper - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

The hide has proved good for a migrant or two despite the weather. The aforementioned common sandpipers have reached at least 3 chasing each other around. Of course because of the chasing it's proved almost impossible to be definitive about numbers with thoughts of up to 5 of them being around. Wagtails have been putting on a good show with yellow wagtails being seen on a number of occasions along with the regular pied around the farm and grey on the river. I have unfortunately missed the best photographic opportunities, today being greeted with "you should have been here 5 minutes ago, they were right next to the hide!".

Yellow Wagtail - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

There was also the briefest of visits from a trio of 'white' wagtails. They came, they ate, they left, all within about 2 minutes. Fortunately I was there, unfortunately the light wasn't and the windows were closed so the photos weren't brilliant.

'White' Wagtails - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

Little ringed plovers have been putting in sporadic appearances around the lake with one individual staying for about a week.

Little Ringed Plover - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

An annual passage visitor around the Valley is the Northern wheatear and they haven't disappointed this year. A number have been seen at various times with a peak count of 5 in a field just off Salters Lane.

Wheatears - Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

A welcome returnee was the common terns which were started posturing to each other within a few days of their first appearance - a promising sign of further breeding attempts hopefully.

Common Tern - RSPB Sandwell Valley
- Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

Away from the water other migrants have been arriving slowly but surely. Chiffchaffs were followed by blackcaps, who in turn were followed by willow warblers.

Willow Warbler - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

There are now small numbers of reed warblers (being heard, seems a bit cold for them to be showing themselves) and whitethroats appearing, but they seem to have been somewhat held up by the adverse weather - still waiting for my first sedge warbler! I'm also 70% sure that I heard a garden warbler today, sounded like a slightly subdued blackcap which was singing for an awfully long time from deep, low cover. Unfortunately it flew off when one of the local canines took an interest in the bushes.

The final group of migrants worth mentioning are the hirundines and swifts. Not much to say here except they have all arrived! High numbers of both swallows and house martins have been feeding around the lake over the past week or so but sand martin numbers have dropped away a little after good numbers earlier in the month. First swifts were seen this week and there was a least 15 pass through today.

Swallows - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr.2012 - Mike Ixer

Swallow - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

I guess the only way to conclude this would be with an 'awwwww' moment.

Lapwing Chick - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer

I know it's a horribly enhanced photo, but it was obviously taken at a distance. Was fantastic (and terrifying when the gulls were circling overhead) to see 3 of these little guys running around the Island today - fingers crossed for plenty more of them.

Lapwing Brooding Chick - RSPB Sandwell Valley - Apr. 2012 - Mike Ixer