British Summer Time Returns

As March draws to a close, and April knocks at the door, British Summer Time came along in all its glory, and as if to say summer was here, temperatures reached up to 21C in parts of the UK.  Attenborough NR was a very popular location this weekend, with numerous stalls and events designed to encourage children and families.  Many birds are now nesting, with coots and moorhens clearly leading the way.

Another good sign of summer, is the number of migrants coming into the reserve.  Good numbers of Warblers are returning, with Cetti’s, Garden, Chiff Chaff, Blackcaps and even Grasshopper warblers recorded over the last few days.  Common Terns have also been observed across the ponds, whilst sand martins have returned, just in time for the opening of the new sand martin hide and nesting facility.

A rather confiding Little Egret was also on show this weekend.  It is not too long ago, that Little Egrets were considered major rarities, however, they have expanded rapidly across the UK, with breeding having been recorded in Nottinghamshire during 2013.  Other birds that have expanded over the last few years, are Buzzards, and these are now regularly observed across the reserve, and are also often seen from our garden soaring overhead.

In the plant world, blackthorn is now in flower, whilst many other trees are coming into flower, with bees and butterflies being seen readily across the reserve, another sure sign that winter has probably left us for now.

 

Ospreys are Back

Well football was depressing yet again, with another last minute defeat and another performance that has relegation written all over it. So what better way to cheer up than a trip to Rutland Water to see those magnificent Osprey’s.

Rutland’s osprey population is well established, with seven or eight birds back already, and several of the breeding birds due back imminently. A visit to the Rutland Osprey Project website at http://www.ospreys.org.uk/ is well worth a visit, with the HD stream making fascinating watching. Indeed the featured picture is taken from the live stream, as i was struggling to get a close up picture of the osprey’s today. I would strongly recommend a visit to Rutland water to see these magnificent creatures and many more in the heart of England, close to Stamford, Leicester and Nottingham.

Rutland is not just about ospreys, the large expanse of water, the UK’s largest man made lake, has a 25 mile cycle route around the shores for those more athletic, whilst fishing, boating and walking are popular past times. There are two reserves at Rutland, the Lyndon Reserve is the best bet to see the reserve, but other birds of prey can be readily seen including Buzzards, Sparrow Hawks and Kestrel’s.

Meanwhile at Attenborough NR, the wintering ducks and visitors look to have departed, and the slow trickle of migrants will soon hopefully become a flood.  Chiff Chaff’s are numerous, whilst the odd common tern and sand martin have been reported across the reserve.  Would be nice to see Ospreys one day making Attenborough NR a home, now that would be a great day.

Again more pictures can be seen on my flickr page.

Wall to Wall Sunshine

Spring has definitely sprung, with several spring migrants observed at Attenborough NR this weekend, with good numbers of Chiff Chaffs singing from the tree tops and sand martins obserrved over Clifton pond.  Meanwhile down the road at Rutland Water, the first of the returning Ospreys returned from their winter retreats in Africa.  I wonder how many ospreys will be sighted over Attenborough NR this year, would be nice if one decided to take up residence, but I suspect we will have to hope.

With the bright sunshine, today proved to be a great day for photography with some fantastic shots of both ducks and herons were obtained on the ponds, whilst the finches and tits were resplendent in their bright colours and showing well.  Check out my Flickr page for more pictures. Attenborough NR is becoming a very popular visitor attraction, and the car park was full to over flowing today, with everyone out to enjoy the sunshine, countryside and of course the wildlife, which can be found within 5 miles of Nottingham City Centre, and don’t forget the ice creams and the fantastic cafe at the visitor centre.

It was not just the birds that were apparent in numbers, but several species of butterflies and bees were out collecting nectar from the early flowering trees and bushes.  This week, looks like a return to cooler conditions, with possibility of some rain, however I do not expect it to stop the onward March of Spring.

The next couple of weeks should see migration in full force, and it will be interesting to see what rarities turn up in the UK and especially at Attenborough NR.  Already one or two glossy Ibis’s appear to be frequenting the east of Nottingham, whilst a Great Spotted Cuckoo in Pembrokeshire could be the forerunner of what is likely to come over the next 6-8 weeks.

A Very Special Day

March the 6th is a very special day to our family, it is the birthday of our mum, sadly she is no longer with us in person, although still in our hearts, after she passed away 15 months ago.  Our mum really loved Filey, especially the Brigg and the Yorkshire Coast.  This is now her final resting place, so she can look over Filey Bay as she pleases.  So today, I visited Filey, to leave some flowers and have a chat with her, then I did what she would have wanted, I went to Bempton.

A visit to RSPB Bempton Cliffs is always something special and there is always something to see.  A truly fantastic nature reserve and somewhere mum loved to go to watch the Puffins and Gannets.  Whilst a few puffins are coming into the cliffs earlier than normal, the gannets, Guillemots and Razorbills are back and making their presence known.

The nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs is certainly amazing for it’s views, and gives you great opportunities to get close up to that magnificent seabird the puffin, May-July are normally the best times to see these fascinating Auks.  The Gannet colony is one of the largest in the UK.  Peregrine Falcon’s are frequently observed, chasing the pigeons up and down the cliffs, whilst Owls are also regularly seen.  The car park is a great place to see the finches and tree sparrows are a definite speciality.

The Yorkshire coast is a fantastic place for birds, with Spurn Point, Flamborough, Bempton and Filey regularly mentioned in despatches for the rarities and vagrants that are seen during migration.