Report from 22 to 25 March 2023

The most interesting time of the year is upon us, as new arrivals quickly replace the species that are leaving. The Shovelers, Teal, Robins, Black Redstarts, Goldcrests, Wrens, and White Wagtails are among the latter category. We may still see a few more laggards this spring, plus a scattering of individuals that wintered further south and have yet to come through, but the bulk are gone. New arrivals in recent days included Black Kite, Osprey, Night Heron, Hoopoe, Yellow Wagtail and Mistle Thrush.

Wader numbers are increasing daily: on our best day we had ninety Green Sandpipers, thirty Black-winged Stilts, sixty Ruff, forty Lapwings, and a handful each of Common Snipe, Spotted Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, and Wood Sandpiper.
There are four species we are keeping a close eye one. Two are migrants: a Glossy Ibis and two Spoonbills that have spent the entire week here. The two others are recent arrivals that we hope will settle in to breed: the Nuthatch that continues to sing in the woodlot and the Goshawk, or rather the pair of Goshawks, that seem to be defending a territory. We have observed them several times, the male as it hunted and the female as it was harassed by a murder of Hooded Crows. Brave as these crows may be, they might want to reconsider their choice.

The springtime sun re-awakened the insects, with various butterfly species and myriad pollinators. The Red Mason Bee (Osmia rufa) is a small, widespread solitary bee. The males, such as the one in the photo, are seen at the first sign of spring, while females appear a couple of weeks later.