Report 31 March and 1 April 2024

A lot changed in the three weeks I spent away from La Cassinazza. Beginning with the season: winter officially ended and gave way to spring, although you wouldn’t have known it from the weather upon my return, which featured cold winds and endless rain. The landscape also changed, as the plants are in leaf and everything is green. I was told that several uncommon species were seen while I was away, the most important of which was the Crested Porcupine, for which a handful of quills had been the only evidence before now.

Many of the wintering species are now gone or nearly so: Siskin, Reed Bunting, Wren, Meadow Pipit, Goldcrest, Robin, Penduline Tit and Coal Tit. They have been replaced by numerous new arrivals: Barn Swallow, House Martin, Common Swift, Sedge Warbler, Willow Warbler, Night Heron, Wood Sandpiper, Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Black Kite, the first Common Terns, a nice flock of eight Black-tailed Godwits, and many Black-winged Stilts. Osprey, Whimbrel, and Whiskered Tern all put in brief appearances.

The Jay is a very challenging bird to photograph, as it is wary, shrewd, and elusive. I had been trying for years to get a good image.