We were wrapped up to keep warm this Sunday morning for the last Water Bird Survey (WeBS) of the season. Very different from last Sunday, lovely and warm in the sunshine. Many of our work party were down to their T-shirts by the end of the morning tidying up the Bee Orchid exclosure near Wash Out Pit. Let’s hope we have a few more flowering this year. It also brought out the flying bees and the birds were in full song. I love hearing my first chiffchaff then they do become rather repetitive! Our first Brimstone butterflies brought smiles to our faces. I haven’t heard my first blackcap. Have you?
Mason bees were on my Lonicera shrub in the garden along with the Early and Buff tailed bees and lots of honeybees out to make honey. My first Bee fly of the season was also looking for nectar on my violets. We also had to let a sleepy Peacock butterfly out of the house. It must have been hiding in a corner all winter.
Remember to look out for the now emerging solitary bees around Grainne’s Mound by the Bus Stop.
I expected the WeBS to be quiet on the Heronries. I was mistaken! We had over 100 Tufted Duck and a good number of Pochard, including females and Goldeneye. I do wonder how many of these ducks and moving through to nest further north. Goldeneye will definitely be moving on to Scandinavia and further east with a few staying in Scotland. Pochard are interesting as the females may well have come up from their wintering grounds in Spain. Some of the Tufties may stay. There were also some Egyptian Geese, which look as if they may be becoming resident here. On the northern pits, there were Red crested Pochards. Maybe, they will be a new breeder. Goosanders are still around and a merganser has been seen as well.
The Cormorants are on their nests. Trevor has done a count of 26 nests down from the 1995 total of 182. Interestingly, the latest BTO census also shows a countrywide decrease of cormorant nests. Last year in the UK, nests were down from 2,078 in 2023 to 1,596 in 2024.
The talk at the AGM from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) was very informative on the flight paths of nightingale and cuckoo and why some of them are not doing so well. They spend much of their time in humid areas of Africa, where their numbers are on the decrease due to habitat degradation and climate change. Look on the BTO website for more information.
You can tell it is the change of seasons. There is lots to say! The Bird Ringing Demo was a great success including the ringing of the first Jackdaw at Paxton Pits. Another Demo is going to be arranged in the Autumn.
So, lots of Signs of Spring. There will be more to find on our survey on Saturday 22nd March or join us on the walk on 29th March. See the website or Facebook for more details.
As always, I am always interested in your sightings. Please let me know at friends@paxton-pits.org.uk .
Best wishes
Ann