March - May

We were away for most of February so we have included some February records made by Derek & Marjorie Belton: our thanks to them both. The first snowdrops were seen flowering by the car park during this time.

At the beginning of February forty teals were seen gathering on Ditton Brook. There were also thirty teals on the marsh on the 5th February together with twenty four wigeons. On the same day two hundred dunlins were also on the marsh.

   A few bramblings, with chaffinches and greenfinches, continued coming to the bird feeders by the hide until the first week in April. During February and March, a reed bunting was seen on several occasions, feeding on the ground below the feeders. Linnets were seen occasionally too.

In March, two pairs of Canada geese were fighting for territory on the scrape pool, one pair included the injured male which bred successfully last year. Later the injured male and his mate were chased off and the new pair eventually made a nest and laid eggs on the far island. The first brood of young Canada geese were seen on the marsh at the end of April, but by the following weekend several more broods had joined them, with over twenty five young counted. The lesser black-backed gulls and a few great blacked-backed gulls were spending time trying to pick off any stragglers, though most of their parents seemed capable of seeing them off. The numbers of young seen from the hide fluctuate quite a lot: our highest count so far is fifty four. The female goose is still sitting tight on her nest on the island in the scrape pool: the eggs are due to hatch in late May.

A count of over eighty shelducks was made on the sandbanks off the pastures in late February. The numbers have remained good and at least seventy birds were seen from the hide displaying and chasing one another, trying to sort out a breeding territory. One pair appears to have claimed the scrape pool as their private domain and is keeping other shelducks away. The male is almost constantly in residence and when the female joins him, he keeps a firm watch over her.

The spring migration was good, with up to twenty white wagtails recorded on the marsh together with a few pied wagtails: both species have been seen on the scrape pool too. Several early chiffchaffs were singing and on the 12th April there were four wheatears by the white bridge and two on the marsh by the bird hide. A blackcap and swallow were seen on the same day. The numbers of breeding migrants built up and several pairs of whitethroats, blackcaps and chiffchaffs are breeding at Pickerings. In late April a goldcrest was singing in one of the pine plantations; perhaps an indication that they too will try to breed.

On March 20th lapwings were displaying out on the marsh and at least seven pairs were breeding in the area in front of Pickering's hide by early April, two or three pairs of redshanks were also showing an interest. Several pairs of skylarks and meadow pipits were singing and nest building. High tides in late April unfortunately covered the marsh: washing out the nests of the lapwings, meadow pipits and skylarks, but I am sure they will all re-lay and hopefully they will be more successful the second time round. Also in late April, from the bird hide, we noticed a couple of pairs of oystercatchers display flighting over the marsh and we hope this is a precursor to them breeding.

Rabbits are on the increase again: many pairs were seen out on the marsh from United Utilities, across to the low rushy area. Several are always to be seen on the scrape area and often come up towards the hide itself, although now it is difficult to see them in the long vegetation. Black rabbits used to be very common here but have not been seen for a long time, until recently. Watch out for foxes, stoats, buzzards and other predators in this area. There is so much food around!

The snake's head fritillaries were flowering by early April and once again there was a fabulous display of cowslips. Cuckoo flowers

(or ladies smock) seem to be increasing in one area. The hedges of blackthorn were in full flower too. With the extremely good weather in April, the butterflies have done very well: good numbers of commas, green-veined whites, small tortoiseshells and peacocks were seen. A few brimstones were also noted. With the lack of any rain during April the meadows were very slow to make any growth this year but by late May, and after several showers of rain, they are now growing very well. Despite their small size, the germander speedwells at the woodland edges are impressive and the burnet roses in the woodland are beautiful this year. The northern marsh orchids are already beginning to flower.

A visit on the 14th May, in a strong north westerly wind with some sunny spells, surprisingly produced a tree pipit singing and display flighting in the rough overgrown area.  Over two hundred adult Canada geese with fifty three goslings were counted on the marsh. With the strong wind good numbers of swifts were flying over the pastures. About twenty swallows, thirty house martins and two sand martins were using the sheltered areas behind the woodland to catch insects. In the late afternoon a great northern diver (in summer plumage) cut across the pastures, flying about a hundred feet up and going in a North-westerly direction: this was a most surprising visitor, especially in May. Out on the sandbanks four whimbrels had joined the regular oystercatchers. To our surprise, considering the high winds, we found our first common blue butterflies of the year too.

A further visit on the 20th May, again in a strong wind, produced fifteen swallows and about twenty five house martins using the woodland edges to feed. Most of the nest boxes are now full of young blue and great tits, with the parents busily fetching in food. They will be on the wing very shortly: listen for their high-pitched feeding calls around the wooded areas. On one area of the meadows a flock of perhaps sixty starlings, both adult and young birds, were busily feeding.