With snow showers forecast for tonight it seems bad timing on my part to look towards the spring, but on the whole it appears that spring is on its way. Here are my first Whitlingham dates for the early migrants:
- Chiffchaff (13th March)
- Sand Martin (30th March)
- Willow Warbler (30th March)
- Swallow (31st March)
- Blackcap (5th April) *
- Sedge Warbler (7th April)
* not counting wintering birds
As ever I would be interested to hear from anyone who sees these on earlier dates. Even better, please get in touch if you find any of March's most wanted:
- Garganey (a bogey bird of mine here)
- Wheatear (seen at Thorpe for the last 2 years, albeit in April)
- Ring Ouzel (Seen most years at Sweetbriar or Colney, so why not Whitlingham & Thorpe?)
Here's to a bird-filled spring!
On this miserable Monday I am finishing the day looking at old bird records. My earliest garganey are around the third week of March. For example 22 March 2005 at Great Broad from reed screen in conservation area.
ReplyDeleteThe most recent record (2010) was also on the 22nd March. Earliest I know of was 10th March (2006). Unfortunately for me they never seem to linger. From memory I think I was at Whitlingham one day in April 2009, only for a pair to turn up that evening and were gone by the morning.
ReplyDeleteChiffchaff at Thorpe on 13th matches you record, heard by myself then later seen by Shaky
ReplyDeleteRicky posted his blog entry on the 13th, but was talking about the previous day, so he managed to see the Chiffchaff on the 12th, presumably the same one you heard the next day.
ReplyDelete