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| Siskins |
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It seems I may have been a bit hasty last month when I suggested that Spring was about to start! March was cold for at least three weeks of the month with chilly Easterly or Northerly winds, and even a few snow flurries.
As always the weather can affect the birds that are around, therefore it was very much a wintery feel to the month with very few spring migrants about.
On the plus side though, there were still very good numbers of winter Thrushes and Finches around, and as often happens at the end of the season, their natural food supplies begin to run short, which forces more birds into our gardens to eat.
There have been many local reports of Siskins joining the Greenfinches and Blue Tits, on garden feeders. Goldfinches have also been regularly seen and one lucky customer of mine in nearby Dibden Purlieu played host to four Bramblings in her garden.
The cold weather has also held up migration, and it was the last week of March before the first arrivals started to be seen, with a few Sand Martins, Swallows and Chiffchaff being reported.
My first Chiffchaff sighting came on the 30th of the month which is eight or more days later than in the previous three years.
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| Mediterranean Gull |
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One unusual sight in March was the large number of Mediterranean gulls seen in the area. Up to 31 were seen at Lepe recently, which is an unprecedented amount. This species is definitely becoming more common in the UK.
They can be identified by their black heads, unlike the normal black headed gulls which actually have chocolate brown heads!
Despite all of this there are signs of spring around. Daffodils are now in flower, as are the first primroses, and when the sun shines the birds are singing with all their might, setting up territories and finding a mate.
The Dawn Chorus will really start during the coming month, and I would recommend everyone to get up early one day and take a trip out into the forest somewhere to hear it for yourself.
It can be quite moving to hear so many birds singing at the same time, and its a good way to try and learn to identify birds from the songs.
April is probably the peak spring migration month when most of our summer visiting birds should return, and by the end of the month, the trees will be getting their new leaves, butterflies will be on the wing, foxcubs will be born and if the weather is kind to us it should start to feel pleasantly warm and even summery.
If the weather isn't as nice as we hope for, we can compensate by hoping that some rare vagrant birds might appear, possibly something like a Bluethroat or Bee Eater, or something that might normally live in Asia or the USA.
Birds can easily get blown off course if there is bad weather during the migration season, and easily turn up over here.
Only recently in the national press there was news of a few American Robins being found in the UK, and as a result of the coverage, a customer of mine in Blackfield is convinced that a poorly bird seen in her garden a month or two ago, that subsequently died, also looked very much like this bird.
I guess we'll never know the truth, but the fact is that rare and unusual birds do turn up in the strangest places, so we can never take things for granted.
Please email me with your spring migrant arrival dates and I'll let you know next month when each species started to arrive.
Happy birding.
Paul Matthews
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