I entered my 3' sq. hide on the marshes this morning in the hope of photographing a barn owl I have been observing hunting over rough grazing marsh. Rather than obligingly hovering in front of me, it decided to perch on a cattle fence post so far to my left that all I could do was watch from the side peep-hole. It sat there for about 10 minutes then flew off into the distance where it remained for the next hour before heading to roost for the day. I packed up and decided to reposition the hide a little further up the bank. As I did so, I heard a loud splashing sound coming from a flooded area bordering long grass some 20 meters away. It was a hare and it swam a full 2 meters or so to the other side. That was a first for me. Hare's are renowned for taking the long way round rather than jumping or digging underneath, so rarer still to see one actually getting wet!
Once my gear was packed in the car I headed across the marsh to see if anything was happening. Of course it was, it's April! Lapwing's here have already began nesting with many pairs on eggs. I could see quite a few taking to the air, displaying or warning off others from their territory, including pheasants and marsh harriers
I stopped a few meters from a reedbed and could hear the chattering call of a reed warbler. My first of the year. After a while I drove a little further on, following the reedbed and again stopped. Through binoculars I could see a pair of reed buntings, clinging to the stems, momentarily pulled down with their weight then springing straight up again. The males are unmistakable with their striking black head and bib and long tail, flashing white and black when fanned. Just beyond them, a sedge warbler did the same. Spring had certainly arrived with both the sedge and reed warbler arriving from Africa. I then turned my attention to more distant birds. Yesterday I saw my first garganey of the year and looked for more but no luck on that front. But, a few hundred meters away I could see a marsh harrier, nothing unusual in these parts, but this one was carrying nest material, reed stems by the look of things, and then dropped into a dense reedbed. I'll keep my eye on this pair over the coming weeks and hope that they go on to nest.
I drove back across the marsh, very content indeed, spotting little egrets, coots carrying nest material and hares crossing the track. No yellow wagtails yet, but there is always tomorrow.
