MARCH MIGRANTS

Following a tip-off from Michael Thorley, I decided to catch up with the two wheatears at the end of Monday 30th, that he'd found earlier in the day beside the Rewsalls marshes. Having walked along the seawall I was pleased to find these two birds but even more pleased to find there were 3 other birds. Three brightly marked males and two females perched up on nearby fence-posts as well being seen in the grass field.

Wheatears have become harder to find on the Island in recent years in early spring, as they stop briefly off on their northward migration. It has been several years since a group of five have been found in March on the Island.

Andy Field managed to see the birds in the evening too and we also watched a sparrowhawk fly low over the fields being chased off by a pair of lapwings that are presumably thinking of breeding here. The calls of four Mediterranean gulls could be heard out on the mudflats. Amongst the usual waders were 60 golden plover, 10 ringed plover and one bar-tailed godwit.

Earlier in the day the distinctive chattering call of the sand martin alerted me to the first two birds newly returned from Africa. The birds were flying around the sandy cliff where they will hopefully breed again, along with the other 50 pairs that nested last summer here.

The chiffchaff provided good views in the morning as it sang in a tree by the path. A male marsh harrier was seen flying high from the Pyefleet heading south-east out of the Colne estuary. A sparrowhawk flashed across the car park and one of the regular kestrels was also seen. Six gadwall were in the grazing fields

The warm weather brought out at least six adders in the morning and there were fly-pasts from a peacock and a comma butterflies in the car park.