Mid March Update

Two consecutive sunny days and Migration has intensified a little but there has been no big influx of waders or wildfowl yet. At Fougére the shoveler numbers continue to vary with up to five males and three females and there are still between 500 and 1000 lapwings but the golden plovers seem to have moved on. No other waders were present over the last few days. Yesterday 36 cranes were resting/feeding in the flooded field there and another 50 circling above Saint Angeau had possible recently left the site. Black headed gulls still number over 50.

At The Bandiat there were also a couple of shovelers and a great white egret was flying overhead. The only wader present was a green sandpiper, the first of this migratory species to turn up this year.

I heard several blackcaps singing as I cycled homeward.

The garden feeders continue to be interesting as no fewer than six species of finch were together there yesterday, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, hawfinch(1), siskin (3), and brambling (3). Also present in the garden were firecrest, chiffchaff, blackbird, song thrush, blue tit, great tit, house sparrow, starling, kestrel and moorhen. The sparrows and starlings are busy collecting nesting material.

Meadow pipits and white wagtails are still common migrants in the fields and many buzzards are pairing up and soaring,