11th April

This morning I was back volunteering on the Ashcott plot burning the remainder of the cut gorse on the  raised mire being restored. it was very much typical spring weather today, with hot sunshine one minute and heavy rain the next

Burning in progress. We burn on a raised platform to prevent damage to the soil and ground vegetation 

The cleared bog, not a gorse bush in sight!

An interesting find in one of our water buckets, a Leech, the first i've seen in the UK

After the days work I took an evening look around the reserves. The warmer weather has resulted in the hatching of a lot of flying insects and the hirundines were having a good feed at last. I had a bit of fun trying to photograph Sand Martins and Swallows as they were whipped around in the wind

Later on, a few raptors appeared, getting ready for the roosting Starling flock to arrive!

Peregrine

Sparrowhawk

I was pleased to see that the RSPB work party today had finished off the work on the Tern nesting raft and that it was in position in the open water near the Walton's viewing screens, fingers crossed the Terns will find it.

If you look closely, there is a Pied Wagtail perched on the platform