25th March: Spring?

The last few days on the Avalon Marshes (and everywhere else in the country by the sounds of it) have been bitterly cold. The exposed landscape here gives no shelter from the biting Easterly wind, and birding hasn't exactly been pleasant.
Amazingly though, Sumer migrants are starting to arrive in the country. There's been up to 50 Sand Martins over Noah's Lake at Shapwick, and dozens of Chiffchaff feeding along the edges of waterways, where there seems to be insect food available. The first Willow Warbler of the year was with Chiffchaffs near the Meare Heath bridge this morning. I was worrying over its chances of survival when it spectacularly plucked a gert fat juicy green caterpillar from nowhere, tough little beggars they are, they'll be alright.
In the afternoon I took a trip down to Catcott Lows for the first time in ages. The water levels in front of the hide had dropped a lot and the remaining muddy slop was covered in Wigeon, Teal, Pintail and Shoveler. It was Egret central down there too with 16 Littles and 1 Great White.

Little Egrets having a bad hair day

There was a pair of Marsh Harriers floating around the back of the reserve for some time, and eventually one came in for an opportunistic scout of the feeding birds. It didn't manage to catch anything unawares but caused a rather spectacular colourful explosion of ducks as everything panicked and took to the air.

Marsh Harrier

Pintail and Wigeon