Thursday 7th March 2013

A Short-eared Owl is always a good spring migrant to get here. A Grey Wag went south, then north, then south - make your mind up ! A Yellowhammer was calling briefly on the reserve which is the second here within a week. 5 Crows south were probably not going far but it's difficult to know what 3 Stockies heading north were up to. A single Skylark also went south with today's new birds ringed being a Blacky & a Chaffy. Offshore despite the murky conditions 5 Curlew, 3 Red-throated Divers, 3 Gannets, 2 Great-crested Grebes & a Brent went north with 2 Mute Swans going south. The first moths of the year appeared in the moth traps with singles of Small Brindled Beauty & Agonopterix heracliana. We only have two previous site records of Small Brindled Beauty & both of these were on consecutive days in March 2010.