Garden Birds: March 2014

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

The Summer migrants are coming back EARLY!!!

Summer migrants I've seen

Firstly a SPOONBILL at Slimbridge WWT on the 8/3/14 was a nice early bird. A visit to Chew Valley Lake on the 16/3/14 saw not only 3 Chiffchaffs but also a SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF which had been around the Bernard King hide in the days before. A "new" singing Chiffchaff was heard in a woodland on the Berkeley Park-Scott Law path on the 16/3/14 as well. Gloucestershire's 3rd SWALLOW of the year flew low south over the house In the rain on the 20/3/14 which is 11 days earlier than my original "Earliest Record". A walk up Cam Peak in Cam (Glos) on the 22/3/14 had 5 Chiffchaffs singing in the trees. Then on the same day a visit to Frampton-On-Severn also had a Chiffchaff but also my first 40-60+ SAND MARTINS of the year all feeding and then moving south from the pools. On the 23/3/14 a look for migrant wheatears at Clapton (Severn House Farm) near the Power Station was excellent with 1 WHEATEAR feeding on the mud as well as the sea wall. A "new" Blackcap male was heard singing in the trees on the 24/3/14. A blackcap male was seen in next doors garden on the 25/3/13 which is quite a coincidence.

When will the first house martin be sighted in Glos? 4 were in Somerset on the 19/3/14 and 5 were at New Passage on the 20/3/14 so this could mean we might get a few early records.