Herons and Egrets

Herons used to be an unusual  bird sighting, but this has changed possibly over the last few years due to the presence of RSPB Burton Point and heronry on the adjacent farmland. A couple of weeks ago you could count the egrets and herons in double figures along the front in Parkgate as  large digger was expanding the drainage ditches and stacking huge mounds of silt and mud along the edge near the main road.  A white stork has been seen checking out the heronry area at Burton Mere also.

Spring has sprung at last and is moving so fast that it is almost impossible to keep up with the blossoming and the birding.  Everything is happening at once, instead of a gradual progression and procession through the season  of the daily changes.

Wood Anemone

White Wood Anemone has joined the yellow Celandine on the woodland floor. Tree blossom and catkins have arrived together, whilst wall bearing Aubretia very late on the scene has blossomed  overnight.

The Blue tits have been sitting on their eggs for over a week now.  They amazingly can hold back the development of their clutch until the right conditions arrive for feeding their chicks. Male birds seem to be very attentive partners and fathers going by the actions of our nesting pair in the garden.

Primroses have done really well this late spring

Jackdaws have been noisily collecting moss off the roof for the lining of their nests and being very fussy about it,  going by the bits jettisoned all over the side path. Whilst Magpies are already sitting on egg in their large handbag nests.  (You can just see the tips of tails sticking out of the tops.)   Just this week I discovered my first a sparrowhawks nest which has just been built, so will hopefully have some pictures here soon. 

I appreciate one Swallow does not make a summer but walking along the marshes at Parkgate we saw four so summer is coming.  House Martins and Sand Martins are also appearing aerobatically  chasing insects.