Lade - 0730hrs - cold, overcast, se 2 - I always think that mid-March is one of the quietest periods in the birding calendar; the winter visitors have all but gone and spring migration is yet to get properly underway, and only the sea holds out the chance of something different.
And so it was with more of a sense of hope than expectation that I tramped round the local patch first thing this morning. Anyhow, several Skylarks were up and singing over the Desert and rough grassland behind the `mirrors`. A couple of Mipits flitted over and Barney flushed 3 Snipe from the damp patches along Mockmill Sewer, where Song Thrushes, Dunnocks and a Stonechat were also noted. Marsh Harriers were already on the wing, including a stunning adult male, and a Buzzard perched briefly on the wall `mirror` before being hassled by corvids. The open water held few ducks and even the Goldeneyes seem to have deserted the place. In the willow swamp several Water Rails and a Cetti`s Warbler called and a Little Egret (scarcer than Great Whites of late!) flew overhead.
As the wind was light we walked home via the beach where the usual Curlews and Oystercatchers were present. At the toilet block a fine adult Med Gull showed before being flushed by a crazy dog.
So, nothing out of the ordinary, but as one local keeps ribbing me, "that would`ve been a great days birding in Bedfordshire"!
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