Messingham Mixed Bag....Saturday 25th April 2015.

After finishing my final night shift of the week and starting my ten day break from work,i was determined not to go out today,but some decent sun saw me heading over to Messingham again.
 As i was slightly knackered from my week of nights i decided to just check the reserve itself,this is what i recorded.
 After arriving,a quick check of the horse paddocks revealed nothing out of the ordinary today,with the male Ring Ouzel from my last visit departing to northern climes.
 A prolonged scan of the Grebe lake saw some decent numbers of hirundines at last and feeding amongst the flock was my first Swift of the year.These birds are just amazing to watch scything their way through the air with the agility of a fighter pilot,just superb no doubt their aerial predators the Hobby won't be far behind now.This mixed flock contained a minimum of 87 Sand Martins with a really good count of 42 House Martins,but smaller numbers of Swallow with only half a dozen being seen.
 Eventually Dave arrived and we carried on walking through the pathways of the reserve adding another 'First' for the year in the form of a singing male Garden Warbler.These are my favourite warbler species with their lovely subtle plumage tones and super liquid song.
 Noticeably,today,there was a vast increase of insect numbers and far more species involved in the sunny spells with our 'First' Orange Tip butterflies being logged with 2 males and another good selection of 'Syrph's' included,with Eupeodes luniger,Eristalis pertinax,tenax,intricarius and arbustorum being added to the notes.
 A quick look around the small pond before you reach the heathy area revealed a huge count of 17 Common Frogs and the expected Slender and Common-ground Hoppers,the former a new species for Dave.These mini members of the Grasshopper and Cricket family are just superb to watch in their leaf litter home.
 A great bonus on the bird front today was the sight of 3 displaying male Snipe seen over the sheep fields to the north of the reserve,sadly a shadow of former numbers,but great to see all the same.
 An increase in flora today saw a few species beginning to burst into life and included our first Cuckoo Flowers and Greater Stichwort and the large areas of Cowslips and Marsh Marigold did their best at brightening the now dull light as the predicted rain arrived.
 Dave and myself both travelled our seperate ways as the rain began to come down much heavier,but another great visit was enjoyed.

Eristalis pertinax.

Green-veined White.

Speckled Wood.

Juvenile Pike.

Preening Mute Swan.

Female Sparrowhawk.

Eupeodes luniger.