It's easier when the sun is out

 I returned to where I had the Cuckoo (see last post) on the 22nd of April and I think maybe the same bird was still present as it appeared and seemed to go through the same ritual as the bird on my previous visit. This time I was able to get images under a blue sky and with a bright early morning rising sun, which made for a lot easier task than on my previous attempt. Whilst partially concealed in a hedgerow, the Cuckoo landed in a nearby tree and sang for about 10 minutes before flying off, visiting various trees around me.

A Spring Favourite.

My first returning Cuckoo of the spring was seen near to Grove Ferry early morning on the 17th April. Although the normal drab and dreary conditions of late with a strong cold North Westerly blow made it difficult to get any decent images, a few passable shots were gained to record the occasion. Shame there was no blue sky on offer.

A Returning Garganey.

My first returning Garganey, a dapper looking drake, was seen on the Feast hide pool at the Grove Ferry end of the Stodmarsh reserve last Tuesday (26th March). The light was not that great so I returned the next morning with better conditions and luckily, the duck was still there, being continually chased around the pool by two aggressive Coot's, which gave me a chance to get a few images. Returning Garganey for me, is a true sign that Spring has Sprung although the weather at the moment would have you thinking otherwise.

Early Spring Arrivals.

The first early Spring arrivals that I have manged to get in the viewfinder this morning during a trek around the full circuit of the Grove Ferry/Stodmarsh reserve, in the shape of a ChiffChaff , which already seem to be numerous, singing around the reserve and a male Blackcap that I caught up with in the Alder wood at the Stodmarsh end. The only other birds of note were around a dozen Cattle Egrets, some perched on the backs of the resident Galloway herd that are grazing on grass around the Oxbow area of the reserve and viewed from the River path by the Port Farm bench.

A pair of Pochard swam in close to the Reed Bed hide recently whilst I was present, and although a common site at Stodmarsh, a duck that seldom allows photo opportunities due to always favouring the deeper water of the main lake, hence normally only viewed from a distance.

Beardies, a Reed Bed Delight.

 With the constant rain that we are enduring at present, trips out with the camera are now very few and far between. Stodmarsh is under water and walking the pathways are hazardous with wellies a must. A trip in the company of Tim Gutsell down to the Marsh Hide from the Stodmarsh end of the reserve was uneventful except for a dozen Cattle Egrets that looked to touch down by the river between the Water Meadows and the Oxbow and a small group of Bearded Tits in the Reed Bed that offered a bit of action with the camera on the way back from the hide.

Yellow !

I went to see the Little Bunting at Godmersham but it was feeding from a hedge at a distance, too far away for any decent images so I got bored with that and turned my attention to the Yellowhammers that were largely ignored by the visiting birders and no one seemed to mind if you crept up and got a bit closer to them.

Can't help thinking it could have been the same with the Bunting but there you go, it's not as good looking as the Yellowhammers anyway.

A hunting Kestrel landed close to me in a tree as I was getting the Yellowhammer images. Look at that blue Sky, rarer than a Kentish Little Bunting.

A Little Grebe in Flight.

For me, an unusual sight of a Little Grebe in flight, flying low over the reed bed and past the Feast hide in front of me and landing on the pool to join it's mate.

A pair of Goldeneye's.

 Somewhat of a scarcity at Stodmarsh apart from a few annually viewed distantly from the Stodmarsh/Fordwich road over Collard's lake, a mile or so to the west of the reserve, a pair (Drake/Duck) of Goldeneye have been present on the main lake recently.

A Long-tailed Duck

 On a small drain to the rear of the Weatherlees Water treatment plant that sits on the edge of the Minster marshes, a first winter male Long-tailed Duck has taken up residence, to complete his first moult I would hazard a guess at. Completely at ease with a human presence, this confiding duck continually swam up and down the drain, diving for food which looked in plentiful supply. The Duck is starting to look attractive but not a patch on what it will look like during the summer months.