Visit to WWT Martin Mere 6th April 2013

 Visit to WWT Martin Mere 6th April 2013

As we still had a bit of time available to us when we had finished at Mere Sands Wood we made the short drive to WWT Martin Mere. When we go to Martin Mere I reflect that we never see Curlew when we drive past Curlew Lane and I always though the name harked back to a previous era. However, this time, as we drove from Mere Sands Wood to WWT Martin Mere we drove along Curlew Lane and – lo and behold – there were about thirty of them feeding on the fields !We started of, as usual, at the Ron Barker hide where we immediately had a Merlin pointed out to us perched a long way off on a post. We had long – if distant – views of the bird and even when it took off we found it again – on another post. There were also a couple of Buzzards on posts and a few in the air above the church in the distance.

As ever, Wigeon were there aplenty but the Avocets were the main attraction – by now around thirty of them. On one of the gravel patches there was also a Ringed Plover – the first for us this year ! There were a couple of Redhsanks and Oystercatchers but mainly the water was filled with Shelduck and Mallard with a few Pintail and about fifteen Black-tailed Godwit. All the Whooper Swans and the Pink-footed Geese have left which is a shame but they will be back.

We popped into the Kingfisher and Hale hide but apart from Tree Sparrow, Greenfinch and Wrens there wasn’t much about. The Raines Observatory was more like the usual fare with plenty of Shelduck., Pintail, Oystercatchers and Cormorants and Lapwings but again they were in much fewer numbers than in the winter visits we make.

Janet Keir had the usual finches and tits and a smattering of Reed Buntings and at United Utilities we saw a pair of Grey Herons but it was quite quiet. We were running out of time so we headed back to the Swanlink hide where we saw the same birds as earlier but there were also some Black-tailed Godwit and more Pintail and three Ruff in an interesting variety of plumages – but all still Ruff.

Perhaps not our best birding day at Martin Mere, though the Ringed Plover and Merlin were welcome, but it was just a pleasure to walk about on a nice dry sunny day with no mud to contend with and very little wind. Roll on Spring and the summer visitors.

Bird Sightings : Ron Barker Hide

Bird Sightings : Raines Observatory

Bird Sightings : Janet Keir hide

Bird Sightings : Swanlink Hide