Old Friends Returning - Spring Migration

Yesterday, I was out visiting a couple of other wildlife protected areas, not quite nature reserves but the folks that are caring for the places are working on that. When I got back to my local patch, I wanted to check on events. As spring unfolds, there are various places in and around my local woods where various natural history events will be played out. Some I may get to film, others I will miss, as I can not be in several places at once.

While traversing to a place where I hope to film a little owl nest site, it has nested there for the past two years so I am hopeful. I had to stop and listen to a sound that was seriously out of place. Firstly it was the wrong time of year; secondly the weather conditions were completely wrong for a Cuckoo to be calling. Additionally, the tone and volume sounded wrong. After listening to it several times, over a half-hour period, I concluded that it was someone playing a recording.

I could not locate who it was, and as it was from within the trees, another clue that it was not genuine, I was forced to abandon the search. Nor could I spot any sign that the little owl has returned yet. The delay also prevented me from having enough light to check out a couple of other locations for other returning wildlife.

However I am keeping alert to the spring migration and I will be delighted to the first swallow, which will have already started its journey from South Africa. As it takes six weeks the first ones, shall I be corny and call them the early birds?, will have left four or even five weeks ago. Also I am trying to remember to keep my smaller JVC camera in my pocket as over the past two years I have seen the Osprey on their migration so I hope if I see them this year I will at least have a camera with me. Having Derwent Reservoir just a few miles up the river from here helps. As trout fishery it provides the Osprey with a feeding station on their migration.

But while there are never any guarantees of what I may see, that is part of the thrill, to see what is unexpected as well as seeing old friends returning.