Spring Equinox

As it has been the start of spring today I just had to get out and the weather has been wonderfully spring like. Although my day actually started in the middle of the night as I have still been trying to film the toads mating. There were toads about, and spawn in the pond, trying to spot and then film a creature that is a third of the size of a Dollar bill in the dark, well its not as easy as the professionals make it appear. Further, they have a crew to help, if I did not have a split personality I would have to do this alone.

I still have not got them on film. I was feeling a little disappointed but often that is the way when trying to film wildlife. Personally I think they were all behind me having a croak at my expense. I was just getting ready to leave when I heard the sound of a Woodcock performing its mating, bonding, display flight. I looked and searched but beyond hearing the Woodcock was the closest encounter I was going to get.

Was this going to be a day of frustration? It seemed so as what happened next seemed to confirm what had already happened this morning. As the sun was washing the land with the first rays of light, filtering through the rising mist, I spotted some movement in the fields. As well as Toads and Frogs, I have been keeping an eye out for Hares. While there is a small population in the area, they are a rare sighting at the best of times. Further, as a brief glimpse of a Rabbit could be mistaken for a Hare, I needed to get a clear view before making any identification.

I set up the camera and used it to scan the landscape. The mist was not helping, it was not artistic or atmospheric it was just obscuring. But I persisted and I did finally identify them as Hares. It is the first time I have seen Hares this year. Finally the sun burnt off the mist and even then the Hares were difficult to find. As they hide in scrapes in the ground, the undulations enable them to disappear while still being out in the open. However, in the mating season they become less secretive as the drive to sire the next generation overtakes the normal need to avoid predators.

I stayed and watched and I thought there were several in the field they were spread widely. I could not tell if they were male or female but as they all appeared to be the same size I think they were all males. I kept observing but they appeared to be settled and secure. Then about an hour and half latter over the far side of the field a Hare broke loose and bounded down the slop. As it appeared larger I think it was a female, this triggered the rest to follow and suddenly seven or eight Hares went chasing after. I had only been able to count five possible Hares. It was over and out of sight before I could even switch on the record button.

As it was a surprise to have seen them at all, I was not totally disappointed not to have filmed them especially as I did not see any of the boxing or the leaping about, but its clear that madness is I the air.

It was late morning before I got home and as I had gone out before the milkman had delivered I had to get my milk in before I could do anything else. As I was looking quite windswept and must have looked as though I had just got up, I heard a neighbour say that I must be very lazy. Well I suppose hanging round ponds and fields is quite lazy.

After having some lunch and re-hydrating myself, I headed of out again. I was spoilt for choice as I was heading for one of the nature reserves close by. I decided to go to Sildon Pond first and see what was there. Sometimes it can be great sometimes not much is happening there, and I would have time to walk to another reserve if not much was happening there. Well this was a day when the birds were performing and as it’s the start of spring they were looking their best too.

I will stick to the highlights or else I will bore everyone (again). The first highlight was seeing the Tufted Ducks. These are small diving ducks that carry a tuft of feathers as a crest. Part of the delight of seeing them was that they were perfect full plumage. However, what was the real highlight was observing and filming part of their behaviour. When resting they will swim round in a circle, like swimming on the spot. This they do to avoid bank dwelling animals like foxes mink etc.

The next highlight for me was seeing a Mute Swan. As I was in a hide and the swan had come to just below the observation ports, I was looking down on her. She was feeding and I could see her head down in the water as she grazed on the plants growing from the base of the pond. Even had I not been filming her, it would have been a sight worth seeing.

Another little highlight was watching and filming a Little grebe diving and feeding. I was not sure but it had earlier appeared to be collecting material and building a nest, but I could not see where in the reed bed where, so while that appeared to be what it was doing, to much of the activity was hidden to be sure. However, given the time of year it seems a good hypothesis that this was what the Dab Chick, another name for a little grebe, was doing.

It was while trying to observe the grebe that I saw what was the real highlight, as well as filming them, I spotted a duck that I did not immediately recognise. Green metallic head and a rust red body, an American Ruddy Duck. There is a small colony of them here, so they are not that rare, but it was a delight to see them as close as they were and in reasonable numbers. They do breed here and they appear to be getting ready to do that again this year.

There were many other aspects of the day that made this one of the best starts to spring that I have seen for many years, but the real bonus was seeing a pair of Grey Herons alighting in the Heronrey near here. I was on the bus and it was only because the trees are still bare of leaf that I was able to spot the nest. I would like to film them, but I need permission as they are protected. Even so, I was pleased to see that spring really is here and the wildlife knows it too.