Three day weekend ahead

The bank holiday weekend is upon us and after a busy week at work with little time for getting out into the field, I for one am champing at the bit to get out there and enjoy some of the sub-Saharan migratory birds, which have been flooding (pardon the pun) into the UK over the last week.

With more rain than you could wish for over the last week or two, the annual spring bird migration started slowly, with the typical early arrival of Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Swallow and the odd Willow Warbler arriving safely back on our shores. These are now being backed up by large numbers of Swifts crossing the Channel, followed by House Martin and to a lesser extent Sand Martins - national reports of Sand Martin suggest numbers are considerably down at this stage compared to previous years and have become a huge worry in terms of their numbers nationally, lets hope this is just a blip! Common Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethoats have both been seen locally on Wanstead Flats, with up to 10 Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail and a couple of Whinchat also seen here in the last week. Reed and Sedge Warblers are calling from the reed beds at Rainham Marshes with Cuckoo and Turtle Dove reported here as well - both these birds continue to struggle with sadly fewer and fewer sightings each year, with the BTO advising their decline is still not improving. I'm yet to hear of any reports of Spotted Flycatcher - although expected anytime now, but history shows these are one of our last breeding summer visitors to arrive - and if I was them I would be in no hurry, especially with our current weather!

Once out in the field, I shall be using my listening skills to try and hear the song of a Grasshopper Warbler - one of the few species of migratory Warbler which has shown a slight increase in numbers in the last decade. Often difficult to see deep down in the scrubby Hawthorn they are usually first found by hearing their distinctive song, best listened for around dawn or dusk, it has been described as sounding like a fisherman's reel being wound in or like an alarm clock with outs its bell!

Let's hope the sun comes out over the weekend as all these birds, along with our regular garden birds rely heavily on natural food resources which are more prevalent when the sun shines - such as all types of flying insects, arthropods, minibugs and caterpillars, all needed for their survival and to feed their young at this time of year. With the persistent rain only adding to their troubles, reducing the number of hours in the day they are able to feed - I hope future records don't show that the spring/summer of 2012 was one the poorest years for our small breeding birds. It is advisable to continue to feed your garden birds through the Spring and Summer and not just in the Winter, especially if first broods have failed, as the adult birds will be grateful for an easy meal to help them quickly refuel and keep their strength up for feeding a brood of hungry mouths. It might also be worth considering mealworms at this time of year, which are ideal for recently hatched young (that's if the Woodpigeon's don't get there first!). There could still be a silver lining to this wet spring, birds are very resourceful and shouldn't be underestimated as most will try to raise a second brood if the first brood fails, so all is not lost, just yet...

What ever your plans this bank holiday weekend, don't go far without your waterproofs! And spare a minute to feed our feathered friends at this often forgotten, but busy time of year.