Birds breed at different times and although birds within the northern climates tend to breed within the summer time, they vary and birds that grow slowly often breed early.Early breeders are Grey herons, Ravens, Mistle thrushes and Mallards.Many smaller birds tend to time the hatching of the eggs with the emergence of food items such as caterpillars which appear when certain tree leaves spring to life. Ravens build their nests or add to existing nests in late winter and are incubating eggs by early march. When they finish feeding the nestlings, hobbies take over the nest at the end of April,or May.Hobbies arrived very early this year with an individual seen during the first week of March and another was seen during the third week. more are on their way. Today I saw my first Red footed falcon , whizzing along Bournemouth sea cliffs as they do every spring. I saw a marsh harrier two days ago, and a red kite two weeks ago. Other migrant raptors will be following behind with black kites and ospreys . The best way to observe raptors is to listen out for the exited cries of Herring gulls. Below, a raven does a display flight at dusk.
A Great crested grebe awaits its mate on its nest.They seem to spend hours doing nothing but drifting about on the water keeping guard.
Sparrows chirp and chatter and are busy . As they are communal nesters they tend to have a hierarchy and are always fighting.here a cock and a hen check each other out.
Dunnocks are often called hedge sparrows but are not related. The cock sings from a prominent perch while his hen has just started to incubate the eggs
A dog fox hunts during the day, for voles and insects and also ground nesting birds.
The pine pollen is erupting ! watch out hay fever sufferers. The Scots and maritime pines have copious amounts of it, and the flowers are opening.
Solitary wasps are also busy and Ammophila sabulosa has just dug a tunnel to put a paralyzed caterpillar in; she will lay one egg on it then block the hole entrance with little stones.There was a colony with hundreds of females nest building.They nest in warm sand banks.
