Spring has arrived!
The Spring Equinox is such an exciting time, filled with the promise of new beginnings.
This week has brought beautiful calm sunny days, and the mornings are now filled with the songs of Blackbird, Song Thrush, Wren, Robin and Dunnock. Even the visiting Rooks have been 'singing' on neighbour's rooftops, their song a mix of caws, croaks, whirrs and chirrups.
Birds are collecting nesting material and I suspect some of the Rooks, one of the earliest nesting birds, may already have young. This week they have been visiting my garden in greater numbers, along with Jackdaws, clearly collecting food to take away in their gular (throat) pouch. Certain Rooks are identifiable and the frequency of visits of those particular birds during the day has increased, leading me to think they may be feeding chicks.
Bird of the Week - Eurasian Blackbird
The male Blackbird is well-named, as it is an all-black bird. It has a bright yellow bill, and a thin yellow eye ring. The female Blackbird is a dark brown colour, usually with a slightly paler throat, brown bill and mottling on the breast.
What the Blackbird lacks in showy plumage, it more than makes up for as a songster. The male Blackbird’s song is wonderfully rich and fluty. When it begins singing again each year in early spring, it’s a truly beautiful and uplifting sound, and it makes me think of the longer, warmer days to come.
My Birding this week
I had a wonderful weekend birding in Somerset with my husband, visiting 3 new-to-us reserves: RSPB Ham Wall, RSPB Greylake and Shapwick Heath - a national nature reserve.
On Saturday we visited Ham Wall - this is my new favourite RSPB site.
We had 5 target birds: Bittern, Glossy lbis, Garganey, Ring-necked Duck (which would be a lifer) and Spotted Redshank.
As soon as we arrived the booming Bitterns made themselves known, and just afterwards we heard our first singing Blackcaps of the season.
Early on we found the hoped for Ring-necked Duck (our first target bird), distant views but unmistakable with its domed head, grey sides and white patch at the front of its wing. This is a vagrant from North America so we were lucky to see it.
We stood for some time at the first viewing platform and, amongst the Black-tailed Godwits, Shovelers, and Coots we saw 3 Redshank - 2 Common and one Spotted Redshank (target number 2).
I also had a brief view of a Bittern (target number 3) flying into the reeds.
Read the full trip report (with the bird photos) at the link below.
Latest podcast episode
Birding Diary - February 2025
In this month's birding catch-up, Suzy and her husband John review the birds they saw in February.
The conversation delves into the sites visited, top birding moments, and their respective bird counts for the month, which adds a lighthearted competitive aspect to their birdwatching activities.
This episode is also available to watch on YouTube, with added photos and videos of the birds seen.
Recommendations and shout outs!
Global BirdFair
In July 2025 I’ll be presenting live podcast episodes at the Global Birdfair in Rutland, UK, on the Swarovski Optik Whinchat Podcasting Stage. The schedule features a whole host of birding and nature podcasts. I hope I’ll see you there.
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Until next week, happy birding!