Thursday, April 19, 2018

πŸ“– #29 ~ Glorious Brandon

🌞26C Thursday 19th April 2018 ~After yesterdays away-day I had a short sleep in this morning, arriving at Brandon Marsh shortly after 9am. What a stunningly gorgeous morning with clear blue skies and a very slight breeze.

Osprey over East Marsh Hide ~ Brandon Marsh
I was just about to take a tour of the top reedbed when word came through of a drake Mandarin Duck on East marsh, so I headed off for a Brandon tick! On the way down to the hide my first Garden Warbler of the year at the Horsetail Glade bench, a Reed Warbler singing from the pool side of the bank along the central marsh, but by the time I'd reached the hide, there was no sign of the Mandarin. I spent a short time here, my first two Orange Tip butterflies of the year flying past and was just leaving when the Osprey, now into its second day visiting decided to take a flyover, offering some stunning views over the hide.

Garden Warbler

Lesser Whitethroat ~ Brandon Marsh
After enjoying this amazing spectacle I headed off to the Ted Jury hide picking up my first Common Whitethroat of the year near the fallen Field Maple to the rear of Carlton Hide. A little further along the track towards the Jury hide a Lesser Whitethroat burst into song and after following the bird along the Hawthorn it finally popped up for a photo!

It was a pretty good day all around with plenty of butterflies on the wing including (6) Orange Tip and various counts of Brimstone (8), Peacock (2), Comma (2) and Small Tortoiseshell (2). Other birds of note today away from the pools included two reeling Grasshopper Warblers, one from Jury hide and a second from Alban's Bench, where Common Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat were seen and Reed and Sedge Warbler were singing!

Osprey on River Pool

Osprey over East Marsh hide!