Avocets

Having spent time filming Avocets on Morecambe Bay it is easy to see why the RSPB adopted them as their emblem bird. They are spectacular subjects and were, up to ten years ago, very rare breeding birds in Britain. Since then their spread north has been sensational with a pair now having bred successfully in Greater manchester.

On Hopwood on the 7th I came across seven Long Tailed Tits that had just fledged from the first nest that I found being built this year on the 4th March. Very rarely are you able to follow the fortunes of a Long Tailed Tits nest though to fledging as was the case with this nest. The young were being fed by three adults so there should be an ample supply of food for the seven young.

Elsewhere in the Pennines this week I have seen plenty of singing Whitethroats and Grasshopper Warblers with the first Swifts screaming overhead. The record sunshine of April has now produced the most advanced leaf cover I have ever seen in early May. This will produce a good food supply for all the summer visitors that are now arriving. All they need now is more warmth!! Click here