I had a couple of visits to Linacre in the last few days of March. It was quite quiet on both occasions, but I did manage to see a few summer insects and check up on the Mute Swan.
Waterfowl numbers have fallen off in March (as usual), as birds set up their breeding pairs/territories. Having said this, there have been a few still about, with double figure counts still for Mallard (43 on 23rd) and Tufted Duck (18 on 23rd). As mentioned above, the female Mute Swan (6Y24) was present on both visits. 1 Little Grebe was heard on 23rd, so hopefully breeding will take place again this year. Great-crested Grebe numbers are also up to 5, with birds present on all three reservoirs. Surprisingly, a late female Goosander (29th) and 1 Black-headed Gull (24th) were also noted. Three Grey Wagtails were also seen on 29th. 2 Cormorants were seen on 24th and 1 was still present on 29th.
The woods held the usual suspects, but a nice addition was my first record of Stock Dove for 2024 (3 near the Rangers' Base), along with up to 8 singing Chiffchaffs, and, best of all, a Red Kite, low over the woods, being mobbed by two Jackdaws on the 29th. This is my first record for a couple of years, although there were a few sightings by other people last year.
Insect wise, it's still quiet, although I reported my first hoverfly species of the year, Eristalis sp, on 24th, along with a Buff-tailed Bumblebee. It was warmer on 29th (14 degrees), so there were more insects about, including Common Carder Bees, Tree Bumblebee, an unidentified Mining Bee sp and a beautiful (male, I think) Tawny Mining Bee.
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