Radipole, Sunday 18th March

We went to Radipole early on sunday morning in search of the glossy ibises. Although we didn't see them, there was plenty around, with several great crested grebes in their splendid breeding plumage alongside cormorants, shelducks, lesser black backed, herring, black-headed and common gulls. Two grey herons flew over, and several buzzards circled overhead. Mallards, tufted ducks, teal, coots, moorhen, mute swans, dunnocks and greenfinches were around in huge numbers. At north hide, we waited for 45 minutes hoping to catch a glimpse of the ibises, but they didn't appear. In front of the hide there were lots of ducks, including mallards, teal, wigeon and gadwall. A magnificent iridescent blue kingfisher flew across the water and landed on a perch on the opposite side of the water, before a stunning marsh harrier made the whole flock of ducks fly. Hundreds of woodpigeons passed the hides and magpies and carrion crows fed in the marsh. Other passerines in huge numbers were great tits, blue tits, coal tits, chaffinches and blackbirds, but the highlight was a willow warbler, my first summer migrant of the year. The highlight of the trip, however, was a water vole, which we got superb views of as it swam up a narrow channel. Back at Hilfield, there were several buzzards, along with pheasants, great and coal tits, nuthatches and dunnocks and the rooks and pied wagtails continued to gather their nesting materials.