Fowlmere RSPB, 5th-7th April.

Strong southerly winds throughout the weekend were coming from the right direction for summer migrants to come in. It took a while but eventually they started to arrive! 
The evening on the 5th was very pleasant but 5 Sand Martin were the only evidence of any passage. 
The next day was lovely in the shelter of the reserve and with plenty of sunshine it got quite hot. Again there was very little coming in except the first 2 Swallow of the year which appear to be the pair that nest in the stables next door..apart from that, nothing.
The wind eased a bit over night and this probably helped with what happened on the 7th..it was great, my best visit for quite sometime! For starters an early Reed Warbler singing right in front of reedbed hide was quickly followed by a Sedge Warbler almost next to it, both firsts of the year and not only that, the Reed warbler becomes the earliest ever at Fowlmere by 5 days.  
Finding the two Acro’s made it clear that birds were in and with the sun out I made my way down to the guilden brook sharp. On getting to the brook I immediately heard calling what was hoped for..a Redstart! It wasn’t long before a female bird flicked out the bushes and back in. Then it got better when a male Redstart could be seen further along the brook. The female showed ok but the male was showing very well and often perched out in the open and was able to be watched for some time..always very pleased to find Redstart! I’ve never acually tallied up how many Redstart I have seen at Fowlmere over the years but I bet it’s between 75-100 birds.
A passage Willow Warbler was also in the hedgerow, only the second this year, a couple of Redpoll flew over and 2 Oystercatcher flew around the reserve before heading off east. Presumably the Oystercatcher are a pair that have nested in the area over the last two seasons, I hope so as it’s quite an odd record for south Cambs. The days 6 hour session ended with another first of the year with 3 House Martin flying around the mere area for a short while. Five species new for the year in one morning…I like that!
Other interesting wildlife seen over the days was the first Green-Veined White of the year, the Common Lizards, Water Vole in the shep showing well but for me my first Grass Snake of the year was great to see. The Snake was only a young one, quite long but very slim, I initially thought it was a shoe lace until taking a closer look! The nice surprise was the Snake seemed unbothered by a human presence and allowed a real close up view before slipping back into the verges.