A Purple Heron and plenty of spring blooms and butterflies. Plus, the Pallid Harrier continues to delight!
Spring is unfurling across the wetlands, and with it comes a rush of colour, song and surprise.
From the sudden, unexpected appearance of a Purple Heron on Deep Water Lake on 22 March, to the sweeping tide of our resident Black‑tailed Godwit milling across the Freshwater Lagoon, the reserve is alive with movement.
Harriers quarter low, Great Crested Grebes dance in mirrored ripples, and the first Cuckooflower and Snake’s‑head Fritillary hang like little lanterns in the meadows. Butterflies such as Brimstone, Peacock, Comma and Orange‑tip stitch sunshine along the paths.
Wildlife sightings from 16th to 23rd March 2026
Highlights: Purple Heron, Osprey, Wheatear, Treecreeper, Snakes-head Fritillary, Pallid Harrier, Skylark
Saturday 21 March saw a mighty Osprey fly briskly across the Saltmarsh to the Estuary - another fresh arrival seeking the comfort of a safe place to stay and a good hunt after a long migration.
On Sunday 22 March, Deep Water Lake played host to a truly electrifying guest: a Purple Heron. A dazzling, dusk-toned apparition that graced us for just one day. No sign today, but keep your bins handy… lightning sometimes does strike twice! The lake is alive with courtship too, as Great Crested Grebes continue their elegant mirror-dances with silvery ripples, crested crowns, and Strictly-worthy choreography. It's a 10 from us!
On 13 March, waves of 634 Black-tailed Godwit fed and roosted across the Freshwater Lagoon and Deep Water Lake. Watch for their synchronized lift-offs: a living ribbon of grey, white and rust swirling into the sky. Tucked among them, a lone Ruff probed the shallows, an understated treasure with subtle charm.
On 19 March, sharp-eyed visitor Bernie Beck picked out a Cattle Egret at the Saline Lagoon. A compact, bright-billed beauty glowing against the salt-laced light. On Monday 23 March, a Green Sandpiper was also spotted picking through the water of the Saline Lagoon. Meanwhile, 183 Black-headed Gulls were spread between the Saline Lagoon, Dafen Scrapes, Deep Water Lake and Freshwater Lagoon (with the majority loyal to Freshwater). Around the Eastern Scrapes, a swirling pocket of 40 Sand Martins scythed the air, the whispers of incoming migration written as quicksilver arcs over the water. Overhead drama continued as a Peregrine harried nervous flocks, its stoops carving invisible commas through the sky.
Spring’s overture rose from Tir Morfa Marsh on 13 March, where a single Skylark climbed on song, pouring out its bright, effervescent cascade. Along the Saltmarsh, a smart Wheatear flashed its pale rump, fresh in, crisp and purposeful, a true messenger of the season turning. Over the wider reserve, a Marsh Harrier drifted low with assertive wingbeats, and the returning Pallid Harrier continues to stun lucky visitors; surely soon to depart for more familiar haunts, so don’t miss your chance.
By the Heron's Wing Hide, look up and you might be blessed with the sight of an industrious Treepcreeper scaling the shingles of the hide with a curved beak full of nesting material or lunch. This week's featured photo is from visitor Brian Lloyd, who witnessed one of the soon-to-be nesting birds in action.
In the plant world, the season’s first Cuckooflower has opened with petals like soft-lit porcelain along damp margins; while a Snake’s-head Fritillary nodded in one of our wet meadows, its chequered lantern easy to overlook. A friendly reminder to please keep to the paths: there’s delicate magic underfoot, and it’s all too easy to miss (or damage) something small and precious. On the wing, neon-bright Brimstone butterflies are dancing along the paths, joined by sun-warmed Peacock, flickering Comma, and sprightly Orange-tip, each one a brushstroke of spring set loose.
