MSQ And The Humber Estuary.....

A few hours out this morning starting firstly at Messingham Sand Quarries where spring was all around today,with birdsong filling the air and my first amphibian sighting of the year,with a single male Smooth Newt in the small woodland pond in the plantation.The best bird sightings today included a couple of Goosander watched fishing on the main lake and 2 'Trumpeting' Whooper Swans flying onto the small pond on the sheep fields,one of the birds being colour ringed.Also on the sheep fields was a good sized flock of 112 Wigeon and more signs of spring with displaying Skylark's,Lapwing's and Oystercatcher's.The next place i visited was the superb Read's Island,were the best birds included a feast of raptor's, which included juv. Rough-legged Buzzard,2 juv. Peregrine,Merlin,4 Marsh Harrier and a single Common Buzzard,with my first Avocet's of the year being seen also,with a superb count of 236 birds.Other birds seen here included a couple of 'Sinensis' Cormorant,several groups of Wigeon and Teal,but no sign of the Pink's today.A quick visit to Water's Edge on the way home revealed very little apart from a drumming Great-spotted Woodpecker and a nest building pair of Magpie.A good few hours,with spring here at last.