Migration is now under way, the winter visitors are leaving and the summer visitors are beginning to arrive.
Most of the ducks have gone, to be replaced by singing Chiffchaf and  Blackcap, eager to set up their territories. 
Sand Martin have passed through locally, whilst at Moor Green Lakes, six Little Ringed Plover have flown in to examine the area for suitable nesting sights.
A pair of Garganey, which stayed at Fleet Pond, Hants for six days feeding up, finally departed last week, presumably en route to northern Europe breeding grounds.
The two Short Eared Owls that have overwintered at Farlington, were still there a few days ago, but will leave very shortly. I would like to know how many voles they ate during their stay. 
Small numbers of Swallow have started to appear,, with the main flocks still to come.
A Blue Tit has started to build a nest in a camera nest box in the garden which has provided lots of interest.
​With favourable winds anything could turn up in the next few weeks, so fingers crossed that it does. 

  Waxwing returned to the Berkshire area at Bracknell at the beginning of February.
They arrived at Bracknell to an apple tree in the garden of a bungalow on a housing estate.
The tree had plenty of large ripe red apples left on it from the previous years crop, which  five Waxwing took advantage of.
The birds fed daily on the apples for nearly two weeks and then departed to look for another food source.
Also present on the day of my visit to see the Waxwings, was a male Ring necked parakeet, Fieldfare and female Blackcap, who were also feeding on the apples.
My last sighting of these lovely birds, must have been at least three years ago, as they only visit the UK if the Scandinavian winter is hard or there is a shortage of food or both. 
The Grey Wagtail that has been a daily visitor to my garden since last November to feed on the meal worms that I put down, has now finally departed. My last sighting of it being on the 27th February. 
Hopefully with luck it may return next Autumn.
On the 6th February, a cold and frosty day, I was at my local patch, Moor Green Lakes. Tony Reid and myself had just settled ourselves in the hide and had started to scan the lake with our telescopes, when an odd looking duck was seen. As there was a slight haze over the lake it took us a minute or so to positively identify it as a female Long Tailed duck.
This was my first Long Tailed duck that I had seen at the reserve, all of my other sightings had been at the coast, as traditionally it is classified as a sea duck.