Spring is well under way, daily new cases stats are down, and I’ve had my first dose of vaccine. Time to emerge from hibernation at last.

This felt like the first “Normal Sunday” in a very long time and the “Marshside usual suspects” fresh and exciting!

The ruff are looking particularly fine this year with good numbers sporting well-developed breeding plumage.

Hirundines included swallows, house martins, and several swifts high above the housing estate, but I didn’t pick out any sand martins.

The area in front of Stanley school held half a dozen Wood Sandpipers and a good few white and pied wagtails. We missed out on the Garganey and Spoonbill that were around that day, but didn’t mind.

Entomology on Hesketh Golf course proved eventful, with an Azure Damselfly (posted about separately) and me getting over-excited chasing after some “conopids” that turned out to be sciomyzidae.