The Last of Winter at Washington Wetlands

 

We took a spur of the moment trip to the Wetlands on March 9th and the signs of Spring were bountiful!
It's understandable that people think that Spring is in full swing when we are having 14°C weather and so much colour is returning to the trees, but at this point we still had another couple of weeks until Spring Equinox and I'm forever against wishing time away. I tried to make the most of what little Winter we had left during March and it made me sad to have such typical late-Spring weather. How are people still denying Climate Change and the terrible effects it is having on our poor planet?

Anyway, this was my last WWT Washington trip for the season, and here are the photos I took.

Birds I Met in February

We're into the seventh year of Birdy Round Ups, and compared to when I first started these posts, it would seem birding as a hobby in general has greatly increased in popularity. While it always feels a little strange when something I have loved for a long time becomes a 'trend', it's absolutely great that people are noticing and appreciating our beautiful wildlife more and more. They need as much help as they can get, and when people are more aware of who we share the planet with, it raises the chances of them getting that help.

As someone who has been a birder for around 22 years now, I vouch for the joy and peace that our bird kingdom brings. For what we get from them, we must give back. Feed the birds. Provide fresh water sources all year round (keep them topped up in Summer and the ice broken in Winter). Plant native trees, bushes, flowers - look into which are great food sources, shelter, etc. Resist the urge to sanitise your outdoor spaces (for example, leave the leaves, don't over-prune, try to keep things as wild as possible with as little concrete and such as possible). Give them space. Stop pets and children from chasing or scaring them, even more so in Winter when they need to conserve energy and taking flight takes a lot of their energy! Most importantly, just be kind. All species, from gulls and pigeons to birds of prey and 'game birds' like pheasants, are all equal and deserve to live a safe, healthy life.

Anyway! Here are all the beautiful birds I met in February.

1st February
Grey Wagtail










2nd February 
Robin
Grey Heron
Kestrel
Mallard
Shelduck
Mute Swan
Cormorant
Canada Goose  

11th February
Chaffinch
Rock Dove
House Sparrow
Grey Wagtail
Starling

22nd February 2026
Mute Swan
Coot
Canada Goose

23rd February 2026
Long Tailed Tit

26th February 2026
Rock Dove
Blackbird

28th February 2026
Eider

Annual Total
Blackbird
Black-Headed Gull
Blue Tit
Canada Goose
Chaffinch
Coal Tit
Coot
Cormorant
Dunnock
Eider

Fulmar
Goldfinch
Great Black-Backed Gull
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Grey Heron
Grey Wagtail
Herring Gull
House Sparrow
Jackdaw

Kestrel
Long-Tailed Tit
Magpie
Mallard
Mute Swan
Pheasant
Pied Wagtail
Pink-Footed Goose
Robin
Rock Dove

Rook
Shelduck
Siskin
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Wood Pigeon

- 36

Monthly Totals
January - 28 birds
February - 8 birds


I didn't go far this month, one wetlands trip and a quick stop at a park (but I didn't have my long lens), so that certainly negatively affected my totals for February. However, the most excitment came in the form of a visitor to the garden... On a few occasions we were so lucky to have a Grey Wagtail join the garden crew and it very much made my month to watch them.