Spring now livening up, with revised total now hitting 275

Recent days have seen a wave of fresh arrivals of trans-Saharan migrants moving north, with the total number of species now recorded in Britain and Ireland as high as 275 species. The 11 new additions are as follows -:

1) LITTLE BITTERN - a male briefly in Easebourne, Sussex;

2) PURPLE HERON - a showy individual in Carmarthenshire all day today;

3) Osprey - over 35 migrant birds in the past 5 days;

4) Stone Curlew - at least 25 birds back in Breckland and a single in Ireland;

5) EURASIAN DOTTEREL - very unusual March occurrence in Scotland on Tiree, Argyll, with European Golden Plovers;

6) PALLID SWIFT - one photographed in South Wales on 21 March;

7) ALPINE SWIFT - bumper influx in recent days involving at least 10 individuals, including one in Ireland;

8) RED-RUMPED SWALLOW - early migrant in West Cornwall;

9) House Martin - at least 15 reported;

10) RUSTIC BUNTING - photographed female in birder's New Forest garden constituting first Hampshire record;

11) WHITE STORK - presumed genuine spring migrant in Ireland