Local Patch - Not Much New - 25/2/2017

As I no longer drink anymore, I find that I have Saturdays free now that I am not hungover any more. So what better way of spending the day than the relaxing and healthy pursuits of cycling and birding. I headed out to the local patches of lakes and quarries along the river Gipping, giving me about an hours worth of strenuous cycling. Overall there wasn't too much to get excited about bird wise: Doris just didn't blow in anything interesting. We have come to an in between period, between the cold of deep winter and the rejuvenation of Spring, but hopefully things will pick up.

 

Pipp's Ford

Looking good for the Spring, and still with a healthy population of wintering ducks. Most numerous were GADWALL with around 30 spread throughout the site, whilst SHOVELLER numbered 10 on the new excavations, and 5 TEAL and singles of TUFTED DUCK and LITTLE GREBE on the finished pit along with a pair of SWANS. The first wader of the Spring, an OYSTERCATCHER, was present on the new excavation.
There were good numbers of TREECREEPERs in the woodland along the river, squabbling and establishing territories, whilst there was a pair of KINGFISHER on River Farm Pit, which fingers crossed means they may nest there this year.

River Farm Pit

Stamford Mere and Causeway Lake
Again fairly quiet. Stamford Mere held a flock of 22 WIGEON, along with a single GREAT CRESTED GREBE, whilst Causeway Lake held only one SWAN, due to disturbance from a fishing competition.

I didn't go to Barham Pits so I haven't completely covered the area, but I might head over there some time in the future couple of weeks, just to be thorough.

Please let me know what you think of my blog, and any areas which you recommend for birding. I would like to hear from you.

Doris Blasts Trimley - 23/2/2017

I Don't know why I did it, but having a free day, I decided to go down to Trimley during Storm Doris, to see if anything rare had been blown in by the strong winds. And strong they were - I was unable to stand on the river wall because it was too windy, and there wasn't any shelter in the hides - the rickety old buildings were creaking and groaning in the wind - I thought they were going to fall apart.
Alas there wasn't much about - most of the birds were hunkered down, trying to shelter from the winds. The BEAN GEESE flock was still present and had separated from the GREYLAGS and I was able to do a count - 15 in total, which is a good number. They were hanging around in the wet grassland near the reservoir, best seen from the look out point.
There were a few PINTAIL amongst the commoner ducks, some GODWITS as well. So nothing new to add. Next its on to March and an end to a winter of sorts and maybe on to a decent spring.

Felixstowe - 16/2/2017

I wouldn't have put this post in if it wasn't for the record of MEDITERRANEAN GULL at the view car park at Landguard  point. I had brought some stale bread to entice the local gull flock in the hope of seeing it and eventually it was found. It had a tatty black head, with a large bill and all white wings.
Other than that the area was pretty dead, with a few small flocks of BARNACLE GEESE moving north but no migrants around yet.

Winter Wonderland at Minsmere - 12/2/2017

What a glorious day to go birding. A bitter easterly wind, straight from Siberia, pounded the coast as I took to Minsmere. It was so cold it really felt like my face was about to turn to ice, break off and shatter on the ground.
But then that's one of the pleasures of bird watching in winter. And thankfully it also keeps the people away.
As far as birding goes, today was OK. Pride of place goes to the SMEW. There were a pair present, including a beautiful male, which with its stark monochromatic plumage of white and black makes it an outstanding bird to see. They were on a small pool just to the edge of the scrape proper and were viewable from a mound where a mini twitch had assembled.

Male Smew (not my image) >>>>>>>>


Today I mainly concentrated on the scrape, with limited time available. The scrape is a area of brackish shallow water just in from the sea, and with its islands, it attracts thousands of birds to nest there, the most famous being AVOCETS.
But in the freezing winter things are different. For one its a lot quieter, without the squawking of many birds nesting so close together, it becomes the realm of winter ducks. Today it seems that the scrape had some management work done, so due to  disturbance there weren't many ducks about. I usually expect to see several thousand birds, but today they numbered in the low hundreds. There were few waders about, but then there aren't usually many in winter; there were several GODWITS & REDSHANKS, and singles of CURLEW, RINGED PLOVER and TURNSTONE.

This is what most of the birds were doing today - sleeping

 



The sea was extremely rough, with thousands of white horses pounding the beach. Alas this was not the best conditions to see birds in. What I did see were five GANNETS heading north, I think the first I've seen in February, and small numbers of BRENT GEESE heading south.
Further along the south levels, an area of wet grassland, were very dry, with little flooding on the grasslands, and as a result there wasn't much there either.
Last thing to report - a GREAT WHITE EGRET was present in the pools behind west hide, which is the frist record I've had for the reserve, although I expect to see it more often, as its population is on the rise in this country.
So an alright day, but with these mild winters, although its easier to get out and about in, attracts less of the scarcer birds, which the cold weather usually pushes in. But we shall see. Bring on Spring I say.

Local Patch work - First Signs of Spring - 28/1 - 3/2/2017

The Stream, or more like a ditch

There is a local patch I haven't mentioned yet, one I go to every week but don't write about. This area contains large tracts of farmland, and due to its paucity of other habitats (such as water and woodlands) doesn't attract many birds. However this patch happens to start behind the next street up so it is very handy for some quick birding.
Today's highlight has to be the WOODCOCK I disturbed whilst trudging through some field. I reckon this bird was a migrant, one of the first of spring.
Elsewhere a large flock of birds several hundred strong, were feeding on one of the prairie fields left fallow after harvesting. This consisted mainly of winter thrushes - FIELDFARE and REDWING, but also with some smaller birds - YELLOWHAMMER, LINNETS and GOLDFINCHES. The farmer will probably spray it with pesticides soon, so I doubt the birds will linger.

LINNET flock

On the 28/1 there was a large flock of 80+ LINNETS, feeding in the fields and roosting on the telephone wires. Now these birds, although very common breeding birds, don't usually winter in the area, so I take this to be a migrant flock, and to be the first sign of spring. Also present in the same field but separate were 17 SKYLARKS.