Early Spring at Lackford Lakes - 23/3//2017

 

Egyptian Goose

Despite being one of the best counties for birds, its easy to forget that away from the coast, and certain other areas, Suffolk is fairly poor avian wise. The hinterland is made up of large intensively farmed countryside, which provides little habitat for birds to live in. So I guess that's what makes Lackford Lakes so important. It might not be the best inland wetland but in a county with few inland lakes and marshland it is quite important.
I have only been to Lackford Lakes a couple of times, usually on the way to and from some place in the north west of Suffolk. Its a very pleasant place, a landscape area of former gravel pits, scrapes, reed beds, wet woodland and various different types of grassland.

 

Rare breed sheep are used to graze the grass areas

 



Today was a gorgeous day, very mild, with the sun usually out, and the birds were enjoying it - the area was full of bird song. Out on the lakes, not many birds were present, the best birds being the pair of GOLDENEYE, a late sign of winter. Winter duck numbers were fairly diminished, as the seasons roll on, with single numbers of POCHARD, GADWALL and SHOVELLER. Contrarily TUFTED DUCK numbers still held up, this species lingers longer into the year as it is a late nester. There were small flocks on all the lakes, some of which may stay to breed here. TEAL were also present, mainly on the SLOUGH, a lake that turns into a scrape that has lots of muddy area for them to feed on.

The Slough - a mix of deep lake and scrape

 



Other wildfowl were creating and defending territories with the usual gravel pit species being present - SWANS, COOTS and GREAT CRESTED GREBES, while a touch of the exotic was added with several pairs of EGYPTIAN GEESE.

Tufted Ducks

 



Waders were represented solely by OYSTERCATCHERS the two pairs taking up territory on opposite sides of the reserve.

 

On the small bird side, CHIFFCHAFFS were singing everywhere. A CETTI'S WARBLER was singing from the Slough area, where bushes met marshland. In the main area of wet woodland, a tree stump has been used to attract birds down for photographers to take pictures of. People cover the stump in bird food, and the birds are so used to it they come down to feed. Here I saw NUTHATCH and MARSH TIT. On the lakes a KINGFISHER was seen flying across the water.

Painting of a KINGFISHER

 



So there you go, a full report on the birds I saw today. Although the reserve is certainly not the best on show in Suffolk and it would also be more productive to head out towards the coast. However, the reserve is worth a look sometime at least, especially as a kind of alternative to the marshes and heaths that dominate the county's birding areas.

Front page to today's Ipswich Star

 

 

 

The disappearance of the famous owl who lived in a tree in Christchurch Park

WAXWINGS - 16/3/2017

Its seldom ever that you find WAXWINGS where they're reported from, the birds often move around a lot. So it was great that the flock I saw today stayed true to their location in exactly the same place, as they have for the past couple of days. Located near where Sidegate Street and Colchester Road meet in a tree groaning under the weight of Mistletoe, there were nine birds, doing what birds do, sitting on branches in a tree.
WAXWINGS have very handsome birds with a colour that kind of defies any label, maybe a pinky-brown, black face and a nice crest. Unfortunately they were just too far away for photographs today. A good sighting of a bird that is often infuriating to discover.

Early Spring around the local patches - Early March 2017

 

TOAD resting on his way across the road

 

BUTTERFLIES have appeared with BRIMSTONE and PEACOCK about. Some bumblebees have also come out.



 

The resident GREYLAG flock

The resident birds have returned to their breeding haunts, with YELLOWHAMMERS and SKYLARKS now singing out in the fields.

The BLACKTHORN flowers seemed to have come out overnight

 

 

BLACKBIRD Christchurch Park

 

The warm weather had enticed this TERRAPIN out for a sunbathe. This was in the Christchurch Park Wilderness Pond.

 

In Christchurch Park there were two drumming GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS, plenty of cooing STOCK DOVES, and abundant trilling MISTLE THRUSHES.

This CHESTNUT TEAL was an escapee at Needham Lake

 

On the River Gipping Lakes numbers of wildfowl had diminished slightly, but there was still plenty about. New on Pipp's Ford were a pair of SHELDUCK, which might stay and breed, as its prime nesting habitat.



By Barham Pit A there were two singing CHIFFCHAFFS about, but they were probably over wintering birds rather than genuine spring migrants.

With such a mild winter this change in season seems less marked. But seeing all these signs of new life really does warm the heart.



Local Patch - Barham Pits - 2/3/2017

Having a couple of hours to kill, and for completion's sake, I biked over to Barham Pits, part of a local patch that includes Pipp's Ford. The pits are a variety of  overgrown lakes given over mostly to fishing, but accessible due to public footpaths,
Surprisingly the birding wasn't too bad, although duck number, and variety, were typically low, the variety of smaller birds made up for it.
There is something childish in birdwatching in which counting birds is one of them. 1-2-3-4 ducks, it becomes addictive especially when you take in your history of the site and then compareing them to different sites, it really brings birding to life .
Of the three pits, the most northerly, which has no name held 7 TUFTED DUCK, 11 COOT, 2 SWANS and 1 GREBE. Barham Pit A, to the south,  held 11 TUFTED DUCK, 1 GREBE and 3 COOT. Barham Pit B, which is by far the largest pit, held 2 GREAT CRESTED GREBES and 2 TUFTED DUCK.
There was a scattering of MALLARDS, MOORHENS and GEESE throughout the site.

On the small bird front things were a little better. A beautiful male BULLFINCH was in bushes in the causeway between the Northerly Pit and Pit A. Further south where Pit A met Pit B there was a large flock of SISKEN and REDPOLL, a very noisy ensemble, that could be heard some distance away; with them was a TREECREEPER.
I've done a lot of birdwatching recently so I may take next week off, to relax my eyes and my brain. Have fun until then.