All Quiet at Trimley - 1/8/2017

The problem with Trimley Marshes is that it is so far from any form of civilisation. The nearest road is three miles away in every direction. That means a massive slog through some really dull, birdless farmland, before the marshes can be reached. It also means there are very few people about, what ever your view on that may be. It also means its difficult to get any info about the birds present. It means I dipped on the GLOSSY IBIS which was doing the rounds which has annoyed me this evening as I saw it reported on a website.
Anyway, the long farmland walk to the reserve rustled up a BROWN HARE, and three FALLOW DEER. I got to Loompit Lake, but it was deserted. Usually at this time of year there are several hundred birds present as they prepare for the summer moult (a time when the birds are flightless as they moult their flight feathers and stay put on certain lakes for a month). Around 25 COOT, 15 TUFTIES, and 10 GADWALL. Two pairs of SWANS had raised cygnets to near adulthood.
The tide was quite far out, but there wasn't many birds on the mud. The largest number were of BLACK-TAILED GODWITS, with smaller numbers  of REDSHANK and OYSTERCATCHERS, with one or two WHIMBREL.

BLACK-TAILED GODWITS - one has two red leg rings

Things weren't looking that great, but what did I expect from a hot day in early August, it just wasn't conductive for a bird filled day. The Managed Retreat gave nothing, except for a very late couple of SHELDUCK ducklings.
So I hit the WINTER FLOOD first at Trimley hoping to get some waders, but alas, it wasn't to be. Most of the mud had dried out and had become overgrown with weeds. A GREEN SNADPIPER and a SNIPE were present but little else. The Summer Flood and the Permanent Lagoon were both disserted, as a tractor was cutting the vegetation along the edge of those two scrapes.

So it was all to the Reservoir, and compared to everywhere else, was packed with birds. Hundreds of COOT, GADWALL, and SHOVELLER were crammed into the large body of water.

 

Also present were two broods of TUFTIES, they nest later than other ducks.

Lastly it seems the MARSH HARRIERS have fledged three young, unless these birds have come from somewhere else.

Two of the three juvenile HARRIERS present.