Early Winter at Minsmere - 19/11/2017

A cracking male BEARDED TIT in front of East Hide

 

Due to the exceptionally warm and sunny November winter migrants seem to be thin on the ground at the moment. So with the sun shining on us we made our way over to Minsmere, because there is always something to see at Minsmere.
On the approach from Westleton, there was a dead STOAT on the road. We arrived around half ten, and the car park wasn't too busy, but with the day as nice as it is, the hordes were going to arrive soon.
Having bought a nice cup of hot coffee from the café we started on the Scrape path. North Hide had restricted viewing due to the low intense light that faced it. There were the usual species of DUCK in small numbers and in low densitites across the Scrape.

A female TEAL, probably the commonest duck species on the Scrape

 



We did have distant views of the BEWICK'S SWANS on East Scrape, two adults and a juvenile. These birds have come straight from Europe, with very few of this species reported in this country so far. Alas we weren't to get good views from the East Hide either as they spent all their time asleep at the back of the scrape. It also seems that no PINTAIL have turned up for the winter yet.

WADERS were present in small numbers, but the Autumn migration is now a distant memory.13 AVOCETS, a couple of TURNSTONE, a flock of 50 DUNLIN, and some GODWITS and REDSHANKS were all around. A pair of RED LEGGED PARTRIDGE were quite unusual for Minsmere, found on the heath by the North wall.

 

View over West Scape towards Sizewell B

 



Small birds were not particularly well represented, with around five STONECHATS present around the Scrape paths. Four BEARDED TITS flew into the thin reeds immediately in front of East Hide, offering some cracking views, allowing me to get some good pictures. On the visitors centre bird feeders there were COAL TITS amongst the more commoner birds, as well as one MARSH TIT. A CETTI'S WARBLER was heard briefly in song.
As the Scrape was fairly empty, we seemed to circuit it in record time, about an hour and a half. After that we headed towards the two reedbed hides, to see what we could see.
Bittern Hide was as usual fairly quiet providing views over an empty reedbed. Island Mere had more to offer, with a large group of CORMARANTS on the rocky islands, and a herd of MUTE SWANS on the water. A KINGFISHER did a couple of flybys, at one point briefly resting on a reed frond in front of the hide.

CORMARANTS at Island Mere

 



Over the reedbeds at least four MARSH HARRIERS were quartering, all females.

So not massive amounts of birds present, but for a late November day it was alright. Once the colder temperatures hit us, more of the winter species will arrive from the continent.

Late afternoon we had a walk along to Snape Warren, where there were a pair of STONECHATS, down to the river Alde. The tide was high and there were flocks of waders swirling in the air as they went to roost on the saltmarsh islands. There were large numbers of AVOCET present among the more common WADERS. At least two MARSH HARRIERS were seen over the tidal reedbeds.

Hickling Broad - 12/11/2017

This day was probably the worst of the winter so far with a bitter north-westerly wind, torrential rain and some hail thrown in as well.
But we didn't know this when we started off on a sunny morning to Hickling Broad. Hickling is a good reserve that I enjoy going to, but I don't really go to that often. Most of my trips to Norfolk often head up to the north coast or elsewhere, and the county really does suffer from having too many good bird reserves. So I was looking forward to this trip as one I don't take too often.
We made good time, going up the A12 through the outskirts of Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, arriving at Hickling around half ten. And the moment we got there it started raining. Hard.
The Visitor's Centre had closed up shop for the winter, so it was a mad dash for the first hide, called Cadbury. It looked over an area of fenland, with a small pool, and we didn't see much in the rain. Basically every bird we saw was  worth noting, a CORMARANT, a CROW, some flying SHOVELLER, all became special ticks. Despite there not being many birds about we stayed there for about half an hour, just because of the rain. Eventually we tried our luck and moved on to the next hide called Secker's. Again it was a mad dash, and I didn't get much of a chance to take in a place I seldom get a chance to see.
The hide gave a view pretty much the same view as the last one. We got a few distant views of MARSH HARRIER, some SNIPE in flight. Then as the rain eased up a BITTERN performed an amazing fly-past, towards the hide, and off just to the side, providing a great view of the bird's subtle brown features. That pretty much made the lousy weather bearable.
Again as we left the hide, it was another slog through to the next hide, not really stopping at the viewpoint on the Broad, as glasses and binoculars were impenetrable through the wetness. We arrived at the observation tower, like a double decker hide, but there really wasn't much to see, just a place to keep dry.
The next hide, the Bittern Hide, didn't provide much except some closer views of MARSH HARRIERS, but the rain had lessened. On the way back to the car park, a pair of BEARDED TITS, followed us along the path, keeping to the reedbeds beside.
We still had a couple of hours before the raptor roosting event, what we had come to specifically see, so we went to have a look at both Horsey Mere and Martham Broad. Again there was such a strong wind and not much was seen at either place, so we headed back to Hickling for the raptor roost.
One of the wildlife events Hickling is famous for is the raptor roost, where large numbers of BIRDS OF PREY and CRANES go to roost. It basically is just a mound overlooking an area of grazed rough grassland. There were lots of WINTER THRUSHES about, something not unusual, except I haven't seen that many this Autumn. A RED DEER HIND was disturbed from an area in front of the mound and ran off into the landscape.
Alas no CRANES were seen but around twenty MARSH HARRIERS were present, and there was a small murmaration of STARLINGS over the marshes, of several hundred, with small flocks flying in to join it.
On the walk back to the car park, in the fading light, two CHINESE WATER DEER were seen feeding in a farm field, along with two BROWN HARES, a nice little sighting to end the day.
On the drive back home the sat nav took a different route this time, making us take the ferry across the river at Reedham. In the darkness a BARN OWL was illuminated by the car lights.
So a good day all told, if it just wasn't so damned cold and wet. Hickling is a good reserve and can produce good sightings whatever the weather. It is a place I enjoy going to, and hope not to leave it so long before I go back there again.