Minsmere - 26/3/2018

With the cold days hopefully behind us, attention is now focused on Spring, and the influx of migrant birds. With summer visitors starting to arrive, and winter birds not quite leaving it looked a promising time of year, a real mix up. With that in mind where better to experience the full force of early Spring than in the myriad habitats that make up Minsmere. Ok so I go there a lot, maybe at the expense of other sites, but Minsmere does provide the best birdwatching, maybe in the whole country.
It was a good day for it, sunny and cloudless when we arrived at Minsmere. We started off with a coffee sitting outside and watching the birds on the feeders - not much was around except a flock of CHAFFINCHES.
We soon moved on to North Hide, where the light was against us (see below).

Immediately in front of the hide LAPWING were starting to nest in the area of wet grassland. They are very territorial, often rising up at any potential threat, tumbling through the sky on rounded wings.

There were also several SNIPE present, blending into the brown grass with their camouflaged plumage.

We moved along the path through the North Bushes, along the North Wall to the beach, without seeing too much.

 View from North Wall, across the North Levels to Dunwich Heath

 

The sea was very calm, but with little on it except the odd GULL. We then accessed the East Hide  which overlooks, well, the East Scrape, basically the opposite to North Hide.

On the Scrape two things were noticeable. First the water levels were very high, with little exposed except the larger islands. The second noticeable thing was the lack of birds species. Not the number, there were thousands of GULLS present, AVOCETS had returned in large numbers to nest here on the Scrape, and a few other WADERS were present, like breeding OYSTERCATCHER and REDHANK. However what was missing was the variety. There were few DUCKS, few WADERS, on the Scrape, just lots and lots of GULLS.

 



 Pair of OYSTERCATCHERS probably starting to nest immediately in front of the hide

 

 East Scrape from East Hide - all the white blobs are GULLS starting to nest - there are thousands of them.

 

What has happened over the last couple of years - as if from no where, hundreds of MEDITERRAENEAN GULLS have appeared. In the old days - maybe ten years ago, a few over summered and occasionally nested, but no more than twenty or thirty. Now we are getting hundreds. I don't know why this happened or where they came from, but its good news anyway, for a bird to naturally increase in number whilst almost every other species is declining.

 





 MED GULLS on the South Scrape. They are similar to BLACK HEADED GULS - the most common bird on the Scrape - but have subtle differences, most noticeable in their summer plumage.

 

We moved along the beach, a pair of STONECHATS were present in the gorse bushes, and we had lunch over looking the South Levels, an area of flooded grassland south of the reserve. With high water levels, there were a lot of DUCKS, and a flock of BARNACLE GEESE were feeding on the abbey field.

On South Scrape there were a few migrant waders present, four TURNSTONES, three DUNLIN, and singles of both KNOT and GREY PLOVER.

West Hide offered pretty much the same thing, so we carried on towards the reed bed hides. The crossroads where the scrape path and the reed bed path met held a couple of SISKIN and a MUNTJAC DEER happily dozing away, oblivious to the people around.

In front of the Bittern Hide, management work was going on so we carried onto Island Mere Hide.

 

On the path by the Bittern Hide, by the Adder Trail, I saw a movement in a bush. Expecting it to be a CHIFFCHAFF or something, I had a quick look, and discovered the bird was a FIRECREST! Immediately I got my camera out and tried photographing it. My automatic focus went haywire trying to find the bird in the bushes and the photo up top is the best I could get. There has been a mini influx of this species around the country and I was hoping to catch one today and am chuffed I did - bird of the day.

 This SWAN was nesting in front of Island Mere hide

 

Island Mere was quiet - a pair of GREAT CRESTED GREBES had arrived and will probably nest, as well as a pair of POCHARD amongst the small numbers of TUFTIES. What was annoying was the two SMEWS which were still hanging around the reserve had flown away to some other pool, but only twenty minutes ago had been on Island Mere. If I had seen them today they would be the latest record I would have for the species.

We exited Island Mere and climbed Whin Hill, an area of grassy heath where Springwatch was filmed from some years ago.

 





 

The woods were quiet - the highlight was a pair of TREECREEPERS by Canopy Hide, birds I took maybe twenty photos of and the one up top was the best. It is a charismatic bird, which as its name suggests climbs up trees. They can't go back down so they have to fly to the bottom of another tree and climb up. They're pretty common and are found in most woods with tall trees so are worth a look.

The walk back was uneventful, we had a coffee in the centre and left homewards.

Looking back, whilst writing this blog, the day actually seemed fairly eventful, but at the time I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting more migrants to be present, but I think the Beast has had its toll on a lot of birds, some we can only find out until later into Summer. But its only the start of the Season, one that this year is a bit tardy. Once we get into April, that's when everything goes up to 11.



Micklemere - 15/3/2018

I had never been to Mickle Mere before, but with a trip to Lackford today, I decided to tack on a visit to here as well. And I was surprised, it was actually really good, especially for a site in mid Suffolk. Away from the coast there are few wetlands of any importance, really just Lackford and Lakenheath, and now, new to me at least, Mickle Mere.

It is an area of heavily flooded grassland, that was very popular with water birds, looked over by a hide. There were over a hundred WIGEON present, mainly in the area where the flooded part met the grassland. Smaller numbers of other wildfowl were present including the SHOVELLER above.

A family party of EGYPTIAN GEESE with an incredible eight goslings were present. They had all survived though the recent snows, and are bound to grow up to bolster the feral population present in the UK.

 

One BARNACLE GOOSE was present amongst the GREYLAGS, I have no idea if its wild or feral, it really is hard to tell now, but I will still count it.
So a good site which I will pay more attention to in the future, the only let down being its small size, and the fact the only access was to the hide, it wasn't really walking territory. But wetlands, especially wet grassland, are extremely rare, especially in a fairly biologically poor area like mid Suffolk.

The Stump - Lackford Lakes - 15/3/2018

 

In Alder Carr - the area of wet woodland at Lackford Lakes - there is the Stump. This is the remains of a tree - a stump - lying on its side beside the path.

This stump is famous for its photography opportunities. Over the years photographers have been putting seed out on the Stump to entice birds down to feed and be photographed.

So it happens when seed is put down on the Stump birds will automatically come down, straight away, and within arm's distance, they don't seem to be bothered with any onlookers.

The boss of the Stump is this fearsome BLACKBIRD

 



 The GREAT TIT perched on a branch above the Stump examining the food below

 

 You can see the seed put out for this GREAT TIT

 

 

 The more dainty COAL TIT had to wait its turn before feeding on the Stump

 

 

 This DUNNOCK more staid in its plumage but still handsome

 

So one of  the delights of Lackford Lakes, the Stump is definitely worth a look just because good photos are almost guaranteed, something that is rare in nature.

Lackford Lakes - 15/3/2018

With work commitments getting in the way I have had little opputunity to do any birding recently. However being gifted with some time off I was able to recify that with a trip to west Suffolk, and the sites of Lackford Lakes and Mickle Mere. I chose to go to Lackford primarily for the photo oppurtunities there rather than for anything special bird wise. Lackford, in my opinion is one of the best reserves in the country for its ability to throw up some really good bird photography, and whilst species wise it was fairly limited, as it normally is, I was able to get some decent photos.
We arrived at Lackford around half ten and had a coffee in the visitor's centre. The centre looks over a small pond with some bird feeders. Star birds on these feeders were two REDPOLLS, but also included SISKINS and COALTITS, amongst the more commoner TITS.

 

This MOORHEN was around four foot off the ground pecking away at the seeds on the table.

 

 

These two male REDPOLLS were in breeding plumage finery

 

 

Just in case you find the birds too esoteric, here's an animal everyone knows, feeding  on peanuts underneath the bird feeders

 

We headed out onto the reserve, walking past the sailing lake, the largest lake at Lackford, where there was lots of trees being felled beside the path, and the old seats being replaced by these cool looking if somewhat impractical new benches. On the lake amongst the TUFTIES were three male GOLDENEYES, along with small numbers of other ducks. Wildfowl numbers were low as a whole, with a lot of them seemingly starting to head out to their breeding grounds - most of the overwintering ducks at Lackford don't breed here, they head off up north to more suitable breeding areas.

The next lake, the Slough was, as usual, the most busy of the lakes. Unlike the rest of the other lakes it has a mixture of habitats, from deep water, to shallow, to exposed mud, to reedbeds and grassland, and as a result it attracts the most birds. There were the usual mix of ducks with large numbers of TEAL on the mud, along with some SHELDUCK, GEESE, CORMARANTS etc.. 

 

An overview of the Slough

 

 



TEAL

 

As you can see from the photos above the day was very overcast with periods of light rain. The day did clear up somewhat but the sun never fully came out.

Despite all the exposed mud there were no waders present on the Slough except for a pair of OYSTERCATCHERS - there were three pairs on the reserve, all equidistant to each other.

 



OYSTERCATCHERS

 

From the Slough the path went to the eastern lakes, and as it did so passed through an area of wet woodland known as Ash Carr. Now in this area of woodland is a fallen tree known as the Stump. If you out food down then birds turn up - they're so used to it now - that you can just stand there and take photos. I have put the pictures up on a separate post. A few CHIFFCHAFFS had tentatively started singing, I'm not sure whether they are overwintering birds or new migrants, but its always good to hear their songs - its one of the harbingers of Spring. There was a small flock of REDWINGS, and the woods seemed to be alive to the call of the many SISKIN there.

The Eastern Lakes, composed of five large lakes, were on the whole quiet. A remnant wintering population of a few WIGEON were on Long Reach, whilst a flock of LAPWING were on Plover Lake. A pair of EGYPTIAN GEESE were as usual loitering on the causeway between Plover Lake and Wilson's Flood.

 

EGYPTIAN GEESE

 



The causeway area was being grazed by old breed sheep - the speckled white and brown sheep were producing black lambs. When the reserve 4x4 turned up, they all ran over expecting food.

 

 

 

After that the reserve path doubles back on itself to go back to the visitor's centre where we had lunch.

So a lot was present, you can always guarantee that at Lackford, it just never seems to reach its potential, there should be more birds here, for example I don't see many waders here, and duck numbers should be greater than they are. I have yet to see anything unusual here, it just has large numbers of the commoner species. But then again I can't really complain, I got some good photos here that I wouldn't get at say, Minsmere. Much love, Keith





In The Belly of the Beast From the East - Snow! - 27/2 - 4/3/2018

View of my street - first snows on Tuesday

 

All those predictions of a harsh snow storm hitting the UK were correct with several inches falling over Monday night to produce a pristine winter wonderland on Tuesday. Tuesday was sunny and the landscape beautiful, but further storms arrived over Wednesday and Thursday. By Friday everything looked shabby and dirty and everyone was bored with the weather.

 

 

I had to work every day of the storm so far, and at times it was so busy that it reminded me of Christmas, especially the Saturday when a lull in the weather persuaded everyone to go out and stock up on provisions - typical panic buying. Walking home in the dark, the country lane I followed whilst usually pitch black in normal weather was lit up by the glowing snow creating an eerie effect.

Wildlife wise this heavy weather is like setting off an atom bomb - as destructive a force as possible. This storm had come just at the wrong time - when Spring is beginning, when life begins anew after the long cold winter. Whilst a lot of January and February felt like Spring, Spring feels like winter. When birds should be thinking of romance instead they are tasked with their very survival itself. A lot of the small birds that are resident or near resident - the STONECHATS, the CETTI'S WARBLERS, the DARTFORD WARBLERS - are all affected and many will not survive. I predict that this breeding season will be the worst for at least ten years with so few adult birds surviving into the breeding season. How I hope I am wrong.

 

 

Bird wise a lone FIELDFARE has turned up in the garden, miserable, exhausted and all alone. Lots of them have turned up in gardens across the country, all singularly or in small numbers, maybe the warmer climate in the towns harbour more food.

 

 



A FIELDFARE in my garden - shot through a window, snow and a tree - that's why it looks so soft focused

 

 

In my garden, the vegetable patch I had sown in the Autumn, surviving hard frosts and the odd snow flurry, was covered in snow. On Friday I cleared away the snow that had covered it to find the plants still alive, though severely wilting under the cold snow. Life has a way of clinging on.
I visited the Local Patch but couldn't get far - knee high snow, and a small blizzard sent me back. Nothing much was present except a small flock of 15 GOLDFINCHES.
By Sunday the snow had all thawed to be replaced by torrential rain. Rain, now there's something us Brits are used to dealing with. Except when it brings on floods, then we're buggered.