The point has good views over the largest port in the country
With Spring having officially begun it was time to look for migrants. This season oversees vast movements of birds, as they look to return to breeding grounds from wherever they have been overwintering. This movement means it is possible to see birds anywhere, and there is constant change, with birds turning up and leaving all the time, it is possible to see anything, and can be quite exciting.
A good place to see migrants locally is Landguard Point, an area of land shaped like a finger poking out to sea. Because of this strange shape, birds use it as a staging point as they fly in from, or fly out to sea. The point is completely surrounded land side by Felixstowe, and as such there are always people about, be they birdwatchers or dog walkers.
Looking for migrants is a game of chance and unfortunately the brilliant weather I experienced today, bright sun with no wind, was pretty much the worst possible and meant there wasn't that much present bird-wise.
DUNNOCKS are very common on the point
The problem with Landguard is that at times it can be pretty bird less, over winter nothing really stays there, and that was what it was like today. However it can be worth taking a punt on because Landguard has the habitat of attracting rare and unusual birds.
A flock of HOUSE SPARROWS is present by a little cottage on the point
The only migrants were two WHEATEARS, down to the southern part of the point, where the bushes thin out and it becomes mainly grass. They are usually the earliest of the Spring migrants, starting to turn up around this time, with numbers peaking in mid April.
The point has lots of crumbling, historical buildings
I was hoping to get some pictures of RINGED PLOVERS, which nest on the beach, but despite a few being present, safe from disturbance in the roped off areas, they were too far away, too well camouflaged, and all I got were images of a faint dot on the sand.
A few LINNETS had returned, they are a feature of Summer when loads of them nest on the common, but are absent in Winter/early Spring, they have started to turn up around now.
A look over the beach towards Felixstowe.
Its still early days regarding Spring migration, but over the next month, bird movements will really heat up and things get exciting. It is difficult to predict what will turn up, and that uncertainty really adds to the enjoyment of bird watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment