North Warren - 25/12/2020

WIGEON (front) PINTAIL (centre) MALLARD (back)

So Christmas comes again, and with time spent with family, what better way to kill that time before the Christmas meal than a morning's ramble around North Warren. North Warren, although overlooked due to its sister reserve up the coast at Minsmere, is a reserve unique to the Suffolk coast, a vast hodgepodge of many differing habitats, home to rare birds. The reserve is a lot more low key than Minsmere, criss crossed by footpaths with a couple of observation points.

GREYLAGS

North Warren is probably the best example of grazing marsh in Suffolk, basically grassland that becomes seasonally flooded in winter. With grazing marshes the majority of the year its dry grassland with little bird interest, but come winter the area becomes inundated with water and the birds flock here in their thousands.

I started in the car park on the edge of Aldeburgh, and took the footpath north through the deserted caravan park, before meeting the old railway line, which cuts through the reserve. The walk along the old line is quite good for birds as it passes through areas of heath and thick scrub. A male BULLFINCH was a decent sighting among the more common smaller birds. A RED FOX was seen slinking away on the edge of some horse paddocks, an animal that's quite common here as they often hunt rabbits out on the heaths.

RED FOX slinking beside some horse paddocks

Soon, through breaks in the scrub, there were views onto South Marsh, the first area of wet grassland. Star bird here was a ringtail (female) HEN HARRIER, quartering the distant marshes, putting the ducks to flight. Its thinner wings and a browny-grey washed  colour distinguished it from the more locally common marsh harriers. This bird probably originated from Europe, rather than the beleaguered population from the UK, as there are no grouse moors on the continent, so birds there are not shot.

There were plenty of DUCKS out on the marshes, mainly WIGEON, a duck which grazes like a goose, but also plenty of PINTAIL, who need wetter areas. North Warren is Suffolk's main location for this elegant duck with several hundred around the various flooded areas. There were plenty of other ducks about, a lot of them hidden in the tussocks of the grasslands.

MALLARD (front) TEAL (centre) WIGEON (behind)

Halfway through the reserve, a footpath crosses the grassland meeting the railway line, which cuts the marshes in two. From now on the grassland is called North Marsh, a concept that's easy to remember. On North Marsh there was less flooding and there were few ducks in this area. However they were replaced, strangely enough, by wild GEESE. The geese consisted mainly of BARNACLE GEESE with several hundred present, all feeding in on long horizontal line, birds originating from the feral population on the continent. With them were maybe a hundred or so WHITE FRONTED GEESE, proper wild geese, North Warren is the primary site for this species in Suffolk, and one of the top in the country.

An area of heath, which at North Warren is more grassy

The scrub around the railway line turns to woodland and eventually comes to the fens, a large area of reedbeds. At this time of year this area is quiet and there wasn't much to see. After that the path wanders out of the reserve and meets Thorpeness, first coming out onto the golf course, and then beside the meare, where in the surrounding alder trees there was a small flock of SISKIN, before eventually coming out on to the holiday village. From here it was a walk along the beach to Aldeburgh, giving good views of the marshes of North Warren as I walked back to the car.

A thoroughly enjoyable morning with lots of birds to see, North Warren really comes alive in winter. Anywhere else in the country it would be a stand out reserve, but being situated on the Suffolk coast means it is often overlooked when compared to its bigger nearby reserves. But with the right timing the reserve can be a great place to see large numbers of birds, and is therefore worth a visit at that time.

The Lower Gipping Lakes - 23/12/2020

Part of the flock of eleven WHITE FRONTED GEESE present today, a good inland record

Having not visited the area for a while, I decided it was time to look at some of the lakes that lie on the river Gipping. Winter is a good time to visit as this time of the year brings in more birds to their waters, with the chance of something unusual. I didn't go as far north as Pipps Ford, my usual focal point, rather I visited the area from Shamford Mere south to Barham Pits.

Sharmford Mere and Causeway Lake

These two small bodies of water are a bit out of the way, as there's no nearby road (as long as you don't count the A14, which forms an eastern boundary). They are both small bodies of water with natural surroundings, Causeway Lake is fished but Shamford isn't. The area is surrounded by cow pasture, and the river Gipping, which was bursting with water.

The Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency have planted over 500 trees along the Gipping.

This is a great move, as it stabilises the river bank and protects against flooding, and trees are great for the environment.

Star birds here today were a flock of 11 WHITE FRONTED GEESE, which were feeding in the cow field which separates the two waters. They are part of a larger national incursion of this species this winter, with many being seen inland. Coastal Suffolk is a national stronghold, but away from those reserves, and inland, the birds are quite rare. A definite first for the area.

There is a large herd of GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE in the area and they were all on Shamford. Also present there were two MUTE SWANS and 42 MALLARDS. Although mallards are our most common duck, this represents a good count for the Mere, made of genuinely wild birds and not escaped farmland birds as you would see on a village pond.

ROBIN

There wasn't much fishing on Causeway Lake today, which meant a decent number of birds were present with 20 TUFTED DUCK, 21 COOT, 5 GREAT CRESTED GREBE and 2 MUTE SWANS. On the river Gipping I heard, but unfortunately didn't see a KINGFISHER, and I saw a GREY WAGTAIL, both very much specialist birds of this river. In the riverside alders a MISTLE THRUSH had started to sing. One of our earliest songsters, they often start singing at the end of December in mild winters.

Barham Pits

Wow what has happened to this site? Since the pits were bought up in 2018, a lot has occurred. Firstly on Barham Pit B they fenced off the site, so you couldn't walk around anymore, with access being restricted to the footpath on the western side. Then they started cutting down all the trees, absolutely decimating the area. The place looks very naked now and not for the best. The footpath stated above has been used as an approach road, so somehow you have to squeeze in tight as a van full of fishing gear drives down it. This winter the path has been made impassable, used by machinery to destroy more habitat, creating an absolute quagmire. Ok, so the site was never that good bird-wise, but its still frustrating to see a place I visit regularly put under such pressure, something that's beyond my control.

Now they have started on Pit A. The small area of reedbed and wet woodland has been bulldozed to leave an area of mud, and they have cut down most of the water side trees. Surely fish need a variety of different habitats to live out their life cycles, but no, apparently what they need are a sterile environment like the one being created here. This is what happens when people who have no idea of looking after the environment, people who think maintenance of nature is to destroy it rather than to work with it. Such a shame, and one that's too common in the countryside.

On Barham Pit A this is what has become of the reedbed

Today, the star bird, and a good one for the area, was a GREAT SCAUP on Pit B. It was the only duck present, except for a couple of mallards. There were also a couple of GREBES and COOT, but the waters were fairly quiet.

Record shot of GREAT SCAUP taken in the pouring rain

An eventful couple of hours spent along the River Gipping. The fact is that a couple of gravel pits can throw up some good birds. Nature is everywhere and sometimes its good to look elsewhere, away from the usual reserves, those underwatched areas, those places where its just you and you alone, because no one else can be bothered with them. That in a part is what birding's all about.

Lakenheath Fen - 16/12/2020

 

Male REEDBUNTING (l) and Male CHAFFINCH (r)

Lakenheath Fen is an inspiring place. What was once carrot fields is now a huge wetland, a huge new area of reedbed as far as the eye can see. An area that used to hold no life is a bustling reserve, home to rare birds like bitterns, marsh harriers and even cranes. What had gone was not lost, nature can return if given the chance. Lakenheath Fen, then, is a beacon of light to a nature depleted countryside.

Female BLACKBIRD

However Lakenheath is also an extremely difficult place to birdwatch. From a bird watchers point of view its really hard to get any views of birds. The acres of reeds that make the reserve so important also has its drawbacks. There is just no way to see what's hiding in the long grass as reedbed birds are notoriously shy. There is no focal point to the reserve, no place at which to see the birds, an area that brings the birds closer to the bird watcher. All the viewpoints look over a long landscape of reeds with views all the way to the horizon. 

What I'm thinking about is like an Island Mere at Minsmere, where a hide overlooks a large lake in the reeds, a great place to see bitterns, hobbies and marsh harriers. But there isn't such a place like that at Lakenheath. So on a windy day in December, all the birds were laying low, and I saw few birds.

One of several good murals around the reserve entrance

Its a long slog covering the reserve. The area is huge and travelling to the different viewpoints means miles of walking. At the centre there were large numbers of birds on the feeders, including a pair of REED BUNTINGS, not your usual garden birds. However as I left the centre that was the last time I saw any birds...

One of the poplar woods. Their shallow roots mean the trees are easily blown down. Being non-native the fallen trees are replace with natural species

Apart from the sea of reeds the other notable habitat on the reserve is the poplar plantations. Planted in the 50s to provide timber to make matchsticks, these woods are the last surviving reminder of what the land used to be. Gradually the trees are getting blown down or dying and are being replaced naturally by scrub, to in turn revert to natural woodland. These areas were the last place nesting place of the golden orioles in this country, a tiny population that never properly colonised the UK. The plantations are not of natural species and don't really provide much interest bird-wise.

The first real feel of the place is provided by New Fen, the first area of reeds created on the reserve, which is a large chunk of reedbed buffeted by poplar woods on three sides and the river on the other. Nothing much was showing in the wind, so leaving here it was another slog down to Mere Hide. This hide overlooks a small pool in an area of reeds. Previously I've seen bearded tits, hobbies and water rail here but today there wasn't anything to be seen, which was the standard for the day.

The view from New Fen. This was the first part of the reserve to be turned to reed

The final viewpoint, Joist Fen, is positioned halfway through the reserve, a couple of miles from the centre. The viewpoint overlooks the rest of the reserve, a huge area of reeds shimmering to the horizon. The problem with this viewpoint is that the only way to see any birds is if they are in flight as the long reeds hide what's lurking beneath. Today there were just a couple of female MARSH HARRIERS about, quartering the area in pursuit of game beneath.

View from Joist Fen, looking over a vast sea of reeds across half the reserve

From Joist Fen the path takes on a loop, returning to the centre. On this part of the walk the path follows the river, a large meandering water snake, called the Little Ouse. This river is the life blood of the area, a  highway for wildlife. Keeping with the theme of the day there wasn't much about, a WATER PIPT and a pair of STONECHAT were on the river back, along with a small charm of GOLDFINCHES.

Male STONECHAT seen along the river

Eventually the path headed to the Washland a large area of seasonally flooded water. Now this is the focal point I have been talking about on the reserve. If they provided  few more areas like this at Lakenheath, then I think it would make it better for birdwatching, and bring in more birders to the reserve. As it was the area was disappointing, as there were no ducks, just a pair of WHOOPER SWAN, with decent numbers of roosting LESSER BLACK BACKED and BLACK HEADED GULLS. A GREAT WHITE EGRET was hunting along the river here, a now normal bird, this reserve has become the county stronghold of the species. Just beyond, a little up the river, there were three CHINESE WATER DEER, an escapee that originates from China, that's found a niche for itself here, and is most welcome. From here it was a short walk back to the centre and the car park, calling it an end for the day.

Pair of WHOOPERS seen on the Washland

So that's it, that's all I saw in today's visit. And trust me that was through a three hour slog around the reserve. Now I support the RSPB totally, and I don't mind walking to eventually see birds, but when there's nothing to see it can be a bit demoralising. What is needed at Lakenheath is a focal point to the reserve, an area where birds can be seen, any birds, which would greatly increase its attractiveness to bird watchers. There are undoubtedly birds present, there's just no way of seeing them. But  as always the RSPB does a great job, that should never be forgotten and in creating this reserve they have done a great service to nature.

Hollesley Heath - 9/12/2020

The heaths around Hollesley and Sutton are a vast stretch of the Sandlings, second in size only to the Minsmere- - Westleton Heath - Dunwich Heath complex. The land covers a sea of heather, punctured by the odd tree, before being chewed up by pine plantations, and then being regurgitated back into heath. Somewhere like this is great, but by being so vast it can be difficult to connect with the birds there. My visit today was to search for an unusual bird, a Great Grey Shrike, a bird that had been reported for a month on the heath, but one that hadn't been reported this week, so I wasn't too sure I'd find it. I haven't been to the heaths for a while so it was good to reconnect with the area and the many birds present.

The shrike is a very distinctive bird, being monochrome, but in such the large area it ranges its difficult to pin down a bird the size of a blackbird. The first place I tried was the MOD compound, which has been the most reliable site for the bird over the past month. This is a place of a couple of old army silos overgrown with heather but still fenced off from curious birders. I stayed for an hour here but in the end didn't see the bird and after a failed search I decided to call it off. Such are the cautious optimism and eventual defeats of birding and life. Of a couple of other birders I met, none had seen the bird either, so it has either left the place or is hiding, fed up of being gawked at by men with telescopes.

From the MOD complex I went off for a walk around parts of the large area of heath. Birdwise, the heaths can be bleak and lifeless in winter, but today some of the residents of the heath were showing with a DARTFORD WARBLER and several STONECHAT about. The most interesting of sightings, today, was a flock of six CROSSBILLS, which I saw fly into some single pines when I was out in the thick of the heath. Despite knowing where they landed it was still difficult finding them in the thick pine cover. There were also plenty of smaller COAL TITS about just to confuse things. Eventually I was able to catch a glimpse, this time of a red male. Another bird seemed to carrying a pine cone in its beak, which must have been heavy, probably weighing half as much as the bird. This is one of those birds that conforms to it name, as the ends of the bird's bill doesn't meet but cross over each other, making them able to feed on pine cones. They are a finch, so a mid size song bird, and if you get your ear in have a distinctive call, and handily are a bird of conifers. 

As well as the birds there was a herd of ten FALLOW DEER, resting below a pine tree. This included three bucks with their large antlers. They were fairly wary and ran away as soon as they noticed me, deciding to change directions when they realised they were running into my path, these animals are not the most intelligent. The period we live in is a boom time for deer, with numbers at their highest for a millennium at least. Unfortunately with no active predators other than man, their numbers have become unsustainable, like man's, causing massive damage to the habitats they live in through over grazing. There is no real way to deal with this except by culling, which is unpopular, and is not really the deer's fault, more the fault of man's for messing so destructively with nature.

So in the end a no-show. I would have loved to have seen the shrike, but it in the end it was nice to see a place I have not been to in a while. Hollesley heaths are well off the beaten track, being a huge area it takes a long time to really explore even a small part it. Its a place to get away from people, a place to breath in the fresh air, to escape the noise of traffic and find yourself in somewhere truly wild. Not a lot of places can offer that in our congested country.

Minsmere - 2/12/2020

KONIK PONIES, as much a sight at Minsmere as any bird

With the second lockdown officially ending it was time to head off to a newly reopened Minsmere. One thing I have missed since lockdown, as much as the birds, has been the scones at the café, which are giant doorstops of scrumptiousness, perfect with a coffee before I head off into the reserve. But strangely enough it was only me that was enjoying them at the time. What surprised me as I turned up to Minsmere was that no one else was taking advantage of the newly opened reserve. Fearing it was going to be too busy with people as I arrived on the reserve, it was soon apparent as I drove into the car park, that I would have the reserve to myself, there were no cars present. The same would be the case on the reserve, and I would have the honour of having the hides all to myself. 

Ruler showing the depth of the Scrape, also of use as a perch

The weather today was mild but with a cold tinge to the air to remind you that it was actually December. However a change was in the air as a lot of winter birds have started to arrive from Europe, which could be a harbinger of heavier weather to come, with lots of geese, swans and thrushes arriving in good numbers on the coast recently. And today would provide a good selection of those species, of mid winter birds with a couple of scarcities present today. 

The Scrape crammed full of birds, the water levels are very high at the moment

With Minsmere, the focus of the reserve, and where I begin, is the Scrape. Looked over by four hides, the Scrape is an area of shallow water which stretches from the beach where its brackish, moving inland where the water is fresh, before being swallowed up by the surrounding reedbed. This form of habitat was first pioneered at Minsmere and now every coastal wetland in the world has one. For such a simple habitat it is absolutely amazing for birds. In summer thousands of birds cram onto the islands there to nest creating a great spectacle. In Autumn lots of waders are attracted to the mud that's exposed here often attracting rare birds, and in Winter the place is home to thousands of ducks.

Male SCAUP (on the left) with a male TUFTED DUCK (on the right)

Out of the DUCKS present the most unusual today was a drake SCAUP, on East Scrape, spending its time with a TUFTED DUCK, providing good contrasting views of both similar species. Scaup are quite scarce in this part of the world with not many recorded each year in Suffolk. PINTAIL are scarce at Minsmere so the 30 odd present was a good total. Lastly a male POCHARD was present, a common bird that's surprisingly rare at Minsmere, so that they are worth noting every time I see one here. As usual there were good numbers of all the usual species, with TEAL in largest numbers. A huge flock of GREYLEGS rose from the Levels to land on the Scrape, barging in and bossing all the other birds about as they are the biggest boys on the Scrape. BARNACLE GEESE have started pairing up in preparation of the breeding season, a species that originated from introduced birds but have now become naturalised and are considered wild.

Pair of BARNACLE GEESE

WADER numbers are low on the Scrape in Winter, because there just aren't the areas of mud to support them. The exemption from this are the LAPWING, with several thousand present, alighting into the air on rounded wings at the least sign of trouble. Of the waders present today there were just singles of DUNLN, TURNSTONE and SNIPE on the Scrape.

KONIK PONIES are given free reign to graze the Scrape

The Levels, a large area of wet grassland south of the Scrape was flooded and had decent numbers of DUCK, mainly WIGEON and GADWALL, and thousands of LAPWING. Scanning low over the fields in pursuit of raptors, I clocked a SHORT EARED OWL flying low parallel to a reedy ditch, on Chapel Filed before grounding. This beautiful daylight flying owl is a scarce visitor to grasslands on the coast, away from their summer breeding grounds on the highlands of Europe. To get a better view, I took the Eastbridge footpath and was awarded with better views as it hunted just above the low horizon. Also briefly present were two RED DEER hinds at the back of the grassland running to cover, Minsmere has the largest lowland population of this species in England and are a real feature of the reserve.

Tank traps looking towards the entrance of East Hide. Minsmere was artificially created in the second world war

The Reedbed Hides consist of two hides that look over the vast sea of reeds. Birds aren't close to hand here, like the Scrape, instead the views range all the way to the horizon, looking over the vast area that makes up the marshes of Minsmere. From Bittern Hide, a viewing area raised on stilts to the height of a tree, there were a couple of MARSH HARRIES, which although nest in summer in large numbers, disperse in Winter, with only one or two left at Minsmere. Surprisingly they were all female. A STOAT was briefly present, running with something black in its mouth, across the access track to the cover of some reeds

Female STONECHAT on the beach

Island Mere is a large lake in the reedbeds, and is usually a good spot for birds, the best place to see reedbed specialists like bittern or marsh harriers. Today there was a gathering of all three species of SWAN. Three WHOOPER, three MUTE and one BEWICKS were all present. The whoopers were typical whoopers, large birds with straight back necks and a lot of yellow on the bill. The bewick's was smaller than the other species with a lot more black compared to yellow on the bill. Bewicks Swans once the most common of the wintering swans, have become quite rare, their numbers are declining rapidly, with few young being raised, so the population is not being replenished. These swan species have arrived in this country with a lot of other wintering species, harbingers of maybe harsher weather.  Also present on the mere were large numbers of GADWALL forming a big flock in the middle of the water.

Three WHOOPER SWANS at the back of Island Mere  

Despite all the good numbers and variety of waterfowl present the numbers of smaller birds were fairly low. The woods at Minsmere can be bleak and lonely, barely any sign of life observable in the snaking branches of the trees. By North Hide a chaffinch and tit flock held a TREECREEPER, doing by its name and creeping up a tree, reaching the top before flying to the bottom of another tree to creep up again. They can't creep downwards. As usual there were several STONECHATS present with one by the North Wall and a pair by the Sluice Bushes.

ROBIN in front of Sizewell B

This is proving to be a decent time for our mid winter birds, those specialist species of harsher climes. I keep saying this but it really does indicate harsher weather to come. Recent winters have been too mild to attract these birds, which meant a lot of them stay on continental Europe, as the birds won't travel far from breeding grounds if they aren't forced to travel by the cold. With our seasons melding into one another, with little difference in the climate, many species of bird have become confused, because, surprisingly, they need harsh weather to tell what season it is. Is this climate change? Who knows, but its obvious something is happening to our weather.

Autumn on the Local Patch

 

ROBIN

Autumn is a quiet time on the Patch, as after summer ends a hush descends on the hedgerows and fields and barely a sound is heard. I wish I  could say that some record marked the change of the seasons but late Summer just merged into Autumn, with an arbitrary moving of seasons placed from the middle of August. Its a time of skulking warblers and post breeding flocks of resident species, with nothing of note to excite the senses.

Bales of straw 

I don't particularly like Autumn. Although its probably the best time for bird watching, this is countered by the shorter days, those days becoming colder and a slow dying disease that infects the land. Although this is the peak migration period there were no bird sightings of any note, which was a bit disappointing, but you know - blurgh.

STOAT mother carrying one of her kits across the road.

The most interesting record of the period was of a STOAT mother on the 22/8. By where the car prevention ditch is on Old Norwich Road, the stoat mother was seen carrying one of her kits across the road. She then ran back to collect another of her young, although this time she had to narrowly dodge a cyclist hurtling down the hill. Its a good record to witness, but also one to prove that this mammal is breeding in the area. Stoats are one of those mammals used to living in modern Britain, they are around in the countryside, its just they have evolved to evade people, and we only notice them when they are literally under our feet. Other mammal records from this period include several sightings of single ROE DEER and BROWN HARE. Its always interesting when mammals outdo the birds, when there are so few of them in our country.

She moved so fast it was difficult photographing her. She came out better than expected but still a bit out of focus

Sometimes its interesting to see migration in force. Being an inland site, sometimes there's no real evidence of birds on the move. However on the 14/9 a weather depression forced low some SWALLOWS over the Suffolk Punch Field, the birds swirling all around my head with around 20 present. They were acting like this as the poor weather forced the insects they were feeding on to fly low. Feeding on the permanent grassland of this field there were more insects present here than on the surrounding arable fields, which have few insects having been sprayed with insecticides, with the ground ploughed and destroyed, so are less beneficial to birds. Arable fields in general are poor for wildlife.

You can tell stoats from weasels by the size - stoats are surprisingly big - and also stoats have a black tip to their tail

Perhaps the most noticeable of the birds this season is the GOLDFINCH, which is bucking the trend, and whose numbers are holding up. They are lovely birds of browns, blacks and yellows, with their distinctive red face. At this time of year small flocks are present, made up of local post breeding birds with sometimes up to 30 present. They announce themselves with a delightful tinkering sound, unique to this bird, as they fly in a group to the top of a hedgerow tree before flying off again.

BLUE TIT

SKYLARKS have had a decent season with 32 present on Lark Field on 25/10, the highest number of the year. Its interesting as I have heard several already starting to sing, fooled by the fact that weather-wise all the seasons are becoming enmeshed into one. Its fairly obvious why I have named this field after that bird, as it is always the best place for skylarks on the Patch throughout the year, in summer or winter. There's nothing special about the site to the eye, its just a large prairie arable field which falls downslope and forms the eastern border of the area I call the Patch.

Autumn colours on the Patch

I visited the Patch a lot during this period and didn't see much. The Patch is pretty poor for birds, but being a "normal" area of the countryside, a hodge podge of commercial farmland with no particular management for wildlife, its like a barometer for the state of our birds. And so whilst poor compared to somewhere like Minsmere it still manages to harbour birds, they live and breed here and call it a home. There are lots of resident birds I see all the time but don't  really note otherwise the blog would become repetitive and boring. The Patch is an area of countryside I know so well now, having visited it regularly over seven years, I know its movements over the seasons and the comings and goings of its birds, a time I have invested so now its a part of me. So as always, I recommend going out to the countryside and finding a Patch of your very own, one that forms a connection with your soul.

RED NECKED GREBE on the Orwell - 13/11/2020

The Orwell from Stoke Sailing Club

With the second lock down currently in execution things were getting frustrating for me, I was just sitting around at home and not doing anything. However one of the best things about this lockdown, was that we were still allowed to travel for exercise, and, well, what's better exercise than birding? So I took a short trip south down the river Orwell, a twenty minute drive to a picturesque hamlet called Fresden, parked, and then indulged in a small walk to the river. From there I came to see my quarry, a RED NECKED GREBE on the river.

I knew the bird was present, because these days the internet is full of news of the scarce and rare birds present everywhere. The bird was loitering on the river, seen from the Stoke Sailing Club, but it was distant and difficult to find. The river is large at this point, long and wide. After some time looking through my scope I eventually found the bird, it was clear and distinct and showed features of the species. The main confusion species is the great crested grebe, a common bird of large lakes and the sea, and there was one present today, but the red necked grebe, was smaller, and dumpier and its yellow bill was very obvious .

RED NECKED GREBE

RED NECKED GREBES aren't a rarity in Suffolk, but with maybe five or so recorded in the county every year its definitely scarce and worth catching hold of when one's about. There were two other people present having a look, a bit of chitter chatter about birds, but apart from that I was pretty much alone, enjoying the peace of the place.

This being a wild and remote area there were plenty of other birds about as well. The tide levels were slowly falling and as a result there were plenty of WADERS feeding on the mud. This area isn't popular with people so the birds were undisturbed and were allowed to roost without someone scaring them away, and the bane of all bird watchers, the run away dog. Lots of REDSHANK, BLACKWIT, OYSTERCATCHER, DUNLIN and TURNSTONE were all present, lots of different plumages and bird sizes on the mud. On the river there were a couple of GOLDENEYE and a female RED BREASTED MERGANSER was also present, your typical estuarine ducks.

Just a little summary of a short time out birding, a pause to catch a breath of fresh air in a rather stale time for me. I really recommend bird watching as a form of exercise and a way to soothe mental health, things in desperate need in these times. Because being out there in the country, among nature is something we crave but it gets buried under all the demands of the modern lifestyle. Its such a simple activity to enjoy, birds are everywhere, you just need a pair of bins to bring it to life. And of course you don't need to go out chasing that rare bird, just do whatever feels best.

Minsmere - 4/11/2020

Female STONECHAT

With lockdown being enforced upon the country for a second time, the rush was on to get to Minsmere before the reserve was shut down, which it was the next day. I have to say Minsmere is my favourite reserve, and being kept away for Spring and most of Summer felt difficult, as it was for a lot of people kept away from their special place by the first lockdown. I need my birdwatching fix, its a spiritual thing unexplainable in its way, more than just a hobby.

Resting ducks on East Scrape

The reserve was quiet, both for birds and with the still weather there was a hush on the land. There was a quietness from all the bushes and trees, an absence of birds from the land at the moment. It was a lovely sunny day, with the water so still  it was like a mirror, creating reflections of the birds present on the Scrape.

The mild weather in the end proved to be the wrong type for attracting the birds in. In birdwatching, hard weather is needed to push birds in from Europe to the UK, because as difficult as it is to believe, the UK has milder weather than the continent. If the weather is too mild the birds stay in Europe, having to fly less distance from their breeding grounds. If the weather is hard in Europe, the birds flock here. This time of year can feel a bit like a lull, an inbetween time, a time after Autumn migration ends and a time before winter begins.

LAPWINGS on South Scrape

At this time of year the standout birds are the DUCKS, with lots present on the Scrape and other wetland areas. TEAL were present in the largest numbers with decent number of GADWALL, SHOVELLER and WIGEON also present. The males of these species are all very colouful, many bright luminous combinations which really enliven a winter's day.

South of the Scrape the North Levels were flooded but there weren't any ducks present, just a large flock of BARNACLE GEESE. A GREAT WHITE EGRET was seen here, in flight over the flooded grasslands.

Male SHOVELLER, a beautiful mix of colours on its plumage

WADERS are usually only present in small numbers in winter, and today there were only singles of BLACKWIT, SNIPE, TURNSTONE, REDSHANK and CURLEW. The lack of birds of this type is down to high water levels on the Scrape in winter, resulting in there being no mud for them to feed on. If you want to see big numbers of waders, it would be best to view one of the many estuaries on our coast.

The Scrape was given the free reign for KONIK PONIES to graze the area. These are hardy beasts, not caring about wading through the shallow waters of the Scrape. Their grazing provides the best way of maintaining the area for wintering ducks, and eventually next year's waders, keeping the long grass down and creating lots of muddy little habitats with their hooves. Its a lot cheaper as a form of management, and easier than being worked on by man. These animals are very iconic, close to their wild, extinct ancestors as it is as possible to be, and very much  part of the fauna as any bittern or marsh harrier.

KONIK PONIES graze the Scrape

The small birds are always interesting at this time of year, their energy is always delightful compared to the rather static and sleepy waterfowl on the Scrape. In the Stone Curlew Field, the area of acid grassland near North Marsh, there was a flock of 50 GOLDFINCH, which was harried by a SPARROWHAWK. The flock swirled with the hawk, as  the bird attacked, often at times flying after the raptor, so it was difficult to tell who was chasing who. A pair of STONECHAT were in this area, whilst a further three were seen near the Sluice Bushes. There were two DARTFORD WARBLERS, one behind East Hide and one behind the Public Viewpoint, always perched on some bush, present long enough to entice me to get my camera out, but not long enough to stay as soon as I focused on to it. Finally there were a couple of BEARDED TITS in the reeds around the Konik Fields.

WIGEON are most common on South Scrape

For a day out in Minsmere it was fairly quiet, as you can see there was not much to report in this blog. As I finish writing about Minsmere I must end on a sad note. It makes me sad to learn that my most favourite place in the world is soon to be destroyed. With Sizwell C nuclear power station to be built, to the south of Minsmere one of the best nature reserves in Europe will be irreversibly damaged. Unfortunately with the momentum behind it now, it looks very likely to be built. As much as the RSPB gets right, it left it too late to dispute a development that will never be carbon neutral. A development that is not needed, that will cause so much damage is crazy in an enlightened world.

Pensthorpe - 23/10/2020

Female SMEW

Situated in the Wensum valley, an internationally important chalk stream, Pensthorpe Nature Park, encompasses a range of habitats that form a largish nature reserve. From dry and wet woodland, water meadows, a scrape and lakes the place proves to be an attractive back drop to a couple of hours bird watching. However in addition to the more natural surroundings the park also contains formal gardens and captive wildfowl, things a bit different to  your usual bird reserve. This would also prove to be the last visit of my holiday in North Norfolk, so it feels a little sad to be writing about it now. But Pensthorpe was a good place to end on.

AVOCET, Wader Aviary

As a nature reserve Pensthorpe isn't as good as a lot of the birding sites nearby in North Norfolk, so I seldom visit much. I often pass by the reserve on the way to Cley and don't really have the time to visit in the time allowed and in fact this is only the second time I've visited the place. Its only with an extended stay in North Norfolk that I eventually had the time to go.

Traditional LONG HORNED CATTLE graze the water meadows

The main attention of the reserve is mainly drawn to the lakes and the scrape. The lakes are the usual gravel pits, with reedy and wooded edges, whilst the scrape is a small body of shallow water and islands whose water levels today were relatively high today.

TURTLE DOVES, Wader Aviary

The lakes had a scattering of TUFTED DUCK, COOT and GADWALL, the usual gravel pit birds in small numbers. Elsewhere, on the scrapes there were around 50 TEAL. An early female GOLDENEYE on Old Squaw Lake, was the first in for the winter. There were also around 40 EGYPTIAN GEESE on site as well. And finally there was a BLACK SWAN on the Wensum Wetland, an obvious escapee, as they come from Australia, but I'm guessing it didn't escape from Pensthorpe.

FLAMINGO

Its not really for the wild birdwatching that you visit Pensthorpe. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with its many formal gardens. However its the captive birds and the way they are presented that entices the nature lover. The Wader Aviary is simply inspirational. Inside there are large numbers of native birds, some quite rare, that are literally within arm's reach. What would in the wild be difficult to photograph, are handily just a few metres away. To see a CORNCRAKE strolling around in front of you is worth the admission fee alone. Its this that makes Pensthorpe worth going to.

REDSHANK

Elsewhere there were captive CRANES, RED SQUIRRELS, FLAMINGOES and DUCKS. The flamingoes looked in pretty grot condition it has to be said, looking shabby in a muddy pond. In various enclosures and on two lakes there were various ducks and geese from around the world, including that favourite the nene, the Hawaiian goose, a bird I've seen in the wild. For the cranes, there was a hide which looked over their pens, with each different window overlooking a different species of bird, a nice imaginative touch. And the red squirrels had a large cage to roam about in.

EURASIAN CRANE

A relatively quiet end to my time in North Norfolk, but a nice one. I've been wanting to revisit this place for a long time, without really having the time to. If you ever get a chance to visit its a good place, although not  having the sort of birdlife you have elsewhere in Norfolk. If you're in need of some decent photos of rare UK birds though this is the place to go.