The Gipping Valley Lakes - 1/1/2020

We all celebrate the New Year differently, some drinking in to the wee small hours, others getting up at the crack of dawn to go for a run. I'm somewhere inbetween, being sensible I was able to get up relatively early for a nice morning of birdwatching. January is the start of a new birding calendar when the year lists start again. The first day of that year is very important as every species counts, so you end up paying attention to every bird you see.
The plan was to cycle up to all the lakes on the river Gipping, but a puncture in my back wheel meant I was only able to get to Claydon (a couple of miles from where I live), and lock my bike up at Barham Pit B. From there I would walk up to Causeway Lake and Shamford Mere. Sorry all these names may be confusing, but  I'll describe them in greater detail in a bit. Basically the footpath follows the River Gipping, with gravel pits along it and also follows the unnatural boundaries of the A14 and the railway line.

ROBIN

 

There was a slight mist on the farmland as I cycled in but as I got to the lakes this had receded to produce good light. Barham Pits have been taken over by some new owner and so far the results have been pretty negative. Time was you could walk around the lakes but new fences have been put up to keep you to the footpath, that skirts the west side of the lake. A lot of trees have been cut down and the messy, overgrown wetland areas have been cleared. Time will tell the effects this may have, but there seems to be less birds about.
Of most interest on the first lake 'Pit B' were two female GOOSANDERS. This species although quite common, wintering on large reservoirs, is fairly rare in Suffolk. In this county I've only seen them in a few places and this was a first record in the area for me. At least there should be lots of food in the lakes for them.
Most of the lakes had small populations of GREAT CRESTED GREBE, COOT and MUTE SWAN, fairly ubiquitous lake birds, found wherever there is large bodies of water. I won't bore you with lists and numbers, just to remind you these birds are constantly present on the different lakes.

LONG TAILED TIT

 

Further north, leaving the river to cross the railway line is Barham Pit A, smaller than Pit B, but with more overgrown areas, there was a decent amount today. 18 TUFTED DUCK, a pair of SHOVELLER and a male WIGEON were present, the shoveller and wigeon the first records of those species on the pit. It doesn't sound a lot, and it isn't, but you get whatever you can from these lakes.
Meadlands was quiet except for a very noisy KINGFISHER, which at the same time was very hard to see, perched in a dense tree, which blocked my view, seeing the ripples as it dove into the river several times.
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DUNNOCK

 



It was a bit of a hike to Causeway Lake and Shamford Mere, walking along the river. These two fishing lakes are separate from any of the other lakes in the area, a good half hour hike away. Both are out of the way, difficult to access so are overlooked by birders. For some reason the mist still hung onto this area even though it had evaporated at the other lakes. Causeway Lake held just a family party of SWANS, the same as Shamford Mere, although on the latter there was a flock of 100+ GREYLAGS and 20+ CANADA GEESE. After these two lakes it was a hike back along the river to where I started.

TREECREEPER - does what its name suggests.

 

In the riverside alders that grow along the Gipping, there was a large flock of FINCHES, mainly GOLDFINCH, but with some SISKIN and LESSER REDPOLL amongst them. A TREECREEPER was seen creeping up a tree, who would have thought they would ever do that?

 

Well, that was a surprising day to be had along the river Gipping. Lots of birds, the lakes being some of the best I have ever seen them. It was a good start for the year, and they repaid  my trust in them. Just shows you that even some of the worst birding sites can throw up surprises, such is the pleasure of birding.