OSPREYS are among the most legendary of British birds. Returning to breed in the 1950s, after becoming extinct, the RSPB created a whole reserve around them, Abernethy Forest, now their largest property, and sold a million coffee mugs, car bumper stickers and memberships off the back of them. The species had gradually spread naturally along the north and west of the country, and to see them is still a big draw wherever they nest.
The boatyard on Martlesham Creek
To see one in Suffolk is one of those magical moments a bird watcher lives for. Having left its nesting site, it has travelled down here on its Autumn migration. I did know in advance that one was present, the wonders of the internet, but to actually see the bird was a challenge, it wasn't a given. At 10 am at the mouth of Martlesham Creek the bird was seen high over head before lowering down beneath the horizon so I could get a better look at its markings, before it gradually moved north towards Woodbridge. All this took place in maybe five minutes of my time. You wait all your life for these moments and when they happen they are over so quickly.
Martlesham Creek
I know Martlesham Creek pretty well. When I was young I lived elsewhere in the country, but would come on holidays to Suffolk in a mobile home. The Creek was nearby and we used to go for walks along it. Since I moved to Suffolk and Ipswich I have lived half an hour away, yet never visited. I hadn't been there for twenty years, until the osprey twisted my hand.
Woodbridge from Martlesham Creek
Not much has changed really. It is very much open country, far from any signs of settlement. It moves from arable fields down to tightly grazed sheep fields in the low lying land by the river. Between these fields and the river wall the land had been allowed to be overgrown with reeds. As a result this thin slice of land was heaving with REED BUNTING, its been a long time since I have seen so many of these birds, including somewhere like Minsmere. And this is not in a place that's a nature reserve, there is no protection for nature here, it is merely commercial farmland.
Pair of REED BUNTINGS
From the farmland some steps lead up to the seawall, which looked over the estuary, where a WHINCHAT was present, as usual perched on a bush. In the many TIT flocks, a WILLOW WARBLER and some LESSER WHITETHROAT were present, the willow has become shockingly rare in such a short time frame, when I started birding it was one of the most common summer migrants, but now its a scarce visitor to Suffolk.
WHINCHAT
The Creek is a little arm off the Deben estuary, all Suffolk's estuaries are rivers, south of Woodbridge. As I coincided the visit to high tide as the best time to see the osprey, there were few WADERS about. There were a couple of TURNSTONE and GREENSHANK about, and a flock of BLACKWIT were feeding in one of the sheep fields.
BLACK TAILED GODWIT resting at high tide
So a little roundup of somewhere I know very well yet hadn't visited for such a long time. Strange really that if the osprey hadn't drawn me down I probably would never have visited the site for even longer. Its a nice location but not really a place for me to bother about really, as there are plenty of better places to go birding in the area. A little harsh maybe but there's only so much time to go birding. Anyway at least the osprey was good, showing birds can really turn up anywhere, so always keep your eyes peeled.
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