Holkham -19/10/2020

Holkham is the largest National Nature Reserve (a reserve owned by the government body, Natural England) in lowland England. It comprises vast areas of saltmarsh, grazing marsh, conifer belts and beach. Its the last habitat that things get problematic, as the huge beaches attract the hordes of holiday makers which descend on the area like a plague. Even today, a mid October Monday there were hundreds of them. I know I shouldn't gripe, as every one needs access to the countryside, and in the end aren't I just one of the horde...

Anyway, away from the car park, the café and the beach, the horde are soon left out of sight. I concentrated on the grazing marsh, as its often the most productive of the habitats. A large conifer belt, planted on the dunes, separates this walk from the beach, so I didn't really meet any other people except birdwatchers, so it was fairly quiet. In the conifers were the usual woodland species and I heard just the one CROSSBILL fly over, but couldn't get a glimpse of any of the yellow browed warblers supposed to be hanging about. Sometimes you wonder if any of those birds were actually ever really recorded and or whether they were just made up.

The grazing marshes weren't flooded yet so didn't attract any ducks, yet large numbers of PINK FOOTED GEESE, had arrived. These geese (darker and smaller than greylags, with distinctive pink legs) have just started to return to the Norfolk coast, where they spend the winter here in big numbers. They'll graze the wet grassland and invade surrounding farmlands to feed. At Holkham the large skeins were coming and going, the distinctive noise they make really adds to the atmosphere of the place, the poetry of the desolate marshland. Also about was a GREAT WHITE EGRET, I don't know how long it will be before I stop mentioning a sighting of this bird, its becoming that common..

Holkham is well known for attracting rare birds, and today there was a twitch on. It involved a long slog to where the conifers ended, petering out into dunes to the west. A STEJNEGER' STONECHAT was present in an area of scrubby grassland. A species of stonechat from the Middle East, it handily did what all stonechats did and perched atop some brambles, posing for the admiring birders present. It was like a washed out stonechat with much more muted colours than our own native species. It was a smaller twitch to the ones I attended in my last blog, with around ten people present, as it was a less rare bird, less enticing.

This spot proved to be a good location. Birdwatchers accessing from the other direction informed me of the rare birds found over there. In the distance amongst the grazing cattle, there was a flock of CATTLE EGRET. Also in the distance, this time little more than a speck on the horizon, was a ROUGH LEGGED BUZZARD, which characteristically hovered like a kestrel. It was pointed out by some birders who had travelled from that direction, in the Scolt Head area. Also in the area were around six or seven RED KITE, a species that although still scarce in Suffolk, has really full on colonised Norfolk. Amongst the bushes in the dunes were a late LESSER WHITETHROAT, the latest I have ever seen one, and some BLACKCAPS.

Another decent showing from a high quality bird reserve. This area of North Norfolk may get overlooked, but I can see no reason why as it provides just as many birds as the other reserves. It is definitely well worth a look if you can deal with previously stated huge numbers of day trippers. As for this holiday I am on, in North Norfolk, I really am being spoilt. What a load of birds.

Two Mega Twitches - 17/10/2020

Whenever I tell a layman that I'm a birdwatcher the usual reply they give is 'oh, you're a twitcher', something I don't bother much with correcting. But to be honest I'm not that into twitching. I have my opinions on it, opinions I wont go to deep into here, but its often seen as the silly side of birding, the kind of things the media reports to laugh at people who indulge in this hobby. But on occasions twitching can be quite fun. Its pretty much the only time solitary birders come together. Today, I attended two twitches, for two fairly rare birds, birds I have never seen before, which is the whole point of a twitch.

RUFOUS BUSH CHAT

It was the cars parked along the main road, by Stiffkey, that informed me that a twitch was on. After parking up, I headed down the lane that led to the bird. That were a lot more cars parked along here, with people coming and going. Shouted questions of 'is it showing' and followed by people affirming, was exciting, almost like going to a football match in many ways. The lane led down to an overflowing car park, before a path took me onto the saltmarsh and to the crowd of birdwatchers beyond.

The first RUFOUS BUSH CHAT for the country in forty years, a space of time longer than I have been alive, was what the twitch was about. An exhausted little bird from the Mediterranean, hung around in a small tuft amongst the saltmarsh, where maybe ten metres away two groups of seventy people looked at it. It wasn't the most beautiful of birds, it was many shades of brown, with a rufous rump which it showed when it flew. It showed well for the time I was there providing good views through a telescope.

It was hard going watching through the scrum. Shouts of 'please move your elbow' when someone in front moved in the way of your scope was often uttered. There were even seven police officers present, maybe an overreaction you'd think. I don't know how many police officers they have in North Norfolk, but needing a guard for a group of well behaved bird watchers might be a little bit over the top.

Other birds seen at the time was a KINGFISHER, which whizzed down a channel, and flocks of GOLDEN PLOVER and BRENT GEESE passed over. The saltmarsh stretched to the horizon under large, Norfolk skies.

I stayed for an hour and being invigorated decided to head off to another twitch...

RED FLANKED BLUETAIL

At the Bush Chat twitch, there were a lot of exclamations of 'there are four red-flanked bluetails at Holme!', so with my appetite wetted I headed off to there. There is a very good nature reserve at Holme, but the birds had decided to hang out in the car park just before the reserve. It was pretty much pandemonium as you can imagine, lots of cars, lots of people with telescopes slung over their shoulder wandering around, unsure of where they were supposed to be.

A group of birdwatchers forty strong had invaded a golf course to have a look for one for those birds. Two BLUETAILS were supposed to be there, but they weren't showing in a pine belt.

Then in the distance some guy started waving at us, and all of  a sudden forty people charged over to where he was. And there it was in an area of scrub, perched on a fence post, shaped like maybe a pied flycatcher, it was light brown with orange markings around the wing edge. Then a ROBIN took at dislike to the bird and kept chasing it off and when the bird flew it showed off its blue tail. It wasn't too long before the bird disappeared and I couldn't find it again and with daylight fading and suffering hunger pains, due to it being near dinner time, I decided to leave.

Only one out of the four birds present did I see, but one was enough of that pretty little bird. It was quite a remarkable influx of this species, turning up as a new bird for many sites along the East Coast. Not much more I could ask for really.

So, there you go, the joys of twitching. If you're new to birdwatching, what do you think? Is it something you would enjoy doing? Or maybe, like me, something to occasionally dabble in, a bit of fun, in a fairly sober hobby. Maybe its an occasional need to meet up with my fellow man, to indulge in the only way I can relate to with other people - the love of birds. Enjoy.

Titchwell - 17/10/2020

Male TEAL

On the first full day of my holiday in Norfolk I decided to head off to Titchwell, a reserve as good as any, a place where you would expect to see some birds. On the way to the reserve, whilst travelling through Stiffkey, I passed a lot of cars parked beside the main road. It must be some kind of twitch to attract that many people. Looking on Twitter I discovered it was the first record of RUFOUS BUSH CHAT in forty years. But for some perverse reason I decided  to ignore that and persevere onto Ticthwell, because there was bound to be something there, right?

ROBIN

With a fall of rare birds all along the Norfolk Coast, Titchwell wasn't, surprisingly, the place to be. It was surprisingly quiet for birds, which was bad, and with so many birders twitching elsewhere, was quiet for people, which was good. Without the hordes, it was so much less of a hassle to concentrate on birding. I can handle crowds in places where they belong, in the cities and towns, just not in the countryside.

The best bird at Titchwell, today, was also the first, a nice male HEN HARRIER. Seen from the start of West Bank footpath, the bird quartered the Thornham Marshes, an area of saltmarsh to the west. It was present when I walked out and was still there when I came back. It disturbed a lot of birds, including a surprising amount of SNIPE as it hunted, a bird I wouldn't have seen if it wasn't for the harrier. Most of the wintering harriers are from the continent. In the UK this bird is highly persecuted, and as a result it is so much rarer than it should be, all so millionaires can shoot some grouse.

HEN HARRIER

As the path travels from the car park, it cuts through a succession of habitats, firstly through woodland and then passed reedbeds, before coming to Freshwater Marsh. This water levels on this large pool were high so there weren't too many waders present, a few DUNLIN and a few lingering AVOCET. DUCK numbers were also relatively low, mainly TEAL and GADWALL.

Island Hide looks over Freshwater Marsh

The next area of interest, further up the path, is Volunteer Marsh, a tidal area allowed to be flooded by the sea. It a relatively new part of the reserve, and that short amount of time the area has become overgrown by saltmarsh, just as it should be. The tide was out and as a result there was lots of mud, but few waders. A SPOTTED REDSHANK was the best goodie to be had here.

LITTLE EGRET

The path finally makes it out onto the beach, a vast sandy expanse that stretches all the way to the horizon. Out here I was hit by a rain storm, which absolutely soaked me. As a result visibility was poor and I couldn't do any sea watching (not that I wanted to do any, feeling sorry for myself). On the sandy beach there were plenty of WADERS, OYSTERCATCHERS, CURLEW, GREY PLOVER, KNOT, SANDERLING and BARWIT, the usual sort.

Heading back was to simply walk the path I had just come from. On the way back, I checked out Patsy's Pool, a small area of water in amongst the reedbeds, where there was a nice GREAT WHITE EGRET. This is a new sighting of this bird for me at Titchwell. I have been saying that a lot about this bird as its range gradually expands throughout the country.

GREAT WHITE EGRET Patsy's Pool

With so much happening round the coast it was a surprise that Titchwell came up so poorly. This is one of the greatest reserves in the country, and you would expect to see something unusual. Anyway, the day was still young and from here there were more plenty of birds to see. To make up for the poor showing here I decided to head back to Stiffkey and take part in the twitch there. I shall write about that in the next blog.

Cley Marshes - 16/10/2020

Male TEAL just about coming out of eclipse

Cley is a world away from the hustle and bustle of twenty-first century life. With reeds shimmering in the wind, cattle grazing the rich, lush marshes, flocks of ducks loafing on the scrapes, it could be a place from any time in history. It is also one of the best bird watching sites in the country. So its really as good a place as any to start my holiday in North Norfolk.

East Wall. This path bisects reedbed and grazing marsh before ending up at the sea

The central hides were knocked out due to the virus, which was a shame as they overlooked the freshwater scrapes, the centrepiece of the reserve, and great for migrating waders. Bishop's and Babcock's hides were open, overlooking some of the scrapes.

Looking across the beach to Sheringham

The area was full of DUCKS. The scrapes and wet grassland attracted thousands of WIGEON and TEAL. There were smaller numbers of SHOVELLER and GADWALL, as well as a few EGYPTIAN GEESE. Numbers of birds are building up nicely now, to gradually peak over winter.

A large chunk of the reserve is dedicated to reedbed, where small flocks of BEARDED TIT were erupting. This time of year is best for seeing this lovely bird, as they move away from their breeding grounds, often bursting out from the reed fronds in little flocks. Attention is brought to them by their call, a metallic 'pinging' sound which is very distinctive in the quiet marsh air. There was also a few MARSH HARRIER quartering the reeds.

Arnold's Marsh

Some time after walking round the reserve you get to the sea. Just behind the shingle beach is Arnold's Marsh, a large salt water lake. This place is great for estuarine WADERS which feed on the muddy fringes present. Today there were decent numbers of REDSHANK and DUNLIN, with smaller numbers of CURLEW, GREY PLOVER and a single BARWIT, which is fairly usual. At the back of the pool was a female SCAUP, similar to a tufted duck, but with a large white ring behind the bill, and a much more chunky body. From here it is a short climb over the shingle stack to get to the sea.

TURNSTONE roosting on the beach

Out on the sea small numbers of birds were on the move, flying beneath the wind turbines on the horizon. Most of the time it was just the odd GULL wandering the coast. However there were several SKUAS seen, including one close to shore. Unfortunately I am no good at sea watching, so they could be any skua species, so I just count them as the most common species, arctic skua, because that is what they are most likely to be. Other species seen in small numbers included GUILLEMOT, RED THROATED DIVER, COMMON SCOTER and GANNET. There was also a GREY SEAL present, often lifting itself onto its shoulders, craning to gawp at those strange people walking along the beach.

SNOW BUNTING - look at how camouflaged it is among the stony beach, evolution at work.

Walking along the shingle beach, a small flock of birds flew in ahead of me. Training my bins on them, I discovered that it was a little flock of six SNOW BUNTING that formed the flock. Perfectly camouflaged, to blend in with the shingle, I wouldn't have noticed them if I hadn't seen them fly in. They are a lovely bird which breeds in the sub arctic and winter on the beaches of the UK.

Along the beach there is a viewpoint overlooking North Pool, a large brackish lake, the most northerly pool on the reserve. With a strangely high number of SHOVELLER, there were also around eight PINTAIL present. Around this area a WATER PIPIT was present, heard in flight it's call is monosyllabic, which separates them from other pipits.

Male PINTAIL on North Pool

As the beach heads off to Blakeney Point my path melded with Beach Road and a walk away from the coast along the river wall, back to the marshes and which passes a small hill, called Cley Eye. Present here was a large flock of GOLDEN PLOVER, as well as some grazing BRENT GOOSE, on this drier are of grass.

Dead SEAL on the beach

 

The walk along the river wall was fairly quiet, just a male STONECHAT of any interest. The path met with the main road which pretty much ended the reserve walk.

So as usual with Cley Marshes there were lots of birds present. The reserve is justifiably counted as one of the best in the country. Its a place, where you can guarantee something unusual in the biding world. But above all else, its a wild corner of the world, a place away from the hectic world we live in, a place to slow down, to breathe in all that nature we miss in our lives. If we can just see nature as an important commodity, as essential for our world, then just maybe we can protect it better than we do at the moment.

North Norfolk - 16/10 - 24/10/2020

AVOCET

During the third week of October, when Autumn migration is in full swing, I took a holiday in North Norfolk, arguably one of the finest areas in the country for witnessing migration. And it was great. North Easterly winds at the start of the week, created the best conditions for bird movements, as the winds blew in from the continent, blowing migrant birds off their planned migrations and into Norfolk. The highlights included the first RUFOUS BUSH CHAT seen in this country for forty years, it was last seen in the UK before I was born, and an amazing fall of RED FLANKED BLUETAIL, across the entire east coast, with four at Holme itself.

The ebb and flow of migration occurs throughout North Norfolk. The coast here is a beautiful place. Both windswept and wild yet at the same time very accessible the area is a great place for any visitor. It is one continuous area of protected land separated only by who owned the piece off land, be it RSPB, National Trust or Natural England. I would visit a new site every day, each reserve added something different to the last, different habitats creating different conditions for birds. Most of the bird reserves are considered some of the best in the country, any would be worthwhile for a day trip it was difficult to fit them all in.

The wader spectacular at Snettisham

One for the bucket list was the wader spectacular at Snettisham, where hundreds of thousands of  birds were eventually crushed into a smaller and smaller area of mudflats, due to the rising tides. Eventually they ran out of room and flocked onto gravel pits behind the sea wall. I have spent several failed trips to this reserve to witness this spectacular and I can finally say I have now witnessed it. I would recommend it even if you don't like birds. It appeared in the news, as the day I was there was also the record number of birds for the site, 140,000. Yes that right on hundred and forty thousand birds were present.

CROWNED CRANE, Pensthorpe

Staying in a holiday cottage that opened up onto Cley Marshes I had a window views of the reserve, and after a hard days birding I would head out down Beach Road to spend some time watching the birds flying out to sea. This was a great way to unwind, one I sadly miss.

For a few days, it wasn't all bird watching and I would occasionally spend some time away from the birds. Suffering burn out from a day of twitching I visited some historical and cultural places, the most fascinating of which was the pilgrimage site of Little Walsingham where there was a shrine of the Virgin Mary to pray to. But you don't want to hear about that, you want to know about the birds. The North Norfolk Coast is very picturesque and there are various places to drop the non birders off at.

EURASION CRANE, Pensthorpe

Eventually the ideal migration conditions couldn't sustain itself and during the week the winds shifted to the south and then to the south west providing conditions that in the end restrained migration, and though the days were nice and sunny, migration really petered out. 

By the end of the holiday, all things tallied and counted I saw 119 species within the space of a week, including three lifers, which is not bad going at all. I had a great time and will look on this holiday with great fondness. If you're really looking for somewhere to go within the UK I would really recommend Norfolk, it really lives up to its reputation.

OSPREY at Alton Water

Great White Egret

After having the good fortune to see an OSPREY at Martlesham Creek, in September, never in my dreams would I imagine seeing a second one within a couple of weeks, within Suffolk. So on an early October day I saw this bird, an OSPREY, at Alton Water. From the Larchwood Hides, at 12:30 it drifted over the water, coming closer to me until it came close enough for good views before disappearing over the trees. It was pure luck, to be in the right hide at the right time and this time I had no prior knowledge that the osprey was down here. Again its the wonders of migration which provides such good views of what is still a scarce bird in Suffolk, a bird that probably originated in some place like Scotland.

The Larchwood Hides are two hides set halfway down the reservoir on the south side. There is always a KINGFISHER here, they must nest in a tree near the water, and they are often seen flying to and fro in front of the hide. There was also a juvenile COMMON TERN still around, the last of the breeding colony that sets up home here in summer. Soon it must take up the courage and finally leave its birth home. An October record for this species is always good as usually the birds have left by mid September.

View from the North Hides

There are another set of hides further up the reservoir on the north section, where in summer it overlooks the tern colony. Usually there is some mud present, but today there today there were no waders. A GREAT WHITE EGRET was distinctive in flight, flying towards the tail end, this is a first record for me here at Alton Water. The TERN was also present though more distant. Birdwatching is difficult at Alton Water, as there are few view points over such a large body of water. I ended up walking long distances, walking to these viewpoints, through impenetrable forest with no views over the reservoir, so its lucky I have good patience when it comes to birding, a patience that keeps me walking until I reach my destination.

Unfortunately there are lots of water sports on the reservoir, which causes disturbance, however today there were just these two intrepid windsurfers

The Tail End is the thin part of water cut off from the main area by the road. There was some mud, and on this a GREENSHANK was present. There were more DUCKS here too, though Alton Water is poor for them, with numbers of birds barely making double figures. However for another species the site is the best in Suffolk. The GREAT CRESTED GREBE occurs in large numbers here with many birds present throughout the year. This species is also a late nester, and there was still one family group present with a stripy-headed juvenile bothering its parents for food.

So a strange day at Alton Water, with some good birds, such as an osprey, present, which was the main highlight. However today there was so few birds about, it at times came to staring out over empty water. Some times this doesn't matter if in the end you see an osprey, but on other days, when you're frantically searching for even a coot, it does really feel a bit desponding. But hey, that's the fun of birdwatching isn't it?

Landguard Point - 6/10/2020

Male WHEATEAR

 As Autumn migration has really ramped up this past week, I decided to take a trip down to Landguard to see if there were any rare birds about. News of rarities are often posted on the internet, you know this and this bird is about, but its another thing entirely finding them out on the field, where it seems that no birds have turned up at all. The good news is that there were lots of  birds present on this early October morning, even if in the end there was nothing unusual (that I saw).

MEADOW PIPIT

Landguard is a migration hotspot, as a peninsular it juts out into the sea, which attracts tired migrants flying into this country. The reserve can be split into several sections. The observatory forms the centrepiece, sitting imperiously on a little hill, surrounded by trees which form a migrant trap. The northern section consists of grassland with scattered brambles, which thins out to grassy and lichen shingle to the south. The area is littered with old abandoned buildings, testament to man's failed attempts to develop the area.

Male LINNET

Its these trees and bushes that migrants are attracted to, their first glimpse of food or shelter on a long flight. In the trees by the observatory several bird watchers had staked out a little patch of their own to birdwatch, and a little conversation elicited what was there, or more usually, what they had heard was there. As I arrived there were small numbers of bird watchers scattered around the site, but as time drew on, the place became invaded by joggers and dog walkers from the town to the north, which led to more disturbance. 

The Docks and cargo ship across the reserve

In the trees, the usual birds were about, although in good numbers. They were mainly CHIFFCHAFFS and BLACKCAPS, with a few GOLDCRESTS, all in all, the usual fare. A small flock of BLACKBIRDS were newly arrived in, acting all bolshie as all foreign invaders new to the country do. There were ROBINS everywhere, again new migrants, its always a joy to watch them even if they are common birds, they aren't just making up the numbers, and the site would be desolate without them.

RABBIT

A walk to the river, by the cottage, again didn't produce much, just large numbers of commoner birds. Some BRENT GEESE moving up the river were my first for the winter. The open grassy areas near to the point held numbers of MEADOW PIPITS and LINNETS, and there were several WHEATEAR about. These bird were always on the move, and within a short space of time had probably already shipped out. Small numbers of SWALLOWS and HOUSE MARTINS were on the move trickling south down the site like sand in a time jar. Autumn can be a dynamic time of year with so many birds on the move it can really overawe you, this first hand experience of the power of nature. Birds can turn up at any time, especially on a coastal site, so its a game of luck at times when you're going to spot a bird. What was seen in the morning changes within a few hours.

The Cottage and Radar Tower, there is a small flock of SPARROWS around here

As with a lot of things its a lottery birding in Autumn. It was good to see so many birds and to be witness to the awesome spectacle of migration. However I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to see the rare birds supposedly about, and none of the other birders had either. Well that's one of the positives for you about bird watching, its not enough to just turn up in your car and be told where to point your binoculars. Field craft, is still paramount, at least for the time being, until they create a new app for that.

 

Trimley Marshes - 1/10/2020

EMPEROR GOOSE

With Autumn in full swing, birds are pouring into our country at a great rate, or so you would think. In any case it wasn't happening at Trimley. The marshes are usually one of the best birding sites in the county, famous for the WADERS that are attracted to the various scrapes. But today? nothing, and I mean nothing, not a single bird.

I wouldn't be annoyed except its a blooming three mile walk to get there. Ok so I saw a male WHEATEAR, disturbed along the river wall before it briefly alighted onto one of the hide roofs. There was also a flock of five SANDWICH TERNS on the river, nice late staying summer visitors, which will soon depart to warmer climes.

On the Managed Retreat, an area of land opened up to flooding from the river, the first SHELDUCK have returned to the area. Over late Summer our entire population of shelducks leave the UK to go off to Germany, at the Wadden Sea, to moult, before returning in late Autumn. Its a strange habit, one of nature's many mysteries, something science can't really explain, like how do they all instinctively know to do this en masse.

DABCHICK amongst the geese

At the start of the walk, next to Levington Marina, there's Loompit Lake, which despite the situation at Trimley was brimming over with birds. Most obvious was the large gaggle of several hundred GEESE present and the herd of MUTE SWANS, of which 75 were recorded. Usually a couple of pairs of swans nest here and are quite territorial, but at this time of year the resident birds are more tolerant, as long as come Spring the rest all leave. There were plenty of water birds around with 70 GADWALL, 30 SHOVELLER, and between 10 and 20 each of TUFTED DUCK, WIGEON, TEAL, COOT and LITTLE GREBE.

Of most interest on Loompit was an EMPEROR GOOSE. Mixed in with the huge flock of CANADAS and GREYLAGS the bird was still in moult, it  lacked the black neck, but it was distinctive, noticeably smaller than the other two species, with an all white head and neck. I did some research and discovered that it breeds in Alaska and wintered further south in America, and it was under threat as a species, as most birds are nowadays. So this means either two things, firstly its a very rare bird blown off course halfway across the world, or more likely, an escape from some wildlfowl collection. I know which one I hope it will be, but am resigned to what it most likely will be.

The huge numbers of SWANS and GEESE at Loompit Lake

Also on Loompit was a KINGFISHER which briefly alighted on a dead tree branch before flying off, calling noisily. There was also a CETTI'S WARBLER, exploding with song, from a lakeside bush a very unseasonal record for the bird to be doing this. Just think the bird has confused early October with Spring, late autumn with the breeding season. Is this just some idiot bird, or a sign of climate change, or just one of those things, who knows.

And that's it. Just a short post from a very uneventful day down on the marshes. However, even when things are at there bleakest there is always something around to brighten up the day, so keep persevering as something will turn up eventually. Good birding to all.