What was so heartening about visiting Hollesley today, after suffering such a poor winter of so very few birds, was just how many birds were present. Thousands of birds were here, feeding on and around the scrape, creating quite a spectacle, like the wetlands I used to see many years ago, when I had started birding. Although nothing unusual was present it was still good to see such good numbers of our normal over wintering birds.
The visit to Hollesley was an event organised by the Froize pub, Chillesford. Called "Winter Watching" it was a managed walk around the marshes with experienced bird guide John Grant, which ended with a meal at the Froize. The day out was a birthday present for myself a little gift for reaching a milestone in my life. It was a group of seventeen people of various expertise levels, ranging from beginner, to expert, as we trooped the short path round the Marshes. Basically its a short route to the viewing screen which looks over the scrape, before walking to the river wall, where one way looks over the scrape while the other way looks over the tidal estuary.
At the end of the walk, as I was lagging behind the first group, the guide in front gave a beckoning gesture for me to hurry over. As I rushed up, he showed me a nice male PEREGRINE FALCON in his telescope, perched midway up a tree. For a while it lingered before flying off over the marshes, putting thousands of birds in the air when it flew over the scrape, the bird is unmistakably massive when compared to a similar kestrel, with big bulging flight muscles. Being a golden age of birds of prey we live in, other species of raptor were seen today. A SPARROWHAWK attacked the marshes, causing a murmaration of STARLINGS to erupt and reel and knot in the air as a cloud of birds, before the sparrowhawk caught a bird and flew off with its catch. There were plenty of MARSH HARRIERS quartering the marshes, a bird you take for granted over the marshes of Suffolk, but is still a scarce bird; added to that several BUZZARDS were soaring in the air. Birds of prey are really bucking the trend for bird populations and many are increasing due to less persecution.
The scrape was really alive with birds, mainly with DUCKS and WADERS. WIGEON, TEAL, SHOVELLER and PINTAIL, were all present in large numbers the males at this time of year are a riot of colour as they compete for the female's attention. Among the hundreds of GREYLAG and CANADA GEESE feeding on the drier, higher ground, the only other goose species present was a meagre four BARNACLE GEESE, smaller birds, their plumage ranges through the many shades between black and white.
Large flocks of CURLEW were feeding on the wet grassland, a bird that although their decline has been well publicised, their wintering numbers on the marshes of Suffolk have remained stable. LAPWING are one of the few birds to be bucking the general bird population of decline, with their winter numbers actually increasing, and there are thousands present on our wet grasslands. A decent number of SNIPE were present, mainly asleep cuddled up in some tussock, their cryptic camouflage making them difficult to see, and if you spot one, then many more are hiding away.
In and around the scrape there was a decent cast of smaller birds, birds that unlike the waders and ducks, allowed you to get quiet close before flying off. Around four STONECHAT were present around the site, only a partial migrant, these birds had probably spent the summer on the local heaths, but winter out here on the coastal marshes. As is characteristic of this bird, they are usually seen perched at the top of a gorse bush or fence post. The local SKYLARKS were getting frisky with the warmish weather of February, chasing each other around and rising into the sky with their beautiful, grandiose song. They nest in the drier grassland areas that surround the scrape, and despite their decline they are still common birds. There were plenty of REED BUNTINGS around, the males have a characteristic black face, a common bird on the marshes, nesting along the ditches that cut through the lowlands, they are usually seen perched on top of some bush or fence post.
The marshes but onto the River Alde close to where it meets the sea. The river here is an estuary, and is quite wide, and the tide moves quickly as it flows into the sea. On the shingle banks at the mouth of the river, hundreds of CORMARANTS were roosting on the shingle banks. On the other side of the river is Orford Ness, a huge inaccessible shingle spit which stretches for miles. Watching from the other side of the river, several BROWN HARES could be seen on the shingle, often coming all the way down to the rivers edge. Also present over the other side was a CHINESE WATER DEER an introduced animal that has seemed to have found a previously unoccupied niche and is subsequently doing very well for itself. Time will tell whether its a benign introduction or whether its a harmful one. Its a strange animal, the size of a dog, it has no antlers, rather these two big canine which protrude from its mouth.
Having worked up a decent appetite walking the cold, windswept marshes, lunch was spent in the cosy, warm Froize. Food here is always good, even for a veggie like myself, so if you're ever in the area and have worked up an appetite roaming the coastal marshes, give it a go.
On the way back, I stopped off to have a look at the river Deben from Melton Picnic Site, where there were a variety of DUCKS and WADERS, on the mud, where I took some photos. Hollesley Marshes, even when full of birds is very poor for photography, the birds are just too far away and the light is often very poor there.
In the morning when I turned up to the Froize and the guide, John Grant, told us we were going to Hollesley Marshes, my heart dropped. But I was just there a month ago, I thought. I was hoping we would go somewhere off the beaten track to some place not open to the public. But I was pleasantly surprised despite all this. I think this had to be one of the best times I have been to the Marshes and that was something positive to take from the day, considering, how bad things have been recently for birds. Climate change is happening, its devastating our birds, and it wont be long before it affects us.
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