PURPLE SANDPIPER
With two heavy storms battering the country within the space of a couple of days I used the lull between them to catch up with some winter birds at Landguard. Although not being officially within the storms the wind was still strong, over forty miles per hour, and as a result the sea was choppy, with some big waves breaking against the sea defences. I did not expect to see anything today, because of this weather, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Two birds were present on the jetty at the very tip of Landguard
The specialty of a Landguard stuck in mid winter are the PURPLE SANDPIPERS, with a few birds hanging round the jetty during the shorter days. The jetty is a rotting wooden structure right at the very tip of the point, and this man made structure replicates the rocky habitat the sandpipers like, more commonly seen further north in the country. Landguard is the best place in south Suffolk to see these birds, with a few others found up north in Lowestoft.
PURPLE SANDPIPERS are a winter speciality of Landguard in winter
As Landguard is on the perimeter of a large town (for Suffolk) in Felixstowe a lot of people use the site, so the purple sandpipers are quite tame. After having initially found them on top of the jetty, some distance away, the birds completely ignored my presence and kept moving closer and closer until they were at most ten metres away. I was able to take a lot of photos, which is unusual, this is the first time I have ever taken any decent photos of these sandpipers.
Use to people, the sandpipers came within ten metres of me
The sandpipers are not really purple, more a slate grey, but do get brighter as they move into the breeding season. They nest in the tundra around the arctic circle, with a few pairs occasionally nesting on the mountain tops of Scotland.
The birds were very hardy, as they moved around the jetty they were dodging waves battering against the structure. The good thing about the heavy windy weather meant that few people were around the site, and I was able to enjoy what would be a usually busy site all to myself.
RINGED PLOVER
At this time of year the inland part of the reserve is very quiet. When in the warmer months the grasslands and scattered bushes are full of the smaller birds, today, in February, it was very quiet. Three RINGED PLOVERS had turned up on the beach. These bird winters close by, and have now turned up here at Landguard to breed. The reserve managers put up fencing around the nests to protect them from being trodden on and disturbed by unsuspecting members of the public and they do OK.
MED GULL feeding on the tide line. Looking like a black headed gull, the med gull has all white wing tips
Other birds about were a TURNSTONE on the beach by the café, and several MEDTITTERANEAN GULLS feeding on the tideline on the beach. A few of those gulls winter in the area before spending their summer months at some gull colony like at Minsmere.
MAGPIE on the fence to the docks
This is probably the first time I have put a post up about Landguard point without a picture of the docks. Surrounded on all sides by urban development the area is always under pressure by the sheer numbers of people present and using the site. Arriving into Felixstowe it was clear the pressure the surrounding countryside around the edges of the town are under. Containing such a large port, Felixstowe is a boom town and there are lots of new housing developments springing up. Its a shame no new nature reserves are being created and I have to travel all the way to Landguard just to see some birds. Maybe in more enlightened times nature will get equal footing when the countryside is built on.
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