The River Gipping Lakes - 30/7/2022

Pair of CANADA GEESE in the cow field between Shamford Mere and Causeway Lake. Look how brown the grass is from the recent drought

With some time to kill on a nice quiet Saturday, I decided to visit one of my local patches, some of the lakes that stretch along the River Gipping. I don't visit this area often enough, the last trip here was in April, so it was time I had look. The area is good to reach, as it flows along a bus route, so I can visit different areas hassle free. I started with Shamford mere and Causeway Lake, near Baylham, travelling south to Barham Pits near Claydon, a journey of several miles.

Shamford Mere and Causeway Lake

These are a pair of lakes along the middle part of the River Gipping that stretches between Needham Market and Ipswich. They are small bodies of water, no more than four or five acres in extent, so aren't huge, but being fairly off the beaten track are not that disturbed so often attract some wildfowl.

JAY on the fence along the Gipping

The star bird was at Shamford Mere with an eclipse male RED CRESTED POCHARD on the water. This is mainly an introduced species, although I have seen birds I'm certain are wild. Being a bird that likes gravel pits they are quite rare in Suffolk, I have only a couple of records from this  county. Also about were eleven TUFTED DUCK, this lake is usually the best in the Gipping area for this bird, they'll be moulting ducks going into eclipse.

RED ADMIRAL butterfly

Further along the river, just beyond a cow field, is Causeway Lake, a similar body of water, but this one is fished, although no one was about at the time. Again there were some moulting wildfowl, with twenty MUTE SWAN, and thirteen COOT about.

The Greta Blakenham weir, an unnatural barrier to wildlife on the Gipping

Following Causeway Lake it was a short walk down to Barham Pits, along the river Gipping. Because of the drought we are presently experiencing water levels were low, the weirs along the river barely flowing over, a good reason to get rid of them and let the river flow naturally again.

Barham Pits

The bottom lakes along the Gipping are Barham Pits a series of fishing pits, much disturbed and with not many birds. Being close to where I live I visit them often, but haven't really seen anything of interest there.

Female TUFTED DUCK on Barham Pit B

On the top lake, Meadlands, GREAT CRESTED GREBE had successfully raised a family, with some old fledged young hanging about. Below that, on the exotically titled Pit A, COOT had successfully raised a family. Pit B, the largest lake along the Gipping, held thirteen COOT and two TUFTED DUCK. Pit B held three pairs of GREAT CRESTED GREBE this year, a pair with two young being the last of the season.

Barham Pit A

As always local patch birding is hard work, a lot of time for not very much. But being my patch, I feel its my responsibility to keep visiting, as I'm pretty much the only person who will, I have never met any birdwatchers here. Hopefully this will result in some sort of record for the area, something important for the time I put in. I hope.