Christmas, and still the thaw will not come.

I could quite happily watch the garden birds from Mum's window all day. More often than not, with drink in hand, this is what I spent much of the festive period doing. Fieldfare and Redwing would sometimes stop to rest in the bare trees, whilst Song Thrush, 10+ Blackbird, Tits, Pheasant and Robin fed on or around the feeders provided. Star bird was spotted by my 10 year old cousin, a male Bullfinch feeding amongst Chaffinches.
Leaving rural Suffolk and returning home today, of course I found time to stop off at Surlingham on route. For once, there were ducks on the river- Tufted Duck, Gadwall and Mallard. A group of Coot cracked on with some much needed weeding, and Wigeon were grazing on the opposite bank. Exciting stuff, for the patch. Further away, towards Postwick, 3 farmyard type geese fed amongst the Greylag. Without my scope, it was difficult to gauge size but they appeared a little cumbersome and nothing of real interest. A couple of Lapwing were out on the marsh.
Carrying on with the usual circuit, a Bullfinch called from deep within the scrub. The reed bed itself was silent, not even the Cettis was singing. I had to walk round to the ruins to see another bird, but worth the walk it was. A mixed flock of finches held one Brambling, and 2 Bullfinch called and quickly flew off. Good stuff! A few Teal were in evidence on the unfrozen dykes, and a Grey Heron was fishing. No sign of the Bittern that Ben had seen, but still a good few birds to blog about.

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Grey Phalarope- a new patch bird

The 7th of April was another bitterly cold Spring day, hats and gloves in prime position on pegs and in bags ready to be deployed. A few brave Garganey have been reported north of the river, but it was a bird from the north itself that had me rushing for the thermals and the telescope late in the day. I was thankful for the local Whatsapp group who were quick to report that a Grey Phalarope had been seen on Rockland Broad. This tiny Wader would have come in on the northerlies over the last few days, although to grace one of the broads is a real surprise, since most stick pretty close to the coast before moving on. Indeed, my experience of the birds has usually been on a sea watch in the Autumn, waves crashing and foam flying, my eyes straining to pick them out as they fly low just above the surf. They are fantastic birds, and now one was here on the patch. I had a brief panic when I realised my scope was in my car at the garage (thankfully I do have a much older spare) but once th...

A weekend to live long in the memory

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Claxton-on-sea!

Although it was not quite the Christmas we wanted here in the valley, the rain has bought its own gift. A grim vision of the future, perhaps. But right now, the patch is peaking and is alive with birds, and for that I am thankful. On Christmas eve, it was a job to navigate away from the village due to standing water that had left abandoned cars and undelivered presents in its wake. The rain had been persistent and unforgiving, the ground, saturated. Over on the marsh, where there had once been a muddy puddle amongst the pasture, a city had sprung from the leak, with a plethora of new occupants noisily laying claim to a patch of sodden marsh. Wigeon and Black-headed Gulls in their thousands now wheeled and whistled over and amongst the newly formed pools, accompanied by smaller numbers of Teal and Shoveler. A flock of two hundred-strong Lapwing enjoyed feeding on the less damp spots where green grass was still exposed, and thrown in for good measure have been a couple of Ruff, the ...

Notes from the valley

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