Cantley then Surlingham

With time on my hands and with it being the last day of the holiday, I finally decided to have a look at the Lesser White Fronted Goose which has been frequenting Buckenham and Cantley marshes. Having always used the marshes at Buckenham as a starting point, I have never actually made it down to Cantley, so was quite taken aback by the fantastic views from Burnthouse Lane. Sure enough, the LWFG was in with the Taiga Bean Geese. Noticeably smaller even from some distance, and the 'blaze' on the face appeared 'fatter' than on those of the nearby White Fronted Geese. A couple next to me were discussing the eye ring in some depth, but then they did have a better scope. Regardless of the bird's wild credentials, this was an educational experience for I have never seen a LWFG in any context!

A Barn Owl and Kestrel were hunting the reed bed towards the back of the marsh.

This guy was laying on the verge near where I parked the car; sadly an all too brief 2011 for him.

Surlingham as usual threw up some good birds. A Coal Tit greeted me, singing from the churchyard. Looking out to the Wood's End marsh, In amongst 81 Lapwing, was a new patch bird- 9 Golden Plover! Having seen Lapwing here before, I should have expected a Goldie at some point really, but a nice suprise nonetheless. Another Barn Owl was hunting here.

I counted 30 species but by now this was a little late in the day, many of the smaller birds were settling down for the night. Still, a good start to the year and chuffed with my GP.

The lagoon still won't thaw!

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Everything is about edge

Hardley, where it is often confusing to define where the garden ends and the marsh begins. Tumble-down houses and rickety shacks, away from any bus route and Team Sky sorts wrapped in lycra, this is a village that by choice is cut off. The secret is out, and pre-storm Ciara as many as 10 large lenses littered the river bank firing at will. Their target- Winter ghosts. First, the classic Scooby-Doo type, as a Barn Owl responds to an ill-advised squeak in the grass and heads towards the onlookers. Another quickly joins the hunt, their formation a picture of double-edged stealth. But these year-round residents are not the key objective today, that honour is given to the Short-eared Owl. 3/4 of these can be seen from the staithe at the minute, floating like giant moths over the tussocks and edges. In a recent article in The New Yorker, Jake Fiennes states "Everything is about edge". Hedges, ditches, scrub, forgotten tracts of land that link nothing and no-one. Fiennes, now ...

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...

Wood's End and Surlingham, 13/03/11

Decided it was time to search for a Lesser Pecker within and around the patch, ideal habitat alongside the Yare and plenty of deadwood. I should say now that the search was fruitless, but did throw up some good habo and a few decent birds for the area. Wood's End had a large flock of Siskin in a small conifer plantation, and a Nuthatch called from within. A Common Buzzard called overhead, and was seen again from the pub- I will keep an eye on this a potential breeding site. Great Spotted Pecker showed well, and my second Brimstone Butterfly in 2 days passed through- stealing a march, or so I thought! My first was seen from the staffroom yesterday, not all bad on the Western Front then. Surlingham was looking pristine in the sunshine, and approaching the lagoon I could hear Lapwing- usually across river at Wood's End- and then a familiar call which I almost ignored, but then realised where I was.....Redshank! Never actually saw it, but still a new bird for the patch. A pair of S...

Notes from the valley

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