Notes from the valley

Finally managed the 100 species mark at Surlingham Church Marsh this evening. 101 soon followed, but the big one first. As you may know, I am currently stuck on 299 BOU for my British Life List. What will number 300 be? It won't be a Caspian Tern. It might be a Quail. It might even be a Little Swift. It will be a special bird whatever the feather. Now, my 100th bird recorded in the Surlingham CM tetrad was never going to be as grandiose as the above cast, but I had hoped for a little better than a pair of Red-Legged Partridge! Still, colourful as ever, and this time they really meant something! Whilst the main reserve was a little quiet with Duck numbers right down, number 101 went to a much nicer bird- a Common Tern, purposefully heading up river. 95 for the year, thankyou! The lagoon was quiet as aforementioned, 2 Lapwing were present and 1 chick was seen- running away from me on the circular footpath! One odd piece of behaviour to report: The Shelduck with 6 young appears to hav...

After not going for the Roller in Suffolk earlier this week, I was getting a little twitchy around the 299 BOU mark. Would Caspo Tern be the big 300? A big fat no. I left a little late Saturday morning, and missed the window when the bird was showing well at Titchwell. Whilst the majority of 'birders' I saw then sat in and around Titchwell waiting for it to be refound, I joined the braver souls at Thornham and then Holme. No fly-by, a grounded Hobby the only bird of note on the beach at Holme. Windswept, weather and bird beaten, it was a long drive home. Back to basics this morning, and an extra pair of eyes in the shape of Ricky allowed me to connect with a couple of good patch birds I may have otherwise missed. The circuit began well, a Cuckoo on a dead tree above our heads emitted the weird guttural sound you only hear when the bird is close, before the expected notes of song. The scrub was still busy, both Garden Warbler and Blackcap singing. I couldn't see any Oysterc...

An evening and morning visit to blog about. Thursday evening, and a new bird for the reserve. 2 juvenile Grey Wagtail were on the muddy edges of the lagoon, and whilst being the first time I have clapped eyes on this species at Surlingham, there is plenty of suitable breeding habitat around the streams near the landspring. Also present was a single Green Sandpiper. If I put in enough hours, I reckon I could record this bird for every calendar month! My short paper, 'The occurance and behaviour of Green Sandpiper at Surlingham Church Marsh', is under production! This individual seemed relaxed, little bobbing, no calling, infact not much of anything. A Barn Owl was hunting over the river, and the usual Warblers gave us their eveningsong. Today, I made an earlier start in order to 'do' the reserve before the shooting begins. Of note were 5/6 Oystercatcher on the other side of the river, which will hopefully fledge some young between them. The story of breeding Waders took ...

White Ermine and Common Wainscott Elephant Hawkmoth and Coxcomb Prominent Unusual, I know, but a welcome return to Moths on the blog! After seeing X bird in X location, I spent an evening at home with the folks in Suffolk and had some fun emptying the Moth Trap. I do not set the Moth trap at my home in Norwich for 2 reasons: Firstly, I did it once and got bugger all. Secondly, it does look rather odd in our terraced garden, and would probably cause the odd complaint/curtain twitching. Our list for the evening: Buff Ermine White Ermine Burnished Brass Common Swift Common Wainscott Coxcomb Prominent Elephant Hawkmoth Flame Shoulder Ghost Moth Heart and Dart Marbled Minor Setaceous Hebrew Character Silver Y Treble Brown Spot Treble Lines Triple-Spotted Clay Shuttle-Shaped Dart Brown-eyed Bright-Line Dusky Brocade Marbled White Spot Double Square Spot

It was rather hot at Lakenheath Fen yesterday, and as usual the flagship species proved difficult on this cracking June day. We did hear Golden Oriole, and others managed the odd glimpse, be prepared to wait if you want a proper look! Another birder had seen a Common Crane on the ground, but on our arrival we were not so lucky. A Hobby was a nice bonus though; I remember seeing 30-odd here last year! 3 Cuckoos flew across our field of view, calling to one another, perhaps settling a territorial dispute. Reed and Sedge Warblers were both very active despite the heat, nest building and singing taking up their time. I was visiting a non birding friend out west, so I really only scratched the surface here, but an early start would pay dividends I am sure. What a reserve; I always leave with that thought! Surlingham was beautiful in the fading light, the pink sky the backdrop for reeling and warbling of the residents. 2 Barn Owls were seen, and one individual has I think gotten used to seei...

Finally got a chance to visit Breydon Water this afternoon, a Broad-billed Sandpiper has been present for around a week and I do like a good Sandpiper. Now, before I continue suffice to say there may indeed be 2 birds present, which may account for the confusion on site. On encountering James not far from the rugby club carpark, we followed the shore and began scanning the small flocks of Dunlin and Ringed Plover. Another birder and myself locked onto the bird, and we obtained satisfactory views- Broad-billed Sand, looked nice, Norfolk/Suffolk border, British lifer. The bird then proved rather elusive, and another group that arrived struggled to obtain views of any sort for a while. We did happen upon another wader, interesting looking beastie it was too. Pale underneath- couldn't make out any streaking. Less rufous on top, drooping bill, stunted tail, relatively long-legged. This could of course been the 'other' Broad-billed, but other birds thrown into the mix were Dunlin...