Skip to main content

Chasing the Caspian then back to basics

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 Oystercatcher over the river, but perhaps they were wisely hunkering down in the drizzle.
At least 3 Lapwing chick remain, as do the broods of Tufted Duck and Shelduck. Ricky spotted a fast moving Hobby and a high flying Little Egret. The lonely Marsh Harrier was hunting with its usual grace, and a House Martin was hawking (can you use that verb for a Martin?)over the lagoon. Plenty of Swifts on the wing also.
We did the full version of the walk, round the back of the pub and onto the field. My Little Owl put in a timely showing at the front of the dead tree; the Egyptian Geese that were using the hole have since moved on, perhaps allowing the Owls a late chance to fledge young.
Back on the reserve, at least 2 Grasshopper Warbler were seen (at potential nest sites) as well as Reed and Sedge Warbler. A probable Treecreeper near the ruins added another territory to the reserve list, if indeed it was a creeper.
A good haul of species, and a nice antidote to the disappointment of yesterday. The summer slow down has not set in just yet! Thank goodness for Surlingham.

Comments

  1. James Emerson19 June 2011 at 12:02

    I'm gutted for you about missing the tern, but at least you were looking for it! I reckon hawking is fine for Martins - I use it for anything that chases insects with a degree of manoeuvrability.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

A weekend to live long in the memory

Saturday 12th, I picked up Connor around 6.30am and we headed to Waxham with migrant hunting in mind. It was clear that the NW blow and rain had dumped many common migrants. Every bush had a Robin, some more than one. There were also almost equal numbers of Song Thrush and Blackbird. As the sun rose, slowly more birds became active. Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps and Goldcrest and ticked and tacked from cover. Superb stuff! Overhead, Brambling and Redpoll were moving, and some did rest long enough for decent views. Heading out into the dunes towards the pipe dump, we encountered a female Redstart and a Woodcock on route. Still, birds were arriving including more Thrushes and even a few Skylark. Without much success around the pipe dump itself (a Robin with a sore throat gave us a headache for a while) we headed back to the car and onto Horsey. Although there were less birds around by mid morning, little clumps of cover were alive with activity. In the same patch of scrub and pines that last ...
3 comments
Read more

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 ...
4 comments
Read more