Weekend Mutterings

Genuinely good session at Surlingham Saturday morning, regardless of the season. 3 Bullfinch, a female then a pair, were a treat and ever since last December I seem to be doing well with this species, and long may it continue. The Wood's End marshes had turned into a flash, which held c350 Black-headed Gull, a record count for the patch. 2 Kingfishers were seen on the river, one fishing from Surlingham Landspring, almost in the carpark! The common birds also seemed more evident today; Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Goldfinch overhead.
From the hide, two (yes, two) female Marsh Harriers were hunting. Last year was a poor year for Harriers on the reserve, so this bodes well. One bird flushed 11 Snipe- another patch record. No doubt the Snipe are ever-present out there, but I have never seen a group this large. One bird looked smaller than the rest, and I instantly thought of Jack Snipe, although from experience this species does not flush so easily and if it is spooked, will only fly a short distance before landing. Who knows.
Walking back to the carpark, the pine trees adjacent to the churchyard held a noisy Tit flock, which held every Tit species I have ever recorded at Surlingham, including a Coal and two Marsh! Great to get that under my belt so early in the year. Now for that year list on Bubo......

Saturday and Sunday evening were spent out in The Broads raptor watching. It was nice to be joined by proud dad Ricky on the Saturday, not put off by the strong winds. Neither was James of Happisburgh fame! We struggled on in the cold, James picked out a pair of Common Cranes not far from the wild Swan flock; 36 distantly, seemed to be more Whoopers than Bewicks. 35 Golden Plover were on a ploughed field, and other birds of interest were a single Kestrel and 4 Barn Owl. The biggest, literally, suprise was a Red Deer Hind over the river. At first glance we thought it was a horse!

Sunday was a much better day weather-wise, and the birds played ball. 4 Short-eared Owls, 4 Barn Owls, 4 Marsh Harriers, a Peregrine and a Male Hen Harrier (which I missed!) made for a Raptor super-fest! A Stonechat was picked out by the sharp eyes of my little cousin, and distantly a group of 10 Cranes landed out of sight. Only one place I'll be next weekend! Added to that I saw the FIRST half of the United match, and I was one happy chap.

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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 the ho

A change is as good as a rest

Casting my mind back to February 14th, survival rather than love was in the air for the birds of the Yare Valley. Tramping across the Surlingham corner of the patch, I recorded 8 Woodcock within 2 hours. These Cryptic Waders had been forced out of hiding, and even amongst the woodland floor they were easier than usual to spot against a backdrop of snow. The small pine wood opposite the church and adjacent to the parking area held at least 2 birds, creeping around and huddled up low to the ground. A further investigation of likely habitat around Church Marsh and I was presented with 6 more, a record count for me in a single day. I hope they made it through the trial sent from the north in the form of ice and snow. A Great Egret exploring a dyke at Postwick must've been thinking twice about the whole range expansion thing. However, a small Squadron of Bewick's Swan and a single Goosander over Claxton fitted the mise en scene nicely during this period. That image and that day fee

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 firs

Notes from the valley

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