Lowlights....and an Otter!

Very slow on the patch of late, the year list has crept up unconvincingly and a deluge of both rain and paperwork have meant visits have been few since late April- early May, but one obvious jackpot moment stands out.
On the 29th of April, the sun broke out nicely after a day (and week) of rain. I picked up Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Skylark and Swift, all new for the year. Great to have these birds back. Blackcap seem to have returned in force, and a few more Swallows are now hawking amongst the cattle at Wood's End. Nearing the end of the circuit, I stopped to scan a dyke I have viewed over 100 times before. Today, something special. A ripple in the water, a Mallard panicked. Revealing herself, a female Otter made its way toward me, totally unaware of my presence. Awestruck, I watched as she disappeared under for a couple of minutes, but following the bubble trail she resurfaced 5 metres from me. Amazing! What an encounter, and believe it or not this is my first Otter seen in the wild.

Later that week, Debs and I popped out to the Ted Ellis reserve in the hope of catching up with 2 reported Ring Ouzel. Although we didn't see these birds, I was reminded of what a super place this is, and certainly need to give these paddocks more attention. Some pictures below.
Yesterday, I observed a Barn Owl food carrying, heading across the marsh towards the church. Heard only but new for the year were both Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler, one of my favourites and this year a feeling of relief as it began reeling; I cannot believe how late they are this year.
A stop at Claxton Marshes had another hunting Barn Owl, a large gathering of Mute Swans (70+) but no late Short-eared Owls, seen here up until the end of April.

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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

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 ...

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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