Notes from the valley

An Sunday evening trip to Buckenham Marshes in hope of Raptors heading to roost yielded an unexpected Great White Egret, initially seen at 4pm over the river at Claxton/Rockland Marshes (bird of the year on the patch in terms of 'points') flying strongly across the river towards Strumpshaw before being lost to sight. Real monster in flight, size and long yellow bill leaving me in no doubt as to what I was looking at. Get in! Supporting cast of 3 Barn Owls at Claxton, Marsh Harrier at Buckenham and a superb Corvid roost by the station. And all those Wigeon for company, what a site Buckenham is.

Headline news from the patch is a fond farewell to the Whaley Hide, dismantled and removed in favour of a sluice. Like other visitors I am a little sad to see the old hide go, but it was old and in many areas beyond repair. The installation of a sluice will connect the lagoon to the flow of the river, thereby increasing the biodiversity of the lagoon waters and putting an end to years of silt build up. Perhaps in time a few more Waders will look to stop here on migration, as the numbers of invertebrates increases. Exciting times. The team from Strumpshaw have also cracked on with more scrub removal, cleared ditches and uncovered a new mini lagoon between the main lagoon and the gun club. Excellent work and already I have noticed wildlife making use of their 'facilities'; today, a Treecreeper was frequenting an area of newly cut scrub that was previously obscured from view, and a count of 42 teal (2 females) was very healthy indeed. Away from the main reserve, a skein of Pink-f...

Been out of action ever since the weekend that was with Achilles Tendinitis, rather painful, but with the onset of half term and the ankle area easing up it was high time to get out and about once again. Wheatfen was looking splendid on the 31st, so splendid in fact that the foilage shielded from view the Siskin and Redpoll I could hear. 6 Snipe were seen flying strongly southwards, and a bustling Tit flock held Long-tailed, Marsh, Great, Blue and a Goldcrest. I really thought I was into a Firecrest for a short time, and surely this is a species I will add to the wider patch list before long? A scan over Claxton Marshes late afternoon did not produce a Short-eared Owl as I had hoped it might, but across the river I could see a group of Barnacle Geese grazing. 'Seen from the patch'= tick! I finished the day at Langley dyke, where 3 ghostly Barn Owls were hunting. On the 1st of November, Debs, her dad and I took a walk round Bacton Woods chasing up the Parrot Crossbill report...