One final look and more migrants are arriving.

Couldn't resist a last stroll round the patch before heading off to the Baltic, and very glad I did. Mopped up a good few year ticks. I rarely visit the reserve early in the morning, so it was interesting to see so many Rooks around, new for the year. More Blackcaps appeared to have arrived, and I counted 5 Sedge Warbler this time around. A pair of Shelduck were back on the lagoon, and behind them a Barn Owl was out hunting in the morning sun. Sitting in the hide I watched Reed Bunting, another bird which seems to have doubled in number all of a sudden. Another first, a Reed Warbler sang unseen. The Gropper was silent today. I wandered further up the hill in hope of a flyover raptor. Looking in the direction of the village, I spotted a bird sunning itself that I have been trying to locate for a while now- Little Owl. I am fairly sure I have located the nest/roost, and it seems s/he is sharing a tree with a nesting Egyptian Goose! A Swallow on the patch was another year tick, and finally back at the car a calling House Sparrow was also a new bird!! I wonder what will have changed when I next visit in over a week's time. Should have seen a White-tailed Sea Eagle by this time tomorrow, and plenty of seaduck. Lovely stuff. For now, a couple of pics of the humble residents of Surlingham Church Marsh.

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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

Foulden Common- Skippers and a Hairstreak

Been meaning to get to Foulden Common for what feels like years, and it probably is that in terms of timescale! I recall being poorly last Spring, and my days put aside for a Butterfly hunt there were postponed. Before long, the mid-summer doldrums had set in and all thought of Norfolk's scarce Skipper species were put on hold until 2019. And so despite the overcast conditions and lack of some Bird Therapy, I headed out this morning. Arriving from the direction of Mundford, travelling through Foulden village and approaching an S bend, I noticed a small bowl-shaped pull in. Doubling back I parked up, walked through two gates and began searching the common land. The first 45 minutes had me cursing the lack of sun and planning my next free morning before returning to work. A pair of Common Blue and Small Copper gave some hope, and a hoarse Cuckoo and 2+ Garden Warbler were clearly harbingers of warmer fronts moving in. As the sun threatened to bust through the clouds, I pic

Notes from the valley

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