Extended update part 1- Patch notes

Due to the absence of a computer and the usual self-indulgences I enjoy during the first week of the holidays, an update of my movements has been hard to come by. I am now back online and de-toxing before a weekend in Derbyshire. Here are my recent notes for Surlingham Church Marsh.

On the 25th, 2 broods of Reed Warbler were located. A single Tufted Duck was on the lagoon, no sign of those youngsters. Geese numbers had increased over the river; c50 Egyptian and the Greylag flock now well over 100. Mingling with 5 Canada Geese was an odd looking job, a small mainly black goose, pale cheeks with red fringes. I had it down as a Red-breasted x with either Canada or Barnacle. Later that day, I realised I had seen this bird before, but not in the flesh. Barnacle x Red-breasted it is then.

The 29th was very quiet, duck numbers even lower and Warblers hard to come by. A Kingfisher heading upriver was a welcome sight.

Today, presumably the same Kingfisher whizzed past as I meandered alongside the river. Juveniles of both Chiffchaff and Willow were seen and heard respectively. A female Kestrel and Magpie had let the heat get to them, engaging in an aerial duel. 2 Lapwing were on Wood's End marshes, a Little Egret Flew over and one of the two Little Owls was in the dead tree. The warmth meant plenty of Butterflies were on the wing, as were some Dragonflies. I am still learning with these guys, but I believe the picture shows a splendid looking Migrant Hawker. Please comment if incorrect! Also watched a pair of Brown Hawkers near the Gun Club. A bugger to photo, they just would not settle!

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Everything is about edge

Hardley, where it is often confusing to define where the garden ends and the marsh begins. Tumble-down houses and rickety shacks, away from any bus route and Team Sky sorts wrapped in lycra, this is a village that by choice is cut off. The secret is out, and pre-storm Ciara as many as 10 large lenses littered the river bank firing at will. Their target- Winter ghosts. First, the classic Scooby-Doo type, as a Barn Owl responds to an ill-advised squeak in the grass and heads towards the onlookers. Another quickly joins the hunt, their formation a picture of double-edged stealth. But these year-round residents are not the key objective today, that honour is given to the Short-eared Owl. 3/4 of these can be seen from the staithe at the minute, floating like giant moths over the tussocks and edges. In a recent article in The New Yorker, Jake Fiennes states "Everything is about edge". Hedges, ditches, scrub, forgotten tracts of land that link nothing and no-one. Fiennes, now ...

Finally, just in time for the tail end of Spring migration........

.......we get some good weather. Too little too late? Only time will tell. I have enjoyed watching the resident birds go about their business on the local marshes and broads, but that ranks as the poorest Spring I can recall in terms of migrants and variety. That is not to say the birding is not good- but just a little underwhelming. Over at Rockland Broad on Saturday, I enjoyed a bit of a raptor fest, with 3 Hoby, 2 Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel all seen well. 2 Garden Warbler were singing, one by the carpark and one by the broad. A couple of Common Tern were hawking over the broad, and a Kingfisher was up to the usual near the hide. Don't get me wrong, this is all great (and in the warm too) but I was hoping for something a little different at Rockland this Spring. Still, with the decent weather set to continue for the next week, eyes to the skies. And indeed, to the ground, for my first Wall Browns of the year were flying and I happened upon my first 4-spotted ...

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...

Notes from the valley

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