Some cold weather observations

Church Marsh itself is pretty barren right now, although areas of water or mud are proving a real draw for the residents of Surlingham. Yesterday, Debs and I braved the cold and were treated to excellent views of Fieldfare, Common Snipe and Robins, the latter very tame and clearly desperate for food. Bird of the walk was a Woodcock, flushed from a dyke which also held a small group of Teal. Arriving back at the car, a Great-spotted Woodpecker was drumming, unperturbed by the snow.

This morning, I made an early start in the hope of catching up with some of the smaller birds I had missed yesterday. I was lucky, for amongst the Alders were Lesser Redpoll, Siskin and best of all 2 Brambling! I have not recorded this species at Surlingham for some time and although views were of the back-breaking variety this is always a super finch to see.

With the hungry Robins in mind, I had taken some bread with me today which was enjoyed by all, including me. Elsewhere, a Snipe was flushed from the ditch near the gun club, and I have my suspicions that this could have been a Jack. Back at the churchyard, 2 Great-spotted Woodpeckers were drumming and a third was chased away. This all bought back fond memories of Estonia.

On the way to Rockland Broad, 17 Skylark had flocked together in a field.

The Broad itself was mostly without ice, although a small group of Common and Black-headed Gull were loafing on one small shelf of ice. A Wader species was a surprise, and was probably a Ruff although flight views only proved inconclusive. Very little Duck action.

A plethora of snowy pictures to choose from, so here are a selection.

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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 ...

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...

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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