Window to Wildlife

 We decided to break our journey home with another stop at Welney, having failed to find any Bean Geese elsewhere in Norfolk and knowing a group of nine birds had been consistently reported there throughout our stay.  From the main observatory these were quickly located resting on one of the islands. Although they spent much time roosting with their heads tucked under their wings, one bird remained standing showing clearly the diagnostic orange legs, contrasting with the Greylag Goose at the water’s edge nearby. Occasionally a bird would lift its head for a spot of preening and then the orange and brown bill pattern was easily seen. Tundra Bean Goose There were many Pochard swimming just below the hide window. The males conker-brown heads and red eyes looked magnificent at such close range, but I also took the opportunity to try to get to grips with the more subtle plumage features of the female, noting that the structure and patterning mirrored that of the male, although the ...

 Our last full day in Norfolk, and we decided to drive east in the hope of an Iceland Gull near Cley, which has been present for some weeks, reliably reported most mornings feeding on a seal carcass on the shingle ridge behind Arnold’s Marsh. We arrived around 10.15 and a quick route march along the track to the beach quickly got us onto the bird doing exactly that. The smaller of the white gull species, this juvenile was a stunning bird and we were able to study its features for a sustained time through the scope. Iceland Gull In the afternoon we decided to visit  Holkham Park, a new location for us. We regularly visit the beach and marshland area but had never visited the grounds before, with paths through the deer park leading to a huge lake. The parkland was surprisingly bereft of birds, although a couple of Mistle Thrushes were our first of the trip. The lake was more productive with good numbers of Tufted Duck, Shoveler and Pochard. Our target bird was a female Scaup, ...

 A big change in the weather today, with glorious sunshine making a huge difference to both the temperature and visibility. We started our day back at Titchwell RSPB, hoping to locate some smaller birds in the wooded area around the visitor centre. Unfortunately we were unable to locate any Siskins, but our first Greenfinches of the trip were feeding at the top of the alders, their rich green framing a gold flash of wingbar  in the early morning sunlight. The treetops were alive with Chaffinches and Goldfinches dancing amongst the topmast branches, bright colours glowing against a crisp blue sky. But the highlight here was a tiny Goldcrest foraging amongst the leaves of a pathside shrub.  We set off along the footpath overlooking a series of lagoons. Having visited here yesterday, we did not plan to spend long scanning these pools, but a Pochard was new for the trip and in the saltmarsh we found a Spotted Redshank with diagnostic supercilium highlighted by the bright ligh...

 I began the day with a wonderful breakfast at the Premier Inn in Kings Lynn before driving up to Thornham to meet Jenny, Tim and Sue before we all set off in Sue's car to Holkham. Just before the entrance to Holkham we noticed a few birders in a layby looking through scopes into a field. We pulled into the layby and realised that they were looking at a large number of white fronted geese and with closer inspection there were also a couple of pink footed geese in amongst them.                                                                     White fronted geese                                                                     Pink footed goose ...

 Jenny and Tim arranged their annual trip to Norfolk with their friend Sue and this year I decided to join them for the first two days of their five day stay.  I met Jenny and Tim at my mum's house where they had stayed for the weekend and we drove up together in separate cars to meet Sue at Welney. Just before we arrived at Welney we spotted a number of swans in a field and we turned into a side road to get a closer view.  These turned out to be whooper swans and I managed to get photos from a distance and also a closer photo as a few more flew over our heads.                                                                      Whooper swans We moved on to Welney car park where Sue had already arrived and was viewing some tree sparrows in the bramble bushes there.  Despite the poor light I took...

 Sue and Keith decided they could do with an early boost to their annual list so came across for a few days. Living close to Poole Harbour, with its extensive birding opportunities, we tried to target habitats and species they are less likely to encounter locally, and found we had considerable success. Monday: Lancing We started at Southwick Harbour, looking for the regularly sighted Long-tailed Duck, but were disappointed not to find it in the usual spot. Even more galling was to later see it reported again! A boat had sailed up the harbour as we arrived, so it’s possible that had displaced the bird, but it’s always disappointing for us tour guides when we fail to deliver on an expected tick! Undeterred, we headed to Widewater, where there was little to be seen on the lagoon or the sea. However, a stroll along the beach was more successful, as we managed to find the flock of roosting waders, with around 120 Dunlin tucking their heads under their wing, and 15 Ringed Plover blending...

 With Jenny and Tim visiting Essex we decided to try to obtain a few more year ticks based on recent reported local sightings.  We began the day at Lea Valley arriving at about 8.45 with main target bird of smew as both drake and redhead had been seen there lately.  The other possibility was bittern which visits there in winter but it is always a lottery as to whether it can be found.  It did not take long before Tim spotted a redhead smew on the far side of one of the lakes and we walked round to the other side to get closer views. We then walked further attempting to find the drake but after a while we gave up as we were having no luck and went to the bittern hide which only opens at 10 o'clock.  The hide had been renovated since my last visit and was quite impressive but unfortunately it was not the right time or place to see the bittern today and so we decided to move on to our second location which was Marsh Farm in South Woodham Ferrers. The target bird he...

 A couple of days around the Dungeness and Romney Marsh area was slower birding than yesterday, but we still managed to locate a few decent birds. We started at the beach area, but a sea watch was disappointing with birds at a great distance and only regular gulls evident at ‘The Patch’, the nuclear plant outfall pipe which attracts an abundance of wildlife. Some compensation was a female Black Redstart, our first of the year. Next we headed to the RSPB reserve. This was somewhat disappointing, with a number of hides closed and some replaced with open viewing platforms, which would appear to be unlikely to facilitate close views of any birds! In particular we mourned the closure for repair of the ARC hide, from where many of our best birds have been seen over the years - five bitterns on one memorable sunny morning, and at the opposite end of the day, flocks of incoming Bewick’s calling atmospherically as they fly in to roost. Our highlight birds here were Goldeneye and Glossy Ibis...

 We made a last minute decision to spend a few days in East Sussex and Kent, starting with a fabulous morning at Pett Level. This is a great area with pools viewable from the roadside, marshy fields which can be scanned form the sea wall and turning southwards, a panoramic view across Rye Bay. With such a range of habitat and excellent viewing opportunities it is a great place for birds, although in winter the wall can be very windy and extremely cold. However, today we were lucky with mild conditions, little wind and glorious sunshine. The damp fields contained good numbers of Curlew probing the ground with their ludicrously long bills and plenty ofLapwing, their purple and green iridescent hues glinting in the sunlight. On the pools we found a good variety of regular wildfowl including Wigeon and Gadwall, such an underrated duck, with stunning plumage details when seen close up. Several Pochard were at close range, with shining conker heads and bright red eyes contrasting with si...

 A visit to Tim’s sister in Eastbourne provided the perfect opportunity for an afternoon stroll at Sovereign Harbour where there just happened to be a Great Northern Diver loitering for the last few weeks. From a distance it was easily dismissed as a Cormorant, but it’s diving technique was different, seeming to melt into the water rather than dive, and it’s diagnostic steeped forehead was also obvious. Great Northern Diver Conveniently, there were also some Guillemots and a Razorbill in the inner harbour. Guillemots and Razorbill These sea birds are not usually easy to see at close range so it was very satisfying to view the finer details of their markings, and to have them successfully ticked off so early in the year.

 We started the day with a short drive to Southwick Harbour, where the Long-tailed Duck that arrived in December had reappeared after a few days absence around New Year. Concerns had been raised that the bird had fishing line in its mouth, but that seems to have resolved itself now. It was actively feeding at a short distance from us, giving excellent views.  Long-tailed Duck We returned to Shoreham for a circuit around the river, hoping to pick up some of our regular waders. A scan across the RSPB reserve, revealed good numbers of Redshanks and the overwintering Greenshank, aggressively chasing one that had strayed onto his patch! At the Norfolk Bridge, Oystercatchers, with their vibrant orange bills and legs and stark black and white plumage were instantly recognisable even from some distance. Turnstones were typically well camouflaged on the shellbanks, but once located could be seen busily foraging amongst the stones for small crustaceans. Further downstream near the airpo...

 After a few days in Oxfordshire, it was lovely to get out for our first day of proper birding, and even better to find a day of glorious sunshine. We left home around 8, driving to Arundel for our first stop at Swanbourne Lake. We quickly began to notch up new birds on and around this freshwater lake. Gadwall, Teal and Shoveler were present on the serene water, with the highlight being our target bird, the resplendent Mandarin Duck. There were at least eight of these stunning, colourful males chasing each other around some overhanging vegetation, whilst a single female watched their antics. Meanwhile a speckled Mistle Thrush in a tall tree was a promising start and a gorgeous Firecrest flitting around the ivy was an excellent find so early in the year. Mistle Thrush Mandarin Duck Next we sauntered along the mill stream path opposite Swanbourne Park, picking up some regular passerines along the way plus a rufous Kestrel monitoring the fields for a prospective meal and a single Wige...

Astonishingly, my final ‘list’ for 2021 was 224 species - a personal best, no doubt aided by our holidays to Cornwall, Northumberland and Scotland in particular. We did miss some usually seen species in January when we were unable to travel and pick up many winter visitors, so in different circumstances this could have been even higher. So now we start again, looking for another big year tally! Many of the family were enthusiastically out and about on New Year’s Day at various sites around the country. Andy repeated his locations from last year, visiting Hornchurch Country Park and Harrow Lodge Park. He managed a total of  47 species, slightly down on last year’s tally of 51. He was the only one to record Ring-necked Parakeet, a local speciality. Other exclusive sightings of interest included Fieldfare, Gadwall, Goldcrest and Grey Wagtail. Tim and Sue Miles visited Pulborough Brooks RSPB reserve, then Tim visited Steyning Sewage Works, managing a total of 48 species. Again, this wa...