5 days R & R...Pre - Devon!

I’m sure you can understand that when I am tucked up under the duvet, with a warm bottle (I admit it!), my thoughts keep drifting (Ed: ?) back to the wonderful moment last week (Ed: ???) when I witnessed the wonderful spectacle of waders coming in off the Wash in groups, at 7am, and then the awe inspiring sight of c4k of Knots returning to the Wash at the tide receded.

In fact it took me back some 10-12 years when I was told there was a very small nizzen type hut on the edge of the lake, and birders would go in there well before high hide, and just wait until the birds were flushed (oh,oh!) off the sea and onto the islands on the lake.  And until the birds had returned to the water, any birder in the hide would not be allowed out for fear of frightening the birds. I WAS TOLD, and I repeat it with the honesty of the story, that there was a convenient bucket in the corner of the hut. 

Well, it ain’t there now – so I assume those awful storms put paid to that.  

Tuesday 17^th January, and I am still recovering from my accident in Norfolk, with a very painful back.  But mooching aground gets me nowhere, so I drove to Slimbridge to hopefully add 3 or 4 birds to my year.

The journey to Slimbridge, especially out of Derby was horrendous. (Don’t you get a recurring theme of my driving experiences?), but I duly arrived there safely, only to emerge from the car and find that it was wet, and it was so cold all the Flamingos had been put inside. 

The Rushy Penn was a good start with 8 Cranes, and Bewick Swans were dotted around on different pools or grasslands, but the big disappointment was no White Fronted Geese. I was told that as it was low tide, they would have been out on the Severn Estuary, and although I hung around to 3 o’clock ish, none came to the reserve. I shall have to hope that they will still be around at the end of February when I might try again.

Otherwise very little to report. I did hear a call in the Zeiss hide of a Bittern, but by the time I got to the appropriate window, it had vanished in the reeds.

Saturday 21st January, and up to then I had been favouring my still painful back, with a GP visit and a later GP telephone consultation. So, a quick visit to Carsington failed to find the Diver or a Barnacle Goose, but a nice bonus was a Tree Creeper.

Sunday 22nd January.  This was the first of my new hour and a half Birdwatching for Beginners walk in Markeaton Park.

Despite the biting cold, 22 different species were seen, with one of the first being a cute diminuitive Goldcrest. Not everyone had binoculars (a rectifiable mistake for next month!!), but the hovering of the Goldcrest was still visible to everyone.  Having mastered what they were told is the smallest British bird, the group readily identified 2 subsequent Goldcrests.

Pausing at the feeding table near the Ha – ha, the group saw 3 species of Tit collecting seed from the handfuls that I had put on the table, and then wondered at the agility of the Nuthatch, the only British bird that can climb down a tree.

The  lake offered up the usual suspects, but the bonus for standing round in the cold, was to see 2 little grebes repeatedly diving near north island. Little Grebes, the smallest  of all British water birds, have been seen briefly at Markeaton in the last 4 years, but unlike Great Crested Grebes they have not bred there. Maybe 2017??

Monday 23rd January.  Right, I’ve packed all my optics, booked for the Avocet cruise on the Exe, researched what good birds are around the Exeter and Exmouth area, and Mary and I are off to Devon for 7 days. 60 birds target!! Well, I’m on 111 so things are slowing up a bit.   

Sufficient for the moment to say that we duly arrived at Exmouth mid-afternoon, with the driving being a bit painful for 270 miles, but no birds to report for the day.   So, I’m going to hold over all the excitement of Devon until next weeks’ blog. We don’t get home until Monday 30^th, so this one will miss my usual deadline.   I’ll just leave you with this glorious photo of a sunset on the Exe, at the end of an Avocet cruise in 2014. The background on the Starboard side is Dawlish Warren.

And don’t forget next Sunday (5^th February) the usual Carsington Beginners walk..as always at 10.00am

A birding experience that's off MY bucket list !!

FAB-U-LUS                                                               Apologies to Craig Revel Horwood

AB – FAB  (Absolutely Fabulous)      Apologies to Edina and Patsy

FABLUS                                                Apologies to Mary’s Welsh cousin

…..but there are no better words to describe the marvelous birding weekend I have just enjoyed with Christine and her husband John.

Be warned.. this post is the longest I have ever written, but nothing could have been left out!!!!

Despite all the foreboding news of the weather I referred to in my blog last week, we set off for Norfolk at 9.30 on Saturday morning, with the principle objective of joining a High Tide Spectacular on Sunday 15th organised and led by Chris Mills of Norfolk Birding.

                                                                          
Saturday we drove to Hunstanton, ticking Red Kite on the way, but a search at the Wolverton triangle for a Golden Pheasant was abortive despite laying some seed as a lure. We were told later in the weekend that one had been seen prior to our passing by, but isn’t birding so often like that.

With the afternoon free, John drove to Titchwell in time for some lunch, and then a good look at the reserve. When I tell you that my personal count for the 2 days was 82, and my additions to the year total was 33, you can conclude there were some absolute gems. I am on this occasion not colouring my additions in Red.. there would be too many, but read on for the Goodies.

5 species of Gull were seen, and freshwater added Shelduck, handsome Pintail, both Godwits, Avocet, Snipe and Meadow Pipit. Redshank, with one Spotted Redshank, Grey Plover and a few Golden Plovers and Ringed Plovers favoured the salt marsh. 

We got right down to the waters edge, but with the strong wind, even telescopes picked up nothing on the turbulent sea. John was happily photographing Turnstones and Sanderlings and Dunlin. I gather that the photos of the latter 2 were pondered in detail with his bird guide book.

Darkness rolled in so early, and we were in the last few to leave Titchwell, but not before watching up to 9 Marsh harriers patrolling the reeds behind the Briarfields hotel. Someone said they would trade 9 Marsh Harriers for one Hen Harrier, but they were to be disappointed.

We stayed at the Marine hotel in Hunstanton, and as there was a good varied menu, we decided to dine in.

Sunday… 6.35am…yes, honestly,  Chris Mills is waiting outside the hotel with his people carrier, and I sleep walk downstairs and into the back of the van!  Oh, and it’s raining.  Picking up 4 other birders around the town, we set off for Snettisham.

I’ve been to Snettisham a few times, and I know the walk from the car park, to the hides on the beach and the action area, is a long walk, so it was good that Chris had a pass to allow him to drive right to the best viewing spot. So booted, waterproofs and everything warm, we venture from the vehicle to the calls of the Pink Footed Geese.

The light progressively lifts, and we start to see thousands of Pink Footed Geese, Oystercatchers and Knot on the remaining areas of uncovered mud, until, as the tide rises, they all start flying in in groups, in many cases right above us, to the large pool behind where we are standing. We can also see some huge murmurations (if I am allowed to say that about Knot) on the other side of the wash near Frieston Shore, although they don’t come our way. Geese fly further inland, but when we move to the hide overlooking the pool, one small island is absolutely solid with Knot, all huddling and standing shoulder to shoulder. Oystercatchers are more on the bank, with a bit more space, but the site is amazing. Chris estimates that we are looking at about 4,000 Knot, out of a wash Knot population of c50k.  Shortly after as we start to leave, the 4,000 lift off, flying low over our heads with just the roar of the wings.

Phew!!! Worth the rain, and the frozen fingers and toes, so we reckon we have earned a visit to the Copper Kettle for 10.30am coffee and bacon butties. After a look at the beach at Hunstanton, mainly to see the Fulmars, the next stop is Holme Dunes where we watch c20 frisky Twite, including one with a ring. Rock Pipit and Stonechat are added to the list.

Chris gets a tip that there is a Ferruginous Duck at Holme reserve, prompting us to get that on the list before we enjoy the warm and dry hospitality of the Holme observatory for our packed lunches.

With not many hours of daylight left, we hi-tail it back to Titchwell, and fairly yomp down to the beach. But how worth while. 3 Scoters, including one Velvet is found straightaway, then 5 Long tailed Ducks close inshore (with some Goldeneye) Yet another huge flock of birds are spotted offshore, this time Scoters (probably with some Velvet) estimated at c2,500 birds.

Now the dark is well in, but John spots a Kingfisher on the walk back from the shore, which duly overtakes us so that we can all have a look.   And to cap it all, twice as many Marsh Harriers as yesterday – probably c20… but still no Hen Harrier.

If my enjoyment and enthusiasm has come across, then you will know that this was a cracking weekend, and Chris Mills of Norfolk is well worth patronising if you have the chance. He does holidays as well as a few day tours, so watch his website, and especially for one of the 3 or 4 days in the year when the hi-tide makes it…………………

FAB-U-LUS !!