Abberton Reservoir, Delivers

After the full days birding in Norfolk on New Years Day, we decided to stay closer to home and visit Abberton Reservoir. 

Heading up the A12 we had several targets in mind. We started the day at Layer Breton Causeway and quickly spotted a male Goosander and two redhead Smew. We then turned our attention to the large flock of Tufted Ducks hoping to find the Ring-necked Duck among them. The Ring-neck could not be found despite several lengthy searches, but we did find four male Greater Scaup.

Greater Scaup, Tufted Ducks and Pochard

The light rain that had been falling all morning had now become much heavier so we made our way to Wigborough Bay and took shelter in the hide. Although we were now out of the rain the bay itself proved less rewarding with only three Great White Egret of any note.

Hide overlooking Wigborough Bay

At Billets Farm viewpoint we added Stonechat and Skylark to the new year's list before moving on to Layer de la Haye Causeway. Another Redhead Smew was found along with good numbers of male and female Goosanders. Then a real surprise, a Swallow was spotted flying low along the causeway! Whether it can find enough food to survive is unlikely but I hope it can.

The idea of driving eighty-eight miles to Eccles-on-Sea for the Desert Wheatear was talked about but quickly dismissed, and instead, we headed for Abberton Church which was only five miles away. This proved to be a very good decision as we managed to find good numbers of Corn Bunting on the fence wires on the walk down to the viewpoint. A male Merlin flew low across the water and dropped onto a small island causing panic among the ducks. The large flocks of Teal took to the air and re-located closer to our position. Scanning through the flock we managed to find the Green-winged Teal among them. The Green-winged Teal had not been reported at all the previous day, so we were very happy to find it today. Another scan of the reservoir and the Black-throated Diver is also found!

We ended the day back at Layer Bretton Causeway and eventually found the Ring-necked Duck among the Tufted Duck and Pochard. As we were leaving for home a Kingfisher was spotted among the overhanging branches.

Ring-necked Duck

The weather today was miserable with constant grey skies and a mixture of light and heavy rain, but thankfully the birding was the complete opposite. 

A new birding year and decade begins in Norfolk

Another birding year begins with a day in Norfolk. We had a few targets in mind as we set off this morning. Our first target was the Alaskan Yellow Wagtail at Sedgeford. It had been feeding among the dung heaps along the farm track on previous days. Shortly after first light, the Wagtail was located. It remained distant and with a big day ahead we decided to move on and if time allowed we would return at the end of the day.

Alaskan Yellow Wagtail

As we drove through Docking we spotted two Red Kites resting on the grass, then suddenly they took to the air and a ringtail Hen Harrier flew low across the same field. It crossed the road and headed into the next field before it was lost to view. At Burnham, we found three Cattle Egrets a small group of White-fronted Geese and a couple of Grey partridge. At Wells, we were hoping the Rough-legged Buzzard was still in the area. Thankfully it was still present, perched in a small bush between two small huts.

Rough-legged Buzzard

Lady Anne's Drive at Holkham was our next destination, the parking area was packed and the fun run across the road at  Holkham Park only added to the congestion. We made our way along the boardwalk and out onto the beach quickly adding Shorelark and Snow Bunting to the days total. A short sea watch from Holkham Gap added a Velvet Scoter among the Massive rafts of Common Scoter. A Long-tailed Duck and a single Red-throated Diver were also found. 

Snow Bunting

 Common and Velvet Scoter

On route to Titchwell, we stopped at Choseley and located the two Tundra Bean Geese among the large numbers of Pink-footed Geese. Titchwell produced several additions to the year list including Spotted Redshank, Knot, Ringed Plover, Water rail, Red-breasted Merganser, and a Slavonian Grebe. With the light fading, we stopped briefly at Thornham and found a small flock of Twite before ending the day at Hunstanton cliffs, where we added several Fulmars below the cliffs.

A satisfying start to a new birding year.

2019 Review of the Year

As another year draws to a close it's time to reflect. 

It was a year that started relatively quiet, but would end with a possible sixteen new additions to my life list! 

I had to wait until April to get my first lifer and it was to be the shortest journey from home of the year. I had always wanted to see an Ortolan Bunting and when one appeared at Billings Farm at Abberton, we wasted no time in making the trip. It showed superbly on the roof of one of the farm buildings. 

Ortolan Bunting

 MAY

I was optimistic that May could produce something good, but I wasn't expecting two Tern species at the same site at the same time! It was an afternoon dash down to Dungeness to add Whiskered Tern to the life list, and while there a Roseate Tern dropped onto the same shingle island as the Whiskered Tern at Burrowes Pit. I had made many trips to see Roseate Tern but had always contrived to miss it. I could have gone to Conquet Island but that's over 300 miles from home. 

Whiskered Tern

Roseate Tern

JUNE/JULY

June and July can be somewhat quiet, but this year would prove very productive. I managed to add five new additions to the life list.  Suffolk,  East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, and Norfolk were all visited in order to do it. 

An Iberian Chiffchaff was seen at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, A stunning Black-headed Bunting at Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire was added a week later. It had disappeared when we arrived but we re-found it ourselves which was even more rewarding. Nine days later we were on our way to Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire which had been hosting a Black-winged Pratincole. I had dipped this species at the Ouse washes previously, so I was very pleased to grip it back. June still had yet another surprise before the month's end. A Little Bustard was found at Slimbridge WWT on the 23rd. It was a long drive along the M4 and then a wait for a member of staff to escort us through the reserve after hours. The bird itself proved difficult to locate but eventually, after many glimpses of the head, we managed decent scope views of the bird as it walked out into shorter grass.

July was as expected pretty quiet, but did still produce another lifer. A Pacific Golden Plover was at Breydon Water in Norfolk and we took the opportunity to see it while traveling back from seeing the Semipalmated Sandpiper at Titchwell earlier in the day. While walking the 2.5-mile path at Breydon I also added another lifer, this time it wasn't a bird, it was a Butterfly. My first Swallowtail was seen resting on the grassy footpath.

Pacific Golden Plover

Swallowtail

August

A two-day sea watching trip to Cornwall added another long overdue lifer in the form of several Sooty Shearwaters. We did two six-hour sessions at Porthgwarra by the end of the sessions we had seen double figures of Sooty Shearwaters.

September

Almost a month later we returned to Cornwall, this time to Kynance Cove when a Brown Booby was reported. We arrived in darkness and after a two-hour wait, the bird was seen flying low across the sea. It then entertained us for the remainder of our stay. What a bird!!

Brown Booby

A week later we made the trip to Pilling in Lancashire. this time to see a species that has been subject to a lot of debate. Was it a Pied or Black-eared Wheatear? At the time of writing, many now believe it to be an Eastern Black-eared Wheatear as opposed to a Pied. Either would be a lifer for myself, but I'm obviously hoping it's the rarer Black-eared. 

 Black-eared Wheatear?

Four days later we are heading to Hampshire hoping to bag another lifer. An Eastern Olivaceous Warbler had been found at Farlington Marshes. It's normally a nervous drive heading to a site of a new bird but the birds continued presence was reported on the news services just as we approached the car park. The bird showed extremely well all morning.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

October

October would produce another two lifers on the same day. We had traveled up to Easington in East Yorkshire for a Red-eyed Vireo. The Vireo was spotted immediately upon arrival and while Brian was trying to get a decent photo of it, news broke of a Great Snipe at Kilnsea! We were less than 3 miles away!

Red-eyed Vireo

Great Snipe

November

Another potential lifer was found at Walberswick in Suffolk, An Eastern Yellow Wagtail. The bird had gone missing when we arrived, but it soon returned to its favourite feeding area much to our relief. 

Eastern Yellow Wagtail

December

I wasn't expecting another lifer in December, but a Black-throated Thrush appeared at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire. It's a relatively short trip from home and the bird showed in the Cotoneaster as soon as we approached the pig pen area. A stunning looking bird!

Black-throated Thrush

My year list ends on 286, with no trips to Scotland, Scottish Islands or Scilly I'm very happy with that total.

So a possible 16 new additions (Currently waiting on BBRC decisions on two birds). At the beginning of the year, I was hoping for maybe 7-8 new additions.

Towards the end of the year, I lost the Steppe Grey Shrike from my Life List as it was lumped back with Great Grey Shrike. So as it stands today my Life list is at 392 meaning I need eight more additions in 2020 to reach 400. I am quietly optimistic that I can achieve that target. 

11 Counties produced lifers this year.

There were only four months that didn't produce new additions, and the most productive months were June (4), September (3), October (3)

Most productive Counties for new life ticks this year were East Yorkshire (3), Kent (2), Suffolk (2), Cornwall (2)

Ortolan Bunting, Essex                           

Whiskered Tern, Kent    

Roseate Tern, Kent                                

Iberian Chiffchaff, Suffolk                      

Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Suffolk             

Black-headed Bunting, East Yorkshire   

Red-eyed Vireo, East Yorkshire              

Great Snipe, East Yorkshire                    

Black-winged Pratincole, Lincolnshire   

Sooty Shearwater, Cornwall                    

Brown Booby, Cornwall                          

Black-eared Wheatear, Lancashire          

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Hampshire 

Little Bustard, Gloucestershire     

Pacific Golden Plover, Norfolk               

Black-throated Thrush, Bedfordshire      

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.

Black-throated Thrush, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Arriving at Whipsnade Zoo shortly before the 10am opening time, the rain was already falling and the dark heavy skies were promising more to follow. 

After paying the entrance fee we walked along the footpath towards the bird's favoured feeding area yesterday, the Hullabazoo Farm. We were still walking towards this area when the bird was spotted perched in a berry-laden tree just outside the Pig-Pen. It soon flew into the fenced area and began foraging among the logs and branches on the ground. Unfortunately, it didn't stay long and flew off towards the distant tree line. As the rain, became heavier we took shelter under the roof of the play centre. The skies began to clear and the bird was soon re-located.

Black-throated Thrush

 

We spent the remainder of the day wandering along the footpaths viewing the various animals. It was a very blustery day and Dad's Baseball cap flew into the moat of the Squirrel Monkey enclosure,  much to our amusement. 

Red Panda

Meerkat

Bar-headed Goose

Caribbean Flamingos

Siberian Stonechat: Hollesley Marshes, Suffolk

Setting off this morning we had three main targets in mind, Siberian Stonechat in Suffolk along with Red-breasted Flycatcher and Taiga Bean Goose in Norfolk. Brian needed just one of them to reach his target of 300 species in a calendar year. Undecided as to where to begin we opted for Hollesley Marshes in Suffolk.

The walk of about half a mile along a very muddy and slippery track was well worth the effort as the bird was quickly located among the reeds. At one point it flew to the edge of the grass bank we were standing on but spent most of its time feeding among the reeds at a much greater distance. Brian had seen his 300th species of the year! Without any trips to Shetland or Scilly, that is some effort Congratulations mate.

The Winter Flood 

Unfortunately, The Red-breasted Flycatcher at Waxham was a no show and we had already failed to locate the Eagle Owl at Winterton on the way up. However, while there we managed to get a few pointers as to where to look for the Bean Geese at Buckenham Marshes. This information proved extremely useful as the geese were very distant and partly hidden among the grass. We managed decent scopes views of three of the reported four birds by the time we left.

Buckenham Marshes

Two of the three targets for the day had been found and on the way home, we stopped in the Brecks for another try at finding Golden Pheasant. The three previous attempts were all unsuccessful but we got lucky this time when a male was seen walking among the undergrowth.


PS News has since emerged of the Eagle Owl having a ring on its left leg.

Glossy Ibis: Thornham, Norfolk

The weather forecast for today was not looking very encouraging with light rain being predicted to fall all day. Our main target this morning was the Glossy Ibis at Thornham on the North Norfolk coast. We Arrived at Thornham Harbour around 8am, the journey from home having taken at least 30 minutes longer than normal due to road closures. As we stepped out of the car we were greeted with the light rain that had accompanied us on our journey and very heavy dark threatening clouds. Thankfully the field that had been hosting the Ibis was only a short walk from the car park and the bird was thankfully still present.

Glossy Ibis

The light was not as good hand holding the phone to the scope!

We moved onto Wells and were enjoying views of the Rough-legged Buzzard perched in a distant bush. Unfortunately, it was disturbed by a shooting party and it flew over the grass bank and was lost to view.

We spent the next few hours searching the fields around Binham and Field Dalling trying to locate the Lesser White-fronted Goose that had been reported yesterday. But although we saw large groups of geese in the air we never managed to pin them down on the ground. Hopefully, the flocks will become more reliable at certain locations towards the end of the year.

When reports of a Black-throated Diver being present in the channel at Wells Quay came through we decided to take a look. The diver was still present when we arrived but was, in fact, a Red-throated Diver

Wells Quay

On the journey home we again failed in a brief search for any Golden pheasant, but no doubt we will try again on our next visits to Norfolk.

Little Bittern, Amwell Nature Reserve

Reports of a Little Bittern seen in flight at Amwell NR today, had us planning the trip if any more positive sightings were broadcast. Forty-five minutes later the news services reported the bird as having been seen again in flight from the viewpoint. That was all the encouragement we needed. 

Amwell Nature Reserve is only 15 miles from home and with no traffic delays, we were parked up along Amwell Lane within 30 minutes. As we approached the viewpoint our main concern was if the bird was still present or had it just been a fly-over, never to be seen again?  Although all the reports had stated "Still from the viewpoint" this was not the case, Birders returning along the canal path told us it had in fact flown over Great Hardmead lake and was currently perched in a tree beyond the lake.  After another half a mile walk along the towpath, we joined a small group of birders who had the bird in sight!

Great Hardmead lake as we arrived

It remained in the tree for several minutes and then flew low and disappeared from view. Unfortunately for the later arrivals, it would not be seen again today.

It could have gone to roost in trees bordering the lake beyond the River Lynch and hopefully will be re-found again tomorrow.

This was my second Little Bittern within the London recording area, having seen the Rickmansworth individual in 2012, and my fourth overall.

Great Hardmead lake as we were leaving