West of Wells Feb 17 - 24

The day starts with the short trip from Wells-next-the-Sea to Holkham. The fields near the entrance to Holkham gap are unusually bereft of geese so a brisk walk took us to the beach. A walk Eastwards towards the sand dunes initiated our search for shore larks. They have been in short supply this year but after about a twenty minute careful search we saw the four birds not too far from the dunes. There had also been some Lapland Buntings reported the previous day, but no success for anyone this day for these birds. On returning to the woodland we heard firecrest in an oak, which turned out to be Holm Oak and another to add to my list. We then saw some goldeneyes, some Canada geese, a few little grebes and a muntjack deer

Our next port of call was the Hawk & Owl Trust reserve at Sculthorpe Moor. This is a small reserve but I would encourage anyone who visits North Norfolk to pay a visit. As we arrived someone had just seen Golden Pheasant but that was not our privilege. On our way to the woodland hide we did see and hear both willow and marsh tits as well as the more common species. Consuming lunch in the hide ensured we had good views of red legged partridge and a great spotted woodpecker. They have another hide overlooking a scrape where a very obliging water rail comes to feed every 25 minutes. He shot back into cover when a grey Heron flew too close. We returned towards the visitor centre and as we got closer someone waved to us to hurry to where they were standing. They had spotted the Golden Pheasant. It does not look real, and how such a brightly coloured bird can be so hard to spot is one of life's mysteries. I managed one shot

From a small reserve to a large one. Welney WWT reserve is some distance, but within reach. The day continued to be dry and sunny helping us to see lots of hares and avian game. I continued to decline the pheasants' invitation to run them over. At the reserve wildfowl were in abundance with Whooper swans, pintail, wigeon, tufted duck, gadwall and of course mallards. I asked one of the folk there was there anything about but his reply "Nothing" made me feel disappointed for him. There were all the birds I had just mentioned as well as a couple of hares and four roe deer. The day I don't get excited about blue tits or house sparrows, is the day I cease to be a naturalist. A walk northwards to the furthest hide enabled us to see a few Bewick swans just flying in. The other thing I noticed here as at Cley, was the shortage of water. I think all of us need to mange our water use better, think of more ways to save water and those of us who believe in prayer, pray that more rain will come to the South and East.  Tichwell RSPB reserve was the next destination. We were trying to catch the high tide. Part of our journey took us through Brancaster Staithe and we were delighted to see a rough legged buzzard. There had been several reported in the area. After parking up at Tichwell, we glimpsed another Arctic Redpoll and another obliging water rail

They have built a new hide since I was last here and I was impressed by it. The volunteers were very good as well, even though one of them upstaged me by saying he had his 30 year volunteering badge, as opposed to my only 20 years. Brent geese, lots of gulls, which included two Mediterraneans, pintail, gadwall, redshanks, avocets and the ubiquitous coot were good to see. Continuing to the shore we passed a spotted redshank feeding in the brackish lagoon.

Once on the beach, the telescope came into play. Scores of gulls flying past were just the preliminary act to the stars of the show. There was a small raft of common scoter and suddenly, right by them a red-throated diver. It was stunning, and so close to shore. Another group of birds approached but with the ocean swell, identification was a problem. Fortunately they too came very close and we enjoyed seeing five long-tailed ducks - fantastic !! Dusk was making viewing difficult so we headed back to the hostel. We were not surprised to see another barn owl right by the edge of the road. This meant I have seen more barn owls this year than I have house sparrows. The last three blogs have been a condensed version of my week's visit that brought my Challenge total to 205  

East of Wells again Feb 17-24

We set off at 0640 to look for the Arctic redpoll. As we passed Salthouse a Barn Owl silently glided across the road but we were not to be distracted from our initial goal. It was very quiet when we arrived at Kelling, so we tried not to disturb any of the locals. Jackdaws and blackbirds were first at the breakfast table with a few goldfinches and a dunnock joining later. We did not have to wait long for the redpolls to arrive. As the previous day several lesser redpoll and the occasional mealy consumed the nyjer seed with gusto. Suddenly it was there, a slightly larger bird, but so much white on it, made it unmistakeable. It was time to return to the YHA for porridge and toast.

                        

A quick visit to the beach at Salthouse to enjoy snow buntings, and a careful drive past Cley enabled us to see another Barn Owl sitting on a post on the reserve side of the road. After our late breakfast it was time to go to Lynford Arboretum. The journey was a fruitful one for my challenge. I saw grey partridge, ground ivy in flower and a tree I hadn't recognised before - a walnut

It was a warm sunny day and on arriving at our destination it did not take too long to see hawfinch. There were a couple of bonuses here as well. A Firecrest singing near the car park and a few crossbills continued to make our day special. The most unexpected sighting was of a Red Admiral, my first butterfly of the year. Even with these newer sightings, I continued to enjoy the other wildlife around. There were lots of suicidal pheasant, ( I didn't oblige) several brown hares, lots of geese, a few skulking Red Legged partridge and even a house sparrow or two. The best thing about the middle of the week was Shrove Tuesday. I enjoy making pancakes but even more, I enjoy eating them.  

Wonderful Wells-next-the-Sea Feb 17 - 24

I spent several days holiday in North Norfolk to celebrate my 70th birthday. Here at Wells YHA hostel is where I chose to have my base. It only cost just over £16 per night but I did need to make my own meals. The bedroom was comfortably warm as were the lounge areas. Dining area was clean and bright and the showers great. The warden was very helpful even providing a list of Norfolk bird sightings from Birdguides.  Those of us having a bus pass can use the service which travels along the north coast from Cromer to Hunstanton for free, thus saving money and reducing our carbon footprint. A friend of mine arrived at the hostel unexpectedly and offered to occasionally give me a lift to the more remote sites

First location was Salthouse, just east of Cley. We started at the shingle beach where the turnstones and a single knot were almost tripping us up. To hear them calling as they fed was delightful. A flock of snow buntings kept moving around us but were never too far away. As I was trying to photograph them I heard the unique call of  Brent geese. Some other birders were also there and asked if we had seen the Arctic Redpoll. We hadn't but their directions were very good and within ten minutes we arrived at the site. There was a medium sized garden with several bird feeders and lots of birds taking advantage of the food on offer. Goldfinches, blackbirds, greenfinches, dunnocks and an occasional house sparrow were only the preliminary to the stars of the show. Scores of lesser redpoll were joined by a few mealy redpoll, but on this visit no sign of the Arctic redpoll.

 There were some workmen just across the road, who we suspected were the cause of the no show. we decided to return early on another day before the workmen arrived. We then thought it best to visit the Norfolk WT reserve at Cley, which some say is the best reserve in the country. ( My favourite is Abernethy RSPB) More Brent geese and hundreds of wigeon greeted us as we entered the first hide. A kestrel dived immediately in front of us and started to consume his dinner. Not to be outdone, three marsh harriers were practicing their display over the reeds. The duck species visible were shoveler, more wigeon, gadwall and shelduck whilst the waders included dunlin, ringed plover and the elegant avocet.

 We had lunch in the visitor centre and then walked all round the reserve. The only addition to our weekly total was a Cetti's warbler trying to perfect his song. This brought my challenge total to 185. Leaving our car at the Hostel we decided to walk towards the sea from Wells harbour. Little grebes, herring gulls, curlews and a single bar tailed godwit were in evidence as we walked towards the RNLI boathouse from where we could see both common and grey seals on the sand bars. We also saw a smallish grebe just off point where the lifeboat shed is. This proved to be a red necked grebe. ( Identification was only possible after two more walks, later in the week out to the RNLI boathouse with a telescope).  The sun was just setting so we returned to base for soup, spuds and a shower before sleep.

Big Garden Birdwatch plus

Saturday 28 January 

In the morning , Cuerden Wildlife Explorers/Watch club held their annual Big Garden Birdwatch. It was a very cold day, but dry and clear. We were counting blue, great and coal tits on the bird feeders when a Great Spotted Woodpecker made its alarm call right above us in a horse chestnut tree. A nuthatch made a hasty exit from the same tree and flew far away. We walked towards the Sue Ryder home and had our regular guard of honour of collared doves. One of the young people then asked me about a bird they could see. It took me a while to find it but was able to identify not one but two mistle thrushes. Cinder path is usually good for goldcrests, but not this year. As we arrived in the pinewood next to the nature reserve a couple of jays made a loud screech. Sam, our new junior leader found a fungus he had not seen before. It was Jelly Ear fungus but did not quite feel like jelly because it was covered in ice. Much of the lake was frozen, which meant the birds were in one area. Black-headed gulls, mallards, two coots and one moorhen were joined by the regular Great Crested Grebes.

 We stretched our legs a bit more to go through Dog Kennel Wood, but here too was a little quieter than expected. The roe deer were in their usual place near the wooden bridge with a grey heron standing as lookout for them. The time as usual went too quickly so we returned to the visitor centre to check our results and report them to the RSPB.

Some of the group then carried on birding further west. We shared a picnic at Mere Sands Wood LWT reserve, particularly enjoying the water rail coming to the feeder set among the reeds. Proceeding to the coast we parked in the car park at Marshside RSPB reserve. Scanning the shoreline we were able to see thousands of birds. Fortunately for us some did come a little closer. A solitary peregrine was sitting on a fence post giving us some great views. Feeding amongst the grass were hundreds of pinkfooted geese with shelducks, lots of gulls and skylarks singing above us. It was still very cold so we decided to go to one of the hides to warm up. The view from the hide was brilliant. We saw wigeon, teal, shoveler, mallard and too many lapwings to count.

 Black-tailed godwits were feeding busily close to us and a Great Black-backed Gull kept disturbing all the flocks in the nearby field. I then saw another winter visitor from the north. This time it was human. Richard Else, who used to be on Bardsey called in with his parents. He now works on North Ronaldsay and was taking his winter break from that observatory. It was good to renew acquaintance. As usual by mid afternoon, hunger pains take the place of enthusiasm, so we set off home for a hot drink and some chips. Sadly that means two days birding without anything new. My total remains at 153

Some sun - rain - sun

Monday 23 Jan promised to be a sunny day, so I set off for Martin Mere. As I travelled along Curlew Lane I could see some tiny birds on the wires. Stopping the car and opening the window enabled me to hear the unmistakeable "jingle" of corn buntings. Once at the Mere I went to see the very helpful folk at the InFocus shop. We had pinkfooted geese, whooper swans, pintail, mallards and some feral? greylag geese. Reports of a willow tit drew me to Janet Kear hide. Lots of activity here from small birds as I saw blue tits, great tits, reed buntings, chaffinches, gold finches, blackbirds, tree sparrows but no sign of the willow tit. One thing I did spot however was a female brambling right at the edge of all the other members of the finch family. Both a male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker were taking advantage of the food on supply. I know the picture is a bad one, but a bad one is better than none at all

Tuesday 24 Jan. A few spots of rain should have warned me, but reports of lesser spotted woodpecker were too much to resist. There is also a re-cycling centre near this site so I took the opportunity to get rid of some cardboard. The rain increased but not enough to dampen my enthusiasm. Mute swans and mallards came to welcome us as we also kept a lookout for dipper in the River Yarrow. Some black-headed gulls and one or two common gulls roosted on the "tern raft" and a lovely male goosander swam past as well. I noticed some screens that had been erected since my last visit ( it is quite a while) and looked through these to observe the birds feeding. The usual culprits, both common tit species as well as dunnock, nuthatch, goldfinch, chaffinch and reed bunting were feeding here. It is good to see these birds starting to change into breeding plumage - spring is on the way. We continued towards the waterfall with still no evidence of the lesser spotted woodpecker, but lots of rain trickling down the back of my neck. My companion thought I had gone crazy when I started jumping up and down - no not the woodpecker, but a good sighting of the gem that is a kingfisher. Our journey had not been without reward. I am sure you are beginning to see a pattern emerging. I often do not see the bird I am searching for, yet still see something good. After my 700 challenge, perhaps a book?  "Birds I have dipped on in 2012"

The kingfisher ensured I reached 150 

Wednesday 25 Jan I will call this Deception Day. A visit to RSPB Hesketh Outmarsh to catch a high tide. In the end nothing new or remarkable here. However I walked down river and saw a group of swans feeding in a field adjacent to the footpath. One was seperate from the others and did not have as much yellow on the bill. My hoped for Bewick swan was soon recognised as a whooper with most of its bill covered in black mud. On the other side of the path in one of the pools, a cormorant with a very pale tummy and throat gave a reasonable impression of a diver. Not good enough to fool me though. That evening, I went to Cuerden Valley Park to see if we could count the jackdaws which have been roosting there. We counted in excess of 1200 

A few bonuses

On Tuesday Jan 17, I visited Brockholes  LWT reserve and as I commenced my walk a huge flock of lapwing circled the car park. I went on towards the public footpath to check out the feeding station. tree sparrow, reed bunting, blue and great tit were busy filling up with seed. I then heard a song thrush practising his song not too far away from where we have seen a song thrush anvil. On the edge of Boilton wood I paused so as not to disturb a roe deer feeding at the edge. It spotted me, and with a jump that could win a gold medal at the Olympics, was over the fence and gone. Fourteen redwings in the top of the trees there were also a delight to see and hear.

 It had been a very dull day and the wood being quite dark, I was not surprised to hear a female tawny owl. I then spotted a discarded fishing stool so I picked it up and took it back to the disposal skip. I then reversed my route on the Ribble Way to look over No1 pit. Tufted ducks, goldeneyes, pochards and  shovelers were all in abundance. I checked through the gulls and was thrilled to spot one Mediterranean Gull. There were also some great crested grebes here. this brought my total to 146
Friday Jan 20. There had been reports of a black redstart in Chorley, so I went for a search. It proved wet and fruitless. Or at least for that bird. I did have the pleasure of seeing the regular peregrine on Morrison's chimney. taxa number 147

Walk with WI

Monday 16th Jo, one of the CVP rangers and I led a walk around Cuerden for one of the local WI groups. As we set off from the Barn about 12 greenfinches were calling right above us. It was a beautiful sunny day, if a little chilly. Several magpies chattered with robins and blue tits shouting at us on our way to the cinder path. Another scolding came from a great spotted woodpecker that was within 40 metres of us. As we walked under the yew trees on the Cinder Path goldcrests, carefully hidden in the smaller branches, challenged us to see them. Most of us were unsuccessful. Nuthatches and coal tits were heard but again unseen in Cock Cabin Wood. we continued to the lake and were delighted to see not only the usual Canada geese, mallards, coots, herring gulls in winter plumage and  black-headed gulls but also a very smart male goosander  

Progressing south we walked over the WI bridge and heard a lot of noise above us. A tree-creeper on a tree not too far away and a mixed flock of siskin and goldfinch were the cause of this. Searching the field just below Cam Cottage enabled us to see several common gulls feeding. Turning right here down towards the river meant we could the walk on the river bank upstream. We then crossed Town Brow to do a circuit of the southern section of Cuerden. It was fairly quiet here until we got to the ruins at Kem Mill when a pair of bullfinches gave their short whistle. It always surprises me how something so colourful can be so difficult to see. By this time we were on our homeward trek. Making our way along the cycle path ensured the return journey was much quicker. we paused at the bottom of the new path to view some very confiding roe deer. Lunch was beckoning so we continued up the path passing two jays and returned to the car park.

Total after today 127. The goosander was my 127th