Week commencing 21st May

Monday 21st

Up early and out to Adventures' Fen this morning. Another glorious morning, clear sky ans sunny and very pleasant for walking.

Crane heard to call but no sight of them. Plenty of Cetti's, Sedge and Reed Warbler  and good numbers of Blackcap, Whitethroat and Garden Warbler. A distant Grasshopper Warbler was heard on Sedge Fen but no sight or sound of the Nightingale.

A Buzzard was showing well along the bank.

Buzzard

A Lesser Whitethroat has calling at the top of Harrison's Drove and I managed to get a recording of it's call.

On the pool by Charlie's Hide, two male Garganey were resting and slowly drifting into the reeds.

Garganey

Garganey

Garganey

55 species recorded

Tuesday 22nd

Another early start to walk around the Burwell Triangle this morning in the hope of Black Tern and Great White Egret, both of which were reported here yesterday. It was a rather cool morning with quite a stiff breeze and it soon became apparent that neither were still around.

Sedge Warbler with a white ring on the left leg was spotted along the river. Other than that nothing new spotted. On the pool behind the old barn there was a fine male Garganey, which moved to the middle pool as we walked along the path.

Garganey

Garganey in flight

A nice family group of Canada Goose were on the Burwell Lode and a Roe was in the grass nearby keeping an eye on Annie!

Young Canada Geece

A watchful Roe Deer

48 species recorded

Thursday 24th

Decided to head over to Santon Warren for a change of location and species opportunity. Arrived just after 7.30 to find the place empty and the weather increasingly warmer.

Grey Wagtail were down by the river feeding on flies  from the surface. Further along a female Manadarin Duck 

Female Mandarin Duck

Female Mandarin Duck

Female Mandarin Duck

was cruising down river, later to fly back up again just as I was taking photos of Nuthatch at their nesting hole.

Nuthatch

Plenty of warblers throughout with Blackcap. Willow and Garden Warbler singing throughout.

While watching and recording Linnet at the tumulus a pair of Common Crossbill flew over, settling briefly in the tree above me before moving on. 

38 species seen

Friday 25th

A ringed male Reed Bunting

Back to Burwell Fen and other than two Sand Martin it was pretty much the same as always, which brings me to wonder.....'What is happening to Burwell Fen and are we seeing the death of this area?' Visiting is becoming a chore rather than a pleasure as there seems to be so little around. What struck me today was how quiet the place was. Take away the call of sedge and reed warbler and the much reduced song of the skylark and all you have is silence. Is it rose tinted glasses but I'm sure the air used to be full of bird song and the different areas always had the promise of something interesting turning up. To get excited at seeing two Sand Martin doesn't say a lot for what used to be a very interesting area for birds. Looking back at my records does show a significant decline in the number of species seen this year

May

2013:123

2014:120

2015:150

2016:139

2017:149

2018:102

Given that we have six more days to go I look forward to a flood of missing species. My records show that I haven't seen birds which were common in the past and I haven't heard the drumming of the snipe this year!