Catch up from last week.
A pleasant period of weather being very spring like. The water levels on The Washes have dropped rapidly and are looking good for the rest of the spring. Seven Cattle Egret and a Great White were present.
Fairly quiet at Burwell with diminishing numbers of wildfowl. Bittern were booming the other evening and Marsh Harrier were displaying.
On Saturday a male Black Redstart was on the muck pile on Tubney Fen and a male Wheatear was at the cattle pen on Burwell Fen.
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| Black Redstart: Tubney Fen |
Monday 5th
Snow flurries this morning so bitterly cold out at Burwell. Walked the centre path to where the old barn once stood. Very little on the lower pool or the flooded areas. Hoped for a return of the Wheatear at the cattle pens but no luck. A rather disappointing walk!
Number of species recorded: 28
https://ebird.org/checklist/S84854465
Tuesday 6th
Welney all day. Busy cleaning hides and getting ready for reopening. Nest box check showing very little activity. Only one box with a partial built nest.
Two more to add to this year's tick list with four Yellow Wagtail and two Yellow-legged Gull.
Number of species recorded: 50
https://ebird.org/checklist/S84969338
Wednesday 7th
Back to Burwell to walk the bank. All very quiet with the exception of four Whooper Swan that flew in from the fields. This might be the last view of them here until next winter.
An interesting group of Cormorant were loafing on the posts of the research pen.
Number of species recorded: 26
https://ebird.org/checklist/S85012465
Thursday 8th
Down to London to meet with Lizzie at Richmond Park for a walk and a general catch up. A really nice afternoon wandering through the park and able to get a bit of birdwatching in at the same time. Highlight was a very obliging Treecreeper collecting spider webs. Sadly had given my camera to Debbie who had gone off to photograph the deer!
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| The Fallow Deer that cost me a classic photo of a Treecreeper Other highlights was a male Mandarin Duck that flew in and an amazing amount of Jackdaw!  Number of species recorded: 34 https://ebird.org/checklist/S85089840 Friday 9th Visit to Cavenham Heath, initially to see if there were more Stone-Curlew and to see if the Willow Warblers had yet arrived. Only heard the Stone-Curlew and no sign of Willow Warblers, HOWEVER a Cuckoo was present, calling and showing well! This was my earliest UK recording, six days earlier than my previous early record of 2015 at ...... Cavenheath!   Good number of Skylark across the area and a Woodlark was singing as were Chiffchaff and Blackcap. A party of Siskin were feeding in the tree tops.  Number of species recorded: 48 https://ebird.org/checklist/S85155882 |
