Week commencing 14th August

Monday 14th 09.20-10.25

Scattered showers at Burwell Fen this morning gave way to a brief period of sunshine. Nothing on the bridge pool but two Little Egret feeding in the ditch by the big tree.

It was good to see some water further up, near to Pout's Hall. This held further Little Egret (5), Green Sandpiper (2) and Yellow Wagtail (3).

A flock of nine Swift crossed the fen heading south and a large flock of House Martin with Swallow mixed in hunting over the reeds.

Complete list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S147212543

Tuesday 15th

Day spent at Welney WWT monitoring nest boxes and Swallow and Martin nests. Two Swallow nest still with young in but very class to departing, will be gone next week. Martin nests now empty with the last two departing from Wigeon House since last week. Plenty of Martins still about in and out of nests. These are likely to be new birds exploring sites for future nesting. I've also observed Sand Martin exploring nests in the last three weeks, can only imagine they are being nosy!

One Tree Sparrow nest still with young in and a last House Sparrow with ready to fledge young.

At least five Marsh Harrier about one with a red wing tag. No sign of any green tagged birds which the BTO rung a few weeks ago.

Two Great White Egret present and both Green and Common Sandpiper, and at least nine Ruff.

Complete list: https://ebird.org/checklist/S147339423

 

It's been a while!

 Goodness! Last post April 11th and nothing since. Very poor of me so a quick catch up and then a promise to keep up the blog. So what's happened since April 11th.

A visit to Cavenham Heath on the 16th April produced three Stone Curlew and a couple of Woodlark. The walk ended at The Guiness Arms for a very pleasant lunch before a stroll back.

The first Whitethroat on the local patch of Soham Lode was recorded on the 17th April.

On the 21st April we arrived in Greece for a 16 day tour of Athens and then the Peloponnese. This was the first time we had undertaken a driving tour rather than a central base with plenty of walking. Athens was interesting but not a place that I would like to return to. It did provide me with a Monk Parakeet which was a new tick. 

Monk Parakeet

Golden Oriole were vocal but hard to spot, unlike Hoopee which were also present in the parks.

Our stay at the Mazarakis Guesthouse Environs, Lakonia produced the first couple of Red-rumped Swallow. A visit to Mystras produced a fine Blue Rock Thrush with a lizard and beetle in its beak.

Blue Rock Thrush

Arriving at Monemvasia produced another lifer with a Western Rock Nuthatch calling from behind the apartment. They were present throughout the time we were there, calling and darting around the cliff face.

Western Rock Nuthatch

This location also produced an Eleonora's Falcon, another first, hunting along the cliff face. Sadly I was unable to get a photo!

While travelling to Cape Tainaro, Greece's most southernly point, came across a flock of 23 Bee-eater, a good number of Alpine Swift and at least two Short-toed Eagle. Lunch by a charming harbour produced a single Audouin's Gull.

Cape Tainaro produced at least three Black-eared Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Whinchat, Stonechat and Yellow Wagtail.

Yellow Wagtail

The stay at Kardamyli, produced a good number of Spotted Flycatcher, Sardinian Warbler,  Yellow-legged Gull and Turtle Dove.

Spotted Flycatcher

Sardinian Warbler

Turtle Dove

The 'outflow' at Nafpliou was very productive if somewhat smelly. Large number of Little Stint and Kentish Plover with Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and Ruff mixed in. Also present were Greater Flamingo, Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed and White-winged Black Tern. A passing Osprey caused moments of chaos!

Greater Flamingo

Osprey

Kentish Plover and Curlew Sandpiper

White-winged Black Tern

I was able to record a Blue Rock Thrush singing from the cross of a nearby church.  

Another new species and one that I have been after for a while with no luck was Penduline Tit found at Lake Moustous. 

Penduline Tit

A return to the outflow at Nafpliou produced some nice shots of Kentish Plover and Curlew Sandpiper in summer plumage.

Kentish Plover with Little Stint

Curlew Sandpiper

Back home I recorded my first Sedge Warbler on the 5th May at Soham Lode and six Swift over the house on the 6th.

On the 9th May, while working at Welney WWT had three Bittern during the day with two passing the Main Hide together.

Bittern

May 17th was the start of my long delayed trip to Spain for a week of solo birding. Originally planned for November 2022 but delayed due to a bout of Long Covid I was reorganised for February and had to delay due to a Val's passing. So it was good to get out again and I had planned a split trip to Extramedura and then up to the Sierra de Gredos for a few days in the mountains.

Covered much of the same locations around Monfrague and Caceres as in previous years and wondered at the vast expansion of solar parks! There seemed to be a drop in Roller numbers in certain areas where lines had been removed! 

Roller on the line!

The evening walks at Torrejon el Rubio proved useful with a number of Red-necked Nightjar calling. Also had a possible Wryneck calling brieflybut unable to locate. On the last night however I was somewhat disturbed to find a group out using high powered lamps to see the birds. I can only think that for a nocturnal bird this must have bee distressing.

I did a nice walk from Villarreal de San Carlos to a spectacular view point. During the walk spotted the big three vulture species of Griffon, Egyptian and Black. Plenty of Golden Oriole singing from different locations but only the briefest glimpse of a male as it flitted through the trees. 

A fly over of five Pin-tailed Sandgrouse at The Stone Cross was great but sadly the photo was just a blur! Thankfully the Short-toed Eagle shot was at least a bit better!

Short-toed Eagle

While in the area a male and female Montagu's Harrier were quartering the area along with a distant Golden Eagle.

On Sunday 21st I moved the the Seirra de Gredos and a few nights spoiling myself at the first ever Parrador. My room gave wonderful views over the mountains and I was spoilt with food food in a great location. 

A rather strenuous from the Platforma de Gredos produced Booted and Short-toed Eagle as well as Black Kite and Raven. 

Ortolan Bunting were present throughout, singing from the rocks along with Rock Bunting, Northern Wheatear, Black Redstart and surprisingly for such a mountainous area, Woodlark! But the highlight were two or three very tame and obliging Bluethroat another lifer.

Ortolan Bunting

Northern Wheatear

Bluethroat

Black Redstart

While in this area I added another new tick to my list with a singing Western Bonelli's Warbler.

 A trip to a recommended Wetland area at Laguna de El Oso proved to be a bit of a disappointment as the area was dry! However it did give me a passing Golden Eagle, Melodoius Warbler and Black-eared Wheatear.

Returning to Soham at the end of May to catch up with summer visitors and work at Welney WWT monitoring birdboxes.

Spring is coming but are the birds?

Tuesday 11th April 

It's been a while since I ventured out to Burwell Fen. A combination of the after effects of covid and decorating the house has made it a challenge to get out and about.

This morning Annie and I walked the bank up to Pout's Hall. The water levels are still high with little of the mud to attract the waders and sure enough other than Lapwing none were present. In fact numbers of wildfowl were down, sadly no Garganey, and the highlight was a brief drop in by a Common Crane before it moved off over Tubney Fen.

Common Crane

By the car park were two very vocal Grey Partridge and a Corn Bunting calling as well.

Grey Partridge

Water is returning to Burwell Fen

Although my blog may not reflect it, I have visited Burwell Fen on a number of occasions since September. The fen is usually flooded starting in early November and it was good to see that this seems to have started for this year. On the 31st it was dry and on returning on the 4th small pools had started to emerge. 

Today (6th) these pools had increased, the ditch around the willow had begun to flood and more importantly the birds had begun to return.  Today there were good numbers of Wigeon with a Teal and Mallard mixed in. Large numbers of Lapwing were moving around the fen and Golden Plover were on the wing.

The largest flock of Fieldfare (50 approx) were present on Sedge Fen with Redwing, Goldfich and Chaffinch mixed in.

It's great to see the return of water and to look forward to this winter's influx.

Golden Plover passing over head: 417 by my count

Monday 7th November

Another grey day with showers but good to see the continued expansion of coverage of water across the fen. The far side pool is attracting good numbers of Greylag and Wigeon. 

Over a thousand Golden Plover were passing overhead on fairly constant flights. 

September 3rd Update

 Once again my plan to keep up to date has failed and it has been a while since I posted anything of worth. My only excuse is that I have had little to say. 

The summer has been hot and long, with record temperatures and no rain of any worth. The Spoonbill were still present on the 29th along with 47 Little Egret. There was also a number of Green Sandpiper and a single Greenshank.

Very little of interest until August 22nd when there was a single Whinchat by the Traveller's Camp.

A couple of Whinchat have been present for the last couple of days behind the railway station at Soham. This was a new species for this location along with a Wheatear on the 28th.

Whinchat

Monday 20th June

After a period of hot weather it was nice to have a cooler morning for a visit to Burwell Fen. A Corn Bunting was calling from its usual place by the car park. The lower pond by the bridge held very little, however the Tree Pool was occupied by twenty-nine Little Egret as well as three Little Grebe and the usual wildfowl.

Towards the upper pool were two Spoonbill. Sadly too far away for a descent photo but did get a couple of 'record' shots.

Spoonbill

Spoonbill

On the pool were another twenty-five Little Egret, six Cormorant and a single Common Tern. Another tern was on the nesting platform at Pout's Hall Lake.

Still a couple of Cuckoo showing and calling as were plenty of Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warbler.

Sedge Warbler

Week commencing Monday 13th June

Having recently been feeling under the weather with a hacking cough and sore throat (not Covid) I haven't been venturing far from home, However now feeling better we had a reasonably early visit to Burwell Fen. The pools are still holding a fair amount of water but I think that if we do get a really hot spell they will soon dry out and if baked hard will not be attractive to any early returning waders. We shall just have to wait and see.

Plenty of Little Egret around and a few Mallard and Gadwall. Greylag numbers remain high. A Cuckoo was very vocal and it was good to see and hear a Corn Bunting by the car park.

Corn Bunting

Cats!

Each spring for the last few years I settle down to record the nest sites in my garden. The results from these observations I put into the BTO Nesting Neighbours website. 

Throughout the garden I have a number of bird boxes including open fronted, Blue and Great Tit and a large number of Sparrow boxes. Some are used year in year out but others have remained empty since the day they were put up.

Due to the nature of the garden and the fixing points for nest boxes mine cover a range of points of the compass and heights. All I can say is that birds haven't read the book and many have nested in boxes facing in directions that are not 'appropriate'. 

Each year brings its own rewards. This year things have been very quiet. The sparrow boxes have only had a couple of occupants as opposed to last year when they were crowded. The Blue Tit returned to the box on the garage and was able to raise one clutch so far as opposed to last year when they all died in the box. 

The Blackbird continue to build nests in the various bushes around the garden but this year have abandoned the two that I have located but one pair has been successful.

This year the Robin nested in the ivy on the old apple tree and were doing well until the 5th May when I noticed that the nest had been destroyed and after a search of the area I found three dead chicks. Initially I thought this was due to squirrels but now I'm more inclined to cat!

By the entrance to the pond area a Wren had built a beautiful domed nest and settled in to rear its young. I set up one of my wildlife cameras and settled back to watch its progress.

All was going well and between the 28th April and the 29th May I recorded 77 visits to the nest made by the parents and using the endiscope on the 21st was able to capture the young in the nest.

Returning from a trip Up North I checked the nest and found it empty. Hoping that the camera had caught their departure I ploughed through the clips adding the information to Nesting Neighbours. Sadly my hope was soon dashed!

At 22 19 on the 28th the camera recorded a cat climbing in through the ivy to the nest! After over 30 minutes of inspecting the nest it moved off. 

I quickly checked the recordings for that morning and was relieved to see the wren feeding from the early hours onwards.

However all was not well as the recordings for that evening showed. The damned cat returned at 23.00 and this time plundered the nest killing all the young and scaring off the parents.

It was with a great deal of sadness to see one of the parents return later to check on the nest and realise all was lost.

I don't like cats and this has reinforced my dislike even more. They are killers with no regard. Why people should want such a creature living with them then putting them out during the night to reap havoc on other creatures is beyond me.

Keep cats indoors! Put a great big bell around their neck and keep them out of my garden!

From March to May, a brief history of my birding days!

Once again my aim to keep a regular block has fallen foul of other things and other jobs, so a brief (we will see) summary of the happenings since last posting.

March saw a year first with Goldeneye at Welney. High levels of water always seem to attract then but sadly they are always distant.

Burwell Fen continues to be very quiet. I'm not too sure what has happened to this area but it does seem to be getting quieter and quieter in terms of interesting birds coming through. One day I must sit down and look through all my records to see if there has been a significant change.

Little Owl, Burwell Fen

Male Pintail, Burwell Fen

The opening of the railway station has allowed access to the Lode and that area. Sadly due to short-sightedness the public crossing at Spencer Drove has been closed. So the hope of circular walks have been dashed and we are again doing out and backs.

On the 13th March I had a garden first with a Tawny Owl calling from the spruce tree. Two days later I had this years first with a Chiffchaff while working at Welney. A visit to Tubney Fen on the 16th saw an flock of 300+ Golden Plover. On the 25th I had three year first at Burwell Fen with a single male Garganey, an early booming Bittern and more surprising an early Swallow.

The start of April saw us on a family trip to Donegal. We had rented a very nice house above the pier at Dunmore, Carrickfinn. We drove over so was able to take telescope etc along with full set of waterproof which were needed. We had every type of weather that you could think off but really enjoyed being over with The Girls but it did feel strange not having any family to visit other than placing flowers on Mum and Dad's grave.

On the 4th April while drinking coffee and looking over the Annagry Estuary I spotted two Sandwich Tern moving up the estuary. The numbers built up during the week peaking at 15. 

Sandwich Tern (Annagry Estuary) with Oystercatcher

There were also good numbers of Brent Goose feeding down by the airport.These were around all week. 

Brent Goose, Annagry Estuary

On the 6th found six Sand Martin hawking over the little lake at Carrackfinn. Also found a Greenshank feeding near the mussel beds along with Oystercatcher and Redshank. At Mullaghderg I found a single Shag and three Chough.

A nice group of Sanderling (42) were present at Annagry Estuary. 

Sanderling and Sandwich Tern, Annagry Estuary

We had had a night of strong wind so checked out Mullaghderg Bay to see what might have been taking shelter. Good to find a over 23 Long-tailed Duck and good numbers of Black Guillemot. 

Long-tailed Duck, Mullaghderg Bay

Razorbill, Mullaghderg

It was good to find three Razerbill in the bay by the monument. On the grass by the monument was a single male Wheatear, the only one I saw all week!

The next bay Mullaghderg still held the Long-tailed Duck and Black Guillemot and these were joined by a couple of Great Northern Diver.

On the 9th spotted a couple of Raven passing over the house at Dunmore. Later in the day two Mistle Thrush were in the trees by the house.

Skylark, Carrackfinn

The journey home on the 10th proved to be a much better opportunity for sea watching. Just outside Belfast Lough had the first of five Manx Shearwater skimming the waves and pulling the characteristic climb. Sadly try as I might was unable to get a descent photo! Good numbers of Guillemot and Gannet as we crossed and as we came into the lough for docking a Golden Eagle gave distant views.

Returning home meant back to the local patches. On the 13th I recorded the first Whitethroat along the Lode. The next day I had a Willow Warbler and Blackcap singing in the garden. On the 17th along the Lode I had Reed and Sedge Warbler and most pleasing the return of the Grasshopper Warbler. 

Grasshopper Warbler, Soham Lode, Cambs

This is still present but does not seem to be reeling as often.

On the 18th had another early arrival with a Cuckoo calling at Burwell Fen. Work at Welney on the 19th produced four more year firsts with Spoonbill, Greenshank (England first as other one was in Ireland!), Little Ringed Plover (2) and House Martin.

Spoonbill, Welney WWT

Debbie was riding on the 23rd so we were off to Common Acre Lane, Littleport. On the way spotted a single Hobby.

Went to Devil's Dyke on the 25th and located a single female Ring Ouzel and a Garden Warbler. 

Female Ring Ouzel, Devil's Dyke, Cambs

On the 27th walked to Wicken and had a couple of Bullfinch in Tit alley. 

May started well with a Ruddy Shelduck and a single Red Kite were at Welney. 

Ruddy Shelduck, (a distant recording shot!), Welney WWT

The next day a single Common Tern was present at Burwell Fen. The next day located two Arctic Tern at Shropshire Reservoir.

D and D continue their walk/hobble along the Norfolk Coastal Path so I spent some time birding at Waxham and Winterton. This produced a couple of Turnstone at Waxham.

Turnstone, Waxham

While giving the hedge a light trim on the 9th I spotted a single Swift overhead. On the 10th was at work at Welney and was pleased to hear a Corncrake calling from nearby the Corncrake release pens. This was a first for me at Welney. 

Sedge Warbler, Welney WWT

I've been searching for Lesser Whitethroat for a while but without luck. This changed on the walk to Wicken on the 18th with one calling along Tit Alley. The next day I was at Mayday Farm and located a Tree Pipit  and a female Wheatear that was on the roof of the transmitter building.

Saw my first Yellow Wagtail at Burwell Fen on the 20th. 

My nestbox survey at Welney had a slight hiccup but thankfully we are back on track. Number of boxes in use are down but at least there are three boxes being used by Tree Sparrow. At home the use of boxes is also down. The Sparrow Hotel has had only two nests this year as opposed to nine last year. The Sparrow terraces have gone unoccupied! The swift boxes have gone unnoticed except for one occupied by a Starling that reared two.

Sadly the Robin nest in the ivy on the old apple tree was raided and the nestlings scattered around the veg patch. The Blackbird abandoned a nest with fours eggs in that it had built by the house. I found a Wren nest by the rose arch. At the moment it contains at least six nestlings!

Wren nestling

 

March already!

Has been a while since I last posted but can't really say that there has been much to report. A couple of nice sightings of Hen Harrier (1 male, 1 female) at Burwell Fen brightened up another rather dull spell of birdwatching there and with the increase in fuel prices, I've rather withdrawn from covering this area in favour of closer to home.

A trip to Krakow for a few days during half term was very pleasant with warm weather not the -20 of this time last year. I do like coming across Fieldfare in a city park. They seem so tame, rather than the flighty flocks we have in the winter.

Spring has returned to the pond with the frogs returning last Monday. First spawn appeared the following day but then all went quiet until Friday when a mass invasion occurred with at least 40 frogs present calling away. More spawn this morning (7th).