Local Wildlife Sightings, March 2023

 March is usually a quiet month weatherwise, but the first half of March 2023 brought lots of rain, sleet and snow to Royston, wildly fluctuating temperatures (but usually cold) and gale force winds on the 13th, which blew down a large Broom bush in the front garden, necessitating much 'recovery' work. Thank goodness that I had had my 'leaning' 50 year old garden fence replaced the previous week! Blackcaps continued to visit the garden from time to time, chasing the finches from the feeders but disappearing as soon as they saw me. Gulls continued to appear at Hatchpen Farm on cloudy and/or wet afternoons (but not when it was dry and sunny!), with at least four species present on the 9th. Whilst I was watching the gulls a familiar call alerted me to the presence of a Curlew, flying east over the farm. This was only my second local Curlew sighting. A pair of Ravens were seen on a wintry visit to Scales Park on the 8th.

Male Blackcap, My Garden, 4 March

My (now monthly) walk around the villages on the 14th showed some interesting contrasts. Whereas Greys Farm, formerly a haven for raptors and other birds in the winter, has become a virtually bird free prairie (at least, when viewed from the Icknield Way), Phillup's Lake, south of Reed End, is now showing distinct promise. Despite lacking vegetation (except for a very small reed bed at the southern end) seven species of water bird were present including the long-staying pair of Gadwall (will they attempt to breed here?), a pair of Tufted Ducks (ditto), four Coot (which bred here in 2022), five Canada Geese (which also bred here last year) and two male Little Grebes, calling from opposite ends of the lake. It will be interesting to see what develops here through the spring and summer. Another notable sighting was that of a Marsh Tit in Reed village. Marsh Tits are becoming increasingly hard to find locally, with the remaining population in North East Hertfordshire of this very sedentary bird seemingly restricted now to woodland in the Reed/Barkway/Nuthampstead/Anstey/Meesden area. I hope that this delightful little bird will continue to survive and not disappear, as it has done in other parts of the region.

Coot (a Rare Bird in my Local Area), Phillup's Lake, 14 March

Milder, but still very unsettled conditions continued in the second half of the month. Over the period that I have been keeping records (since 1992), March has been comfortably the driest month of the year in Royston but 2023 was easily the wettest March on record, with 104mm (4.1 inches) of rain, sleet and snow falling, comfortably eclipsing the previous 'best' of 75mm. South westerly winds brought in early summer visitors. with a singing Chiffchaff heard from the back garden on the 20th. On the following day, a walk across The Heath produced seven more singing Chiffchaffs. Also notable were at least six singing Greenfinches. This species seems to be slowly recovering from the enormous disease-related losses throughout the previous decade. Two Grey Partridges were also seen on The Heath, whilst closer to home two male Blackcaps (probably still over-wintering birds) were also singing. A handful of Pasque Flowers were showing on the south side of Church Hill. A sighting of a Brimstone butterfly near Royston Hospital on the 21st, signalled the start, much later than usual, of my 'Butterfly Season' and a second species, a Comma, was seen on the 23rd at Hatchpen Farm. Plenty of early Wheatears were present in the county: I failed to find any locally, but saw three in a field next to the Baldock to Wallington road on the 17th. A Sparrowhawk (probably a young male) paid a very brief and unsuccessful visit to the back garden on the 24th, making a couple of circuits round the bird feeders before flying off. I've never actually seen a Sparrowhawk in the back garden before, although very occasional piles of feathers have been found on the lawn. However, the reappearance of (presumably) the same bird on the 27th made me think that this was a 'new kid on the block', which had incorporated the garden into its circuit.

Chiffchaff, Therfield Heath, 21 March

Pasque Flower, Therfield Heath (Church Hill), 21 March

The Gadwall and Canada Geese had gone when I returned to Phillup's Lake on the 27th, but four Coot were still there and one pair had built a nest in the small Reed Bed. The pair of Tufted Ducks were still there as well, as was at least one Little Grebe. Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were present in big numbers on The Heath when I visited on the 29th and both species were singing and displaying. On my way back I spotted a single Lapwing in flight near Royston Hospital, my first local sighting of this species since last summer. The final day of the month proved to be the wettest, with over 20mm of rain falling, keeping me inside all day.

Meadow Pipit, Therfield Heath, 29 April

 

UK Wildlife Sightings March 2023

 March is a month of transition, as winter visitors disappear from our shores and the first summer visitors arrive from the south. This year, due to a combination of bad luck, bad planning, and my visit to Japan, I had missed out on seeing several wintering species including Brambling (!), Great Northern Diver, Bean Goose and Bewick's Swan. My attempts to see these and other species in March were frustrated by bad weather (50mm of rain in Royston in the first half of what is normally the driest month of the year here) and illness. However, I did manage a day out on the 2nd, visiting Cockley Cley (at least three Goshawks seen), Titchwell and Holkham. At the last venue I finally caught up with both Common and Velvet Scoters. Two of the latter species were seen and photographed in amongst around 1,000 of the former - the eagle-eyed may be able to make out two male Velvet Scoters (dark, pale wing patches) in amongst the Common Scoters in the image below.

Common and Velvet Scoters, Holkham Bay, 2 March

A long weekend in Folkestone (10-12th) with my partner produced Mediterranean gulls in Folkestone Harbour and some early Gannets, passing out at sea as they headed back to their breeding colonies. On the 15th I made my first trip of the year to the Suffolk coast, visiting Minsmere (Kittiwakes seen), Dunwich Heath (no sign of Dartford Warblers or even Stonechats) and finally Dunwich Beach, where I was able to track down a couple of Twite, a close relative of Linnets and Redpolls, which is a rare winter visitor to the east coast and a rare and declining breeder in the north and west of Britain. Despite their rather subdued colours, Twites are amongst my favourite birds - I wish them well.

Skylark, Dunwich Beach, 15 March

Twite, Dunwich Beach, 15 March

An 'own transport' RSPB Local Group visit to Abberton Reservoir and Tollesbury in Essex on the 19th (I led) provided lots of bird watching opportunities. Abberton was much quieter than when I visited in January, but the Long-tailed Duck and Black-necked Grebe (the latter now in summer plumage) were still present, whilst at least nine species of wader were feeding on the mud flats at Tollesbury at low tide. A Red-throated Diver was seen distantly out on the Blackwater Estuary. The very attractive Teal escape was still swimming with the mallards by the side of the Layer Breton causeway at Abberton. This bird clearly has lots of 'Baikal' inheritance, but differs in certain ways from a wild Baikal Teal - what is its - er - pedigree??

Teal 'escape', Abberton Reservoir: Baikal x What? 19 March

Female Goldeneye, Abberton Reservoir, 19 March

The following week proved to be a very frustrating one from a bird watching perspective, as I 'dipped' on a number of targets in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. My only success came at Hockwold Washes, adjacent to RSPB Lakenheath Fen, on the 22nd where I saw a pair of Garganey, as well as getting a rare view of a Cetti's Warbler in full song. The week was dominated, nationally, by numerous sightings of Alpine Swifts (normally an extremely rare visitor to our shores) being found at various locations including (for one morning) Amwell Gravel Pits. Needless to say, I missed out on this one as well! A visit to Wilstone Reservoir on the afternoon of the 29th provided me with my first hirundines of the year, as Sand Martins (est. 500) and Swallows (est. 200) streamed through in poor weather, lingering from time to time to feed over the water. A Yellow-legged Gull was bathing on the reservoir, whilst, in an adjacent field, a male Chinese Water Deer was pursuing a female. I was aware that this fifth species of UK wild deer had reached Wilstone, but this was my first Hertfordshire sighting. Allegedly, there are now more of this introduced species in the UK than there are in China, where numbers are dwindling. The male is easily distinguished by the tusks that come out of each side of his mouth.

Female (left) and Male Chinese Water Deer, Wilstone, 29 March

Sand Martin, Wilstone Reservoir, 29 March

Swallow in Flight, Wilstone Reservoir, 29 March

Rare Sunshine on the 30th prompted me to make a photographic half day visit to RSPB Titchwell Marsh. Marsh Harriers were very active, and I had good views of them, sometimes interacting, from the viewing point on the East Trail. Whilst females were around, most of the interactions appeared to be between rival, immature males. Perhaps they were squabbling over territory, although none of the interactions were particularly aggressive. Surprisingly few waders were out on the beach, but I did see at least five Common Eiders on the sea when I walked out to Thornham Point. A female Brambling, seen on the ground underneath the feeders, was my first of the year (see first line of this page).

Female Brambling, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 30 March

Brent Geese in Flight, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 30 March

Marsh Harriers Interacting, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 30 March

Trip to Japan - January - February 2023

 The Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 put an end to my wildlife globetrotting adventures for some time. Planned holidays were postponed and then, in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, my planned trip to Kamchatka and Chukotka, originally organised for 2021, was cancelled. I decided to transfer to a winter visit to Japan in early 2023, in the hope that that country would open up for visitors without having to undergo a period of quarantine, which it thankfully did in November 2022.

Getting in to Japan was still not straightforward but, having satisfied all the entry requirements, I eventually arrived on 31 January after a thirteen hour flight. Our party of eight 'Naturetrek' clients and our leader spent a day in Tokyo before heading up to the northern island of Hokkaido for a five night stay - for me, the main part of the holiday with so many bird watching highlights. We transferred back to Tokyo for another night, before heading north west for a two night stay in the town of Nagano, from where we would visit the 'Snow Monkeys' for the final winter highlight of our trip. Then it was back to Tokyo for a final night and, whilst some stayed on for an extension, I came home on a fourteen hour eastwards flight, to complete a circumnavigation of The Earth.

As westerners who have been to Japan will probably agree, this country is unique in many aspects. The food is very different and the people are incredibly polite and helpful. However, I was surprised to find that vehicles drive on the left hand side of the road! On escalators people also (logically) stand on the left, rather than on the right as in the UK. Japan has undergone much stricter Covid-19 protection procedures than the UK and the wearing of face masks indoors in public places was obligatory. Whilst there had recently been a relaxation of face mask wearing outdoors, many Japanese continued to wear masks at all times in public, except when eating and drinking. I could say a lot more about the country itself, but I was there to see the wildlife!

Tokyo

Although we spent three nights in Tokyo, bird watching was restricted to an afternoon on the first day, spent in a park adjoining Tokyo Bay, and a later morning in the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Whilst these walks, accompanied by good weather, were peppered with new species for me I was surprised by how many water birds were familiar to UK bird watchers. Mallard, Gadwall, Teal, Wigeon, Pintail, Greater Scaup, Tufted Duck and Goosander were all seen here, as were Great Crested, Little and Black-necked Grebes. Spot-billed Duck was a new bird for me, but a particular highlight was seeing a flock of Falcated Ducks in the Imperial Palace gardens. I have only seen these birds in collections before - the male is a truly beautiful bird.

Male Falcated Duck, Imperial Palace Gardens, Tokyo, 7 February

Other Tokyo highlights included seeing Japanese Pygmy Woodpeckers, Japanese Tits (a very common bird and closely related to the Great Tit), colourful Varied Tits and Japanese White-eye.

Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's main islands and is a very special place for wildlife. Indeed, my main reason for visiting was to see some of its special birds. In early February, when we visited, it is covered in snow and has temperatures ranging from -5C by day to -20C by night. There was heavy snowfall on the first night of our stay. The UK would have ground to a halt under such conditions, but Hokkaido (literally) ploughs on and we were able to get around unperturbed in our minibus/small coach. The first special birds that we concentrated on were the Red-crowned Cranes. This extremely rare bird almost became extinct in Japan. Thankfully, it is now recovering, helped by the provision of winter feeding stations in southern Hokkaido. We visited two of these stations. The cranes are photogenic birds, particularly when photographed against the snow on the ground and the dense woodland in the background, and I spent happy times taking images of them flying, landing, taking off and displaying. The red crowns are not very obvious at this time of year, so I had little hesitation in converting images to monochrome - a typical example is shown below.

Red-crowned Cranes, Hokkaido, 2 February

Moving on, we headed north and east, heading for Rausu on the coast of Hokkaido. Rausu is known for its spectacular winter gathering of Steller's and White-tailed Eagles, which sit on the harbour walls and will snatch fish from the sea when these are thrown out from the many boats that take tourists out to watch and photograph them. We went on two boat trips, a mid-afternoon one when the birds must have been satiated, because very few were coming for fish, and an early morning one, where we set off at dawn (6.30am) when the recorded temperature was -14C! On the early morning trip, the eagles were only too happy to swoop down and pick up the proffered fish, but I struggled again to get enough light into my Nikon D7500 camera with 100-400mm lens (as I had struggled in Georgia last October) in the available half-light. Nevertheless, these trips were a great experience and I doubt whether I will ever get the chance to get so close to wild eagles again.

White-tailed (left) and Steller's Sea Eagles, Hokkaido, 4 February

Whilst in Rausu we made a couple of evening visits to a local hide, with a set-up for seeing one of the rarest owls in the world, Blakiston's Fish Owl. The hide overlooked a river and, at the side of the river, a pool had been dug in the ground where a number of fish were placed every evening. The 'arena' was lit by a strobe light, such that if we set our cameras to 1/80 second and used a very high ISO, we could capture images of the owls, as and when they arrived. On the first night we had two visits from these huge, fluffy owls and I was able to capture a few images of the sequence as the owls arrived, dropped into the pool, emerged with fish and flew off. On the second evening there were no visits but on both occasions, as we walked back to the minibus, we could see the pair of owls perched in a bush by the side of the river.

Blakiston's Fish Owl with Fish, Rausu, Hokkaido, 3 February

We saw another Blakiston's Fish Owl at the hotel where we had our final night's stay in Hokkaido. There were bird feeders by the side of a stream, that passed just outside the lobby of the hotel, with a wonderful indoors viewing area where we were able to watch Eurasian Jays, Dusky Thrushes, Japanese and Marsh Tits, Japanese Pygmy and Great Spotted Woodpeckers and other birds at close quarters: a photographer's dream! Despite getting very little sleep due to continuing jetlag and having to suffer in the exceptional cold, the visit to Hokkaido was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.

Nagano - Snow Monkeys

Having travelled to Nagano, situated in a hilly region north-west of Tokyo, by bullet train (we returned in a minibus) we were able to spend a day and a half in the region doing a bit of bird watching, but also visiting the Jigokudami Monkey Park, where the 'Snow Monkeys' bathe in a pool of hot water, produced by hot springs (there is much volcanic activity in the region). Normally there is a lot of snow in this region, but on our visit there was little around and the crampons that we had brought along with us were not really needed. There wasn't much bathing going on on the visit, although one monkey was enjoying herself in the pool (image). However, the various antics of the monkeys (adults and young) kept us amused for a pleasant few hours. Bird watching in the Nagano area produced Japanese Green Woodpecker, Japanese Grosbeak, Japanese Accentor and Meadow Bunting, amongst many others. Other mammals seen on the trip included Steller's Sea Lion (Hokkaido), Sika Deer and Red Fox (common everywhere).

'Snow Monkey' (Japanese Macaque), Jigokudami Monkey Park, 8 February

Over the holiday I saw 88 bird species, of which 31 were 'lifers'. Other group members saw a few additional species and those who flew south for the holiday extension would have seen many more. However, I was very happy with what I did see on what was another wildlife 'holiday of a lifetime'.