Anybody reading my blog posts will have noticed that my favourite area for bird watching is the North Norfolk coast and I was back there again on the 5th. I firstly visited Snettisham, where my chief target was a flock of Lesser White-fronted Geese, which had flown across the North Sea from Sweden, where they are part of a re-introduction programme. This species of goose is rare and declining and I have only seen a couple of individuals in the UK in the past. Purist 'listers' tend to ignore re-introduced birds, but in my view any bird that is capable of flying across the North Sea is definitely wild and goes on my list! I hope that these re-introduced birds thrive: will they return to Sweden to breed? Several Russian White-fronted Geese were also present at the same site, allowing a comparison of the two species. The most obvious differences between the two are the smaller size, more delicate bills and (particularly) the obvious eye rings of the Lesser White-fronts - check out the images below.
Two Lesser White-fronted Geese, Snettisham, 5 February
Russian White-fronted Geese, Snettisham, 5 February
Whilst I was at Snettisham I went south along the footpath from the RSPB car park to observe the high tide raptor roost, seeing a drake Scaup on the most northerly lake as I walked. It wasn't a particularly high tide (6.7M at Hunstanton), but the birds were pushed up close enough to get good views of the enormous numbers of (particularly) Bar-tailed Godwits and Oystercatchers. Knot, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Grey Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits, Turnstones, Avocets (25-30) and Curlews were amongst the other wader species seen.
Male Scaup, Snettisham, 5 February
Having had success at Snettisham I moved on to RSPB Titchwell. I had planned to do more photography here and left my telescope in the car, but as the sun disappeared behind high cloud I switched to looking for some of the rarer birds that I had missed on my visit in January. A Water Pipit showed occasionally on top of a partially submerged wall on the freshmarsh (viewed from the Parrinder Hide). My images of this fairly distant bird did not eliminate Rock Pipit entirely, but its behaviour and greyish back (see 'record shot' below) make me confident that it was a Water Pipit.
'Record Shot' of a Water Pipit on the Freshmarsh at RSPB Titchwell, 5 February
Six Velvet Scoters and a female Long-tailed Duck had been reported for some time amongst the Common Scoter flock that had taken residence on the sea off Titchwell Beach this winter. The birds were too far away for me to clearly identify through my binoculars, until a single (female?) Velvet Scoter, showing characteristic white patches on the wings, flew away from the flock - a photograph confirmed its identity. I took several photos of the flock, both on the sea (where at least three female Velvet Scoters could be identified) and in flight, where the Long-tailed Duck could just be made out on a couple of the photos when they were cropped and 'blown up' - see the poor 'record shot' below. Because I couldn't identify the Long-tailed Duck through the binoculars, however, I won't include this bird on my year list.
Poor 'Record Shot' of a distant Velvet Scoter in Flight (note the White Wing Bars), RSPB Titchwell, 5 February
Poor 'Record Shot' of a Female Long-tailed Duck (Right Hand Bird) and Scoters in Flight, RSPB Titchwell, 5 February
All in all, this was a most productive day, when 73 bird species were seen.
My next sortie on the 12th was in the opposite direction, to Staines Reservoirs off the M25 (junction 14). I have been here quite a few times now. The reservoirs are an excellent site for wintering divers and our rarer grebes. My main target was Great Northern Diver, which I duly saw. Also present were no fewer than ten Black-necked Grebes, six on the north basin and four on the south basin. The grebes were starting to moult into their breeding plumage. Whenever a grebe became separated from its colleagues they would wait for it to catch up, or even head towards it - very cute! A single rather pale looking 'Herring-type' gull was also present close to the causeway that separates the two basins. I still have major problems separating these three species (Herring, the rarer Yellow-legged and the even rarer Caspian) at just about any age, despite years of 'experience'. I guess that, as I approach 70, I'll just have to accept that I'll never quite 'get there'. Anyway, my guess is that the gull (image below) is a second winter Herring Gull.
Four Black-necked Grebes, Staines Reservoirs, 12 February
(Second Winter Herring?) gull, Staines Reservoirs, 12 February
A weekend in Margate with my partner on the 14-16th provided little of bird watching interest. Ring-necked Parakeets have been established here for many years and certainly made their presence felt. Fulmars were present on the 'white' cliffs and I found a Rock Pipit on the under-cliff between Margate and Broadstairs. On the way back I persuaded her to let me take a detour to Oare Marshes, but the Spoonbill(s) that were regularly being reported from there were nowhere to be seen.
A slight upturn in the weather (more sunshine and not quite so cold) encouraged me to go back to Norfolk on the 19th. The first stop was at Lynford Arboretum, and this time I was lucky to not only see Marsh Tits (quite a few were coming to bird food left at various parts of the arboretum) but also a female Brambling (my first of the year) and a female Hawfinch.
Marsh Tit at a Feeding Site, Lynford Arboretum, 19 February
I moved on to Heacham (South Beach), where a flock of Snow Buntings had been reported for several days prior to my visit. The birds were soon tracked down by fellow bird watchers and I was able to get a few photos. One bird (a female) appeared to have a small twig stuck in its bill (image) - I hope that it managed to extricate it.
Female Snow Bunting with Small Twig, Heacham, 19 February
Male Snow Bunting, Heacham, 19 February
Finally, I popped in to RSPB Titchwell. The weather had become duller, so I didn't do much photography. I watched what I thought was the Water Pipit from the Parrinder Hide (close examination of the images showed it to be a Meadow Pipit) and got a few photos of a Snipe. The tide was out, and I could see the distant (as usual) Common Scoter flock, but couldn't find the Long-tailed Duck amongst them, although it apparently was there. However, as I walked out to the rocks that had been uncovered, I had a brief view of a Purple Sandpiper flying east. Fortunately it landed by a rock pool and I managed to get a single frame showing just enough of the bird to confirm its identity. Purple Sandpipers are uncommon wintering birds in Norfolk and are more likely to be seen on rocky coasts (I have often seen birds at Sheringham, although I missed out this year). I have seen them before at Titchwell and also at Thornham Harbour, but they are rare here. I just had time before it got dark to see the roosting Tawny Owl along the Fen Trail, and then it was 'homeward bound'.
Purple Sandpiper, Titchwell Beach, 19 February
Common Snipe, RSPB Titchwell Freshmarsh, 19 February
The February coach trip for my RSPB Local Group involved a visit to Blashford Lakes, a reserve on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire, on the 23rd. The visit got off to an exciting start when, shortly after arrival at the visitor centre, we saw an adult White-tailed Eagle circling above our heads! The bird was presumably associated with the release of juveniles on the Isle of Wight over the last few years. Unfortunately, nobody was able to get a picture of the bird before it flew off. Other highlights of the visit included a Black-necked Grebe, lots of Goosanders and Pintails, Lesser Redpolls and Siskins as well as an escaped 'exotic' Maccoa Duck (the first I've seen - if I hadn't been warned of its presence I might have mistaken it for a female Ruddy Duck) and one, probably two first winter Yellow-legged Gulls. A Firecrest was seen by some, but unfortunately not by me.
Male Goosander, Pintail and other Ducks, Blashford Lakes, 23 February
Maccoa Duck ('escape'), Blashford Lakes, 23 February
Redpoll, Blashford Lakes, 23 February
Three Siskins and a Greenfinch on a Feeder, Blashford Lakes, 23 February
Treecreeper, Blashford Lakes, 23 February
Illness prevented me from doing any more bird watching in February, but I was back in action in early March - see my latest blog posts for further details.
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