UK Wildlife Sightings, March 2025

 The first ten days of March brought the longest, most settled period of sunny weather for well over a year, and with it the chance to get out and about. With my health restored, I visited WWT Welney, from where Common Cranes had been reported on previous days, on the 4th. I couldn't find the Cranes, with the Lady Fen trail being closed, but did manage to see my first (distant) Spoonbills of the year and, as an added bonus, saw a Cetti's Warbler at the edge of the main car park just before I left. Huge numbers of Whooper Swans could be seen from the visitor centre and seven Bewick's Swans were seen (and heard) in flight over the reserve.

More warm, sunny weather on the 5th encouraged me to visit the Goshawk viewpoint near Cockley Cley (Norfolk). Calm, sunny weather in March is ideal for seeing displaying Goshawks and I wasn't disappointed, seeing at least four birds during a 40 minute stay. I moved on from there to Cley on the North Norfolk coast. I walked right round the reserve, seeing two more Spoonbills (close enough to photograph, unlike the Welney birds) and lots of wader species including Ruff. My target bird, however, was Twite, a flock of which had been reported between Cley and Salthouse. These were duly tracked down with the help of another bird watcher: the photos (against the light, into the wind and with a fairly distant flock of small birds - my excuses) aren't great but I've included one for your interest.

Two Spoonbills on Arnold's Marsh, Cley, 5 March

Twite (Birds on the left and Front Right), Cley NWT, 5 March

Male Wigeon, Cley NWT, 5 March

It is all too rarely nowadays that I have the chance to see a 'lifer' in the UK, but one such bird is Richard's Pipit. This pipit breeds in Siberia, and is often seen on migration in the autumn along the east coast. I've tried to connect with it on at least three occasions and failed, so a (very rare) wintering bird at Newport Pagnall (near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire) was always going to be a target, and I went across to see it on the 7th. Various road closures meant that it took far longer than anticipated to get there and then a good half hour searching in a large expanse of open parkland ('Bury Field') to see it, but eventually I did and spent another hour following it as it moved around a large area of grassland, often coming close to the numerous resident Meadow Pipits. The larger size, upright stance and lack of flank markings (see images below) separated it from the Meadow Pipits, but the most obvious field character was its call as it took flight - a short, House Sparrow like 'cheep'.

Richard's Pipit, Newport Pagnall, 7 March

Richard's Pipit, Newport Pagnall, 7 March