Royston Wildlife Blog: UK Wildlife Sightings January 2022

My first bird watching trip of the year took me to the North Norfolk coast on the 5th. I visited Titchwell in the morning, followed by Holkham in the afternoon, adding 14 species of wader to my year list. Northerly winds had resulted in a surge tide which, although not particularly high, had flooded the fenced-off area at Holkham where the shorelarks normally feed. Consequently I missed them, although I did see a very tame cattle egret, feeding at the side of Lady Anne's Drive, as I made my way back to the car. Disappointingly, there was very little on the sea, although red-breasted mergansers were present at both sites. Perhaps the best bird at Titchwell was a wintering chiffchaff, which allowed good views, near the visitor centre. Although a 'Siberian' chiffchaff was around there at the time, this was one of 'our' sub-species, collybita. On the way home I stopped off briefly at Hunstanton to look for fulmars. None were seen, but I got a surprise when a male peregrine, presumably prospecting for a wader for supper, passed lazily a few feet overhead.

Cattle Egret, Holkham, 5 January

Chiffchaff, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 5 January

On the 7th I visited Lynford Arboretum, with the twin purposes of looking for hawfinches and doing some bird photography, using a lichen-encrusted branch and the parapet of a bridge. Fewer and fewer hawfinches are being seen here as the winter progresses, but I eventually saw a single, distant male. At least two bramblings and hundreds of siskins were also seen here. The woodland birds are used to being fed here and some (in particular blue tits which, I'm sure, would feed out of the hand) are quite tame, so I was quickly able to attract blue, great and marsh tits to my 'feeding station', as well as nuthatches, the occasional blackbird and even a mallard drake! A couple of the resultant images are shown below.

Blue Tit, Lynford Arboretum, 7 January

Nuthatch, Lynford Arboretum, 7 January

My first visit to Welney WWT reserve for over a year on the 12th provided me with first sightings in 2022 of pintail, short-eared owl, tree sparrow and (of course) whooper swan, whilst a trip to the Tring Reservoirs on the 13th provided first sightings of white-fronted geese (up to eleven in number from the eight seen in December 2021) at Wilstone, kingfisher, goldeneye, red-crested pochard and bittern. The last was seen at dusk at Marsworth reservoir, having constructed a platform to stand on in the reed bed there (is this to prevent it getting stuck in ice or to avoid possible attack from large fish, such as pike?).

Whooper Swan Taking Off, Welney WWT, 12 January

White-fronted Geese, near Wilstone Reservoir, 13 January

Hawfinches were again seen when our RSPB Local Group visited Linford Arboretum on the 16th. A busy January for bird watching continued as I went to Wicken and Adventurers Fens on the 17th (lots of barn owls and marsh harriers, but no sign of any hen harriers) and RSPB Rainham Marshes, where a spoonbill had taken up residence.

'Record Shot' of a Hawfinch, Lynford Arboretum, 16 January

Spoonbill, characteristically doing nothing, Rainham Marshes, 18 January

I returned to North Norfolk on the 21st, finally catching up with snow buntings east of Holkham Gap and also photographing rock pipits there. A female scaup was loafing on the lake at Holkham Park.

Rock Pipit, Holkham, 21 January

Snow Buntings, Holkham, 21 January

The reappearance of a great grey shrike at Comberton, near Cambridge, after several weeks' absence (where had it been, or was this a different individual?) was too good an opportunity to miss. It behaved impeccably on the 24th, allowing me to get some reasonably close views.

Great Grey Shrike, Comberton, 24 January

I added glossy ibis to my year list on a visit to Eldernell, on the Nene Washes, on the afternoon of the 25th. A barn owl was also seen and at least seven marsh harriers came in to roost, but there was no sign of the regularly reported short-eared owls or cranes. An opportunity to photograph sanderlings on an incoming tide in good weather in the afternoon at Titchwell (for another of my projects) on the 28th was too good to miss. On the way I stopped off at Milton Country Park, near Cambridge, to look (unsuccessfully) for a wintering yellow-browed warbler and at WWT Welney to see and photograph the nine bean geese that had taken up residence there in front of the main hide. I also saw a single Bewick's swan in amongst a big flock of whoopers, near the road on the way in. I took over 250 images of sanderling at Titchwell, but the only other 'year tick' on the day was fulmar, seen at Hunstanton cliffs on the way home.