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.
Friday, 17 March 2023
Local Wildlife Sightings, March 2023
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.
Sunday, 5 March 2023
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.