With relatively mild, settled weather and a gentle breeze I decided to go Goshawk hunting at Cockley Cley (Norfolk) on the 3rd. Early March is the best time of year to see Goshawks displaying, although they can be seen in February if weather conditions are right. After 75 minutes of waiting, only lots of Buzzards and a single Red Kite had been seen. However, as I tried to photograph an overhead Buzzard a second bird, clearly a hawk, came into view. People around me said that it was only a Sparrowhawk. Certainly it looked small, but it was fairly high. Eventually I managed to get a 'record shot' of the bird that wasn't blurred. Later examination showed lengthwise striping along the underside of the bird (perpendicular to the barring along the wings and tail), pointing to the fact that this was a young Goshawk - probably a male - success! The image is shown below.
'Record Shot' of a Juvenile Goshawk, Cockley Cley, 3 March
I called into Lynford Arboretum on the way home, on the off-chance that I could see a Hawfinch. A quick check of the feeding station near the 'Shepherd's Baa' cafe netted me my first Brambling of the year (a female). Surely, things couldn't get any better? Oh yes, they could! Sitting at the top of the tallest tree in the paddock was a Hawfinch. I managed to get a few photos before it flew down, not to be seen again.
Hawfinch, Lynford Arboretum, 3 March
The best was still to come. As I continued a walk that I regularly take through the forest I came across signs warning me to watch where I stood, as it was the time of year for migrating frogs and toads. A few yards further on, by the side of a lake, I came upon a mass of courting and mating Common Toads - probably 60 to 70 with more, sometimes 'piggybacking', arriving at the lake as I watched. Forty minutes later I had photographed toads (individuals, couples and even a 'threesome') from every angle. Some spawn had already been laid. The lake is well away from the nearest road, so hopefully mortality as the toads make their way to the mating pond from every direction will be low. I was a herpetologist before I became a bird watcher, so seeing these toads performing was a joy to see.
Common Toads in Amplexus, arriving at their Breeding Lake, Lynford, 3 March
Common Toad 'Mating Ball' (two males and a female), Lynford, 3 March
On the 5th I made my annual pilgrimage to the North Yorkshire coast, visiting RSPB Bempton Cliffs and Filey Brigg. At my age, I shouldn't still be making this 400 mile round journey in a day, but needs must on this occasion. Maybe next year I'll stay longer in Yorkshire and check out some of the other wonderful wildlife areas in my 'home' county. Lots of Gannets, Guillemots and Razorbills were on the cliffs at Bempton, in flight or (in the case of the last two) loafing on the sea. I couldn't find any Puffins - there has been mass mortality out at sea due to the effects of storms, but in any case it is also a little early in the season for Puffins to appear. Fulmars were much in evidence on the cliffs and Tree Sparrows, Linnets, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits were present in big numbers around the reserve. A Barn Owl was seen briefly. The tide was in when I arrived at Filey, meaning that I couldn't walk out along the Brigg at sea level, but I was able to walk along the top of The Brigg and look down towards the rocks at the end, where Oystercatchers and other, unidentified waders were roosting. Adult and juvenile Shags flew past the rocks.
Gannet Pair, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 5 March
Razorbills on the Cliffs at Bempton, 5 March
Fulmar in Flight, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 5 March
Tree Sparrow, RSPB Bempton Cliffs, 5 March
I was back on the North Norfolk coast on the 11th. I had missed Long-tailed Ducks on my two previous visits this year, but finally located a group of 8-10 birds on the sea, between Titchwell and Brancaster. They were too far out to get decent photographs. A large flock of Mediterranean Gulls (I was told that 102 birds had recently been counted) was seen on the freshmarsh. It will be interesting to see how many stay on to nest at Titchwell. Moving on to Holkham Park, I had hoped to see a Ferruginous Duck on the lake there, but a 90 minute search failed to reveal the bird: other bird watchers similarly left "empty handed". A very large flock of Barnacle Geese was seen in the park. However, all the birds appeared to have been ringed. Were they part of a collection? Finally, I hurried down to the sea at Holkham Gap. This involved a walk of over half a mile across the beach - the tide goes out a long way here! I was rewarded with views of flocks of hundreds of Common Scoters, which seem to be resident here during the winter months, but which I hadn't seen elsewhere along the Norfolk coast this winter. Some images taken on this trip are below.
Marsh Harrier in Flight, RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 11 March
Mediterranean Gulls (and Shelduck), RSPB Titchwell Marsh, 11 March
Barnacle Geese (Captive Flock?), grazing in Holkham Park, 11 March
A few days of sunny weather from the 17th encouraged me to make afternoon visits to RSPB Lakenheath Fen (Suffolk) on the 18th and Welney (Norfolk) on the 19th. Highlights of a quiet but enjoyable walk around the Lakenheath reserve were several Roe Deer, Whooper Swans and half a dozen different wader species. I had been hoping to see a very early Garganey or a very late Water Pipit, but neither materialised. The next day I stopped in Welney village to see the reported Glossy Ibis (image below). All three egret species (including my first Cattle Egrets of the year) were on the same flooded fields. On the WWT reserve, ten distant Cranes were on Lady Fen. Wader species seen included Avocets, Redshank, Ruff, Snipe and several Black-tailed Godwits, some of which were developing their summer plumage. Garganey had been sporadically reported from here since the 14th, but there was no sign of this rather secretive bird on my visit.
Glossy Ibis, Welney, 19 March
Redshank, WWT Welney, 19 March
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