Day 1: On Friday Joan, Tom and I headed up to Minsmere for a late 18th Birthday trip. The way up was rather uneventful with a few Common Buzzard seen circling the A12. We stopped in the small village of Yoxford for a great lunch at the Kings Head with House Martin and Swifts flying over head. After lunch we continued our way to Minsmere itself and as we were approaching the car park Green Woodpecker, Chiffchaff, and Blackcap could be heard. As soon as we got out the car in the reserve there was a constant background of noise. Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull and Sand Martin’s could be heard and seen over head and the first of the days Lesser Black-backed and pristine adult med Gull flew over. Above: Ad Med Gull We then accidently headed straight to the Sand Martin colony. It was a great sight and sound to behold and was a truly spectacular display. We then headed back on to our original planned route and headed to the West Hide. Along the way we encountered a large Tit flock in the woodland which held Blue, Great, Long-tailed, and Coal Tit as well as a few Chaffinch. A Green Woodpecker also yaffled invisibly from the canopy and a Raven flew silently past us showing off its diamond tail. Once in West Hide we bumped into David with some of the other locals and his dad and they promptly set about showing us what was around. A family of Barnacle Geese were out on the scrape along with Mediterranean Gulls and their young, Black-headed Gull and hundreds of Avocet and Common Tern. A few Black-tailed Godwit were dotted around the islands and a Ruff was eventually picked up as well. A Mute Swan family was in front of us and Gadwall, Mallard and Teal were present in quite decent numbers. A lot of Lapwing were on show and in the quite spectacular lighting they reflected those hard to see colours that they do hold. Out to the right hand side of the hide were 2 Little Egret along with a flock of 30+ Little Gull which was quite something and this provided the best ever view of this species for me. Sandwich Tern were also ever present here and could be heard more than see and a few Oystercatcher and Spotted Redshank were dotted about mostly roosting on the banks of the islands. All this time a flock of several 100 Sand Martin were hawking Insects over the marsh in an amazing fashion and such that I had never experienced before. Above: Barnacle Geese Family Below Above: Spotted Redshank and Black-tailed Godwit Below: Gadwall and Mute Swan Cygnet Above: Sand Martins Once we were sure that we hadn’t missed anything we decided to head on towards the South Hide. Along the was we encountered Common Blue Damselfly, Lots of Southern Hawkers, Red Admirals, Gatekeepers and a Painted Lady butterfly. Above: Painted Lady Next up was the Southern hide and here we had better views of the terns. We also managed to pick out 3 Arctic Tern between us all in various plumage. Kittiwake were also resting at the back of the pools with latest 15 on the deck. A Redshank was in front of the hide as was a Pheasant and her 2 young chicks. Lapwing were dotted around as were the Avocet. Common Tern and Sandwich Terns were very numours as were Black-headed Gull and Mediterranean Gulls. 5 Little Gull were off to the right hand side of the hide as well as a Summer plumaged Knot, 5 Dunlin, and 2 Turnstone. At one stage all the Terms were put up by a Peregrine and it was quite a spectacle to behold with a wall of sound erupting from in front of the hide. A group of Teal came in when everything settled down and so we decided to head on towards the sea. Above: Med Gull with begging youngster Below: Mixed Terns with Sandwich, Common and Arctic. Above: Redshank and Avocet Below: Pheasant family Above: Ringed Plover and Black-headed Gull Below: Tern Frenzy with Commons, Sandwich and Arctic. Also Black-headed Gull, Med Gull, and Avocet present Above: Kittiwakes Below: BHG's, Med Gulls, Sandwich, Common, and Arctic Tern Above: Common Tern Below: Avocet Heading towards the sea wall we passed a Peacock Butterfly that had seen better days so I attempted to give it some of my water. It took some before flying off, but I am not too sure it would have survived much long. A Swallow perched perfectly for just a few seconds on a sign post as 2 more Arctic Tern called over head as the came in from Sizewell and then headed out to sea. A male Banded Demosille with its helicopter wings was seen in a ditch just before we got to the sea wall and was a nice surprise. Above: Barn Swallow Below: Banded Demosille Now onto the sea wall we went with Kittiwake, Common Tern, and Sandwich Tern all passing close in along the coast. At least 2 Ringed Plover were seen on the beach and one had two little tiny chicks running about in the shingle in front of it. They really do blend in well and I have to admit we may not have spotted them if the adult had Not given them away. A Meadow Brown Butterfly was seen in the dunes along with Gatekeepers and my first ever Six-spot Burnet Moth. Above: Kittiwake Below: Ringed Plover and chicks Above: Kittiwake Below: Common Tern Above: Sandwich Tern Below: Six-spot Burnet We next headed along the sea wall where Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar fed on the Ragwort and lots of game Rabbits were seen. A few Common Whitethroats lurked in the bushes, but unfortunately the hoped for Turtle Dove and Stone Curlew stayed unseen. Above: Cinnabar Caterpillars on Ragwort We then headed back to the visitor centre to refuel from the cafe. While we were doing so we were joined by an extremely tame Black-headed Gull and around 8 or more Chaffinch. A pair of Grey Wagtail also flew over which was new to the trip tally. Above: Black-headed Gull Below: Chaffinch We then headed to Westleton to unload at the B&B that we would be staying at. As we arrived a stream of Corvids including Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, and Rook started heading South East over the cottage and lasted for the next 50 or so minutes. I decided to take a little stroll near to the cottage bring up a few Greenfinch, 3 Bullfinch, Lots of Chaffinch, a few Blue Tit and a Collared Dove, but still not the hoped for Turtle Dove. Dinner beckoned and so we headed to a local pub called the White Horse. We sat out side and as we did so 15 Collared Dove surrounded us along with around 8 House Martin and at least 60 Screaming swift to keep us company over head. A scrumptious meal was had, before we headed back to get the car and head out to Westleton Heath. After being out of the car for a few minutes the mosquitoes were already causing us problems. Luckily at 21:30 We heard our first Nightjar. 4 More Nightjars Churred from the surrounding woodland making that strangely eerie noise of theirs, but we never did manage to see any of them. Just before we left as it was getting quite dark the sound of Stone Curlew filled the horizon. In the end we had 2 fly through alarm calling and chasing a flock of Black-headed Gulls that had obviously stepped a little bit too close to the Stone Curlews Young. And so with the Mosquitoes starting to get the better of us we heading for the B&B for a good nights sleep. Day 2: The morning dawned bright and warm and so o decided to have a little pre breakfast walk. I headed down love lane to see what was about, but a Skylark was the only new species to add. I then decided to head down towards Westleton Common. A Med Gull flew over mixed in a flock of Black-headed Gull. Moving further into the common Blackcap, Chiffchaff, and a large Tit flock were present. Then I struck gold. The unfamiliar puring of a Turtle Dove filled the air and as the only dove I could see was straight ahead of me on a power line I knew I had struck the jackpot. I watched it as it flew up in what I presume was some sort of song flight. Showing the White flicks to the tail. It was great to watch it. It would then come back down to the power line starting to purr again as it did. What a sight and sound to be hold and this was going to be a day that I would never forget. I then headed back to the B&B for breakfast via a Kestrel, Peregrine and 2 Hobby. Above: Med Gull Below: Turtle Dove After a rather filling breakfast we headed up to Minsmere. Upon arrival we headed straight to the Sand Martin colony where activity was high with perhaps as many as 150 birds in an around the nesting bank. A Kestrel flew through and was dive bombed from all directions by the Martin’s. We then headed to the North Bank. Here we had several very tame Rabbits. A juvenile Green Woodpecker was up in the trees as well as a Blackbird, a few Chaffinch and a Chiffchaff. We then caught up to Tom who had sat on a bench in front of some bushes. As we got closer to him a Turtle Dove flew up from the ground and landed on the tree in front. What a stunner. It was amazing to see this species so close in the UK and was much better light than the views earlier this morning. Continuing further a family of 3 Red-legged Partridge were in the heath land on the left hand side of the path and another Turtle Dove sat purring in the bushes. Moving further along both Reed and Sedge Warblers were quite numours and 2 pinging Bearded Tit briefly showed themselves ad they flew from one reed bed to the other. Next what happened was odd as what I am pretty sure is an adder swam through the pool closest to us. This is interesting because I knew and have experienced grass snakes swimming but never an Adder. Above: Rabbit Below: Juv Green woodpecker Above: Turtle Dove Below: Adder Next up we headed along the coast to the East Hide. Here we had 10 Kittiwake, 2 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin, 150+ Avocet, 50 Black-tailed Godwit, a Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, and Ruff. Mediterranean Gulls still had chicks off to the left hand side of the hide as did some of the Black-headed Gull. Shelduck, Barnacle Geese, Canada Geese, Greylag, Mallard and Gadwall were all present alongside a few Pied Wagtail a Spotted Redshank and also 3 dozing Garganey out on the right hand side. Also up in photo evidence it appears that I may have accidently relocated one of the Curlew Sandpipers on to the scrape here mixed in with the flock of Dunlin. I did have a funny feeling that it had a slightly curved bill but I just couldn’t quite see enough for me to convince my self until now. Sandwich Tern and Common Tern were also ever present and made up for most of the background noise. Above: LBBG, Spotted Redshank, and BHG Below: Common Tern and Sandwich Tern Above: Kittiwake Below: Garganey Above: Green Sandpiper and Lapwing Below: Garganey Above: Dunlin with Curlew Sandpiper Below: Common Tern Above: the 3 Garganey, BHG, and Mallard Below: Sandwich Tern and Kittiwake Above: Kittiwake Below: Common Tern Above: Greenshank Below: Oystercatcher et al Moving on towards the South side we had what I can only presume was the same friendly swallow perched in the same place as yesterday. From the South Hide more Brick Red spotted Redshank were on show as well as 2 Knot, 21 Dunlin, and a Greenshank. Otherwise species wise it was the same with at least 2 Arctic Tern still on show amongst the others. A Curlew also flew in calling from the sea and landed just out of sight. All of a sudden a whirlpool of Gulls, Terns and waders erupted as a rather poorly looking Herring Gull flew in to have a rest. Above: Spotted Redshank Below: Knot Above: Tern Frenzy with an Avocet and a few BHG mized in, and a Med as well Onto the West Hide we went passing some quite stunning Red Admirals as we went as well as Blue-tailed Damselfly and Southern Hawkers. Above: Red Admiral Once in the West Hide we had more Black-tailed Godwit, 18+ Little Gull, a Little Egret and Grey Heron were sitting together and this lead us to find a Common snipe which was wondering around underneath them. The Curlew that we saw fly in was resting on the island in front of the hide while a juvenile Little Grebe dived in and amongst the Mares Tail right down in front of us. Above: Juv Little Grebe Below: Curlew et al Above: Some of the Little Gulls with Black-headed Gulls. We then decided to head to the cafe for a spot of lunch passing a Broad-bodied Chased as we went. Lunch was consumed quickly and so we headed to Bittern Hide. Above: Broad-bodied Chaser Once in Bittern hide the Scenery is truly magnificent with Reed Bed stretching as far as the eye can see. Although a Bittern wasn’t seen we still had some great views of Marsh Harrier and also the Terns that were commuting over the reeds. Just as we were about to leave the hide I heard a Kingfisher and then watched as it flew right out from underneath the hide circling the pool in front of us before heading left towards the scrape area. The flash of colour as it went past the hide ws truly wonderful and reminded me of why it is still my favourite bird. Above: Juv Marsh Harrier Above: Common Tern with fish We then left the hide and headed towards the Island Mere hide. Along the way we decided to do a bit of Butterfly spotting. Peacock, Red Admiral, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, and Meadow Brown were the most common along with the rare species such as Small Copper and White Admiral which are both a first for me. Above: Peacock Below: Small Copper Above: Gatekeeper Below: White Admiral Above: Small Copper Onto the island mere hide where the first Great Crested Grebe of the trip was diving out in the middle of the pool. The light was poor so we didn’t stay for too long. Mallard were the most numourus duck along with a few Pochard and Teal. 6 Mute Swan were also about and a Marsh Harrier hunted over the back of the pools as well. Above: Mute Swan et al Below: Med Gull We then decided to head to Dunwich to sit out the bad light. We spent a nice hour exploring the ruins of the old Monastery while Swallows zipped through over head and House Sparrows chirped from the bushes. We then headed back to the B&B for a little rest before heading for an early supper at the Eels foot with House Sparrow, Swifts, Swallow, and House Martin’s keeping us company. At around 7pm we then drove the long narrow road back to Minsmere and set out for the Island Mere Hide. As we approached the hide we could already hear out target bird with a strong constant Zeeee sound coming from the reeds. Once in the hide we could hear there were in fact two areas of reeds that this sound was coming from and thus there were 2 Savi's Warblers singing from the reeds which was a new species and a lifer for me. I managed to pin down where one of the birds was singing from and eventually I managed to see it 3 times in flight and put others onto it as well which was amazing. When we set about making this plan if you had of told me that on a calm still evening like this I would hear not one but two Savi's Warblers and also see one of them, then i would have told you that you were mad, but it happened. Since this had all happened within 15 minutes of being in the hide we decided to head to the Bittern hide to see what we could find. When we arrived we had the hide to ourselves so we set about spreading ourselves out to have the best visual field possible. There was a constant movement of Terns, ducks and Grey Herons over the reed beds as they commuted between the different pools. The Marsh Harrier from before was still sitting in front of the hide and I can now confirm that it was a Juvenile rather than a female. In the time that we were in the hide we saw both the male and female attend to it. Eventually I picked up the ghostly white figure of a Barn Owl as it hunted over the furthest Reed Bed and we watched as it gracefully flew about. With no sign of any Bitterns we decided to call it a night and get some rest before hatching a plan on how best to attempt it tomorrow morning. And so we headed back to the B&B whilst trying to dodge the Rabbits, Red Deer and Muntjac that were now more active in this human less time of day. Above: Rabbit Below: Marsh Harrier Day 3: The new day dawned bright and breezy. We headed to Minsmere for the crack of dawn in the hope that we would get rewarded. Rabbits were literally everywhere and when we passed the Island Mere Hide the Savi's Warblers could still be heard. I went to the South Hide while Joan and Tom headed to the Bittern Hide. My hope was that there would be roosting Terns still however when I arrived I found out that there were less Terns than there were yesterday. Common and Sandwich Terns were still present along with 2 Spotted Redshank, several Dunlin, a few Knot, and several Black-tailed Godwit. A large amount of Avocet were around and these must have totalled over 150 individuals. Oystercatcher and Lawping patrolled the far bank and so did a Ringed Plover. The light was truly magical however as the sun came up from below the horizon it became a little difficult to see. Above: Mystical Avocet I decided that the best thing to do would be to go and join the others in the Bittern Hide. They had no luck so far and by the time we had been in the hide for almost 2 and a half hours we had still not seen a Bittern and in the end breakfast beckoned. Sitting in the hide did have some rewards though with several Marsh Harrier about including yesterdays Juvenile still sitting in the same place and also a Kingfisher which zipped through in front of the hide twice whilst we were there and in perfect light conditions as well. Otherwise the Reed Warblers were very active as were the Bearded Tit and 3 intruding Red Deer. Above: Rabbit Above: Grey Heron Below: Reed Warbler Above: Marsh Harrier Below: Red Deer After the disappointment of the Bittern hide we had a quick look at the butterflies that hide flocked together into one place. Here there were Peacock, Red Admiral, Gatekeepers, Meadow Brown’s and small Coppers. Also out in abundance were Black-tailed Skimmers and Ruddy Darters. Above: Small Copper We then headed back to the B&B and hatched a plan on how best to go about tackling the Bittern problem. After breakfast we decided to give Hen Reedbeds a go. It’s a great little reserve alongside what I presume was the river Hen. Pining Bearded Tit could be heard from every corner of the Reeds. Black-headed Gull and Greylag littered the estuary along with 20+ Black-tailed Godwit, 40+ Redshank, 3 Curlew, a Whimbrel and 15+ Oystercatcher. Above: Curlew Below: Oystercatcher Above: Whimbrel Below: Black-tailed Godwit We then headed down to the middle hide but with water levels dwindling there were only 2 Little Egret on show. We watched them for a bit as they wiggled their yellow feet through the water trying to catch any fish that might be attracted to the movement. Above: Little Egret After a good show and a rest bite from the heat we went to the third hide. Along the way we saw Small Skipper, Large White, Peacock, and Red Admiral, Meadow Brown and Gatekeepers. A Chinese Water Deer was in the hedge and give us all a fright as it lept out and into the field next to us. Above: Comma Once in the final hide we could see around 25 Mallard, a Little Egret and Little Grebe and their chicks. We then left the hide to find a large Grass Snake basking right in the middle of the path. It unfortunately took one look at us before deciding it had better things to do and so it very quickly slithered off into the undergrowth. A Juvenile Marsh Harrier flew over our heads and was closely followed by A Common Buzzard. Above: Little Egrets and Mallards Below: Little Grebe Above: Marsh Harrier Below: Whimbrel Above: Common Buzzard We then headed back towards the view point near the car park via some great views of Bearded Tit, a Common Buzzard and a Migrant Hawker that flew into my face. A Med Gull flew over mixed in a flock of Black-headed Gulls and Lapwing were in the farm land on the left hand side as well. When we got to the view point the habitat looked like something that you would expect to see on the east coast of America with Reed bed and a boarder of Woodland. As per usual there were no Bitterns were seen, but Swallow, House Martin, Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting and Bearded Tit were seen and heard. It was now getting quite hot and birding in this heat felt like we were on a Mediterranean summer holiday and thus at around 11:30 We called it a day and headed for London. What a trip this has been and I would like to Thank both Joan and Tom for this great gift and for taking me to a place on my bucket list and with many lifers and year ticks I will now leave you with a trip species list:
0 Comments
It was another glorious morning as Elliot and i headed to the station to the sound of the local Ring-necked Parakeets squawking at each other. When we arrived at Rainham station we headed to the Ferry Lane end of the reserve with Swifts and Feral pigeons streaming through over head. Just as we were heading up towards the sea wall for a closer look at what was on the Thames a full summer plumage Adult Med Gull came in from the Thames and circled over our head for a couple of seconds before continuing down river. A female Ruddy darter was perched in the bushes along the sea wall and a large amount of Large White, and Gatekeepers were also present. Above: Ruddy Darter Once up on the sea wall a scan of the Thames brought up the first of the day's Yellow-legged Gulls as well as 3 Oystercatcher, 2 Common Sandpiper, lots of Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gulls, and Black-headed Gull. A Grey Wagtail also flew over head calling and at least 7 Cormorant were present. 3 Common Tern were out fishing along the far bank of the river and Swifts continued to track South over head. Above: Oystercatcher We then moved on towards the Tilda Rice factory passing a few Common Whitethroat along the way. Once at the factory we decided to have another quick scan of the river and this brought up a flock of 7 Common Sandpiper on the shore alongside another 2 Oystercatcher and a decent amount of Black-headed Gulls. Above and Below: Oystercatcher, Black-headed Gulls and Common Sandpipers Elliot and i then headed round to the stone barges where the first of the days Great Black-backed Gulls were loafing around. The jetty held a pristine adult Common Gull amongst the other usual suspects and 2 adult Yellow-legged Gulls sat right at the end. An absolute brute of a Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull also flew over carry a fish which it proceeded to swallow whole whilst in flight. Above: Great Black-backed Gull Below: Adult Yellow-legged Gull Above: Herring Gulls with Adult Yellow-legged Gull (2nd bird from right or thrid from left) Below: Monster Juvenile Yellow-legged Gull There were a few other Common Gulls about an a few more Common Tern flew past as well. Skylarks, Meadow Pipits, and Reed Bunting were singing from the side of the tip and yet more swifts passed over head. A Kestrel also flew over to the tip spooking a large flock of Starlings. We then headed down towards Coldharbour Point and as we arrived 2 Peregrines flew low over our heads. We had now been joined by David and we continued to pick up yet more Yellow-legged Gulls and a ringed Black-headed Gull which i am still waiting for information on. Our initial suspicion is that it is a British ringed Gull and probably a local one. Above: Herring Gull Below: Ringed Black-headed Gull Above and Below: Absolute Brute of a Juv Great Black-backed Gull We then continued along the Thames passing a lot of rather large Buddleia bushes. This was a chance to look at some of the Butterflies and Moths feeding and sheltering on the bushes. We managed to clock up Comma, Red Admiral, Peacock, Large White and Small White butterflies and 8 Jersey Tiger Moths which seem to have arrived as a part of a mini influx to this part of London/ Essex. Above: Jersey Tiger Moth We continued along towards Aveley Bay picked up yet more Yellow-legged Gulls and a gull that Dante says looks good for either a first summer Caspian Gull or German 'muck' and thus brings my year list to 158 species! There must have been over 1000 Gulls to sift through as every single gull seemed to be on the Thames. A 1st summer Med Gull was picked out by Elliot, but otherwise there wasn't anything too special. We did however bring our day total of Yellow-legged Gulls up to 42 with 18 Adults, 19 Juvenile, 2 2cy's, and 3 3cy's. Above: ad Yellow-legged Gull Below: Presumed LBBG Above: ad Yellow Legged Gull with LBBG on the right hand side Below: 3cy Yellow-legged Gull (left), ad Yellow-legged Gull (mid), LBBG (Right) Above: Yellow-legged Gulls We then approached the bay and flushed a pair of Whimbrel up from underneath the sea wall and they looked in fine condition have just arrived back from their Arctic breeding grounds. Above and Below: Whimbrel and Black-headed Gulls Elliot and i then proceeded to head to the centre for an early lunch and some heat relief. Along the way probably as many as 20 Whitethroat were were encountered as well as a male Stonechat and family in the enclosed bay. Also in Aveley Bay itself there was a total of 22 Shelduck as well as a few Redshank and the odd Lapwing. Once we arrived at the visitor centre in just a week it was quite shocking to see how dry the reserve had become in what i guess you could call a drought. The ditches that surround the reserve still have water, but not a lot as it is definitely getting quite shallow. Aveley Pools, Butts Scrape, and the pool in front of the MDZ are the only ones that actually have water and not a dust bowl. Still a Grey Heron was trying to hunt on Purfleet scrape as we left the visitor centre looking for perhaps anything that might have been left to dry out when the water levels dropped. We headed into the woodland and had many Labrinth Spiders, Ruddy Darters, and Blue Tailed Damselflies. Bird wise a Common Buzzard over head along with a few Marsh Harriers and Sand Martin were all that was on offer. Above: Presumed Labyrinth Spider Below: Ruddy Darter We then headed out of the woodland and towards the Ken Barret Hide. Along the way a quick scan for the Barn Owl in his box saw us come away with a hidden box. The little bit of meadow just before the ken barret was fully of life with Ruddy Darter, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Gatekeepers, Meadow Brown, a Ringlet or two, and lots of Large Whites. Upon closer inspection the were also Common Blue, Small and Essex Skippers about as well, but not the hoped for Brown Argus. Also on the Ragwort there were plenty of Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars and what i think is a Speckled Wood Caterpillar which somehow ended up landing on the back of my neck before being flicked off. I have to admit that i thought i was being attacked by one of the Horseflys or Clegs that had been pestering us and taking quite large chunks out of us on our way round. Above: Ruddy Darter Below: Blue-tailed Damselfly Above: What i believe to be a speckled wood caterpillar, but i could be very wrong Below: Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars Once in the Ken Barret Hide it became quite obvious that the water level here has dramatically dropped with plants showing obvious water lines. My guess is it wont be long before this pool becomes derelict as well and so for the Pochard and Coot it is the race to fledge before the food source runs out. As for the Little Egrets and Herons although there were less than in previous weeks i suspect many were hidden in the vegetation making the most of the prey items in the shallowest pools which are simple to get as they just simply don't have enough water to get away. A family party of Gadwall was a good sight and i suspect that these might be the ones to fair the worst if the water does disappear. A Little Grebe was also about. Above and Below: Gadwall family After this we then headed up to Aveley pools via a few Holly Blues and both Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings. A Moorhen was also in the terrapin pool, but not the terrapin. Above: Holly Blue Aveley Pools was full of life when we arrived. 6 Little Ringed Plovers were feeding on the now exposed muddy banks at the back of the pools along side 6 Black-tailed Godwit, 4 Ruff, 2 Green Sandpipers, and 2 Common Sandpipers. Pochard, Gadwall, Coot, Mallard, Canada Geese and Greylag feed out in the now shallow waters. Cormorants, Lapwing, Black-headed Gulls, Little Egret and Grey Heron were all resting at the backs of the pools however there was no sign of the Common Terns that were nesting at the back of the pools, my guess is that they might have failed and moved on. All was going well until the cattle decided to have a wade across the back of the pools flushing everything up into the air. Never has a cow attempted to cross this pool before as it is normally just too deep, however now they were causing complete pandemonium. They did however bring out with them a Juv Yellow Wagtail which was a nice surprise. Above: Canada Geese and Gadwall Below: Cow's and co Above: Grey Heron Below: Cows and co Since the cows had ruined the chance of getting anything else on the pools we decided to move on to the northern board walk. Flying over our heads as we went was a Marsh Harrier. The pinging of Bearded Tits and the singing of Reed Warblers rang from the Reeds as we went. With Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers showing quite well. We then reached a small pool off the northern board walk where elliot spotted a yellow bellied Slider which must have moved itself from the Terrapin pools up here in winter when the water levels were high. Then a Water Vole swam into view and started to feed right in front of us, we could not believe our luck. What an experience it is to get up close to an animal like a water vole. We were so close that we could even here it crunch as it was eating the dried reeds. Above: Marsh Harrier Below: Reed Bunting Above: Reed Warbler Below: Water Vole Above: Yellow-bellied Slider We then headed up to the Butts hide and first looked out onto the Butt's Scrape. There was quite a decent amount of Coot out in front of the hide alongside a few Canada Geese and Shoveler. A family of Pochard were still diving in the now shallow pool and a new Little Grebe brood was being shepherd across the pool by the parents. At least 11 Little Egret sat roosting on one of the islands at the back and also one of the 'pied' Juvenile Marsh Harriers was about. On the other side of the hide the barren Target Pools had a couple of Canada Geese, a dead thing and a Juvenile Marsh Harrier just sitting out in the open. Off in the distance a flock of at least 83 swift were hawking insects over the marsh alongside a few tumbling Black-headed Gulls. Above: one of 6 newly hatched Little Grebes Below: Adult Little Grebe chasing off Coots Above: Coots Below: Marsh Harrier We decided to move on and on our way to the dragonfly pools we found lots more Holly Blue butterflies as well as upon our arrival a rather displease Redshank. Above: Holly Blue Below: Redshank I then headed down to have a closer look at some of the ditches via yet more Pinging Bearded Tit bring our day count to at least 16 birds. Near to the ditches there were quite a lot of Family parties of Goldfinch, Linnet, and Reed Warblers as well. In the now quick shallow waters the fish now breached the surface. Marsh Frogs were just lazing about basking in the sun and a Small Red-eyed Damselfly sat nicely for us on a feather as did a Blue-tailed Damselfly Above: Goldfinch family Below: Marsh Frogs Above: Blue-tailed Damselfly Below: Small Red-eyed Damselfly That Small Red-eyed was a nice surprise as it was a new species for me. We continued our way passing more Whitethroat, Linnet and a very showy Male Reed Bunting. The next ditch held only one more Marsh Frog and an interesting Skimmer which i would like to see again to be sure of the id... Purfleet hide was barron bar a Lapwing sitting on the cracked mud and a Grey Heron flew in again which was odd. Above: Male Reed Bunting Below: Marsh Frog We then headed back to the centre via yet more Cinnabar moth caterpillars as well as an interesting presumed farmyard duck. Although i have never seen one with a Blue beak before which to me suggests it could be some dodgy hybrid. Elliot then had a few minutes of heat relief before heading back out and heading to the station via one last Field Grasshopper just outside the centre. And so this ended another spectacular day on the marshes and brings my year list to 158 as well as adding me a new Damselfly Species. This day has also left me wondering what if the whole reserve dried up...? What would happen? Above: Interesting Hybrid, farmyardy thing Below: Ragwort with Cinnabar Moth Caterpillars Above: Field Grasshopper
The original plan today was to head to Rainham Marshes, however when I woke up to the news that everyone's planes and trains were cancelled, I decided to head out to do some local birding before it got too hot. When i left my house at around 7am it was a pleasant 16 degrees and since the sun was shinning I knew that I didn't have long before the temperatures started to climb. I turned off Partingdale Lane and had a scan over the farm land I could see a flock of 35 Swallow hunting insects over the fields suggesting another great breeding season this year (62 seen yesterday at Belmont end of the valley as well as a few pairs elsewhere). A few House Martin were around along with a couple of swifts as well and the local House Sparrows called from over near the stables. Moving on to the Sound of Chiffchaff and Blackcap i approached the end of the Old Gropper Warbler field. Here held a flock of Chiffchaff which held a rather early male Willow Warbler singing away from the middle of it. Once inside the field Bullfinch could be heard calling from the bushes in 3 locations and the first of the days Black-headed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Common Buzzard flew over. A Chaffinch was feeding in the burnt area of grassland along with a few Dunnock. Next I headed along to Darlands lake where Fridays rain seems to have done nothing in the quest to getting water back in it, in fact since Friday the few puddles that were there have dried up. Even despite the lack of water a Grey Heron, 3 Moorhen, and 4 Mallard were still around and several Red Admiral Butterflies were feeding out on the mud. Above: Grey Heron I then headed out towards Cow field trying to head around the shadier edges as the temperature was now nearing 25 degrees at around 10am. A kestrel briefly appeared over head along with a flock of Swift and also a Common Buzzard. 12 Rook were in Lapwing field which is good to see that they are still doing well. I then headed up the path to Long Pond with Gatekeepers, Ringlet, Meadow Brow, Large White's, and Purple Hairstreaks for company as i went. Once at Long Pond itself a Coot, Grey heron, and 8 Canada Geese were present however given the fact that Long Pond is now extremely shallow i am not too surprised that there was nothing else there and also there were no fisher men. Next i took the rather daft decision to continue in the heat of the day and to head over the road into the Dollis Valley. On Horseshoe Lane the first Dragonflies could be found with a Southern Hawker paroling the tops of the trees and also a Dragonfly which i believe to be a Ruddy Darter perched on the telephone wires above the road. Above: Presumed Ruddy Darter Next i headed down into the freshly cut hay meadows which partially ruined my plans at looking through what was a lush flower meadow for Butterflies. Instead i had to trundle over to the river channel that runs through the middle of the field to have a look at the border that the farmer leaves to grow. A family of Whitethroat were about in this part of the field going in and out of the bushes and occasionally perching on the reeds for a bit of a break. A Yellow Butterfly came out from the channel as i approached and although i never did see it again i am pretty sure it was a Clouded Yellow. Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Small and Large Skipper, and also Large White were present on Mass and near the bottom of the field i stumbled across what i presume is a Common Blue. A Marbled White was also around and perched briefly enough for me to see that it had a bit of damage to its wing. Up in the air above me 4 Common Buzzard tussled with the local Lesser-black Backed Gulls as 5 Red Kite drifted about looking for their lunch. A family of Kestrels were flying around and calling to each other and this eventually flushed a pair of Bullfinch out of a patch of Brambles. Above: Kestrel Below: Common Buzzard being mobbed by a LBBG Above: Red Kite Below: Marbled White Above: Kestrel Below: Common Blue After this i then headed down towards the boggy fields here there wasn't too much about, however a rather late Singing Garden Warbler in a tree full of apples was a nice suprise, and so with the temperatures nudging 30 degrees i decided to call it a day and headed home for lunch.
A last minute cancellation in my day on Tuesday saw me heading to Regent's park for the first time in about 3 or 4 years to do so birding. I didn't really know what to expect however the cloud cover helped in bring the temperature down to a much more comfortable 20 degrees. At first there appeared to be nothing much about bar a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Black-headed Gulls flying over. Feral Pigeons and Wood pigeons were numerous as well. I then stumbled upon a mixed tit flock near some well positioned bird feeders. Inside the flock there were Blue, Great, Long-tailed, and a family of Coal Tit as well as a rather out of place Chaffinch. A few Blackbirds fed under the feeders as well. I then moved on towards the ornamental section of the main pond. Overhead was a decent sized flock of Swifts and with them were around 12 Sand Martin which are scarce birds for the park. I then headed down to a viewing platform where a large amount of Black-headed Gull, Coot, Moorhen and Pochard were loafing about on the bank. The first full winged Red-crested Pochard of the day were present along with a Grey Wagtail. Coming to a pond like this it becomes an active game of guess what is able to fly and so the Hooded Merganser and 2 Rosy Bills that swam up to me didn't pass the flying game and move on to the plastic list. Above: Grey Wagtail I then proceeded a little further to a bridge that separates the ornamental section and the main boating area of the lake. from the bridge one side had mainly Pochard and the other had Egyptian Geese and a few Tufted Duck broods. As far as ducks and geese that cannot fly 3 Bahama Pintail, 3 Red-breasted Geese, 2 Barnacle Geese, 2 Ross's Geese, and 2 Lesser White-fronted Geese were also about along with 2 Mute Swan which i am pretty sure were a part of the collection as it looked as though they had their wings clipped. A Grey Heron was also lurking about at the back. On the Boating Lake side i the spotted a family group of Little Grebes foraging out in the middle of the water with the parents trying to catch as many small fish as possible for their growing young. Above: Drake Pochard Below: Female Tufted Duck and duckling Above: Little Grebe and chicks Below: Egyptian Geese I then moved round to the area of the lake where you can hire pedalo's. Unfortunately i didn't have the time to take one out, but i might just do it in the near future. Bird wise there were more Red-crested Pochard, Black-headed Gulls, and 2 Juv Great Crested Grebes. Also There were literally hundreds of Greylags, Canada Geese and Egyptian Geese hauled out on the side all the way from the Pedalo hire to the exit from the park. The whole group of Canada Gesese was close to 300, Greylags at 73 and Egyptian Geese at 48 and this also seemed to be attracting a lot of American Tourists to try their luck at touching the Geese. Since most of the Geese are used to people they did not retaliate but simply walked away, while a small minority hissed at every person that came near them. Coot's and Pochard were also quite numerous out on the lake along side a decent amount of Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Above: Juv Great Crested Grebe, Red-crested Pochard, Black-headed Gulls Below: Red-crested Pochard Above: Juv Great Crested Grebe Below: Pochard I then left the park and headed to Euston station where i met up with Elliot, before heading back to the Regent's park. Once back in the park the only real birds of difference where a Great Crested Grebe with 4 stripy youngsters, a Cormorant, and 3 Grey Heron. Also an Egyptian Goose with 7 almost fully grown young came up to us to see if we had food and a pair of Sparrowhawk circled the nearby woodland. As we headed towards London Zoo the sound of Blackcaps and Chiffchaff could be heard as well as a sprinkler that was leaking and attracting a large amount of Corvids to make the most of the free drinking water. Elliot and i then headed to Mornington Crescent and then got onto the Tube and headed to the Totteridge Valley. Above: Grey Heron Above: young Egyptian Geese Below: Great Crested Grebe and Juvs Once we were at Totteridge it wasn't long before we had a juvenile Green Woodpecker up in the trees above our heads. otherwise as we carried on all was quite. Darlands Lake is now just mud with two small puddles in the shade which are being used by around 18 Mallard and up to 9 Moorhen on a daily basis. The Teal is also showing on and off perhaps suggesting that it is commuting in from somewhere else. Elliot and i were just entering Old Gropper field when i spotted some smoke appearing on the horizon. As we got closer we could also hear quite a loud constant crackling noise coming from the bushes. As we got closer still we could see that the grass land was up in towering flames. 2 Bullfinch charged out of the flames to head for cover. I have personally never seen anything like this and so quickly the fire brigade was phoned. After about 5 minutes they turned up and set about putting the fire out. I would just quickly like to use this as an opportunity to thank the local branch of the Fire Brigade for their quick response to such an inaccessible area. After this bit of excitement we decided to call it a day and so we headed for home. The next morning i was up bright and early to get Elliot to the station at around 6am. I decided to use this opportunity to head back into the valley to assess just how much land had been burnt and whether there was any potential damage to the local breeding species in this area. Upon my first visit it looks as though the Bullfinch nest was still in tact, however i believe that the ones that we saw escaping the blaze must have panic fledged. To confirm this i spent a bit of time looking for the Bullfinches in the surrounding field and eventually i came up with 3 Bullfinch including 2 Juvs. The Fire mainly burnt a long this strip of dead grass, however if it had burned for long it would have cause more damage to the surrounding bushes and trees as they were singed, but not burnt out. Below is an example of what the fire did. It doesn't look like much, but the area that it spread too must be around 100 metres long and a metre wide. This is unfortunately the 4th wildfire in the valley in the last two years. The two last year were cause by two BBQ's burning out of control and the two this year look as though they were both started from discarded cigarettes. On towards Darlands Lake which was similar to yesterday, however the 3 Juv Grey Herons had returned. Owl field had its usual selection of warblers and a Bullfinch was seen by John and i right in the middle. The field does need some work to keep the paths clear and so i will have to head down at some point to make it more accessible for us. Once i was up at the top of the field 2 Linnet appeared from the Brambles beside me. I then headed towards Lapwing field where 9 Lapwing sat amongst a group of Rook and Jackdaws and a young Kestrel sat on the end of a tree hole presumably about to fledge. (Pictured Below) I then headed up the path to long pond which as per usual was a magnet for Butterflies. A female Purple Emperor flew low through Cow field and headed towards Darlands Lake suggsting that there must be a much larger colony of them here than previously thought. Purple Hairstreak, Gatekeepers, Meadow Browns, Large Whites, and Ringlets were all along the fence line in quite large numbers. Above: Purple Hairstreak Below: Ringlet Once up at Long Pond the Coots were back and also a Terrapin or two sat lazily around the smaller pond. Above: Terrapin sp Below: Coots The next day a last minute change of plan saw Dante and i head by train up to Rainham Marshes. Honestly the bird life wasn't all to interesting to start off with and so Butterflies came into play. There were however 15+ Little Egret on the now virtually bone dry Purfleet scrape. A few Common Blue Butterflies were around the grass land outside the Ken Barret hide alongside Meadow Browns and Large Whites. A few Gatekeepers were also around. A Hobby and several Sand martin also flew over. Above: Common Blue Moving on towards the first viewing platform over Aveley Pools to the sound of Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings still singing in hope that they might get a shot at a second brood. We had a quick scan, but we decided that it would be easier to see what was about if we headed to the other platform. Once we arrived here one of the juvenile Great Crested Grebes attempted to get away from us by running on the water and just about making it into the air for what was probably its first taste of flying. It did look rather untidy as it went. The pools from left to right were as follows. 15 Black-tailed Godwit were right over on the left hand side feeding in front of where a different immature Spoonbill from last week sat preening itself with a large amount of Little Egret and Grey Herons for company. Next the Terns were still on their mound and they were doing their best at chasing all the large gulls off. Pochards, Tufted Duck, Coots, and Canada Geese were out in the middle along with a few Greylag and Black-headed Gull. A Cormorant sat on one of the posts as well. Moving along further some Lapwings were sitting on the rocks at the back of the pools along with a Green Sandpiper, and then at the back in the right hand corner of the pools were 4 Ruff, 2 Still quite handsome Males and 2 females. Above: Spoonbill, Black-headed gulls, Grey Heron, Little Egret Now onto the Ken Barret hide we went with only a few Goldfinch and Linnet along the way. Target Pools is now bone dry and so apart from the Marsh Harriers hunting above the marsh and a few Canada Geese there wasn't really anything about and so if we want any waders to turn up we are going to need some rain and fast. On the winter pools side of the hide there was still a decent amount of water however i feel that this may vanish in the coming weeks as well if no rain falls as the young Pochard were diving and then coming back up with mud all over them suggesting that it is not that deep at all. A family of Mute Swan was doing well here and a large congregation of Coots had built up with perhaps as many as 40 in front of the hide. A couple of Little Grebe were about to the left hand side of the hide, otherwise that was about it. Above: young Mute Swan and Coots Below: Pochards I then headed outside and stopped to have a look at another type of Blue Butterfly. This time they turned out to be Holly Blue and there were plenty of them as well. (Pictured Below) Next up a Peregrine flew over heading in the general direction of the pylons and a female Marsh Harrier flew alongside us. The Skylarks in the Ouzel field gave a great show as they flew up into the sky to perform their song. One showy individual even decided to sit on a fence post next to us to make sure that we weren't going to take his territory or harm his young. Above: Female Marsh Harrier Below: Skylark We continued down towards the MDZ where a Grasshopper Warbler could be heard but not seen. A female rather hefty Marsh Frogs were lurking in the channels along with some fish which i think are Roach, but i could be wrong. We then headed into the Purfleet hide however bar a few Lapwing and Redshank the area was dead due to the fact that there was very little water left on Purfleet Scrape. Above: Marsh Frog Below: Roach? When we got back to the centre a large amount of large gulls had built up on the other side of the river and therefore proved some interest, however with the heat haze and the position of the sun trying to sift through them was near impossible. Eventually we gave up and headed towards Aveley Bay. A Common Gull was amongst the Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, and Shelduck in Aveley Bay and one of the Juvenile Marsh Harriers decided to have a bit of an adventure and was hunting low over the Thames before heading back to the safety of the reserve. A few Linnet called from around and so did a Sedge Warbler but otherwise there was little else around. Above: Juv Marsh Harrier Carry on towards the Stonebarges the sound of Skylarks, Reed Buntings, Meadow Pipit, and Whitethroats could be heard coming from the side of the tip. Every bush that we passed seemed to erupt with Starlings as well. Near Coldharbour Point the first Oystercatcher of the day sat calling on the muddy Thames shore and Lesser Black-backed Gulls still had not quite fledged youngsters on the roofs of the units. A Pied Wagtail was on the path ahead of us as 2 Little Egret flew down river. Above: Oystercatcher Below: Little Egret Once at the Stone Barges it was more of the same. With the only difference being a 2cy Common Gull with the Black-headed Gulls. 2 Common Sandpiper were a good addition to the day tally as they feed near the Tilda rice factory. Above: 2cy Common Gull Above: Juv Black-headed Gull Below: Black-headed Gulls And so a quick scan off Ferry Lane to see if there was anything lurking on the banks saw more of the same which is a shame, however the bushes near the side of the road did hold my first Jersey Tiger in over two years since i last saw one near Purfleet station. We then headed for home with the hope that the next few weeks could bring in something good as the start of Autumn migration draws ever nearer. Above: Jersey Tiger Moth
Dull, Dull, and Duller - Totteridge Valley, Walthamstow Wetlands, and Dollis Valley - 5th July 20185/7/2018 To be honest the title kind of sums up the birding at the moment. This is really due to the intense heat which is really stopping any kind of meaning full birding during the day, however other things it is proving quite interesting. The Totteridge Valley has seen a significant decrease in activity from everything except raptors. Warblers during the day are mainly keeping low and therefore out of sight and to be honest who could blame them. Darlands Lake has turned into a muddy mess with a very thin layer of water left. If there is no meaningful rainfall soon it will be the 2nd year in a row that the lake and the surrounding rivers have dried up completely which is balmy when for much of the winter this area was completely flooded out. On Tuesday i had the usual with 3 Juv Grey Heron making the most of the shallow water to easily catch Stickleback. Speckled Woods were out in full force and so too were the Marbled Whites in Owl field. A Teal at Darlands Lake was a very odd find for this time of year and marks the first ever July record for the valley. In fact it is the earliest returning Teal by almost 2 months. The Buzzards performed well as per usual and so too did a whole host of Butterflies including Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Ringlet, Purple Hairstreak, and Large Whites. Otherwise there was a new family of 4 Mallard at Long Pond and that was it...! Above: Speckled Wood Below: Teal Above: Juv Grey Heron Below: Marbled White Above: Common Buzzard Below: Ringlet Above: Ringlet Below: Mallard Ducklings So today Dante and i decided to head to Walthamstow Wetlands to see what was about on what turned out to be an absolutely sweltering day with temperatures nudging 30 degrees. When we arrived i spotted several Banded Demoiselle and these would be the first of over 50 individuals that we saw on site. These are my first in the UK which i guess turned these dull couple of days into a slightly rewarding one. It was amazing to see them with their propeller like wings beating and somehow allowing them to lift off the ground. Above: Banded Demoiselle We then headed around the reservoirs, however if by now you still haven't read the title of the blog post then read it to find out how it went! Honestly though it actually wasn't as bad as i make it sound and to be fair we did have some decent birds. Tufted Ducks for instance were everywhere with probably 150-200 per reservoir and therefore probably a site total of between 500-1000 individuals or possibly more. The tame Canada Geese numbered 500+ and Greylags were slightly lower at around 100+. Egyptian Geese were few and far between however some did have young. Pochard number 68 in total and coot just about nudged 100 birds. 2 Gadwall were an interesting find for the time of year on Low Maynard. A Redshank was lurking on East Warkwick Res near a Great Crested Grebe nest and several Herring Gulls lay dead on the island which was an odd sight along side a washed up dead trout! I wonder whether something has leaked into the water again? Otherwise it looked like another successful year for breeding Little Egret, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls. Sand Martins and Swifts whizzed through over head along with a few Common Tern commuting in between the reservoirs. A Shelduck on East Warwick was another good bird for the site and also 2 Common Sandpiper on Lockwood was a sign that summer might just at last be turning into Autumn. Just before we left the site to head for Totteridge a pair of Peregrine were seen on the Pylons, one with a Pigeon as prey. Above: Mute Swan and Redshank Below: Egyptian Geese Goslings Above: Juv Great Crested Grebe Below: presumed Broad Bodied chaser Above: Drake Pochard Below: Common Tern Above: Peregrine with Prey Dante and i then headed up to the Totteridge Valley. Our first stop at Totteridge Common produced the hoped for Purple Emperor Butterflies at the tops of the trees duelling with each other. We then headed down through a deserted Owl field to Darlands Lake. The heat of the day was felt more here and it was obviously effecting the birds, as well as us. Darlands Lake held 3 Moorhen and a Juv Grey Heron however that is partially because there is almost too literally no water down here now its all just mud. We then headed out into owl field where at first it seemed as though there was nothing about. That was until Dante picked up a Red Kite in the distance and then upon scanning the whole horizon we realised that there wasn't just one, but 7 up all at the same time. The day was starting to get interesting now. 3 Common Buzzard flew through and so too did a Hobby. A Large flock of Lesser Black-backed Gull and Black-headed Gull were also feeding over head. Above: Red Kite We then headed up to Long Pond where there wasn't too much about bar a few Mallard, Moorhen and Canada Geese. Swifts were present over head and the Red Kites were now i guess you could call it playing as they tussled and turned showing off their array of acrobatic skills.
Just as we were leaving i spotted a rather familiar Large Butterfly gliding from one of the trees at the back of Long Pond in our direction. It was another male Emperor Butterfly. I could not believe and i managed to get Dante on it just before it headed over the road and disappeared out of sight. This sighting makes me wonder just how many more there could be in the local area, but with only just under a week left of the Emperor season i am not too sure that i will find many this year, but for next year there is great potential! Dante and i then headed for a brief visit to the Dollis Valley at Denham Farm. 3 Red Kites were up over head along with a few Buzzard. We headed right down into the heart of the valley and here we sat and watched as probably as many as 80 Black-headed Gull stream through from absolutely no where just dropping in from high. I then picked something up heading in the opposite direction to the gulls. It was a Common Tern which is a local mega rarity with only one previous record of a bird fishing at Long Pond in 2007. The frustrating thing about this bird is that despite being so close to the Totteridge Valley i can't count it for my patch list. It probably flew no closer than 500m away from the boundary, but it is still not countable. Anyway after this a pair of Bullfinch came through and a strange call sounded from a nearby field leaving both Dante and i completely bemused. And so with water supplies dwindling both Dante and i headed for home on what turned out to be and interestingly dull day. And so my wait for my recorder breaker in the Totteridge Valley goes on... |
AuthorI have been a birder since i was 8 however only really started to be able to go out to places by myself in Summer 2016 (Blame the parents) My blogs will be from all over the place, but mainly from RSPB Rainham Marshes and Totteridge Valley! Photography done by Samuel Levy aged 18. |