Suffolk Birding - Day 3...

So today a strong, biting wind combined with overcast dull skies have rather stopped play. It is horrible outside! However dad and I found the motivation to brave Melton for a couple of hours.

There was virtually no sign of any passerines in the bushes around the car park which was surprising so we headed straight towards Wilford Bridge where, when we looked over the river for the first time, we were greeted by oystercatchers, redshanks and dunlin.

Oystercatcher - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Common Redshank - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

We popped over the bridge where the wind seemed to double in ferocity. The wind-battering we received was worth it for a brief flash of a kingfisher, a little egret also struggling in the wind and a pair of great crested grebes on the fishing lakes.

Back over the bridge and a flock of dunlin started to creep towards us feeding quickly as they marched over the exposed mud.

Dunlin - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Other waders that we encountered were grey plovers, turnstones, ringed plovers, a common snipe and curlews.

Curlew - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

There were also a number of black-tailed godwits that joined the party as we were leaving. It was interesting to see them in different stages of moult. Below is my guess at gender but if you know better than myself feel free to correct me.

Adult male almost completely moulted into summer plumage:

Black-Tailed Godwit - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Adult male starting moult into summer plumage:

Black-Tailed Godwit - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Adult female barely starting summer moult:

Black-Tailed Godwit - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Group of godwits feeding and bathing:

Black-Tailed Godwits - Melton - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Final birds of note were a few common gulls that were hanging on, a large group of wigeon also hanging around and three very pale looking wagtails that flew overhead - potentially white wagtails.

Suffolk Birding - Day 2...

So, as always when back in Suffolk, today I decided to visit the RSPB's flagship reserve, Minsmere. As you have probably noticed from previous blogs I have, in the past, been a regular visitor to this reserve but today's visit was my first of 2013. I was hoping for a flood of spring migrants but having looked at recent reports online, I knew that this was unlikely.

When I arrived I headed straight back down the approach road towards Island Mere Hide. It was a joy to walk past the work centre and towards the Whin Hill watchpoint at this time. There was nobody around and I got wonderful views of some common, but beautiful, birds. At least four green woodpeckers flew from the ground and stuck themselves to trees and telegraph poles, jays escaped silently into the woodland, great spotted woodpeckers shouted at each other deep in the trees, marsh tits 'sneezed' at me and a pair of red-legged partridges turned their heels and scampered away in an almost comic manor.

A quick reminder of winter flew over Canopy Hide in the form of a couple of redwings. Onward through the rhododendrom tunnel and more marsh tits greeted me alongside many other small woodland birds including a song thrush and these very obliging long-tailed tits.

Long-Tailed Tit - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Entering Island Mere hide the garganey that had been showing well recently were immediately apparent - because they were sleeping just in front! Not good for photos but a very easy sighting by garganey standards.

Sleeping Garganey - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Whilst waiting for the ducks to wake up a male marsh harrier gave some stunning views as it hunted in the low morning sun out to the side of the hide.

Marsh Harrier - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Marsh Harrier - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

A bittern flew across the far side of the mere and we got more excellent views of birds as this little grebe fished progressively closer to the hide until it was lost to view (possibly underneath us!).

Bittern (record shot) - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Little Grebe - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Finally the garganey awoke and spent about a minute wondering around before finding an even worse position, tucking their heads back and falling asleep again.

Garganey - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Other birds of note from the hide were the calling bearded tits and Cetti's warblers along with the teal, common snipe, mute swans, great crested grebes and other regular waterfowl.

Off to bittern hide and the walk between the two hides provided my highlight of the day. No, it wasn't another bittern or more marsh harriers, it wasn't anything unusual - it was a goldcrest! Nothing special you might say but it kept hopping straight towards me from bush to bush until it passed me by too close to photograph. I am very happy with what I did get though.

Goldcrest - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Bittern Hide was pretty quiet so I headed for an early lunch. Massively recommend the cheese and ham toasties! Also recommend the view - it was a finch fest...

Finch Fest - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

From then on the birding became harder work. The wind got up and the complete lack (other than the garganey) of spring migrants became painfully apparent. Offshore there were a handful of red-throated divers fighting the wind heading north and the Scrape was full of black-headed gulls with a few others. One subtle sign of spring was the number of avocets that had returned - they all seem to disappear in the winter.

Avocet - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Quickly, a dampener was put on that spring feeling with a count of 10 smew! Not that seeing smew is ever a bad thing - but in April?!?

Smew - RSPB Minsmere - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful with turnstones, a dunlin and a black-tailed godwit being the only highlights on  the scrape and a grey plover on the levels.

All together I saw over 65 species but the second half was indeed hard work with the windy conditions. A good day.

Suffolk Birding - Day 1...

So today I have returned to (slightly surprisingly) sunny Suffolk to see the family for, unbelievably, the first time in 2013 - quite remarkable considering my weekly returns a couple of years ago. As previous blogs have shown, when in Suffolk I do like to get out and sample the local bird life so over the next few days we will see what can be seen.

Having arrived back in the early afternoon we had some lunch, chatted for a while and then noticed that two short-eared owls had been seen today at Levington Lagoon/Creek. With no further ado we jumped into the car and headed down to try our luck.

It was high tide when we arrived (presumably the owls were seen when the encroaching tide pushed them out from the edge of the river) and other than some wigeon and teal there was very little to see on the creek.

The waders had all massed on a small peninsular quite a way away and out of camera range. Further small groups of redshanks and dunlin darted and swirled through the air to join the assembled flock as the tide crept to today's high.

Wader Flock - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

We arrived at the lagoon to find more waders that had escaped the tide. There were more redshanks, a couple of oystercatchers, some common snipe, 3 grey plovers and a handful of shelducks.

Shelducks and Grey Plover - Levington Lagoon - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

After speaking to a local photographer about the apparent absence of the reported owls we moved further down the creek and found a lovely spotted redshank. A real bonus because it was a year tick for me.

Spotted Redshank - Levington Lagoon - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Wigeon, Snipe, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank -
Levington Lagoon - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

We watched a skein of Brent geese (c.40) fly down the opposite bank of the river and eventually two of them landed on the water just offshore from us.

(Dark-Bellied) Brent Geese - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Whilst watching them a real flying rarity flew up river.

Sea King Helicopter - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

These sea king helicopters have been such a constant presence through my coastal childhood that it is sad to think of them all now being decommissioned.

Anyway, as the tide began to retreat it took no time at all for the waders to literally flock back to the newly exposed mud flats. They came back in their hundreds; dunlin, redshank, turnstone, grey plover, curlew, avocet and oystercatcher all featured.

Wader Flock - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Waders - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Dunlin - Levington - Apr. 2013 - Mike Ixer

Having watched this feeding frenzy we decided it was time to return home. No short-eared owls (again) but a very enjoyable hours birding.

Let's see what tomorrow brings...