Good afternoon readers and welcome to a second (and hopefully the last for a while as normal service is resumed) double week helping of sightings to ease you into the New Year.
Snow Buntings on the reedbed - Toby Collett
Scaup (duck and first winter drake) from the Reedbed Hide - Toby Collett
The weather hasn't been particularly condusive to getting out for a walk and birdwatch but a few brave souls braved the blusters and sheltered from the showers in the VC and hides. Rewards were thin on the ground in terms of variety with 7 Snow Buntings and 2 Scaup (a 1st year drake and female) being the most notable. On the plus side the spectacle of several thousand birds moving between and above the wet grassland and scrapes was a sight to behold. The bulk of these are made up of Wigeon (2,000+), Starling (1,500+), Teal (1000+), Dark-bellied Brent Geese (1,000+) and Lapwing (800+). If you include the Golden Plover flock (4,000+) out on the salt marsh the total would nudge comfortably past 10,000 I'm sure.
It is hard to really put into words just how incredible this sight is. The wet grassland is just alive with activity and although that is impressive in itself, give yourself a couple of hours on the reserve and there is a high chance that this mass of birds will be spooked by one of the many raptors we have visiting us and the results are spectacular. Clouds of birds wheel and whirr overhead, their wingbeats purring like a well tuned engine as they twist and turn in unison above you. Please do try and make a visit to experience the movement and sounds that only Frampton can provide. I promise you won't be dissapointed.
Away from the masses birds of prey continue to be a regular feature on a visit. The saltmarsh is the area to scan with both Marsh and Hen Harriers seen hunting along with Peregrine, Merlin and Kestrel regularly seen on the posts. Patience and good eyes can also pick out these trio of falcons on the reserve, either racing through a flock of wildfowl or finches or perched up and preening along one of the Marsh Farm fence lines.
On the wader front the most unusal bird to be recorded over the Christmas period was a Whimbrel on the 20th of December. We did have one in November and this may well be the same individual but will it make an early appearance in 2014...?
The hybrid Black Brant/Dark-bellied Brent Goose was seen again on the 2nd of January after being initially reported on the 30th of November. With so many Brent Geese to sift through it may well be a regular but unless you have good light and conditions, ie not too dark and blowing a gale, then it could easily be overlooked. One very obvious feature is the pale white blob on the left side of it's lower chest/upper belly. A feature like this helps to identify individuals as much as a colour mark would. If anyone knows of a bird with a similar splodge (see below) then we'd love to know where you saw it.
Brant x Brent hybrid - Toby Collett
So hopefully enough there for you to keep an eye out for when you come and see us this weekend or over the following week. For up to date reports follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.
All the best for 2014 and good birding :)
The more you're out the more you see - https://twitter.com/BoyWonderBirder