It's been a bit of a grey week with cloudy and misty conditions over both reserves. The birds however have been shining brightly and we start with a reserve first and another record falling, both within 5 minutes of each other!
John was on his last leg of a monthly Marsh Farm count when he heard a distinct call from the ditch between South Scrape and the road. A few calls later and the briefest of glimpses confirmed it as a Cetti's warbler. Several of these sedentary skulking songsters have been reported in the county over the last few days so hopefully we can hold them over the winter and add them to our breeding bird list too :) John left us hunting for the warbler as he headed off to finish his count and then returned 5 minutes later with a new reserve record for wigeon. In just under two weeks the reserve has attracted nearly 600 more than we had on the 9th (3243) so if anyone can beat 3,805, bragging rights are yours.
Golden plover outside 360 Hide (and just before the 8 second point you can hear the Cetti's warbler) - Toby Collett
The lack of good conditions has meant a lack of photographers so I have only my own pictures and videos to upload so apologies for the mediocre monotony.
The glossy ibis has been on splendid form this week with many visitors not even having to get out of the car when they arrive to see it. The grassland opposite the Visitor Centre has been HEAVING with birds this week. A reasonable estimate would be that of over 4,000 birds on the grassland adjacent to car park and hedgerow. As well as the ibis, highlights here have been 300 dark-bellied brent geese, 2 pale-bellied brent geese, 1,800 wigeon, 400 teal, 80 ruff, 600 starling, water rail, 70 curlew, 50 redshank, sparrowhawk and peregrine.
Glossy ibis
Snapshot of a small number of birds on Marsh Farm
Sparrowhawk shortly after catching a starling
Another big draw this week has been the continued, but unpredictable, presence of the juvenile rough-legged buzzard. I have seen him three mornings out of 5 from Frampton Roads as I head in to work and those willing to put the hours in (either searching or waiting) have also been rewarded.
A couple of distinctive plumage features of rough-legged buzzard are the pale head.....
.... and white base to the tail. Both features help separate it from common buzzard.
The only omission from last week's raptor rap sheet was short-eared owl with hen harrier (both ring tail and 'grey ghost'), marsh harrier, peregrine, merlin, kestrel, sparrowhawk and barn owl being seeing daily. The barn owl is as regular as can be expected for any wild animal but there hasn't been an evening since the last blog when we haven't seen it from the Visitor Centre while locking up.
And it isn't just the barn owl that distracts us while shutting up shop. Middle Scrape is bring in the birds BIG TIME! A flock of two thousand golden plover is now using the scrape to roost on and look and sound spectacular as they tumble from the sky and then jostle for position on the deck. There are plenty more over the saltmarsh and a walk down to Tabb's Head has resulted in some wonderful displays for our more hardy visitors.
Golden plover flocking outside 360 Hide
Lapwing on South Scrape
So you all know we have the numbers but what about our supporting cast? Twite have been recorded off and on all week with several picked up on the saltmarsh surveys and a few reports from East Hide and also the northern reedbed path where 4 stonechat were seen on the 17th. A snow bunting was seen on the 15th, as was a spotted redshank on Roads Farm. Probably the same individual was out on the saltmarsh on the 19th where a stumble and expletive outburst led to the flushing of a jack snipe during a survey.
Competing with the glossy ibis for reserve's most fulgent finery, kingfishers have been chasing across the reserve, though they're often tricky to pin down. Learning and recognising the call is key to being one step ahead of these turquoise rockets and hopefully you can catch it in flight.
While evening visits are thoroughly recommended at the minute due to the numbers and noises on the reserve, next week has some good high tides first thing so an early start could be rewarded. A foggy start on the morning of the 20th shielded roosting whooper swans from the eyes but the ears don't lie. While we didn't get a count we know they were there so come down and try your luck.
1. As mentioned above the grassland next to the car park is pulsing with birds which is surely much better than a bacon sarnie to satiate ones birding appetite. Check out the Roads Farm grassland too as this is often hitting its peak later in the day.
2. With the reserve getting wetter and wetter the glossy ibis can pick and choose the best spots as there are loads of them. It has been faithful to the car park field this week though.
3. Keep searching through the dark-bellied brent geese for the stray pale-bellied birds or the scarcer black brant.
4. The sea bank and path to East Hide are the best places to look for this pretty peach-throated finch.
5. If you can please stay till dusk on your visit as you wont be disappointed. Sitting in the 360 Hide will provide some memorable sights and sounds as 2 thousand golden plover drop in above you then wheel about in front of you as they settle.
6. Hen harriers are the target species for those scanning the saltmarsh at the watchpoint but don't forget to look back over the grassland for hunting falcons and hawks.
7. The barn owl seen every evening since you last read this blog shows no signs of disappearing anytime soon so another good reason to stay past sundown.
8. The starling spectacle has been overtaking by the wing of plovers outside 360 Hide as they are both louder and closer. The starlings do outnumber them 3-1 though and a murmuration off is on the cards!
Will finish this weeks photos with a massive geek out picture I took this week. The weather hasn't been great for looking at or photographing birds but the overcast conditions were perfect yesterday for looking at the sun and I was very happy to pick out these sun spots as I don't often get the chance to look at the sun through binoculars or a scope. Think this may be the first time I've seen sunspots so glad I was able to take a photo and share.
Sunspots
And finally we have had a tweak and tidy up of our sightings board to make it a bit more user friendly for us and provide a better experience for you on your visit. We've had some great feedback and the board has been evolving all week to the standard you'll find it at this weekend. Be good to hear the thoughts from both regulars and occasional visitors so please have a chat with us in the VC and let us know what you think.
That's all from me this week. Enjoy your weekend everyone, and if you can't wait 7 days to know what's going on here, keep your finger on the Lincolnshire Wash Reserves pulse by following us on Twitter and giving us a ‘like’ on Facebook. Alternatively if you like taking pictures and have a Flickr account then please join our group and share your images with everyone.
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The more you're out the more you see - https://twitter.com/BoyWonderBirder