In true Douglas Adams – Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy style … welcome to part five of the increasingly inaccurately entitled and originally intended trilogy of these travelogues.
Following the fantastic day’s nature watching we had at Strumpshaw Fen I decided to strike whilst the iron was still hot and head to the RSPB reserve of Titchwell Marsh. When I visited there two years ago major work as being undertaken on the sea defences, these were completed shortly after our visit, but this was my first chance to go back and see the “other half” of the reserve that missed out on last time.
It was a glorious day when I arrived. I was on a bit of a mission I must confess. I have a list of birds I consider “near mythicals” that I keep with my good friend and Newport Wetlands birder, Nigel. One bird that always seems to be on a reserve the day before or day after I visit is the Spoonbill. I have missed the one at Goldcliff at Uskmouth several times this year! Titchwell was a cast iron place to see them. There were thirteen present the week before I visited. No one can be that unlucky can they? Well the answer was no. I hadn’t been on the reserve ten minutes when two Marsh Harriers put the entire flock up. They were roosting on the central island of the lagoon, and were too far away to photograph. When not being spooked by the Marsh Harriers, they were doing what Spoonbills are want to do, and just sleeping.
The day I chose to go to Titchwell was a good one, as a flock of Curlew Sandpipers had arrived that morning. Over twenty of these curved billed waders were picking the water’s edge for food. My only other sightings of this bird had always been from a distance. It was nice to get some close up photos of this less common of the sandpiper family. I was also rewarded with incredibly close up views of a Spotted Redshank in front of the hide. A number of Avocets were feeding close by, swishing their beaks back and forth in the water to try and catch any shrimps or other tasty morsels. A Little Egret flew low over the water scattering a small flock feeding on the far bank. As they settled again you could pick out Dunlin, Little Ringed Plovers and their large cousins Ringed Plovers. Lapwings tugged at sand worms. In the distance a Little Stint mixed with small flock of Knot that were sleeping on a sandbank. It was a birding box of delights! I spent a wonderful hour sat in the hide, and another on a bench drenched in late summer sun, with Clouded Yellow Butterflies flitting around my feet, just drinking in this wonderful smorgasbord of migrant waders refuelling before they left our shores. It is hard to see how any other birding I do in the remainder of this year will beat that afternoon. I broke my personal daily species count by a considerable margin.
By comparison my visit to Cley Marshes was very low key, with just forty four species seen! Cley Marshes is one of the top (if not the top) birding locations in the UK. Run by Norfolk Wildlife trust, it is in fact the first Wildlife Trust reserve to have been purchased in the UK, and first opened in 1926. 2200 reserves and 47 Wildlife Trusts later it is still the jewel in their crown. There are hides a plenty, salt marshes, and if you fancy a bit of a sea watch, a large shingle banking where you can try and spot the various sea birds out in the North Sea. Whilst walking to the first of the hides I had the closest encounter with a Bearded Tit I will ever have, short of actually holding one. We heard the “ping-ping” call from the reeds ahead of us. As we rounded the corner on the broad walk a male bird shot out of the reeds and narrowly avoided colliding with my head! We both took evasive action and let out a squeak of surprise!
Stirred and not a little shaken we sat down in the hide. It wasn’t long before Dawn spotted a couple of Snipe! A large family of Canadian Geese were kicking up a fuss in front of the hide. A handful of Common Sandpipers were feeding, and it wasn’t long before I added another to my list of sandpipers this summer, with a Green Sandpiper in amongst them. A mixed flock of Golden and Grey Plovers caught the eye, and were duly added to the Bit Of A Twitch list. The last time I sat in that hide I was rewarded with the sight of a Kestrel pursuing and catching its prey right outside. No hunt this time, but we did see one hovering over the fields, no doubt looking for a small rodent to fatally wander out into the open. The Curlew’s confusion bird the Whimbrel was present on the lagoon. One of the star spots of the day was seeing a male Hen Harrier quartering the reed beds on the lookout for any Reed Warblers or other small birds still present. It was yet another incredible day! It had been an incredible month! We stopped off back in Boston in Lincolnshire before returning back to base in South Wales. A couple of short visits to Freiston and Frampton completed the list with a juvenile Yellow Wagtail, the most photogenic Meadow Pipit I have ever encountered and a Sparrowhawk out hunting.
And there you have it; the impromptu Bit Of Twitch was over.
The list for the month was a very pleasing 103 species (104 if I was allowed to include the non-native Black Swan!). There was no real twitching that actually took place, and the lists were compiled using the wonderful Bird Track App. The list is only made up of birds I can confidently ID. This was just all that I saw whilst out doing what I love most, immersing myself in nature. I’d like to thank Alan Davies and Ruth Miller and The Biggest Twitch for indirectly inspiring me to keep a proper list, and improve my ID skills this summer.
I hope you enjoyed reading these blogs as much I enjoyed reliving the memories. It was a truly special summer of wildlife for me. The last bird to be added to the list was a female Pintail at Frampton. This was evidence of the changing seasons were bringing in our winter visitors. A new exciting chapter in the bird watching calendar is now beginning!
All Images © Anthony Walton
The species list …
Avocet, Bar-tailed Godwit, Bearded Tit, [Black Swan], Black-headed Gull, Black-tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Coot, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Cuckoo, Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Dunnock, Gadwall, Garganey, Golden Plover, Goldfinch, Great Black-backed Gull, Great Tit, Green Sandpiper, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Greenshank, Grey Partridge, Grey Plover, Grey Wagtail, Greylag Goose, Hen Harrier, Herring Gull, House Martin, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Jay, Kestrel, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Little Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Merlin, Moorhen, Mute Swan, Osprey, Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pintail, Raven, Red-legged Partridge, Red Kite, Redshank, Reed Warbler, Ringed Plover, Robin, Rock Dove, Rook, Ruff, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Shoveler, Shelduck, Siskin, Skylark, Snipe, Sparrowhawk, Spoonbill, Spotted Flycatcher, Spotted Redshank, Starling, Swallow, Swift, Tawny Owl, Teal, Tree Sparrow, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Water Rail, Whimbrel, Widgeon, Wood Sandpiper, Woodpigeon, Wren, Wryneck, Yellow Wagtail
Once again great story and pics!