You may have noticed that my blogs have been a bit light on the ground of late. This is because I have basically spent the month of August travelling. None of it was birding based, but I did make time for quite a bit of bird watching along the way.
Late August can be an excellent time to visit your local nature reserve as the autumnal migration is about to get into full swing. You really never know what will turn up. In this and the next few blogs I hope you a bit of the excitement and flavour you can get by visiting your local nature reserve right now. There is still another week or so as those that are leaving for warmer climes pass back through South Wales and the lull before the winter wildfowl starts to arrive en mass.
I am currently reading The Biggest Twitch by Alan Davies and Ruth Miller. In a way these next few blogs are inspired by them, as it starts with a lifer and ends in a rarity, with quite a lot of exciting birds in between.
Our first port of call, and the first of several return visits, was back to the in-laws in Lincolnshire. We were providing a bit of welcomed babysitting for my sister-in-law, with Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore right on the door step it would be rude not to take a little time out from feeding baby to see what was about.
Usually when I am Freiston I sit in the hide there and watch what is on the lagoons. During early August there is an excellent chance of getting views of Avocets on the other lagoon towards the meadow area of the reserve. The lagoon has no hide, but an excellent screen for you to watch the birds. It reminds me of Newport Wetlands when I am there. You really have to learn the skill of patience. The birds are clearly aware of you when you arrive, and tend to move to the island in the middle of the lagoon. If you just sit still and keep as quiet as possible they usually start feeding and working their way back towards the screen. I have gotten some of my best photographs of Black-Tailed Godwits there in the past. Sure enough there were half a dozen Avocets feeding on the lagoon. I always find it fascinating to watch them sweep their beaks through the mud at the bottom of the lagoon, searching for any tasty morsels they can find. The lagoon had a decent number of the afore-mentioned Black-Tailed Godwits on it, still in their rusty red summer plumage. Common Sandpipers picked at the water’s edge around island. Sandpipers are a summer visitor that comes in a variety of species, and degrees of scarcity. Common Sandpipers are probably the easiest to identify. Its habitual bobbing motion should first attract your attention to it, it is a smallish wader with a distinct white “arm pit” when the wing meets the body. Lapwings wheeled around the surrounding area, making their “pu-wit” calls.
It was time to move on and have a look at the meadow area of the reserve. It is a certain place to see Skylarks during the summer. They suddenly erupt, unseen, from the meadow and rise into the air, full of song. A real soundtrack to the summer! I noticed one bird acting differently. It was singing its little lungs out, but only flitting from the heads of various thistles, and not rising high into the blue skies above. I had excellent views of it through the binoculars, and it didn’t take to me too long to confirm its identity, the large heavy bill a clear give away. I was watching a Corn Bunting. The largest of the buntings and one of the most scarce, almost extinct here in Wales, was a lifer for me. I have never seen one before. For quite a nondescript little brown job it was the star bird of the day for me!
Full of the excitement of seeing this rare bunting I wandered back to the main lagoon. The Freiston Shore lagoon has played host to a Common Tern colony in recent years. Sure enough there was a small colony there, and they already had chicks. I sat on the sea wall and watched as the terns flew within a few feet of my head, ferrying food from the receding tide to their hungry youngsters.
I had 25 species recorded for Bird Track and I had only just got to Lincolnshire, and spent a couple of hours at Freiston shore. This boded well for the coming days and weeks …
To be continued …
© All Images – Anthony Walton
Really fantastic account Ant. As it's not particularly about Wales I would definitely think about also sharing it (with a couple of amendments to make it 'fit)' with UK wide forum like 'All Creatures Great and Small'. I'm sure the folks on there who don't check our Welsh forums (sadly there are one or two!) who would really love your work and photos!