Today the first day of December and also wintertime signaling a distinct cooling of the air to more usual winter temperatures, and although yesterday was particularly mild the harriers seemed to know that there was going to be a morning chill resulting in a noticeable increase in their numbers roosting in the Blacktoft reedbed.
Marsh harrier hunting (Mike Johnson)
It seemed that they waited till the last drop of daylight to flight in with birds arriving in force from about 3.20pm, and continuing to arrive until the dark was almost upon them. Most birds came in low and in small loose nit groups, dropping quite quickly into roost although at times there were still an impressive eight marsh harriers in the air all at once. Later a ringtail hen harrier came in quite close to Singleton hide and put on a great display to those hardy souls that had held on to the last, the marsh harriers too just kept arriving at regular intervals with in the end probably in excess of 25 birds bedded down for the night along with a second very tardy ringtail who arrived in the last vestigial of the Autumn light.
Below - hen harrier coming in to roost (Mike Johnson)
On Saturday a small movement of pomarine skuas up the Humber resulted in one being reported flying up the Trent past the reserve and flying onto to land in fields near Adlingfleet. Not a bad sighting but also not untypical as there are previous reserve records at this time of year with poms seemingly displaced into the North Sea by winter gales further north.
Still a massive number of several thousand lapwings about and a few other waders including curlew, black tailed godwit, snipe, redshank and golden plover. But no recent records of the spot shanks. Duck numbers too seem to be holding up well with plenty of wigeon, teal, shoveler, shelduck and gadwall and rather unusually for this time of year still quite a few little grebes on Singleton lagoon.
Lapwing (Tim and Si Jump)
Little egret too seem to be regular with birds still finding plenty of fish in Ousefleet flash, while still a few parties of whooper swans heading south to East Anglia.
Other birds of note over the weekend included bullfinch, stonechat, water pipit, while the Kingfisher continues to dazzle. The cettis warblers are not too vocal at the moment but are still present in the willow edge while a few bearded tits are wintering in the reedbed in front of Ousefleet along with a whole heap of reed buntings who are enjoying the grass seed. Lots of fieldfares and a few accompanying redwings and song thrushes in the hedgerow plus a couple of regular great spotted woodpeckers.
Male bearded tit at Ousefleet
Reed bunting eating phragmites seed
And a nice shot of jenny wren (Mike Johnson)
Plenty of squealing water rails at the moment with regular birds now running across the paths so keep your eyes peeled.
The question is will the Harrier roost continue to rise for Christmas as in previous years?