Fowlmere 30/3/13

A really good visit this evening, after yesterday's freeze fest of virtually nothing! First interesting bird was the ringtail HEN HARRIER which flew over the reeds at the opposite side of the mere from the Reedbed Hide at around 16:30, then off towards Fowlmere village. It eventually came in to roost at around 17:50 without any kind of decent fly past. For the first half hour, only the HH and a single JAY broke the tedium, really. That said, also of interest was a snipe in the pools to the right of the hide. I had looked at it, as it sat motionless, for ages, without getting a good look. I later went away to look (successfully) for CHIFFCHAFF, three of which were feeding low in the reeds near the Barn Owl box. When I came back to the hide, I asked a young lad if he had seen anything, and he replied JACK SNIPE, indicating the bird I'd been looking at. While sceptical (not because of is age, at all, but because one should always be!), I had thought Jack was a possibility but hadn't got enough of a view. His description was diagnostic enough, though, and when the bird eventually did move, it bobbed in a clearly Jack Snipe way. It has to go down as a "very probable", rather than a certainty, because its bill was never visible, and wouldn't have been even with a scope, I think, because of the reed positions. We then got superb close-up views of two BARN OWLS, heralded by a calling CETTI'S WARBLER, as they glided right in front of the hide windows from over the path, and they even made the odd noise before going their separate ways. A KINGFISHER flew past a couple of times, and another Fowlmere winter highlight briefly showed in the form of a male MERLIN which flew over the poplars at the opposite side of the mere from the hide, scaring up a few FIELDFARE into the bargain, something that a SPARROWHAWK was also doing. A LITTLE GREBE was making a good deal of noise to the left of the hide. On the mere itself, 5 GADWALL were present, 3 CANADA GOOSE (one of which was the subject of unwelcome attention from one of the two visible MUTE SWANS), 25+ COMMON TEAL, 3 COOTS, the usual MALLARD and MOORHENS. Up to 13 PIED WAGTAILS gathered on the fence at the far side of the mere, and it was like February often is with dozens, if not hundreds of REED BUNTING calls as they went into roost. There was the occasional burst of song from one or two of them too. GREYLAG GEESE were doing their usual noisy thing but they are quite beautiful in flight, especially in the cold, but stunning late evening sunshine in which the reserve was bathed. By the alders I could hear SISKIN and GOLDFINCH, as well as the usual tits, commoner finches and thrushes. There was a good number of corvids, as usual. Matt