We know that RSPB reserves are a great place for birds (and other wildlife). But how good can they be? Well, last weekend I decided to find out by doing an all-day birding marathon at Frampton Marsh. The task I set myself was simple, to see as many species of bird from within the reserve boundaries as possible, just in one day. Here’s how it turned out
4 am: Alarm goes off. Hells bells and buckets of blood! What on earth am I doing? I should be sleeping, not stumbling about in the dark looking for my jeans...
5:20 am: Arrive at the reserve, after driving through some pretty heavy rain. Not feeling optimistic for the day. Remarkably, I am not alone. Another hardy soul pulls into the car park just behind me. A photographer off to snap some shots in the early light of dawn. He tells me it is hammering with rain in Boston. Terrific! I mutter a quick plea to the heavens to keep it away from Frampton, then set to it. The wet grassland next to the car park has a lot of birds on it, and I can hear many more singing away in the still morning air, so before too long I’m into the 20’s. And we’re mere minutes into the challenge. Some summer plumage golden plovers are a nice sight.
6 am. After a quick stop in the 360 hide I’ve made my way up to the old car park. I can see a lovely barn owl hunting along the fence line. I scan out over the flooded grassland to the north of the car park and to my surprise spot a small duck with a chocolate head and a massive white eyebrow. A male garganey. A somewhat uncommon summer visitor. I quickly put the news out via twitter (@RSPBNorfolkLinc) and continue looking. A little ringed plover lands on the mud mere feet from me, nice to see them so close. In fact, most of the birds are seemingly oblivious to me. Total is 45 species.
Garganey, barn owl and little ringed plover
6:30 am: On top of the sea bank, scanning out over the saltmarsh. I can see wheatears using a stone as a display point, knots wheeling off in the distance and marsh harrier and a buzzard soaring. The rain doesn’t seem to have arrived, in fact it is getting quite nice. Very little wind. This changes though as I head north along the seabank, and a stiff easterly wind starts up. This will be the main weather feature for the rest of the day. Now on 53 species.
Wheatear
8:30 am: After a stop in the east hide I’m walking around the back of the reedbed. Corn buntings are singing from the tops of bushes, a red-legged partridge sticks its head up and a snipe flies across the reedbed right towards me, before diving into a patch of reeds and disappearing from view. Eventually I make it round the reedbed and back to the car park for a quick slurp of tea from the thermos, before setting off down the hedgerow, listening for singing small birds. Total is 74.
10:00 am: The winds are making things tricky, the smaller birds aren’t singing very much! I get along to the grassland reservoir before I get a text from Lynne and Pete, today’s volunteers. They have seen a spoonbill, back near the old car park. Quite a trek! I walk as quickly as I can, but get there too late, it has gone. The solitary pink-footed goose that lives on the reserve isn’t much of a consolation. Total is 78.
Spoonbill
11:00 am: I go to the visitor centre, arriving just as my friend Caro arrives with some bacon butties and cake for me. What a lovely lady! It helps recharge the batteries. My colleague Simon, our assistant warden, then gives me a lift back up to the sea bank for another look for the spoonbill. No joys though. We have a seriously good look at some ruff in case any of them turn out to be buff-breasted sandpipers, but this turns out to be wishful thinking! I do add an extra bird though, as a grey heron flies over. Total is 79.
1:30 pm: Things are getting tough, starting to chase individual birds. I have walked south along the seabank, then down the crossbank. During the week Toby, our warden, had seen a wood sandpiper down here, along one of the ditches. Sure enough, after staking out the most likely the bird obliges and emerges from cover. I continue on down towards the grassland reservoir, picking up a couple more birds on the way. I then get a phonecall from Simon. He’s spotted a turnstone, back near the old car park. I explain where I am and he drives the reserve truck round to pick me up and take me to where the bird can be seen. What a nice chap! Then, its time for some lunch (ticking off greenfinch as I tuck into my sandwiches in the visitor centre) Total is 85
Turnstone
4 pm: OK, things are getting really tough now. The wind is making it really hard to see stuff. Smaller birds aren’t singing and birds of all sizes are seeking shelter. I’ve walked back along the hedgerow to the reservoir again, as I know there ought to be yellow wagtails here. I hear the briefest of snatches of turtle dove song, just enough to tick it off. I spend quite a bit of time lurking around a particular bramble thicket before I am rewarded with a tree sparrow. At the reservoir I scan, and scan and scan. Then delight! An elegant greenshank walking along the banks of the reservoir. It puts the total on 87, beating my previous best. I then spend quite a bit of time lurking around a bramble patch (getting snagged every now and again, I’ve given blood for this you know!) until a tree sparrow pops its head out. Probably wondering what I’m up to. I’m starting to wonder the same! Total is 88.
Greenshank
7 pm: Ugh, its really getting tough now. Not seen anything new for a while. I’ve headed back to the car park, had another slurp of tea then gone to the 360 hide looking for either common sandpipers or the curlew sandpiper that had been around earlier in the week. Then up to the sea bank behind east hide, in case any grey plovers had been brought in by the high tide, or indeed any sea ducks had come up the river. No joys there either. I suddenly realise I’m missing RSPB president Miranda Krestovnikoff on ‘Pointless’, Never mind, will have to watch it later on BBC iPlayer. Then suddenly, a new bird! A great black-backed gull comes storming through the reserve, sending avocets and lapwings into a panic.
8:30 pm: I’ve walked back around the reedbed, driven back up to the old car park to check for the spoonbill again (still no sign) and then driven round to the reservoir to look for the whinchat that has been about and house martins. No luck on either. Its getting dark now, and to be honest I’ve had enough. 15 hours solid birdwatching is enough!
So there you have it. 15 hours, 89 species (plus two I missed. The spoonbill and a great spotted woodpecker Simon saw) and 11 miles walked. The full list for the day is
Fancy having a go yourself? Well, here’s the guidelines I followed:
89 is the target to beat or, for a team, 94 (done last year). So what are you waiting for?
(Photos of barn owl, little ringed plover, wheatear, spoonbill, turnstone and greenshank all by Neil Smith. Photo of garganey by Ron Knight, via Wikimedia Commons)
Reedbed, freshwater scrapes, saltmarsh and wet meadow. Frampton Marsh has it all! Come and pay us a visit soon.