A bit like last week we have no outright headline hogger this week. Instead we split it between 2, and the first of them belongs to the brief party of 3 Bewick's swans (named after the incredibly talented Thomas Bewick) that dropped on to the saline lagoon at Freiston for an hour on the morning of the 22nd. While we have regularly hosted whooper swans so far this autumn/winter, Bewick's swans elude us and we only really get fly by's or brief visits like this. Fortunately Neil was down there at the time and managed to get some pictures.
Mute swans and Bewick's swans - Neil Smith
It is clear in this picture the size difference between the familiar mute swan and the noticeably smaller Bewick's.
Group photo of Bewick's and Whooper swans (but which is which) - Neil Smith
And in this picture we can see both 'yellow billed' swans, but which is which? Bewick's are smaller and have a shorter necked appearance than whooper swans. Another way to remember the difference is by the shape of the yellow on the bill, Bewick's is rounded (like the 'B' in Bewick's) and whoopers is pointed (like the 'W' in whooper).
Along with the 5 whooper swans at Freiston there have also been up to 15 seen in the field south of the crossbank where they have been grazing on winter wheat in the company of 300 pink-footed geese.
Staying with geese and wildfowl in general brings us to our second highlight of the week, and that is just generally how awesome they are on the reserve! The scrapes and wet grassland are bursting at the seams with birds. Over 1,500 wigeon and 1,000 brent geese can be seen feeding just 20 metres away from the paths and roadside as you head down to the sea bank. The vast majority of these birds are dark-bellied brent geese but hidden in amongst them are their scarcer Norwegian cousins, the pale bellied-brent goose. They can be tricky to find to start with but once you get your eye in it is enjoyable trying to pick them out from the crowd. To get the identification ball rolling there is at least one in the photo below, get looking and I'll reveal all next week.
Brent geese next to the old car park - Toby Collett
Elsewhere around the reserve our snow bunting count for the week peaked at 13, with single birds also recorded over the saltmarsh (27th) and Marsh Farm (28th). Hen harriers were also seen on the 24th, 27th and 28th with Chris being treated to a fantastic view of an adult male as one cruised low over the field outside our Roads Farm office. Both merlin and peregrine have also been zipping though the reserve bothering the golden plovers, lapwing and teal. While not so good for them it is quite the sight for visitors watching them wheel and scatter above their heads.
While regular readers may well be aware, I do like to bang on about waders and the standout representative of the week was a little stint seen on the reedbed on the 27th. Ruff continue to be found dotted around on the scrape and snipe are skulking on the fringes of the islands.
Temperatures are set to drop this weekend so when you come and see us in the next few days to search for snow bunting and pick out pale-bellied brent geese, remember to bring your hat and gloves.
The more you're out the more you see - https://twitter.com/BoyWonderBirder