With the weather system being very similar to last week we've had a similar array of birding treats on the reserves this week. Unfortunately the notable exception from last week's sightings is the jack snipe which unfortunately couldn't be relocated. Some careful habitat management around the scrape and reedbed fringes during October will hopefully provide some suitable habitat and entice an over winterer or two.
Amazingly the highlight birds this week were the same as last weeks with both the yellow-browed warbler and firecrest being reported from the hedgerow near the visitor centre. With the weather conditions being good for movement we thought these birds wouldn't be seen again after they were first found but it looks like they, as many have done before them, like the feel of Frampton and decided to stay for a bit longer. Other possibility is that they are different birds, hard to say for sure either way but the main thing is to not just look at the water. Always birds to be found at both reserves, you just need someone to be looking.
The glossy ibis is still a big draw and a few sunny days have showed this bird off in all its glory. On the 30th we welcomed a pair of spoonbills, a bird which was a regular sight over the summer but has been absent on many a list over the last month or so.
Glossy ibis - Ian Ellis
Glossy ibis - Oriole Birding
Spoonbill - Neil Smith
1. We had a potential highest Frampton count of ruff on the 29th with over 150 on north scrape alone. These were a nice mixture of both plumage (adult and this years young birds) and sizes (towering males and diminutive females/reeves) and by no means weren't all the birds on the reserves. They were dotted about all over the scrapes, reedbed and grassland so there may well have been nearer 200.... Anyone fancy having a high tide count for us? Your weekend times are Saturday at 15:20 and Sunday at 16:30, you've got 150 to beat :)
2. The glossy ibis is as confiding as ever so if it's a sunny day, ie not Saturday, get snapping as they don't get much closer than this.
3. As wigeon, teal and finch numbers continue to rise so do the sightings of those that like to snack on them. Merlin, peregrine, hobby, kestrel, marsh harrier, buzzard and short-eared owl have all graced someones view this week so it's eyes to the skies if a cloud of birds take off from the deck and see if you can pick out the marauder.
4. Following on from photo opportunities for the glossy ibis, the goldfinches around North Scrape present a great opportunity to capture these charismatic critters. The charm must be nearly 200 strong.
5. No jack snipe this week but chances to look for them have been few and far between. Where you see snipe, jacko's may well be nearby so keep your eye on the stalked vegetation around the scrape edges.
6. 40 pink-footed geese were on the grassland on the 2nd and our brent goose count is now up to 70 with the three figure mark bound to be broken through any day now. A nice surprise were 2 juvenile whooper swans on the morning of the 30th.
7. The wigeon are firmly settled now and provide a wonderful whistling spectacle as they graze the grassland and take flight if aerial predators are feeling peckish. A garganey was reported on the 28th shows the rewards that come with sifting through the teal. Hopefully they'll be a bit more obvious as they come out of eclipse.
8. We aren't out of the migrant woods yet. A meeting at the office yesterday was conductive to both work and birding as several chiffchaff, blackcap and goldcrest were spied out of the window so birds are still moving through. With both firecrest and yellow-browed warbler reported this week and rain on Saturday, Sunday may well reveal a surprise or two. Any bit of cover is worth searching so take the time to do the rounds and work the perimeter bushes. And it's not just migrant birds to be found. A clouded yellow on the 29th was our latest ever!
While wader watching may not be at its September peak birds are still out there to be found. Highlights this week have been singles of little stint (5 on 27th) and curlew sandpiper (2 on the 1st) throughout, 6 greenshank on the 2nd and 4,000 black-tailed godwits at Freiston reservoir on the 29th (though I'm sure they will be there on most high tides).
The video below was taken a few weeks back but if you times the spectacle by ten, that's how good it can be at Freiston.
Black-tailed godwit - Robert Pell (click on the cog in the icon bar just ^^ here and select HD in the quality bar to see the video at it's best)
That's all from me this week. Enjoy your weekend everyone, and if you can't wait 7 days to know what's going on here, keep your finger on the Lincolnshire Wash Reserves pulse by following us on Twitter and giving us a ‘like’ on Facebook.
The more you're out the more you see - https://twitter.com/BoyWonderBirder