Hold onto your hats ladies and gents, you're in for the long haul this week. With the weather being super dooper sunny and bright this week I, and several others, had our cameras to hand as we were out and about so prepare for a visual feast. Fortunately there are other contributors to this weeks images so worry not, there is a good deal of quality to match the quantity :)
Following on from our record count of Whooper Swan last week it was back to earth with a bump as most of them departed on Sunday morning :( A group of 120 circled round the reserve a few times and then took a bee line towards Boston, increasing in height as they went. A few still remain and these are faithful to roosting on the reserve and feeding in the fields to the south of the cross bank. The 4 White-fronted Geese were also still present up until the 10th at least.
Stealing the wildfowl headlines this week however was the number and variety of Brent Geese. They'll soon be thinking of leaving (more on that below) so it looks like they want to show off their sheer numbers and variety in a final flourish over the next month. With so many of them, over 2,000 on the wet grassland throughout the week, they can be easy to pass over but there are some gems to be found.
A Black Brant found on the 13th was originally thought to be the hybrid seen earlier in the year, but upon closer inspection this could be a pure bird. The occasional Pale-bellied Brent could be picked out among the masses throughout the week while an unusual pale backed bird was photographed on the 12th.
Black Brant - Ian Ellis
Pale-bellied Brent Goose - Ian Ellis
Pale backed Dark-bellied Brent Goose - Ian Ellis
While plumage variations are relatively easy to see, colour rings are a little harder, not only to find but also to read. Fortunately the habitat management and viewing points are such that you can get very close to the birds at RSPB Frampton, making this process a little easier. Two colour ringed birds were picked out this week and we got the details back immediately.
Dark-bellied Brent Goose RFN8 - Ian Ellis
RFN8 details - Courtesy of www.geese.org
The two previous records of this bird have been in the Netherlands and also during spring but this is the first time it has been recorded on this side of the North Sea.
As mentioned above the Brent Geese will soon be leaving us and it's results like the next one that prove it.....
Dark-bellied Brent Goose R9N2 - Ian Ellis
R9N2 details - Courtesy of www.geese.org
So how do we know Brent Geese are heading back? Well this bird gives us a very good indication. It was seen near Southampton, 180 miles away, in the evening prior to Ian and I seeing it at Frampton on the morning of the 12th. This movement is a pretty direct north east flight which shows how valuable the reserve is not only for wintering birds, but also birds passing though as they head back to Siberia for the summer. Awesome!
Wigeon and Teal numbers continue to slide so after the cracking shot of a Teal last week we'll showcase the glorious Wigeon this week as they won't be that many around as we head towards, and then into, April.
Wigeon - Neil Smith
Wigeon - Toby Collett
Omitted last week, naughty me, was the return of our Great Crested Grebes. These guys moult out their summer finery over the autumn and head out to spend the winter offshore. They have now returned in all their crested glory and we have three on the reedbed. Little Grebes are also starting to get their breeding best out and can be heard giving their high pitched rattle (open to suggestions of a better description) in around the reserve. I've included a Cormorant in this weeks round up just because they look fantastic in full breeding plumage. Hugely underrated bird and one to look out for when you come and see us.
Great Crested Grebe - Toby Collett
Cormorant - Ian Ellis
If you've ever been unlucky enough to stop me and have a chat about the reserve in the winter you may have been subjected to my comparison of the UK's incredible winter wildfowl and avian assemblages with the mammal spectacle of the Serengeti. Where they have Wildebeest, Zebra, Kudu and Impala, we have Wigeon, Lapwing, Golden Plover and Teal, and where they have Lion and Cheetah, we have our Peregrine and Merlin, hope you guys are going with me on this....
One of my favourite and most engaging experiences on the reserve is watching a hunt and as spectacular as a Lion chase is, surely watching a pair of Peregrine, hunting in harmony and silence at such incredible speeds is just as breathtaking. On the 7th I was lucky enough to see them do just that. The first thing you notice when a Peregrine is in the vicinity is that everything takes to the air. Searching for a single bird among the masses isn't easy but sometimes you get lucky. A small group of Dunlin and Ruff were behaving very erratically over middle scrape and a quick scan gave the culprit away.
Dunlin, Ruff and Peregrine - Toby Collett
While watching this bird scatter the waders and wildfowl across the scrapes, a second bird shot though them and gave a halfhearted chase before climbing and joining the first bird to leave the reserve and soar together towards Boston.
Peregrines - Toby Collett
While the Peregrines may not be able to find as many ducks to harry and chase, there are plenty of waders appearing to take their place on the menu. Avocets have become a firm fixture after their staccato start. On the 7th we had 19 individuals, but this figure grew quickly over the weekend and by Monday there were 77 spread across the reserve.
Avocet - Neil Smith
Numbers of Dunlin, Ruff and Black-tailed Godwit are also on the up, though not quite filling the void created by the Golden Plover moving, but still credit to them for trying. We're giving them as much help as possible by flooding areas of grassland that have never been inundated before and this seems to be paying off immediately which is fantastic to see as it makes all the mess of the diggers and dumpers worth it. Not only are our numbers good but variety is also improving with Little Stint seen regularly throughout the week and Spotted Redshank on the 11th being the highlights. These birds are very confiding indeed so do make sure you take a walk up to the sea bank car park to see them and the fantastic habitat we've created.
Dunlin - Neil Smith
Little Stint (second from left) and Dunlin - Toby Collett
Spotted Redshank - Toby Collett
Redshank - Neil Smith
After reading Charlotte's excellent blog earlier in the week, I realised that I have a picture of the exact bird she was talking about. The Skylark chorus is a very welcome sign that spring is on its way and while they often do sing at eye squinting heights, they can also give a little burst from the ground which is what gave this chaps presence away.
Skylark - Toby Collett
Another very confiding bird was the Snow Bunting that was seen on the sea bank over the weekend. After the regular group from the reedbed departed many weeks ago we didn't think we'd see any more but this little lady had other ideas and lots of visitors were glad she did.
Snow Bunting - Neil Smith
Getting good pictures of the Snow Bunting, and to a lesser extent, the Skylark comes down to a bit of luck but if you want to practice your photography on something smaller in preparation for the incoming migrants then our feeding station is an excellent location. We regularly have Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Tree Sparrow, Reed Bunting and Yellowhammers visiting and the pictures below show the standard that can be achieved and wrap up this weeks sightings perfectly.
Tree Sparrow - Alan Crofts
Yellowhammer - Alan Crofts
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Very full descriptions of what I have missed during the week.
I wonder what that was that just flew past??