A thoroughly busy few weeks has seen little activity on the blog front (sorry) but big changes and improvements on the ground (you are very welcome). We've had some jolly good birds in the last few weeks including a reserve 1st, a couple of 2nds and a 5th among some good views and numbers of our regulars. We have also welcomed back some winter faces too.
Here's a quick shot of what we've been up to out on the reserve. Our rotary ditcher has been in to reprofile some of our ditches and create some new habitat and viewing opportunities. Hopefully these will bear fruit immediately as we wet the reserve back up. For more detail on our reserve management, have a read here.
HEADLINES...
Those of you that visit regularly and keep your ears to the ground using the links below will know what I was eluding too in the top line and for those that don't, allow me to illuminate.
An evening stroll on the 21st saw an unfamiliar, for Frampton at least, but characteristic flight over the reedbed. The reserve's first nightjar was hawking insects with it's typical up and down flight and distinct silhouette. Though only around for a few minutes there's a chance that, while it was the first to be seen, it may well not be the first of its kind to grace the reserve. With the volume of insects on the reserve and our location near the coast we could well be an ideal fuelling stop for nightjars as they migrate south. Who's going to chance there arm and have a few dusk watches next year to find our second?
A trio of very large birds caught the eye on the 15th when three common cranes cruised languidly over the reserve and out into The Wash. These made up the second record for the reserve but unfortunately, like the nightjar, they were only enjoyed briefly and by a few. A much smaller second was the coal tit that was next to Mount Hirons. Possibly a continental bird that was the flag bearer for the arrival of goldcrests that seem to now be appearing on the reserve.
Common Crane - John Badley
A yellow-browed warbler on the 30th did play second fiddle to the juvenile bearded tit that popped up next to the sea bank car park on the same day. Amazingly the same spot produced the reserves second Cetti's warbler the next day. A stroll out to Tabs Head to look for migrants on the 17th turned up little on the small bird front but a whopping big white bird made up for it as a great white egret cruised low and out into The Wash. Just goes to show what turns up when we get birders out birding here. Don't wait for the rarities everyone, get down and find your own :D
Bearded tit - Ian Ellis
Away from the scarcities we've had a nice run of good birds for everyone to enjoy. Little stint, wood sandpiper, spotted redshank, greenshank and green sandpiper have been seen daily and provided some great photographic opportunities.
Wood sandpiper - Neil Smith
Greenshank - Neil Smith
Large numbers of black-tailed godwit and knot have been roosting on the reserve over the high tide spells and these have come to the attention of Boston's peregrines which are now a daily occurrence over the scrapes and grassland. An ever increasing wigeon and teal flock will also become part of the attraction to peregrines too as the winter wildfowl start to take up residence. The burbling calls of brent geese are now starting to be heard daily too, though we're still well off in hosting our peak winter numbers.
Until then we can try to enjoy some of our final summer birds. Swallows will be dwindling significantly, warblers are on the wane, and wheatears and whinchat sightings are winding down after all being seen well over the last three weeks.
Swallow - Neil Smith
Sand martin - Neil Smith
House martin - Neil Smith
But we won't let the moving on of our breeding birds get us down. We are seeing a changing of the guard which means more kingfishers, owls, pipits, finches and buntings will be seen over the next few months as they start to group together for the winter. Our seed mix in middle scrape is holding a mass of linnet which will in turn be a mass of duck and geese towards the end of October. There is a change coming and it's going to be a good one :)
Kingfisher - Ian Ellis
Short-eared owl - Dan Newto
Buzzard - Neil Smith
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. Alternatively if you enjoy taking pictures and have a Flickr account then please join our group and share your images with everyone. If you are thinking of paying a visit from near or far please do check out the tide times which can make a big difference to both numbers and variety of birds seen on the day.
The more you're out the more you see - https://twitter.com/BoyWonderBirder