Good to be back

Let me start this blog with an apology for the long gap since our last blog. Unfortunately, three weeks ago I tested positive for Covid, leading to ten days of isolation. This was followed by further time spent at home as my family also completed their own self isolation. Thankfully none of us suffered too badly, and we're all now back to full fitness, so I'm finally back on the reserve for the first time in three weeks.

As the sun was shining this morning, I celebrated my return by wandering around the Coast Trail. I had hoped to locate the small flock of snow buntings that has been present in the dunes for the last two weeks, but they haven't been reported today. Hopefully they'll return. Other scarce birds that were spotted in my absence included a female or juvenile smew on Island Mere on one date, one or two female goosanders, a glossy ibis for a couple of days, bramblings under the feeders, and a short-eared owl over the Levels.

Despite missing out on snow bunting, I did have a very successful walk this morning. At least three different Dartford warblers were taking advantage of the sun and singing in the dunes, although this lovely male stonechat and his mate were easier to spot as they sallied out from the top of a bramble to catch flies before returning to a nearby perch.

The biggest surprise on my walk was a woodcock that whizzed low overhead as I sat in the Public Viewpoint. So low and fast, in fact, that initially I only knew it was there because I heard and felt the whirr of it wings just above my head. Luckily, the two birdwatchers stood with me saw it and watched "the duck flying over East Scrape" for long enough for me to find in my binoculars. I could clearly see the chestnut colours, chunky body and short, broad wings of a woodcock as we watched it until it settled somewhere close to Wildlife Lookout. This was presumably a newly arrived migrant from Scandinavia that must have been flushed from the dunes just behind the hide. 

More predictable were the ducks that were scattered across the Scrape. Often they'll form mixed species flocks, but today they seemed to be keeping largely to single species groups. As usual, teal were the most widespread and numerous species, with this drake obligingly feeding just a few metres in front of East Hide.

Also on East Scrape were small groups of both pintail

and shoveler, all looking resplendent in the sun.

Typically, wigeon were much easier to spot on South Scrape, with this stunning male grazing on the bank right outside the hide.

As is to be expected in winter, waders were restricted to a flock of about 50 black-tailed godwits and three late lingering avocets on South Scrape, a handful of lapwings on West Scrape, and a couple of turnstones on the sluice outfall. Great black-backs dominated the gulls, with about 200 present on South Scrape, alongside much smaller numbers of herring, lesser black-backed, common and black-headed gulls. One or two Caspian gulls have been reported in recent days, but there was no sign of them this morning.

It was a good day for herons, too, as I saw grey heron, great white egret and several little egrets on the Scrape while visitors reported seeing bitterns at Island Mere. Marsh harriers were easier to spot than they were three weeks ago, and there were sightings of sparrowhawk, kestrel and buzzard. Two hobbies remained yesterday - very late records - but I couldn't see any still here today.

At Island Mere, cormorants, mute swans, coots and various ducks were busy feeding. Elsewhere in the reedbed I heard pinging bearded tits along the North Wall and squealing water rails both there and near South Hide. Cetti's warblers are typically loud but difficult to spot as they sing from various parts of the reedbed, and a few common darter dragonflies continue to skim low over wetland vegetation and ditches

The woods were quieter for birds, although I did spot a female brambling near South Belt Crossroads, and nuthatches and coal tits were busy around the visitor centre feeders. Here it was the fungi that attracted my attention - more on these tomorrow.

Finally, there have been no reports of our starling murmuration since the weekend. They have been mobile so far this year, roosting here on some evenings and at Suffolk Wildlife Trust's hen Reedbeds reserve on other evenings, so they may yet return. We'll keep you posted.