Welcome to another sightings roundup from Titchwell
We shall begin with the willow scrub encompassing the car parks and fen trail towards the tank road. This week they have been full of blackcaps munching on the elderberries plus chiffchaffs, whitethroats and the odd lesser whitethroat and reed warbler. Green woodpeckers and great spotted woodpeckers are often heard before they are seen and one lucky visitor recorded a nuthatch, which is a great reserve record.
Flying overhead have been small flocks of siskins, meadow pipits and the odd lesser redpoll along with the last remaining swallows, house martins and sand martins, signalling the start of autumn.
Siskin, Les Bunyan
The little egret roost on Patsy’s remains with 40+ birds plus a great white egret in amongst them. Speaking of herons and egrets, a grey heron spent Friday morning walking along the west bank path, whilst 8 spoonbills were counted on Thursday before flying west towards Thornham harbour.
With the warm still weather bearded tits have been showing well along the west bank path, remember to listen out for their ‘ping-ping-ping’ call.
On Freshmarsh, good numbers of wader numbers remain with 500+ Black-tailed godwits, 100+ Bar-tailed godwits, 10 curlew sandpipers, 100+ dunlin, 1 little stint, 30+ ruff, 250 lapwing, 150 golden plovers, 50 avocets, 2 greenshanks plus small flocks of knot, redshanks and the odd little ringed plover, snipe and ringed plover. The numbers of teal, wigeon and shoveler continue to increase as we head into autumn.
Greenshank, Les Bunyan
Volunteer marsh has hosted small numbers of lapwing, redshanks and curlew feeding on the small crabs and other molluscs as the tide drops.
A visitor on Thursday reported a Lapland Bunting on Tidal Marsh, although appearing as an early record there have been a number recorded on the east coast this week including at Blakeney.
Continuing the bunting theme, a snow bunting was photographed on the beach on Friday morning which is pretty early for Titchwell. At low tide the beach has been full of sanderling, bar-tailed godwits, curlews and turnstones feeding on all the shellfish scattered along the tide line. The odd wheatear has popped up along the beach too.
Snow bunting, Les Bunyan
Sightings from the sea this week have included good numbers of sandwich terns still feeding, plus common scoter, gannets, the odd Arctic skua and 3 red-breasted mergansers.
As you can tell it has been another varied few days for birdlife at Titchwell and we haven’t mentioned the bittern flying around and two sparrowhawks chasing one another across the grazing marsh or the flash of blue as a kingfisher darts past.
You can let us know your sightings:
Email: titchwell@rspb.org.uk
Twitter: tag @rspbTitchwell
Thanks
Lizzie Bruce
North West Norfolk Reserves Warden