Welcome to this week’s summary of what has been seen on the reserve over the past week.
Car Park / Visitor Centre
The car park area is alive with bird song including blackcap, blackbird, and song thrush whilst our nest boxes appear to be well used with a number hosting blue tit families.
Small numbers of lesser redpolls and siskins continue to flyover the trees.
A garden warbler was seen at the back of the car park on the 16th May.
Blue tit, Les Bunyan
Reedbed / Patsys / East Trail
There is plenty to be seen and heard around this part of the reserve, so it is well worth a walk along the East Trail.
The hedgerow is hosting singing lesser whitethroat and common whitethroat and if you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of a turtle dove, though they are very elusive.
Also in the area has been a hobby, red kites, sparrowhawk and kestrels. At least two cuckoos can be heard and seen flying across the reserve.
Hobby, Les Bunyan
On Patsys’ a mute swan has hatched 3 cygnets also on here are pochard, red-crested pochard and gadwall.
Within the reedbed the bittern continues to boom and has been seen occasionally. The marsh harriers are busy navigating the ditches and circuiting the Freshmarsh as they begin food passes to feed their chicks. Whilst completing a bearded tit survey this week we watched some of these birds carrying food towards their nests and I was able to watch a male collect nesting material. Top tip is to listen out for their distinctive ‘ping, ping, ping’ call.
There has been a notable increase in reed warblers singing across the whole reedbed, whilst the sedge warblers are more settled on their nests. Cetti’s warblers can be heard across the reedbed and car park area.
Whilst completing a bittern survey at the beginning of last week we were treated to a flyby cattle egret and a male Montague’s harrier. Both of which have not been seen on the reserve since.
The ponds around the boardwalk have been a good spot for water voles with them being seeing on a regular basis.
Freshmarsh
Wader passage continues to be slow which mirrors some other sites in the north west Norfolk this spring. However, a little stint dropped onto the Freshmarsh on 15th May. There are at least two little ringed plovers scurrying around on the mud and sometimes a ringed plover has also dropped in. Look out of whimbrels dropping in for a brief rest as we have had a couple of sightings in the past week.
Little stint, Les Bunyan
The black-headed gulls are settled on eggs now, with some due to hatch over the coming week, unfortunately we don’t have any avocets nesting yet, though there are about 20 birds around the reserve.
Many of the female ducks are sitting on eggs so you mainly watching the male ducks of shoveler and gadwall.
The odd spoonbill has dropped into Freshmarsh this week for a feed and a sleep and there has also been the odd little gull.
Sandwich terns and common terns can be observed on the mud flirting with each other.
Volunteer / Tidal Marsh
Scanning across volunteer marsh you can watch redshank and curlews feeding along the muddy creeks. Also feeding in the creeks are the little egret, shelduck and teal.
On Tidal Marsh flocks of dunlins, turnstones and oystercatchers can be watched along with several avocets, grey plovers and the odd ringed plover. Last week I was treated to common terns fishing very close to the path, providing excellent views of this elegant bird.
Common redshank, Les Bunyan
Beach / Sea
The exciting news over the past week is that we now have 3 ringed plovers sitting on eggs along the beach and we hope a couple more pairs will lay eggs soon. This does mean that now more than ever when you visit the beach you keep your distance from the cordons so that the birds are not disturbed off their nests.
Along the waters edge small flocks of sanderling are watched scurrying around their business along with small numbers of turnstones and non-breeding oystercatchers.
Feeding on the high tide line there are small numbers of meadow pipits, linnets and skylarks feeding.
On the sea and along the creek systems flocks of little terns can be watched fishing as well as sandwich terns flying between Titchwell and their breeding grounds on Scolt.
On the 13th May an Iceland gull flew west distantly on the sea towards Holme and onwards towards Kings Lynn.
Ringed Plover, Les Bunyan
If you do visit why not record you sightings on the BTO’s BirdTrack app, a convenient way for you to store your records and for your records to contribute to bird conservation.
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Do you happen to know if the Iceland Gull seen on the 13th was an adult or juvenile bird?