June: At long last the cold northerly winds abated during the month and some summer sun and heat arrived.
It was welcomed by the birds, wildlife and our visitors alike at Titchwell.
Our birds settled down to breeding and looking after their young, delighting our visitors who could watch feeding flights, young birds hatching, as well as little balls of fluff running after parents begging for food. Some birds still arriving from their migration, were still singing for a mate or holding territory, some showing very well, others less so, much to the frustration of the keen birders!
Car Park, Visitor Centre, Woodland and Picnic Area
A Black Tern caused excitement for the year-listers as it flew around the car park on the 2nd, a most unusual sighting for this area of the reserve! (Image left, Phill Gwilliam). A Garden Warbler was heard singing here on the 5th too.
Reedbed
The first juvenile Marsh Harriers of the year were seen on 16th emerging from the reedbed. Two of our most keen regular birdwatchers on the reserve had a lucky sighting when a juvenile Night Heron flew over the reedbed on the 20th , which was never seen again, much to the frustration of other regular birdwatchers. A Bittern was seen by a volunteer on 21st when it flew in front of the Fen Hide.
Fresh Marsh
A Little Stint appeared on the Fresh Marsh on and off between the 1st and 5th of the month, joined by a Ringed Plover on the 1st. By 20th the Ringed Plover had a nest and had 4 chicks which were seen on 23rd, 26th and 27th. 4 Little Ringed Plovers were observed on 5th and were joined by a Black Tern on that day. Later a Little Ringed Plover’s nest was seen on 20th. Great excitement and frustration for some, happened between the 7th and 9th as a Rose-coloured Starling was seen in Titchwell village but commuted between the village and the reserve. It was occasionally seen on the Fresh Marsh. One lucky member of staff was invited into the garden where it was feeding and managed to obtain a photograph (and have a cup of tea whilst doing so!)
Image right, Sue Bryan.
On 9th a Pochard was seen with 5 ducklings and by 15th there were 3 broods of Pochards around the reserve increasing to 5 broods by 20th. The 9th also produced a Great White Egret and a Common Sandpiper. By the 10th a male Garganey was seen by a volunteer which is always wonderful to see, as it is a beautiful bird. A count of Avocets was held on 12th that showed that 56 adults were present along with 6 chicks and by 16th 2 chicks had fledged. A count of Black-headed Gulls was also conducted on this day, totalling 47 adults sitting on nests with 209 broods, giving a total of 256 birds. Six Common Terns sitting on nests, increasing to 8 by 20th were scattered in amongst the Black-headed Gull colonies along with 2 Oystercatchers also on nests. A Ringed Plover was noted on this day as the count took place. A count was done on 20th which had 47 nests of Black-headed Gulls with 288 broods and 85 fledged birds. Counts continued with 72 Black-tailed Godwits on 14th rising to 400 on 15th and 16th. Two nests of Mediterranean Gulls were found on 20th along with 3 broods and by 26th 2 Mediterranean Gulls had fledged.
On the 14th a spectacular summer-plumaged Ruff was seen, not a plumage that is seen very often at Titchwell (below image, Phill Gwilliam). Another Great White Egret was seen this day. A summer-plumaged Spotted Redshank was seen on 15th and 16th and by 18th there were 3 present. They were joined by a Greenshank here too on 18th (below right image, Tony Gray). Three Spoonbills were wading around the Fresh Marsh on 20th which always delights our visitors as they come back to the Welcome Hub to tell us all about them!
Beach and Sea
Along the beach 230 Knot were counted on 15th and two Ringed Plovers were seen on 17th. Sadly, a Ringed Plover nest was lost in the first cordon by this date. By 23rd A pair of Ringed Plover had fledged a chick on the west beach, with another pair sitting on a nest with another 2 birds displaying. On the eastern part of the beach 2 chicks had fledged, with another 2 displaying birds, which is why it is so important to keep all dogs on a lead at this time of year.
Fen Trail
A former member of staff found a Spotted Flycatcher at the start of the Fen Trail in the afternoon of 21st but it could not be located an hour later, possibly because it was just passing through. A volunteer found a Great White Egret feeding in the pool in front of Fen Hide on 29th.
Meadow Trail
A Willow Warbler was observed on 26th. This used to be a very common summer visitor here years ago, which sadly is no longer the case with numbers falling.
East Trail, Patsy’s Pool, Old Tank Road area
A Marsh Warbler singing near Patsy’s Pool caused some excitement for staff and visitors alike, which fortunately was seen in flight. More Pochard were seen on 9th along with a brood of 2 ducklings on Patsy’s Pool. Another bird which is popular amongst the year listers is the Turtle Dove, for which we are supplying a supplementary food source. On 10th two birds were seen from the Fen Hide. There have been some reported sightings since to the staff in Welcome Hub, giving hope to breeding somewhere on the reserve. Other birds benefit from this supplementary feeding too, as a Yellowhammer which is scarce on the reserve, took up the opportunity of some free food on 29th. A regular birdwatcher found a pair of Red-crested Pochard along with a juvenile on 26th on Patsy’s Pool, which delighted the year-listers who had missed the earlier bird in February.
Grazing Meadow
One of the joys at this time of year is listening out for Grasshopper Warblers which reel away in brambles and other bushes in and around the reserve. In the last few years, the early birder can often hear one reeling in brambles on Thornham Grazing Marsh at the start of the West Bank Path. Seeing it however is quite a different matter and a great deal of patience is required to see it, as its ventriloquist ability to throw its song, misleading the birder as to where it is singing from. One was doing just this on 20th.
Thornham Point
A migrant Common Redstart was seen on 1st at Thornham Point and a regular lucky observer saw a Montagu’s Harrier fly over the reserve on 2nd and out towards Thornham Point. It was subsequently looked for at Thornham but must have flown straight through. 3 pairs of Stonechats were observed on 5th on Thornham Marsh, which were probably breeding pairs. These delightful little birds are a real joy to watch as they pose so well, usually atop bushes making them easy to watch and photograph.
Amazingly another Marsh Warbler was heard singing by the West Bank Path on Thornham Marsh on 16th. To begin with it caused a bit of confusion as these birds sing a variety of songs often mimicking other birds. For a while it was wondered if it may have been a Blyth’s Reed Warbler but after listening for some time, it was identified as a Marsh Warbler but sadly it was never seen.
Flyovers
An Arctic Skua was observed flying over the Fresh Marsh on the 1st and 2 Cattle Egrets were also seen flying over the reserve on 11th and 13th. On 30th a visitor reported 2 Bitterns flying over the West Bank Path at 9pm but thought that one was smaller, leading us to wonder if one of the birds could have been a juvenile bird.
Other Wildlife
On 16th and 23rd, 2 Norfolk Hawkers were seen by volunteers in one of the pools alongside the West Bank Path with another one on the Dragonfly Pool. On 26th another Norfolk Hawker was seen on the Old Tank Road (image right, Cliff Gilbert).
Last but definitely not least, did you know that Titchwell has the highest recorded count of Obscure Wainscot in Norfolk? A local rarity, this reedbed moth has taken a liking to our reedbed, and a recent survey counted 46 individuals here.
Written by Sue Bryan and Lucy Ferrer.