Titchwell's sightings May 2024 by Sue Bryan

Titchwell’s May Sightings          31st May 2024           Sue Bryan

‘There is no time like Spring

When life’s alive in everything

Before new nestlings sing

Before cleft swallows speed their journey back

Along the trackless track

God guides their wing

He spreads their table that they nothing lack

Before the daisy grows a common flower

Before the sun has power

To scorch the world up in his noontide hour’

 

So wrote Christina Rossetti in one of her verses in her poem entitled ‘Spring’

 

At last, the endless winter rain ceased and May started with some good weather bringing some migrants to our shores. Unfortunately, the good weather spell didn’t last long and most of the month remained unsettled with yet more rain and gloomy skies. However, the birds battled through it and hope was on the horizon for our birds. Who doesn’t like to see the Swallows arriving back from Africa as they flew to our villages, towns and countryside flying overhead catching insects and swooping down as they chatter to one another?

Here at Titchwell many warblers arrived, filling the woodland with song, which was so lovely to hear as the visitors entered the reserve. Out on the Freshmarsh waders were either arriving or settling down and setting up territories to breed. It is an exciting time to visit Titchwell as you just never know what might arrive or fly over your head as you walk down the West Bank Path.

 

Car Park, Visitor Centre, Woodland and Picnic Area

There was great excitement when a Pied Flycatcher was spotted in the picnic area. Although not a rare bird, they are scarce in Norfolk but occur on passage as they pass through eastern counties onto the more western and northern counties where they will breed. Lesser Whitethroats started to arrive on 6^th and could be heard around the more wooded areas but especially around the car park all month. They were joined by a Common Whitethroat on 9^th. A Swallow was seen over the Visitor Centre along with a Swift on 12^th. Less common now than they once were, was a Song Thrush that was seen near the Visitor Centre on 19^th and 28^th. A Cuckoo was seen around the Visitor Centre on 20^th. On 25^th a Spotted Flycatcher was present around the Welcome Hub. Often under recorded, was a Goldcrest by the Visitor Centre on 27^th.

Pied Flycatcher.     Photo Credit: Sue Bryan

 

Paddock

A Common Redstart was seen in the paddock on 5^th.

 

Reedbed

Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers were present from the beginning of the month and vocal Cetti’s Warblers were also present all month. Bearded Tits put on a good showing on better weather days and a pair nesting along the West Bank path could be seen flying over into the reedbed for food most of the month, delighting our visitors.  A Bittern was observed intermittently from 6^th until 24^th on several dates. Swallows were observed flying over the reedbed from 6^th onwards and House Martins seemed to arrive from 8^th onwards. A Cuckoo was seen on 12^th, 20^th and 22^nd.  Marsh Harriers have been seen displaying and will hopefully produce some young this year as they settle down to nest. They can be seen on most days in May over the reedbed.

 

Reedbed Pool

A Garganey arrived on 9^th and stayed visible until 12^th. However, three Garganey were reported from here on 28^th. Great White Egrets have been seen from the middle of the month onwards along with Great Crested Grebes from 18^th.

 

Freshmarsh

Mediterranean Gulls were still lingering from 2^nd – 24^th with four being seen on the 18^th.  Two Little Gulls were seen on 17^th and 23^rd, increasing to three birds on 28^th dropping back to a single bird on 30th.  Sandwich Terns arrived on 7^th and were seen again on 12^th and continued until the end of the month. Common Terns were noted on 8^th onwards. A Little Tern was seen on 12^th, with more seen until the month end in small numbers. More excitingly a Black Tern was observed on 12^th.

Waders included a Common Sandpiper on the Freshmarsh on 2^nd and it or others arriving remained until the end of the month.  A Little Ringed Plover was seen from 2^nd until the end of the month too. A Ruff was seen on 8^th, 9^th and 15^th along with a Little Stint with intermittent dates 9^th -16^th. A very brief Temminck’s Stint was seen by a member of staff on 10^th and 14^th and 5 were observed briefly on 16^th. A Spotted Redshank was noted on 3^rd. Black-tailed Godwits continue to be seen throughout the month but not necessarily reported. A Curlew Sandpiper was seen on 16^th, 20^th and 22^nd with a Greenshank reported on 24^th, a Whimbrel on 26^th and Spoonbills reported from here on 24^th and 25^th.

On 16^th two Cuckoos were seen in the dead trees at the back of the Freshmarsh, which are always popular with the visitors, volunteers and staff alike.

Six Barnacle Geese were a surprise here on 27^th.

 

Volunteer Marsh

A Whimbrel was noted from here on 7^th and a Spoonbill was seen on 30^th.

 

Tidal Pool

Waders were represented here included: a Greenshank on 1^st and 8^th, Whimbrel on 6^th and 8^th and a Common Sandpiper on 6^th. A Little Stint was reported on 27^th. A Stonechat was seen on the 8^th as was a Whinchat on the same date. A Spoonbill was noted here on 15^th.

 

Beach and Sea

Little Terns were seen on the sea from the beginning of the month as were Sandwich Terns. Twelve Arctic Terns were seen by the warden on 6^th with more noted on 7^th. Common Terns were seen from the 4^th onwards. A Wheatear was seen on the beach by a volunteer and a Red-throated Diver was seen on the sea on 5^th. An Eider was seen on 8^th and a Stonechat was seen in the dunes on 7^th. A Short-eared Owl was seen in the dunes on 17^th. The 20^th and 22^nd noted some Kittiwakes flying by as well as some Gannets being reported on 20^th. On 23^rd and 24^th some Velvet Scoters were noted and one lucky member of staff managed to get a photograph of an Osprey sitting on the beach on 25^th. A Turtle Dove was seen in the dunes on 28^th and a Grasshopper Warbler was heard from here on 30^th.

 

Fen Trail

Blackcaps were singing along Fen Trail on 1^st and continued throughout most of the month. Garden Warblers arrived a bit later on 4^th with one seen again on 10^th. The Tawny Owl is still present but now much harder to see as vegetation is now obscuring its roost site. Bullfinch are often present here but don’t often get reported to the Visitor Centre so one noted on 18^th and 20^th was welcomed for these often secretive birds. A Lesser Whitethroat was reported from here on 20^th.

Some lucky members of staff and volunteers saw a Golden Oriole on the reserve for 20 minutes when it was heard singing early in the morning of 9^th along Fen Trail.

Meadow Trail

A Spotted Flycatcher was seen along the trail on 24^th which may have been the same bird that relocated to the Visitor Centre the next day. It or another was seen on 28^th. A nice surprise was the report of a Kingfisher here on 25^th.

Spotted Flycatcher    Photo Credit:  Cliff Gilbert

 

East Trail, Patsy’s Pool, Old Tank Road area

Redpoll were noted along the trail on 1^st and a Grasshopper Warbler was heard by Patsy’s Pool on this date and again intermittently on and off at the start of the month. A Cuckoo was seen on 4^th, 7^th ,15^th and 18^th and 31^st. A Common Redstart was seen on 4th. We are always pleased to see Turtle Doves returning to the reserve and provide some supplementary food for them along the Old Tank Road so that visitors have a chance to see them. We had a few intermittent sightings all month. A Lesser Whitethroat was seen along the trail on 7^th and 18^th. A Common Whitethroat was reported on 18^th too. Rather unusually for the reserve a House Sparrow was seen on the Old Tank Road area on 29^th.

 

Willow Wood

A Cuckoo was seen in the area on 9^th and 10^th and 29^th.

 

Grazing Meadow

The grazing Meadow continues to provide some good sightings for our visitors with sightings of a Hen Harrier on 1^st, a Cattle Egret on 2^nd 14^th and 29^th along with a Grasshopper Warbler which was heard but not seen on 2^nd and 6^th, a Whimbrel on 9^th, a Hobby on 7^th and a Whinchat on 12^th. However, the real interest of the month was the sighting of a Red-breasted Goose which appeared with the Brent Goose flock on 4th. This was seen on the Freshmarsh too as the flock flew back and forth. A Wheatear was reported from here on 14^th. Stonechats were reported intermittently on many dates.

Red-breasted Goose with Brent Geese    Photo Credit: Sue Bryan

Thornham Point

A Lesser Whitethroat was seen at The Point on 2^nd and a Short-eared Owl was seen along here on 9^th.

 

Flyovers

The month started with a count of 40 Redpolls flying over on 1^st. Spoonbills were seen flying over intermittently all month. Swifts arrived on 2^nd and were often noted but very sadly in lower numbers than we would expect so a count of 100+ by a member of staff birds on 28^th was considered a good count. A Cuckoo flew over on 2^nd and 8^th. On the 4^th, Whimbrel, Tree Pipit and a Yellow Wagtail were either heard or seen along with another Whimbrel report on 29^th. On 5^th a Barnacle Goose, Bittern, Black Tern and Swallows were noted. Swallows were then noted for the remainder for the month. A Green Sandpiper was noted in flight on 7^th. A Hobby added itself to the list on 8^th.

Another Osprey was seen flying over on 10^th.

By the middle of the month Sand Martins and House Martins were arriving and were seen on many dates to the month’s end. A Raven flew over on 14^th and 24^th and a Peregrine was seen on 16^th. Two Common Cranes flew over Titchwell on 23^rd as they were tracked along the north Norfolk coastline. A lucky volunteer and member of staff saw a female Montagu’s Harrier fly over on 23^rd. Turtle Doves were seen flying over on 24^th and a Yellow Wagtail was heard flying over on 25^th. On 28^th a Sparrowhawk was recorded but much more unusually a Fulmar, a pelagic bird, was seen flying over the reserve on this day.

 

Other Wildlife

A Water Vole was seen along the Old Tank Road on 1^st.

On 10^th dragonflies around the reserve included an Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly and a Hairy Dragonfly.

On 16^th a Painted Lady was seen which fitted in with a general arrival of this migrant species across the country. Another was seen on 28^th. A Wall Brown, which is largely a coastal species now was also seen on the same day.

A Bee Orchid was found along the West Bank path on 28^th which pleased a few visitors.

Bee Orchid    Photo Credit:  Sue Bryan