A day out in the Broads with the Ward Clan saw us meet up at 0800 at the Ormesby Little Broad car park but despite being well after dawn it really had not brightened up. Disappointingly there were almost no duck at all on Filby or OLB with just a few Goldeneye and just six Tufted Duck and two Pochard! Coot were the only numerous denizens. A mixed Tit flock included a couple of Marsh Tits and a Treecreeper was calling.
Grey Broadland winter days run out very quickly so we did
not dilly dally around and moved on to Ludham airfield where the Swan flock was
quickly found. There were 19 Whoopers
and 21 Bewick’s and the range actually made identification easier. Skylarks came up from the ploughed field and
there were a couple of hacked off looking Red-legged Partridges.
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| Whoopers and Bewick’s Swans |
At nearby St Benets I started at the end of Marsh Lane where
I was pleased to find 14 Cranes feeding on the other side of the river. They were very relaxed and loosely spread out
but all were in pairs. They are so much
part of this landscape now. A flock of
Lapwings swirled around and Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harriers and Stock Doves were
new for the day.
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| Lapwings |
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| Cranes |
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| Cranes |
Around to the Abbey itself and on the drive down we found 36
Russian White-fronted Geese with Greylags alongside the road including one with
a black collar V5 which I have now reported.
A tractor came up behind us and they all flew off to the south. A little further on three Cattle Egrets were
seen but they were not with ay livestock and were having to work for their
breakfast.
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| Russian White-fronted Geese |
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| Russian White-fronted Geese |
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| Russian White-fronted Goose V5 |
A short walk up to the ruins gave us two more pairs of
Cranes and swirling flocks of Golden Plover and Lapwings while large groups of
Wigeon flighted inland at height but I could not see what had spooked them.
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| Wigeon |
A scan around gave us the usual herds of Mute Swans and a separate
flock of ten Whoopers. Chinese Water
Deer were dotted around and Marsh Harriers quartered but other than a Kestrel
there were no other raptors to be seen.
The commonest calls to be heard on the meadows were the mewing Common
Gulls. They really are one of the most
vocal of gulls. The Cattle Egrets had found the two black bulls.
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| Cattle Egrets |
There were Fieldfares and Redwings in a field on the way out
but strangely no Pinkfeet anywhere to seen or heard?
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| Redwing |
Back towards the coast on a day that still refused to
brighten up and to Hickling for the walk down to look for the Black-winged
Kite. The NWT had kindly opened up the
track beyond Stubb Mill and the extra half a mile or so along the muddy track
too us to the pumping station and there it was sat in the stunted Larches in
the middle of the reedbed. It was back
on and actually rather good in the scope with the big eyes and makeup and some
wing stretching showed off those black shoulder patches to great effect. It may not have flown but as I said to the
others, it could have been sat on the other side of the trees for the whole
time we were there!
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| There is a Black-winged Kite in here, honest. It was great in the scope! |
I find it amazing that I have seen it three times now this
month! The sound of close bugling Cranes
broke through the still air and they were followed to a field off towards
Walnut Farm with more could be seen striding around. They were difficult to count but there were
at least 25 out there taking us to over 40 for the day. The Wards had seen two more on the drive in
that I had missed too.
Yellowhammers and Reed Buntings were in eth hedge behind and dropping down into the field of Sorgum in front that should really have been teaming with finches and more buntings but wasn’t. There was plenty of Marsh Harrier and Buzzard action but no other raptors to be seen a large skein of Pinkfeet were way off towards Sea Palling.
We trudged back adding Great Egret, two hind Red Deer, Muntjac
and all the dabblers on Brendan’s Marsh and a quick lunch in the car park was
taken (with extra Muffin time) before moving onto the final stop of the day at
Buckenham Marshes.
The late afternoon light was atrocious but it was still flat
calm and it did not impinge on the main event.
The sky was full of agitated Lapwing and Wigeon flocks but we could not pick up the
inevitable Peregrine. Buzzards were
loafing on gate posts and Marsh Harriers were generally heading towards Strumpshaw
while thousands of gulls lined up on Cantley Beat Factory and their roost on
Breydon Water beyond. Chinese Water Deer
were everywhere!
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| Chinese Water Deer |
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| Chinese Water Deer - 'Mr Floppy' - but not to his face |
Of the near 1000 strong flock of White-fronted Geese there
was not any sign – not even one and we had to wait till last knockings for the
Pinkfeet in the surrounding fields to come back to the marshes for a final wash
and drink before following the gulls south.
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| Pinkfeet |
The early Rooks and Jackdaws had being causing a racket in
their favoured copse on the marsh and as they started to move around, so did we
and head up to the Holm Oak view point (it is still such a magnificent
tree). Despite the low light the performance
by the rapidly assembling black masses was as spectacular as ever with waves of
swirling sound washing over you. I initially
thought of breaking waves but somewhat
less romantically realised that it sounded more like the steady thrum of a not
too distant motorway!
As they began to settle down the last of the Pinkies drifted
across and the hoped for Woodcock whizzed through too leaving a barely visible
Barn Owl to round up a grey but rewarding day in the field.
Back to rain again tomorrow!
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