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| Tundra Bean Goose and Russian White-fronted Geese |
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| Tundra Bean Goose and Russian White-fronted Goose |
I have to admit it was head down and legs forward into the
wind along the muddy bank on the way back and despite being cream crackered
once home, I was glad that I made the effort.
20th February:
Rain followed on the 19th but it was calm the
next day so I had a quick hour down at the back of the North Denes tennis courts in
the hunt for the Hume’s Yellow-browed Warbler that had arrived as we departed
to Japan. There was not a squeak and I
later found that it had not been seen for three days so never mind. A Great Spotted Woodpecker had found a tree
with excellent resonation properties and I got to watch him for a while. It was surprising just how different he
looked from his Japanese cousins plain, not barred tertials and large ovoid
scapular patches.
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Great Spotted Woodpecker |
.JPG) |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker - japonicus on Honshu |
There were a few Long-tailed Tits and a Goldcrest, and Wrens,
Blackbirds, Robins and other Tits were fossicking in the brashwood piles left
by the coppicing of the upper Sycamores.
A Muntjac tiptoed through the Snowdrops.
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| Muntjac |
21st Fenruary:
A drive out down to Yoxford on a dreary day gave me a few
Fieldfares in the lanes and there were Med Gulls in the Westleton pig fields as
I drove through.
22nd February:
The Hume’s YBW had reappeared in the north-east corner of
Sparrow’s Nest Park so after lunch I popped down there and within a few minutes
had located it in the Holm Oaks. Myself and a chap called Ian watched it for
about half an hour as it furtively snuck through the upper canopy but always
just on the inside preluding seeing it from the outside.
A typically dingy grey green warbler with one short fat wing
bar and unlike most I have seen this one started calling and stridently went
mad for a solid couple of minutes and all the while was sat just out of view on
the same branch. I have no idea what set
it off but it was great to gear the slightly squashed Pied wagtail ‘chiswick’ call.
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| Hume’s YBW |
A Firecrest was heard and Goldcrests were singing while orange
breasted Robins were feeding up in the canopy too and making some very peculiar
noises.
There were no Purple Sandpipers at Ness Point but a 1w
Caspian Gull dozed on the roof Birdseye.
23rd February:
The regular Broadland circuit was ornithologically rewarding
and began with a shimmering mass of snow white Avocets and countless duck on
Breydon Water as we drove over before Red Kite and Marsh Harrier, two Cattle
Egrets and large flocks of Pinkfeet were seen on the Acle Straight along with at
least one group of White-fronts too.
The Whooper and Bewick’s Swan herd was still present at
Ludham airfield and then as we looped around to Sea Palling, four adult Cranes
were feeding in a roadside field and on pausing to watch them a male Hen
Harrier began quartering the same field.
I seem to have an inordinate amount of luck with random Grey Ghosts on
this bit of road.
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| Whooper and Bewick’s Swans |
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| Whooper and Bewick’s Swan and a Mute too |
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| Hen Harrier |
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| Common Cranes |
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| Common Cranes - in no way diminished by Japan |
Lunch up at Waxham Barns gave me the chance to scan from the
dunes but I did not fancy the lengthy walk south to connect with the young
Iceland and Glaucous Gulls and so the coast road was followed round which gave
me at least eight more Cranes and a single Cattle Egret by Horsey Mill.
Not bad at all for Broadland car birding!
24th February
A short walk at Gunton Warren in glorious sunshine may not
have given me the insects I hoped for (no early Hovers or such like) but there
were 1000s of tiny flies dancing over the Gorse which was well in flower but lacking
scent as it had not really warmed up enough.
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| Wind sculpted Oak |
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| Gorse |
Out over the sea five northbound Geese rather surprisingly
became Tundra Beans and at least seven Med Gulls of various ages were over the beach
and cliffs and busily hawking with other gulls for those dancing flies.
I walked back into Corton Woods an found a few early spring
blooms but only a couple of Calliphora and Phaonia. Goldcrests were singing and I could hear a
Buzzard mewing somewhere up above.
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| Bursting Willow buds |
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| Seven Spot Ladybird - several sitting around |
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| Stigmella aurella |
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| Coptotriche marginea - both the classics on Bramble |
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| Lords and Ladies |
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| Last of the Ivy berries |
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| Lords and Ladies pushing through |
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| First Primrose |
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| Orange Brain Fungus? |
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| Hart's Tongue Ferns |
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| Phytomyza ilicis on Holly |
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| and millions of Ectoedemia heringella on Holm Oak |
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| Ribes sp |
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Chromatomyia aprilina on Honesuckle |
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Honeysuckle |
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male Yew flowers |
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Old Tutsan berries |
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Sweet Chestnuts that never fell |
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Phaonia sp |
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The first Alkanet flowers |
Back at home a single Skylark flew over the house calling.
25th February
I was helping out at Maria’s where Antony was finishing the
greenhouse and raised bed and it was actually pleasantly warm and there was so
much bird activity around the gardens. Her
garden is only about 500m from mine but the gardens here all have trees and
shrubs and the difference was amazing. Blackbirds
always visible, Dunnocks, Wren and Robins singing, more Collared Doves and
Pigeons.
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| Possibly a Chafer larva |
I was dropping the ladies off for lunch and so had a quick
look in St Peter’s churchyard in Carlton Colville were a single Luffia
lapidella was all I could find on the old gravestones.
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| Alexanders |
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| Luffia lapidella |
After lunch there was time for a pop down to Southwold in
the sunshine followed by a short stop at Hen Reedbeds were as I had hoped the Woodlarks
were up and singing as soon as I got out of the car. It makes my heart sing to hear this little
bird.
The marsh was being worked on and a Water Rail squealing and a shouty Cetti's Warbler was
all I could hear so I packed up and headed for home.
I walked down to the chippy at dusk and the air was full of
the song of Blackbirds and Robins who were obviously encouraged by the warmth
of the day. Perhaps there are more birds
in my road than I think?
26th February
I optimistically put the moth trap on last night (after a
blank two nights ago) and was pleased to get two for my troubles with Common Quaker
and Hebrew Character. My schedule means
that spring mothing at home will be very limited this year!
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| Common Quaker |
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| Hebrew Character |
John Muddenman was over from Spain for a few days and I met
up with him down at the Hollies end of Kessingland beach for a grey walk and
gossip across the shifting shingle and sands.
It took a little while before the four Shorelarks found us and we think that
a dog walker had spooked them closer to the sea before they returned around
us. It is always good to see these
horned sand shufflers.
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| Shorelark |
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| Shorelarks |
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Shorelark
|
 |
there were hundreds of Cuttlefish on the beach
|
The local Ringed Plovers were back on territory and displaying
with three pairs found along with a pair of snoozing Oystercatchers. A party of three Sanderling and three Dunlin
also contained a smaller Caldrid that we both called as a Little Stint before getting
closer and realising that it was actually a runty Dunlin. Having a shorter bill
and legs meant that it moved quicker too which exacerbated the different
feel. Always learning.
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| Sanderling and Dunlin |
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| Dinky Dunlin |
We looped back round putting up some Skylarks and Pied
Wagtails but no Snow Buntings before climbing the steps back up to the top of
the cliff. It was good to have a catch
up and hopefully I will be leading a trip with John in early autumn 2027 to
Spain.
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| Coltsfoot |
The weather had started to turn and a coffee back home
beckoned.
.JPG)
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