The drive cross country in the dark from Great Ryburgh at 5am was all the more entertaining with the A47 being closed again at Wisbech leaving me with an interesting fenland wiggle on the wibbly wobbly undulating lanes across from Welney, Chatteris, Ely towards Huntingdon and beyond. It was unfortunately too early for Swans in the fields but I did see a Barn Owl and Woodcock in the murky gloom.
I picked up Maggie in her little quaint Northants village on
time before the route across country on bigger roads to the M4. Kites and the odd Buzzard were seen but the weather
was grim and just like my North Norfolk day but without the wind but at least
we arrived at Bristol Parkway on time to pick up the rest of the crew to make
it five before continuing south to The Levels.
The normally scenic drive in along the A39 was hampered by not being
able to see anything whatsoever so there was some creative ‘Avalon to the left,
Sedgemoor to the right and the splendid Glastonbury Tor straight ahead' dialogue.
Just before reaching Ham Wall we spied five Cattle Egrets
with a small herd of Belted Galloways close to the road which was a fine was
start proceedings. Lunch in the car park
with Redwings going over and a Chiffchaff singing and then off on the singing.
We were told that no Bitterns were booming yet which I thought
a little odd and we heard them everywhere with at least six different bird vocalising
including one that was so close that you could hear the intake of breath as it
puffed up before ummm baaaahhhhh-ing.
But did we see one? Of course not. Breeding plumaged Great Egrets lumbered back
and forth and Little Egret and Grey Heron made it all four ‘long legs’.
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| Great Egret |
There were plenty of duck from the first viewpoint with
Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and Mallard with a scattering of largely roosting
Lapwings and Black-tailed Godwits at the back.
Two male Ruff were amongst them with six Redshank and 12 Snipe were
probing on the closer island. Eventually a couple of the Lapwings got up and
half-heartedly displayed but the lack of light prevented them gleaming as they
twisted.
Marahs Harriers and Buzzards patrolled and a female
Sparrowhawk cruised over which spooked the waders briefly while both Great
Crested and Little Grebes could be heard with one pair of the former seen weed
dancing. Kipping and squealing Water
Rails were heard from all around us and rather oddly a Black Swan flew over!
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| Great Crested Grebe |
There was quite a but of small bird action with an obliging Redwing
and Goldcrest, clambering Treecreepers, nest building Long-tailed Tits and
several more singing Chiffchaffs. Cetti’s
Warblers were shouty and one was seen seeing off Blue Tits along the reed base
while up above the fizzy static of nearly 30 Sand Martins brought smiles all
round as even more sign that spring was trying to arrive.
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| Large Otter tracks |
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| Wild Privet |
There was certainly enough food for them with clouds of chironomid
midges dancing and I am sure many of the smaller birds were taking them while it
was only just warm enough for several Buff-tailed Bumblebees to be on the wing. The Sallow catkins, Cherry Plum and first Blackthorn
flowers would have been alive with insects of there had been any sunshine.
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| Blackthorn |
The wildfowl on the first pool all suddenly swam to the
middle and every bird stopped and kept its head up and was looking back at the
reed edge and sure enough, as expected a mammal appeared in the water – not the
hoped for Otter but a much smaller furry black Mink. The ducks followed it at a distance until
they were sure it had moved on. I then showed
the crew Bramble leaf mines and the larva of the moth Endothenia gentianaeana tucked
snuggly within a Teasel before heading across the road to the Shapwick side
passing the first blooms of Primrose and Celandine on the way.
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| Endothenia gentianaeana - no anal cones... grub had gone back in to the feeding entry hole at the top |
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| Lesser Celandine |
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| Primrose |
Bitterns boomed here too and there were even more invisible
Water Rails while a Kingfisher was actively fishing from several spots and we
managed to get it in the scope. Four
Great Egrets were squabbling over a breeding area and sat up on top of the
reeds but were not fussed by the Marsh Harriers. The drizzly stuff had let up
but the light was getting even worse and with a last look at a chocolate headed
female Goldeneye we ambled back to the van and made our way to Wells for our
first night in The Swan.
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| Great Egret in the landscape... |
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