GREY AND GOLD AND VERY COLD!

  Wow, what a bitterly cold weekend I didn't fancy walking too far in the conditions so made a trip to Minsmere and sat in the Island mere hide on Saturday. This turned out to be quite uneventful as the only things showing were ducks and coots and a very bad tempered mute swan who spent the day driving off every other swan he could see.

Angry Mute swan chasing off competitors

Small group of Tufted duck at Minsmere

  I stayed for about three hours hoping to see an otter but in the end admitted defeat and returned to the car. On the way out of the reserve towards Westleton I saw three jays flying between the trees with two chasing one. At one point two of the birds locked together in the air and tumbled to the ground with feathers flying and continued to fight on the ground for a bit before they separated and flew into trees.
  Stopping at Wrentham on the way home where a Great grey shrike had been reported I joined a group of other people looking at a conifer plantation in which it had been observed but after half an hour it had not made an appearance so I moved down to the church. In the field just south of the church a Barn owl was hunting on the rough grassland where it dived to the ground and caught a small rodent where upon it was immediately attacked by two Kestrels who managed to rob the owl of its prize and fly off. During all this commotion a Woodcock was put up from the grass and it too flew off. Walking further up the road I came across another small group of people who called to me that they could see the Shrike and by the time I got to them it was mobbing the owl which had flown close to it along the hedge. I felt a bit sorry for the owl as it retreated into the next field as it was obviously hungry to be hunting in the daylight leaving itself open to attack from daytime predators. Getting back to the shrike it could be seen flying high into a tree in the distance where it showed very well but unfortunately too far off for a decent picture, a shame as this was the first time I had seen this breed of bird.
  Sunday morning it was even colder with a bitter wind so I wasn't going out but in the end decided to take a drive and see what was around. Getting to Mutford I could see a mixed flock of Fieldfares and Redwings on a field as I turned into hulver road and further along the road were three Grey partridges although they were a long way off. On the opposite side of the road a couple of hundred yards further on I stopped the car and sat observing 30 or 40 Golden plover that were feeding on a wheat field but again they were some distance off. I watched them pull up worms and then get chased by gulls who were hoping for an easy meal but the plovers were much faster and always seemed to keep their hard earned worms. I definitely want to go back and try to get pictures in better light when their plumage shines in the sun.



  Finally I made my way back over to Wrentham to try and get better views of the Shrike and maybe a picture or two but despite mine, and about 15 other birdwatchers efforts no sign could be seen of the shrike which had apparently been seen that morning. All in all a very cold weekend when I didn't actually do much walking but still managed to see quite a bit 

SPRING AROUND THE CORNER?

  It's approaching my favourite time of the year, the months of march, april and may hold more excitement to me than any other time in the calender. This year after all the recent cold weather it seemed as though spring offered a sneak preview on saturday when I was on Outney common at Bungay. The warmer temperatures and lack of a breeze really was welcome and the wildlife appeared to appreciate it too with many birds starting to sing and display. Blue tits and great tits were flitting about in the trees maybe on the lookout for nesting sites and Chaffinches were everywhere singing and calling; a pair of Mistle Thrushes were seen near pine trees on the golf course where they nested last year and many Rooks were turning over patches of moss amongst the grass on the fairways on the hunt for a meal.
  Towards the Earsham side of the common the flooded pastures looked spectacular with hundreds of birds in residence mainly gulls, swans, ducks and geese whose reflections in the glass like still water were a sight to behold. Groups of geese and swans regularly flew over my head and although most of the geese were either Greylag or Canada and swans Mute I did spy a flight of 8 Bewicks flying high above the river and a couple of common Buzzards also put in an appearance.
  Driving to Sheringham on sunday the thick fog didn't promise much in the way of spring like weather but surprisingly the coast was clear and sunny and temperatures quite reasonable. The coastline to the north of the town must surely be the most picturesque in the region and the cliffs are worthy of any photographers attention (shame I didn't have mine with me!) The sea was nearly flat calm and patches of gorse were coming into yellow flower on the cliff tops which seemed to glow in the sunlight. Skylarks were springing from the grass, launching into the air with bursts of song which propelled my thoughts towards the glorious days of spring ahead; gulls wheeled along the cliffs and people were out with there kids and dogs. All in all a fantastic day made even better by beating my brother at golf!  

SURVIVING THE SEASONS

Yesterday I took my two dogs for a walk in Aldeby where the weather was cold and cloudy so I didn't really expect to see much but that doesn't seem to ever bother the dogs who are always keen to get out.At the first wheat field we came to I could see two skylarks feeding a short distance away and looking around saw a chinese water deer rapidly running in the opposite direction. This wasn't a surprise as the wind was blowing our scent towards it and with their sense of smell you stand very little chance of a close encounter unless you approach upwind. The numbers of these introduced deer seem to be increasing and although I love to see them I can't help wondering how long it will be before there is a call for a reduction in their numbers; I know that some of the local farmers are beginning to complain about the impact they have on their crops although I don't know if there is any reality in these claims.
  Rounding a corner we walked alongside a hedge to avoid the keen wind and came across a long tailed tit flitting through the hedge looking for food. I paused for a while and watched looking for others but after a few minutes it was evident the bird was alone; I have not seen a single LTT before and it made me think that it would be very difficult to survive by itself being so small in size. I am sure that it must find other birds to roost with because they do rely on conserving their heat and energy consumption in the company of others at night.
  Further along past a small wood which as yet showed no sign of the coming spring one of the dogs pulled into a ditch and put up two pheasants which noisily complained as they flew off. These two had obviously survived the shooting season which finished a couple of weeks ago but I wonder how big a percentage of the pheasants that are bred and released actually survive the shooting season and their suicidal tendencies on roads to breed themselves in the following years.
  Reaching the halfway point in the walk a green woodpecker flew up from an area of rough grassland up into some surrounding trees and a kestrel sat on a power line feathers puffed out in the cold. This is always a popular spot for these birds of prey and about 100yards away is a tree where kestrels have nested for the last couple of years. I don't know if these birds use the same nest year after year but I will look on with interest over the coming weeks. Past a newly planted wooded area there is a lovely display of snowdrops which I will endeavor to photograph in better light conditions.
  Well on the way back now we come across a mixed flock of fieldfares, thrushes and starlings which total some 200 birds sitting on a field planted with oilseed rape. There does seem to be alot of fields planted with this crop this year but I understand that the cash returns for a crop of rape are higher than wheat or barley at the moment. Many people complain about the smell when the rape is in flower but personally it doesn't bother me and it can look spectacular when in full flower in beautiful surroundings. Just before we get back I spot 3 fieldfares in a small orchard feeding on the remains of last years apple crop and as the dogs are put back in the car I examine the body of a female greenfinch which had crashed into the window of the house and was laying on the front lawn. Goes to prove that even on the least promising days there is always something to be seen.

Minsmere

9th February 2013
   Spent the majority of the day sitting in Island Mere hide with very few other people around. Started off with distant siting of an otter swimming across the mere and several bittern flights none of which came in range of a good picture. A male marsh harrier was giving short bursts of display flying and a pair of bewick swans were in front of the hide.



Bewick swans

 After a while a male mute swan appeared and immediately decided he didn't want the two bewicks anywhere in his vicinity, he aggressively approached the two and forcibly removed them! With the different species in close proximity the size difference between them was very evident. The bewicks beat a hasty retreat and relocated to the far end of the mere where they spent the rest of the day predominantly upended feeding.




Mute driving off Bewick

 A peregrine falcon was noted south of the mere hunting over the levels; at one point I observed the falcon catch a reasonably good sized bird and struggle to fly off with it whereupon it was mobbed by up to half a dozen marsh harriers until it dropped its prey. The harriers descended onto the dropped bird and the peregrine continued to spend the rest of day being seen regularly swooping down over the levels but no further successful attempts at a catch were observed.
By the middle of the afternoon there were a lot more people in the hide just in time to see an appearance by two otters in front of the hide. The way the two interacted and the difference in size made me think they were a mother and her young but not being an expert in otter identification I may have been mistaken.

 

The otters disappeared as quickly as they arrived but just before I left a barn owl put in an appearance and made a terrific sight hunting over the reed beds in the late afternoon sunlight. All in all a very pleasant way to spend the day.