EARLY START AT MINSMERE PLUS A SURPRISE

  After looking at the weather forecast last night I decided on an early start today and arrived at Island mere hide just after 4 am where I was rewarded with the sight of literally 1000 plus swifts low over the reed beds hunting for insects in the clear sky. The reeds were alive with Reed warblers and in the distance a flock of 50 or so Black tailed Godwits rose from the ground and made its way over to the scrape.

   As the sun got up the wind increased and the Bitterns started to take to the sky with several female birds embarking on feeding flights to collect food for their young on the nests. The females do all the feeding as once mating is over the males have nothing further to do with the eggs or chicks which rely on the mother for food for up to 8 weeks until they become independent. I spent most of the morning watching the Bitterns and at one point a bird was hunting right underneath the boardwalk leading up to the hide as there were so few people about. As well as these birds there were a whole load of raptors around including Marsh Harriers, Hobbies, Buzzards, a Sparrow Hawk, a Kestrel and a pair of Red Kites.

   Finally as the number of people increased in the hide I decided to make a move and walked round to the sluice where Swallows were landing on the muddy banks of a tidal dyke to collect mud in their beaks with which they build their nests under the brick sluice. These Swallows always seem to be very confiding and make quite easy subjects to photograph as long as they aren't flying.

   On the way back to the visitor centre I called in at the East hide and it was just as well that I did as on entering I was informed that a Red Necked Phalarope was on the scrape. These birds are quite rare in this country with reportedly only about 30 pairs which nest in the north of Scotland and Ireland. They are completely different to most birds in that once the eggs are laid the male incubates and looks after the young and unusually the female has the brighter plumage. Once I located the bird which was at an extreme distance I managed a few pictures which were only any use as record shots to confirm identification but I was more than happy just to see one as they are so unusual around here.

CRANES AT LAKENHEATH

   Back on Friday after seeing the Great Crested Grebes I could see in the distance Hobbies and Marsh Harriers at the far west of the marsh and reed area and so decided to walk along the river on the public footpath in the hope of getting better views of these birds and maybe even spotting the Red Footed Falcon that had been recently reported. After trekking along to the end of the reserve I had really good views of various warblers and other birds such as Whitethroats and Reed Buntings but unfortunately none of my targeted species came close enough to photograph however at one point I counted 15 Hobbies in the air at the same time along with 7 Marsh Harriers.
   Returning along the path towards the visitor centre slightly disappointed I spotted movement in the long grass and reeds to my right about 50 yards from the path. Stopping and crouching down with my camera I could see a tall head moving around and realised that it was a Common Crane. I knew that a few of these birds were living on and around the reserve but this was the first time I had been close enough for a decent view as they are a very secretive species. As I began to take pictures the bird emerged into the open a bit more and I could see that there was actually a pair of birds which were constantly looking around on guard. Trying to keep as low and quite as possible I continued to snap away for several minutes before the birds retreated back into the thicker cover of the reeds and I could continue back to the car feeling much happier with the day.

   Pretty much all of these photographs were taken into the bright sunlight so the colours don't come out really well but as they are the only images I have of these birds I had to include a few.

 

GREAT CRESTED GREBES AT LAKENHEATH

   Today at RSPB Lakenheath I was once again in pursuit of Hobbies but as I made my way down to the end of the reserve I couldn't help but notice the amount of varied wildlife on display. Reed Buntings were everywhere along with several species of warbler, the skies were filled with Swifts and Cuckoos could be heard calling constantly all over the reserve. Dragonflies were on the wing and Marsh Harriers were quartering the reed beds in the distance; in fact the only things missing were the Hobbies. I passed several pools that contained families of Coots and the occasional Swan but what caught my attention was a Great Crested Grebe swimming around with a chick on its back with its distinctive zebra stripe markings on its head. These two swam around for a while, the chick seemingly quite content to stay dry on its parents back until the other parent bird emerged with a fish that it passed to the chick who then spent the next few minutes trying to swallow. The fish that looked like a Roach or Rudd was very big and the chick struggled to eat it in fact it was dropped on more than one occasion but each time the parents retrieved it and returned it to the chick who eventually managed to swallow it.
   These are not the best pictures as focusing was difficult through the reeds but I couldn't resist sharing them with you.

DEER IN THE WOODS

   Yesterday at Minsmere was spent looking for Hobbies but the recent easterly winds seem to have driven them away from the reserve along with many other of my target species so cutting the day short I was heading back to the car park when I spotted these two lurking in the woods. I couldn't believe how naturally they were acting even though I knew that they were aware of my presence and they were quite happy for me to snap away. Its difficult to believe that the Red deer stags will be beginning their rut in another 3 months the result of which will be more of these little fellas.

FEMALE MARSH HARRIER SHOTS AND A CUTE YOUNG DEER

   Thought that I better include a few of the pictures taken yesterday of the Marsh Harriers that sometimes came close to Bittern hide although none are brilliant they are reasonable enough to include in a blog and it's always great to watch them effortlessly hunting over the reed beds.

   Also I couldn't not include this photograph as three female Red deer with one small youngster came past the hide. About 50 yards up the path the mother deer left the youngster in the long grass and continued into the reed bed with the other two adults which is something they usually do with the very young and she will return later to feed it. In this picture you can almost see the parent talking to the child saying "wait here till I come back".

HOBBIES BUT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

   Yesterday a 4 am start at Minsmere targeting Otters at Island mere resulted in only a distant siting in the early morning; Bitterns were more obliging but because the light wasn't brilliant none of the images were particularly striking.
   At about 9 am I made the decision to walk round to the Bittern hide and was immediately rewarded by the sun coming out and the sight of a beautiful Hobby perched in the dead tree beside the hide only about 30 yards away. I joined the three other people in the hide snapping away at this glorious raptor and before long as the hide filled up with people two other Hobbies joined in the aerial display. They were not the only entertainment as Marsh Harriers came close to the hide and Bitterns were regularly seen either flying or in the reeds hunting for food and there was the constant sound of booming as the male Bitterns continued to try and attract females even this late into the season.
   My enjoyment of the day was tempered slightly when local wildlife photographer Jon E who always seems to take fantastic images popped into the hide and informed me that a Great White Egret had been in the pond behind South hide giving great views. I realised that I had missed a great opportunity especially when he showed me the images he had taken ( to see one of the pictures check out the Suffolk BINS website for the month of June).
   Here are some of the many pictures of Hobbies I took .

LAKELAND KINGFISHERS

   As I've mentioned in a previous blog there are Kingfishers on the river but unlike the last few years this time they were nesting just downstream from the cottage opposite the footpath that follows the river. Because they are a protected species you need a special license to photograph them on or near the nest so had to be careful where I took any images from but luckily for me I found a couple of observation points where they regularly seemed to perch away from the nest site. I must admit I'm not really happy with the images but as they are the only Kingfisher pictures I have taken I thought that they had better be included in a blog. As it turned out my time with these birds was very limited due to the weather and keeping the family happy but I hope to return to Kingfishers as a subject before too long.