26th Mar 2017 – Brilliant Brecks

A group day tour down to the Brecks today, our last scheduled Brecks Tour for March. It was another lovely day – bright and sunny, though still with a bit of a chill to the east wind. It still felt like spring though, out of the wind, a great day to be out birding.

The meeting place at the start of the day was at Lynford. As we gathered in the car park, we could hear a Blackcap singing, the first we have heard this year. There seems to have been quite an arrival of them in the last couple of days. We looked across and could see it perched up in the top of a bare deciduous tree nearby.

Over on the other side of the car park, we could hear a Firecrest calling. We walked over and realised it was out on the sunny side of the trees, by the road. When we got round there, it had moved up into the tops of the trees, and was calling constantly. There were lots of other birds up there too, Siskins, Chaffinches and tits. Then a second Firecrest started calling nearby, from a low holly bush right in front of us. As it was much lower down, we had a great view of it in there for a couple of seconds, before it too flew up into the tops of the trees.

Back in the car park, we could still hear the Firecrests calling from high up in the trees, where the sun was catching them. A Jay perched in the very top of a fir tree was also enjoying the morning sunshine.

Jay – enjoying the morning sunshine at Lynford

Our first destination for the day was Santon Downham – we planned to come back to explore Lynford later. We drove over into Suffolk, parked in the Forestry Commission car park, and walked back down the road towards the bridge. There were quite a few Bramblings in the alders down by the river and some of them were singing. The song is not much to write home about – a hoarse wheezing rather like a Greenfinch. They should be on their way back to Scandinavia for the breeding season soon.

Brambling – singing in the alders down by the river

As we walked down along the river bank, we could hear the ‘glipping’ calls of Common Crossbills and looked across to see two flying away over the meadows. A little further along we heard our first Mandarins calling. A pair flew in from the other side of the river and did a circuit through the trees, the male following the female, before the two of them eventually landed high in a poplar. It is always slightly odd to see Mandarins balancing in the trees, but they are naturally tree hole nesters.

Mandarin – the drake, balanced high in a poplar tree

A raptor appeared over the top of the trees and a quick look confirmed it was an adult Goshawk. Silvery grey above and rather bright white below, it flew across low over the top of the poplars and dropped away behind the pines beyond. A nice bonus to start the day.

There are still lots of Lesser Redpolls along the river at the moment. Most of them are feeding down in the sallows and alders at the back of the trees, out of view. Odd ones and twos were chasing each other around higher up in the trees and we managed to get some in the scope for a closer look.

The Nuthatches are very noisy along the river at the moment, busy renovating their homes and defending them from any other unwelcome potential occupants. A Great Spotted Woodpecker called and appeared briefly on a branch above the path ahead of us, before flying back into the trees. A couple of Green Woodpeckers laughed at us from the other side of the river.

What we really wanted to see was Lesser Spotted Woodpecker though. We had been lucky enough to be able to watch the male fly in and start excavating a nest hole yesterday, so it was only natural to have a quick look at the same tree this morning, just in case. And there it was! The male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was busy in exactly the same spot. It was hard to see at first, slightly round towards the back of the tree, in the shade, but we got all the scopes on it and we were all soon watching it hard at work.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – the male, with red crown, busy excavating again

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was disappearing most of the way into the hole – we could just see its tail showing behind the trunk – and re-emerging with beak-fulls of wood chips, which it would throw out. It was mostly in the shade on that side of the tree, but occasionally when it leaned back and turned, its bright red crown caught in the morning sunshine.

We watched the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker busy working on the hole for about 15 minutes. Then it seemed to pause and started calling. We thought we might hear the female answer from somewhere nearby, although we didn’t hear anything. But the next thing we knew, the female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker appeared in a tree nearby. She didn’t fly to inspect the nest hole today, but instead flew straight towards us and landed in a tree right above our heads. Craning our necks, we could see her feeding in the high branches. She flitted between branches for a couple of minutes, before flying off across the river. When we looked back, the male had now disappeared too.

We walked a little further up along the river, to see what else we could find. A pair of Stock Doves were hopping around in a large dead tree. A Water Rail flew into cover on the far bank of the river, but before anyone could get onto it. There were several butterflies out enjoying the spring sunshine – Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell. On our way back again, there was still no sign of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker back at the nest hole, so we decided to move on.

On the walk back, a pair of Mandarins were by the river. The female was out on the bank, preening, while the male swam up and down in the edge of the water. He looked particularly smart, his bright chestnut plumage catching the sun, with his thick mane of ornamental feathers around his neck and two ‘sails’ on his back.

Mandarin – a pair were on the river on the way back

On the way back from the bridge to the car park, we noticed a small bird making aerial sallies out from the side of a tall conifer. It was a Firecrest and it was flycatching, fluttering out after small flies which we could see in the air around the edge of the tree. We stopped to watch it for a couple of minutes. When it landed in the edge of the conifer, we could see its boldly black and white striped face and the brighter bronze  patches on the sides of the neck. A lovely bird!

Our next stop was in the north Brecks. We parked in an area overlooking the Forest and got out to scan over the trees. Despite the sunshine, there was still a bit of a chill from the easterly wind, and raptor activity was a little slow here today. There were a few Common Buzzards circling up above the trees. A couple of Red Kites were displaying in the distance, and stopped to chase off another Common Buzzard which was trying to circle with them. A Sparrowhawk came up out of the trees too – just too small to be a Goshawk, with a more active flapping flight and quicker turns. As it circled we could see its square-cornered tail, pinched in at the base. A pair of Kestrels circled over the field nearby.

There has been a pair of Stone Curlews in the field behind, but we couldn’t see them at first. They had settled down in among the stones and clods of earth, in a slight depression in the field, and were perfectly camouflaged. There was also a bit of heat haze now, coming up off the bare ground. We repositioned ourselves slightly and scanned carefully and just managed to see two heads, which looked to all intents and purposes like two rather rounded stones! Through the scope, we could just make out the staring yellow iris in the middle of one of the ‘stones’!

Stone Curlew – one standing up, one hiding in among the stones

Helpfully, after a few minutes, one of the two Stone Curlews stood up so we could get a much better look at it. We could see the distinctive black and white striped panel on the wings.

A Woodlark called and we looked across to see it fluttering over the winter wheat field in front. It flew around for a minute or so and then dropped down to the ground. We saw where it landed, but it quickly disappeared into the crop before we could get the scopes onto it. A short while later, we could hear either it or another Woodlark singing its rather sad and melancholy song from somewhere across the field.

With the limited raptor activity here, we decided to move on and have a look for the Great Grey Shrike first, and come back here for lunch later. We parked by another ride and set off into the Forest. A smart male Yellowhammer was calling from the trees on the edge of the clearing. There was no sound of any Woodlarks today, but there were several dogs running around loose all over the middle of the clearing, not an ideal situation with sensitive ground nesting birds here!

As soon as we rounded the corner by the young pine plantation, we could see the Great Grey Shrike, its bright white and silvery grey plumage really standing out in the sun against the background of dark green pines. We had a quick look from the corner, and then made our way round to the other side of the plantation where we could get a better look with the sun behind us.

Great Grey Shrike – showing well in its usual spot again today

We watched the Great Grey Shrike for a while. It perched in the very top of a young pine tree for a while, before dropping down to the ground. When it came back up, it climbed through the branches of a young ash tree. It stayed there for some time, scanning the ground below. While we were watching it, a Woodlark flew up from the clearing behind and landed in the top of a tall, lone dead pine. Through the scope we could see the prominent pale supercilium and the distinctive black and white panel on the primary coverts.

It was time for lunch, so we headed back to the spot where we had been earlier and scanned over the Forest as we ate. There seemed to be a bit more hazy cloud at first, and it felt even slightly cooler than it had earlier. The raptors were still fairly subdued. However, after a while some blue sky appeared over the trees and we could feel the sun a little stronger on our backs. It was just enough – an adult male Goshawk circled up out of the trees below a Common Buzzard. It didn’t stop long though, and quickly drifted off and dropped away over the pines.

The plan was to spend the rest of the afternoon back at Lynford Arboretum. The Hawfinches have been showing very well over the last few days from the gate, so we got ourselves into position. We could see one Hawfinch come down through the trees and it quickly dropped to the ground to feed, but it was right at the back and hard to see behind some taller evergreen vegetation. There were also a pair of Bullfinches feeding in the leaf litter at the back.

A couple of Bramblings were more obliging, feeding in the leaf litter much closer to the gate. One or two Siskins dropped down to the stone bath to drink. A Nuthatch flew down to the ground too and several tits were flitting around the feeders.

Brambling – coming down to the feed on the ground in front of the gate

Then we spotted someone walking through the trees at the back, and the Hawfinch and Bullfinches flew off as they approached. They walked through to the chicken run with what looked like some food for the pet rabbit which is also in there. We thought the Hawfinches might return, but the next thing we knew a large crowd of people came through the back of the trees, with a couple of dogs in tow too. They went round to the chicken pen and stayed there for what seemed like ages. It was clear the birds would not be coming back down in a hurry!

We walked on down the path to the pines and did a quick circuit round the trees. We could hear Crossbill calling from the tops, but couldn’t see it. From round by the battle area, we heard a Hawfinch calling from the trees. We stopped to look for it and realised that there were loads of finches up in the pines – Bramblings, Chaffinches, Lesser Redpolls, Siskins and Goldfinches – all taking advantage of the opening of the cones and the resulting abundance of free seed. The birds were hard to see in the pines though, and we couldn’t see any Hawfinch.

As we walked back to the main path, we could hear another Hawfinch calling from the trees overhead and then we spotted one out in the open in the top of the deciduous trees by the chicken pen. Unfortunately, just as we got it in the scope, it flew off towards the feeders. We walked back to see if we could find it down on the ground from the gate, but it was still all quiet here.

The Hawfinches often like to perch in the tops of the trees around the Arboretum and enjoy the late afternoon sun, so we decided we would walk down towards the bridge and try our luck there. As we got to the top of the hill, we spotted three Hawfinches in the tops of the bare branches. This time most of the group did manage to get a look at them in the scope, but they didn’t hang around and flew back towards the chicken pen. We turned to walk back and one was perched in the top of a tree on the edge of the Arboretum calling, but that too quickly flew.

The Hawfinches were certainly giving us the runaround today, but as we walked back to see if we could find one down on the ground from the gate, we finally all got a good look at one in the tops of the trees above the feeders. Finally! After a few minutes, it dropped down towards the ground, but there was still no sign of it from the gate.

Hawfinch – finally one perched up nicely in the trees for us

The Hawfinches were a bit like buses today. Having finally broken our duck and had a good look at one, as we headed back down the hill once more to look for Crossbills, there were two more Hawfinches in the tops of the trees by the path. Just as we had suggested, they seemed to be enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. Again, we got a really good look at these two through the scopes. They really are stunning birds, with their massive nutcracker bills.

Hawfinch – enjoying the late afternoon sun in the treetops

Down at the bridge, there was quite a bit of food out for the birds today. There was a steady stream of tits coming in to take advantage of it, including a smart Marsh Tit. A couple of Nuthatches kept darting in too, to grab a seed or two. The resident male Reed Bunting was here again too.

Nuthatch – coming down to the bridge to grab a seed

After a short wait, we heard a Common Crossbill calling. We managed to find it in the top of a poplar but it was deep in the trees and was quickly flushed by a couple of Carrion Crows before everyone could get onto it and dropped down towards the ground, presumably to drink. We walked back towards the start of the Woodland Walk and could see a couple of Crossbills flying around in the trees, although they were very hard to see in the dense tangles of branches.

Thankfully, as we set off in to the wood in an attempt to try to get everyone to see them, the pair of Crossbills flew out and across the path, landing in a spruce tree at the start of the hill. The bright red male helpfully perched right on the outside for a few seconds, long enough for us to get it in the scope. We walked up to the spruce and could see the Crossbills deep in the centre of the tree, and hear them calling, before they flew off.

We walked back over the bridge and along the path, stopping to look at the Long-tailed Tits’ nest hidden in the brambles. It looked to be empty, but as we stood admiring it, we could hear two Long-tailed Tits calling as they approached through the undergrowth. One of them was carrying a large feather. They were clearly too nervous to go in with us standing there, so we backed off.

Another Crossbill flew overhead at that point and we turned to look at it as it landed in the tops of the poplars. It was a rather rusty orange male, possibly an immature, or just lacking in red pigment from its diet. We got it in the scope and had a good look at it, before it dropped down into the trees out of view.

It was already time to head back to the car park now. As we got back to the cars, the Firecrest was singing from the trees nearby, just as it had been when we met first thing this morning. We had enjoyed a long and exciting day in the Brecks in between, and seen some great birds!

25th Mar 2017 – Brighter Brecks

A Private Tour to the Brecks again today. It was bright & sunny once more, but with much lighter winds it felt much warmer. Just like spring in fact. The birds seemed to be enjoying it too.

Our first stop was at Santon Downham. A Greenfinch was wheezing away in the car park and, on the walk down to the river, we saw several Bramblings, including a smart male with a rather black head. Several Siskins and Redpolls could be heard overhead. A lone male Common Crossbill called as it flew over and a few seconds later came back the other way, dropping in and perching very briefly in the top of a tree, singing.

A couple of Green Woodpeckers laughed at us from the other side of the river. Several Nuthatches piped noisily from the poplars. We found a couple of Nuthatch nest holes along the river bank. The first was defended vigorously by the male Nuthatch – when a Blue Tit landed in the same tree, it was quickly chased away. Further along, we found another Nuthatch busy excavating in its nest hole.

Nuthatch – defending its nest hole from the local Blue Tits

We really wanted to see the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers today, and we were encouraged by the news that they had been seen much earlier this morning. After several days where they have been more elusive, this sounded promising. While we waited, we managed to get a Lesser Redpoll in the scope, a male with pink wash over its breast. We could hear loads more Redpolls chattering in the sallows. A pair of Mandarin flew in from the trees calling and headed upstream along the river. A pair of Grey Wagtails flew in to one of the trees which had fallen across the river.

Walking up a bit further, we stopped to listen again. Then we heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling, distantly at first. It called a second time, seemingly a bit closer. Then one appeared in a dead tree a short way back along the path. We quickly got it in the scope and could see that it was the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, with a bright red crown when it caught the sunlight. It set off on a quick circuit around the block of poplars, calling occasionally, never staying at the same tree for long. It was a job to follow it.

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – the male, with bright red crown

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker made its way further back into the trees and disappeared from view. We thought that might be it, but then it called again, closer  to us once more. It worked its way quickly back to the dead tree where we had first seen it and the next thing we knew it was excavating a nest hole! The entrance was round towards the back of the tree, out of view, but we could see the male lean in, and when it came back out a shower of wood shavings fell to the ground. It carried on excavating for at least 15 minutes, in view all the time.

Even better, when the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker finally paused in its excavations and started calling again, a second bird answered it from deep in the trees away to the left. The two called to each other again, and we could hear the second woodpecker was coming closer. Then it appeared in a tree nearby, the female, with a black crown. After a few seconds she flew to the tree where the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker had been excavating, hopped up the trunk nearby, and then flew over and ousted the male from where he had been working. He flew off and she started to inspect the hole. It didn’t look like she was too impressed because, after a minute or so, she flew off to, disappearing back into the trees behind.

We had been watching the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers for over 45 minutes, a real treat with such an elusive and fast declining species. And to see both male and female, at one point together on the tree. Wow – great stuff! We made our way back to the car park, stopping on the way to admire various butterflies out in the spring sunshine – Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Brimstone. We also had a quick look in on the Honey Bee nest in a tree by the path.

It seemed like a good time to go looking for Goshawks next. We made our way to a convenient spot overlooking the Forest and set ourselves up to scan. Despite the warmer conditions today, there was still a cool NE breeze, though it was not as blustery as yesterday. Raptor activity still seemed a little slow this morning. A couple of Sparrowhawks circled up. There was no shortage of Common Buzzards in view, but they were not gaining any great height above the trees. Two of the Buzzards drifted over towards where we were standing and one of them was promptly dive bombed by a Kestrel. Eventually we located our first Goshawk of the morning, but it was very distant.

Common Buzzard and Kestrel – the latter mobbing the former

A scan of the stoney field behind eventually produced a Stone Curlew. It was hard to see at first, sitting down in the field in a dip. However, it finally stood up and gave itself away. We could see its staring yellow iris and dark-tipped yellow bill. Then it sat down and merged back in with the stone and clods of earth, perfectly camouflaged.

With Goshawk activity seemingly still subdued, we decided to go off to look for the Great Grey Shrike next and come back and have another look here later. So we drove round and parked up next to the ride. The clearings here have been very good for Woodlark recently, but there was no sound of any as we walked down the track. The females are probably on eggs now. It was also warm today and the middle of the day by now, which is when they are least active. We could hear the snap, crackle and pop of the pine cones opening in the spring sunshine as we walked down beside a mature plantation.

Thankfully, the Great Grey Shrike was much more obliging. As soon as we walked round the corner, we saw it, its white and silvery grey plumage really standing out against the deep green of a young pine plantation. It was perched right on the top of a young tree. There was quite a bit of heat haze now, so we walked round to where we could get a close look without disturbing it. Through the scope, we could see the pointed tip to its bill.

Great Grey Shrike – showing well around the same plantation again today

There were more raptors coming up now, over the trees beyond. Three Red Kites circled up with four Common Buzzards. We figured there had to be a Goshawk here too and, sure enough, a large juvenile female Goshawk then circled up out of the trees. It gained height rapidly, climbing with the Buzzards for a bit, before it drifted away from them. A second Goshawk appeared nearby, an adult, probably a male, and engaged in a quick burst of display, possibly trying to get the juvenile Goshawk out of its territory. Then we lots track of both of them high in the sky.

As we walked back towards the car, we made a quick circuit of the clearings looking for Woodlark. We were almost back to the car when we found two, which flew up from the ground and proceeded to chase each other all over the place. One of the two Woodlarks then started to sing, fluttering over the clearing, sounding distinctly mournful, before suddenly stooping straight down to the ground where it disappeared completely among the tussocks and clods of earth. A pair of Mistle Thrushes dropped down to feed out in the clearing too, though given their size they were a bit easier to see on the ground.

It was lunchtime now, but we decided to head back to the vantage point overlooking the Forest and eat our lunch scanning for Goshawks. As soon as we got out of the car, we spotted one. It was another juvenile, flying in and out through the tops of the trees. It gave a quick burst of display, with deep and exaggerated wingbeats, then disappeared behind the trees. After a few seconds, it reappeared further over, circled up rapidly and drifted away from us over the Forest.

Goshawk – this juvenile circled up over lunchtime

After we had eaten lunch, we packed up and headed over to Lynford Arboretum for the rest of the afternoon. As we walked up along the path, we could see quite a crowd gathered by the gate. Thankfully, that was because the Hawfinches had been showing well and it wasn’t long before we were watching our first Hawfinch of the day feeding down in the leaf litter.

Hawfinch – feeding down in the leaf little from the gate

Over the next half an hour or so, there was a steady coming and going of Hawfinches. There were several birds, though it was hard to know exactly how many in total, but we did have three in view at once at one point, a female and two brighter males. It was great to see them so well – they are big finches, particularly compared to the Chaffinches and Bramblings nearby, with an enormous and powerful steely grey bill.

Hawfinches – there were at least three coming down to feed today

There were lots of other birds coming down to feed and drink from the gate this afternoon. As well as the Bramblings, a mixture of duller females and brighter orange breasted males, we saw Siskins, Nuthatches and a selection of tits. A Redwing was lurking in the leaf litter at the back for a bit, later replaced by a Song Thrush. A Great Spotted Woodpecker landed on the ground and started feeding too, at one point.

Great Spotted Woodpecker – feeding on the ground from the gate

Eventually we decided to tear ourselves away from all the action at the gate and walk down towards the bridge. The pine trees at the top of the hill were rather quiet today, as we passed. A Goldcrest sang from the firs on the way down.

Down at the bridge, there was quite a bit of food spread out for the birds and quite a bit of activity as a consequence. A couple of Nuthatches came in and out several times, as did the local Marsh Tits and a pair of Reed Buntings. A Treecreeper was busy climbing up the various alder trunks. A sharp-eyed member of the group spotted a Water Rail down in the sedges below the bridge.

We were hoping to see Common Crossbills here and we didn’t have to wait too long to be rewarded. At first a juvenile flew in and landed in the top of the poplars above us. Then a red male Crossbill and a grey green female flew in too. They flew around in the alders by the bridge for a bit, perching up from time to time where we could see them. We had a good look in the scope, getting a close up view of their distinctive crossed mandibles.

Common Crossbill – a bright red male

When the Crossbills disappeared back into the trees, we decided to move on. We walked round to take a look at the Long-tailed Tits’ nest – we could just see one of the adult birds sitting curled up tight inside. Then we took a walk round the lake. It was nice and quiet at first, but then a large and very noisy extended family group out for an afternoon stroll came the other way. There had been a nice selection of birds on the lake – Gadwall, Mallard and their domesticated brethren of various forms, Tufted Ducks, Canada Geese and a couple of Little Grebes. But when one of the youths in the group kicked a rugby ball out into the middle of the water, most of the ducks flew off.

We carried on round to the far end of the lake, but it was fairly lifeless here after all the disturbance. On our way back, we could see two youths climbing through the bushes on the far side of the lake in an attempt to get their ball back. A pair of Mandarin flew round calling, presumably having just been flushed. They landed again back near the bridge and we just got a look at them before they swam into the reeds. As we walked back over the bridge, a smart male Siskin flew down right in front of us, perched on a low branch twittering, and then nearly landed at our feet before thinking better of it.

Siskin – this male almost landed at our feet

There was still time for once last bonus. As we got back to the car park, we could hear a Firecrest calling. We couldn’t work out where the sound was coming from at first, but then it flew up out of a low fir tree right in front of us. We had a great look at its black and white striped face, before it flicked up higher in a bare beech tree. A lovely way to end a very successful day in the Brecks.

 

24th Mar 2017 – Brrr Brecks

A Private Tour today, down to the Brecks. The weather was good, dry and mostly bright with blue sky at times, but there was a nagging, blustery NE wind with a real chill to it – it didn’t feel like spring at times today!

It was an early start this morning at Santon Downham. We hoped to find Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, even though they have been rather more elusive in recent days in the wind. As we got to the bridge, a couple of Kingfishers shot off upstream in a flash of electric blue. We could hear one or two Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming in the poplars. They have not been very obvious in recent days, so we thought this might be a good sign.

There were lots of finches along the river as usual, mostly Siskins and Redpolls buzzing around overhead. A Hawfinch was calling as we walked along the river, but we couldn’t see where the sound was coming from before it stopped. A Water Rail squealed at us from the reeds as we passed. We could hear Mandarin calling and looked over the river to see four chasing each other round in a tight group.

Nuthatch – very noisy down along the river at the moment

When we got to the area favoured by the woodpeckers, we stopped and listened for a while. The Nuthatches were being very noisy, piping away up in the trees. When a couple of Great Tits came in to investigate the hole in the tree, the Nuthatches quickly chased them away. There were several Green Woodpeckers calling too, but no sign of the Lesser Spotteds this morning. Perhaps it was just too cold and windy for them again today?

There was a backdrop of constant chattering of Redpolls as we stood and waited on the river bank. For most of the time, we couldn’t see them, as they were down in the sallows at the back of the trees. Periodically, a small group would fly round. Eventually, three landed in an alder tree where we could get them in the scope, confirming they were Lesser Redpolls, including a nice pinky-red breasted male.

A pair of Grey Wagtails kept us company. They were feeding around a tree which had fallen across the river, gathering a mat of water weed and associated plastic bottles around its branches which seemed to be providing them with food. The male was singing on and off while it fed.

Grey Wagtail – a pair were feeding around a tree which has fallen across the river

A Common Lizard had found a log in the morning sunshine on which to bask. At low level, it was probably protected from the chill of the wind. Eventually, we decided to call it a day here and move on to try our luck elsewhere.

Common Lizard – basking in the sunshine

Our next target for the morning was Goshawk. We made our way to a suitable spot overlooking the Forest and waited. It had clouded over a bit more now and, coupled with the biting wind, it seemed there was not much thermal activity for raptors to enjoy. A Red Kite circled in the distance and a few Common Buzzards were making the most of the breeze.

A scan of the stoney field behind us and we quickly located a single Stone Curlew. Through the scope it looked slightly prehistoric, with its yellow iris and yellow-based bill. It was very well camouflaged against the stones and, when it walked into a hollow and sat down, it completely disappeared from view.

Stone Curlew – looking distinctly prehistoric

A commotion behind us attracted our attention, as a large cloud of Rooks and Jackdaws seemed to get spooked from the field and took off calling. As we looked round, we then saw a dozen Woodpigeons burst out of the trees beyond. The next thing we knew, we were looking at a juvenile Goshawk flying through the pandemonium it had just caused.

The Goshawk didn’t seemed to be hunting, perhaps it was just enjoying itself. It circled round, through the panicking flocks, then gradually gained height and embarked on a long glide over the other side and down behind the trees. Then it all seemed to go a bit quiet again, even the Buzzard activity tailed off. We decided to go somewhere else.

We parked on the edge of Drymere and set off to walk down along the ride to look for the Great Grey Shrike.  However, we hadn’t gone very far when we heard a Woodlark singing. We looked across and could see it perched in a small oak tree. As we walked round to get a better look at it, it took off and fluttered up, disappearing away over the clearing, singing. A second Woodlark started singing too, from the ground behind us.

While we stood and listened to the two of them, the first Woodlark flew back in and landed on the ground in front of us, before flying back up into the oak tree. This time we were in the perfect position to get it in the scope and get a really good look at it.

Woodlark – perched in the branches of a small oak, singing

It didn’t take us long to find the Great Grey Shrike next, in its favoured plantation. It stood out like a sore thumb against the dark green of the young pines. It was perched in the top of a young deciduous tree in one of the old stump rows, so we made our way round to the other side of the plantation where we had the sun behind us, and got it in the scope.

Great Grey Shrike – in its usual place this morning

When it dropped down, presumably looking for prey, we lost sight of the Great Grey Shrike. We had a walk round the Plantation to see if it had gone round to the other side, but it wasn’t there. Presumably, it had simply found a sheltered spot out of sight amongst the trees. We had enjoyed a good view before it disappeared, so we decided to leave it to it.

We stopped for lunch overlooking the Forest, to see if there was any more Goshawk action. Despite the skies having cleared, and there being a few more Buzzards up again now, there was no further sign. So once we had eaten, we packed up and headed round to Lynford Arboretum for the afternoon.

As we walked up along the path, we could see a small crowd gathered by the gate. It appeared that the Hawfinches had been coming down to feed in the leaf litter. We could hear them calling from up in the trees, but unfortunately before we could see them, a noisy quad bike was driven round under the trees and two Hawfinches flew out. We saw them go up into the top of the trees just beyond the chicken run, but by the time we got over there, they flew again, dropping down and away, out of sight.

We stood and waited, looking at the trees and listening, for a few minutes. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long before a female Hawfinch flew back in. It landed in the tops of the trees above the feeders, just long enough for us to get it in the scope and for everyone to have a quick look, before dropping down towards the ground. We walked back to the gate, hoping we would be able to see it from there, but there was no sign of anything in the leaf litter. We could hear it calling, but couldn’t see it in the trees either. After a few minutes, the quad bike did another circuit under the trees and the Hawfinch flew off, disappearing away over the Arboretum.

Brambling – several came down to drink from the gate

There were some other nice birds to see from the gate. Several Bramblings dropped down from the trees to drink, and one or two stopped to feed in the leaves at one point. A Redwing was feeding on some ivy berries, before it too came down for a drink in the small stone trough. However, it seemed like there was just too much disturbance at the moment for the Hawfinches, with the quad bike making regular circuits.

Redwing – came down to drink too

We made our way down to the bridge, thinking we could have another look for the Hawfinches later. The walk down the hill was rather quiet – there were not the numbers of finches feeding in the pines today. Down at the bridge there was more activity. Several birds were coming and going, darting in to grab some of the food put out for them in the pillars. Most notably, there were a couple of Nuthatches and two Marsh Tits.

Marsh Tit – coming to the food put out at the bridge

There was no sign of any Common Crossbills around the bridge at first today, so we decided to go for a walk round and come back for another go later. We had a quick look at the Long-tailed Tit nest. It was hard to see if it was occupied today, although there seemed to be feathers inside which were possibly attached to a bird!

Long-tailed Tit nest – probably occupied by a Long-tailed Tit

A quick walk round by the lake added a few ducks and geese to the days list. In addition to the usual two pairs of Canada Geese, a couple of Greylag Geese were on the lawn in front of the Hall. On the water, the ducks included two pairs of Gadwall, a couple of pairs of Mallard and some of their domesticated cousins, plus a pair of Tufted Ducks. We could hear a Little Grebe laughing maniacally at us.

We continued on past the lake and down the path. A Treecreeper called and appeared in a tree above us. A Goldcrest came out onto the edge of a yew tree in the sunshine. There were more tits and Nuthatches down here too. As we turned to come back, we heard a Common Crossbill calling and looked up into the poplars to see a stunning red male catching the afternoon sunshine. We got it in the scope and watched it for a while. When it eventually moved, it flew down and chased a second Crossbill, presumably a female, out of the branches.

Back at the bridge, there was still lots of activity. This time, a smart male Reed Bunting had appeared and was feeding on the seed.

Reed Bunting – feeding on the seed at the bridge

When we heard more Crossbills calling here, we looked up into the trees, in time to see a small family party appear in the alders above us. The streaky brown juvenile Crossbill was begging and we watched as the orangey male fed it, regurgitating half digested seed for it. The green/yellow female perched in the tree nearby. After a while, the three of them flew down to a small pool in the grass for a drink, before disappearing back up into the trees.

Crossbill – the streaky brown juvenile begging for food from the male

It was great to get such good views of Crossbills, but with the afternoon getting on now, we thought we would head back up towards the Arboretum and have another go with the Hawfinches. As we walked back back up towards the gate and the feeders, we could hear a Hawfinch calling, but by the time we got there it seemed to have gone quiet. We were still standing scanning the trees, when someone kindly waved to us from the gate to say that a Hawfinch was down on the ground.

We hurried over to find a smart male Hawfinch feeding in the leaf litter on the edge of the trees. Through the scope, we could see its enormous bill as it crunched on seeds.

Hawfinch – a male, feeding on seeds around the base of the trees

We watched the Hawfinch for a few minutes, feeding quietly around the base of the trees. It was a great view, great to see one on the ground. Then something spooked it, and it flew up into the trees. We waited a few minutes to see if it would come back, but then the quad bike did another noisy pass through the trees, and it seemed like we would be pushing our luck to hope for another appearance. It was a great way to end the day – with such a good look at the Hawfinch. We decided to call it a day and made our way back to the car.

 

22nd Mar 2017 – More Brecks Birding

A Private Tour in the Brecks today. It was forecast to be a day of two halves – dry in the morning, but with increasing risk of rain in the afternoon. We set out to make the most of the weather while it lasted.

Our first stop was at Santon Downham. It was rather cold and breezy again today down by the river. The Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have become rather elusive in the last few days, perhaps not a surprise given the weather, which has felt a little like a return to winter. Still, the group were keen to have a go anyway, and there are often lots of other things to see along here. It turned out to be a good call.

As we walked along the path, we could hear Mandarin calling and looked ahead to see a pair flying towards us along the river. They landed a short distance in front of us, partly hidden behind the bushes, but then swam towards us. The female led the way, followed by the drake, which had puffed up its head and neck feathers and kept craning its neck up and forward, displaying to her.

Mandarin – this pair were displaying along the river

When the female Mandarin was just opposite us on the river, she stopped and the male quickly caught up. He started to swim round her, at which point she stretched out her neck and put the tip of her bill into the water. This was an invitation to the male to say that she was receptive and after a few seconds looking at us nervously, he started to mate with her – not something you see very often, Mandarins mating!

Mandarin – the pair then started mating

A little further along the path, we could see ripples out in the middle of the river some way ahead of us. A quick look through binoculars and we caught sight of an Otter just as it dived. We made our way quickly and quietly towards the area it had been. When we got there, we stopped for another scan and could just see movement through the undergrowth at the base of an alder tree on the near bank – an Otter cub was resting on the shore. Unfortunately we couldn’t see it clearly, given all the vegetation, and after a few seconds an adult Otter joined it and the two of them swam quietly off away from us.

Otter – the cub, resting on the branch of a fallen tree in the river

Thankfully, the two Otters stopped again where a large tree had fallen across the river further downstream, by the opposite bank. This time, we could see the cub more clearly, standing on a mat of floating vegetation trapped among the branches. We walked up until we were directly across from it and realised the adult Otter was diving repeatedly in amongst all the branches, presumably looking for food. It noticed we were watching and stopped to look at us several times when it surfaced.

Otter – the adult kept surfacing and stopping to look at us

There were a couple of Mute Swans building a platform in amongst the branches too, and whenever the adult Otter surfaced next to them the male swan would hiss and crane its neck towards it. Eventually, the adult Otter seemed to lose interest in us and started feeding under a mat of floating vegetation over by the far bank the other side of the fallen tree. Eventually, the cub came out to join it, and pulled itself out onto another log nearby, in full view.

Otter – the cub pulled itself out onto a floating log

We watched the Otters, fascinated, for several minutes. At one point, they were joined by a pair of Grey Wagtails, which flew in and landed on the same fallen tree. Eventually the Otters disappeared under some overhanging vegetation on the far side, so we left them to it and continued on our walk.

There were lots of Bramblings, Siskins and Redpolls whizzing about overhead in ones and twos all the time as we walked along beside the river, but it was hard to see any stopped still at first. That was because they were mostly hiding down in the sallows. Only when something spooked them did we realise how many were there – at least 70 flew up from the trees. Finally, we spotted two Lesser Redpolls perched in an alder tree and got them in the scope – one was a smart male with a pinkish red wash over its breast.

There was comparatively little woodpecker activity along the river today. We heard several Green Woodpeckers calling and managed to see a couple – one which landed high in a tree directly above our heads and another more obligingly on a large dead tree in front of us. However, we only heard one Great Spotted Woodpecker call briefly. The Nuthatches were not put off by the cooler weather, and several were piping loudly from the trees.

It had been well worth the walk here this morning, but we had other things we wanted to do today. We set off to walk back, stopping to look at a Honey Bee nest in a tree on the way. It looked like something had tried to open up the nest and we could see the honeycomb inside and the bees coming and going. While we were admiring the bees, a Siskin came down to drink in the ditch nearby.

Siskin – came down for a drink

The weather had also just brightened up a bit, so we made our way over to a site to look for Goshawks next. As soon as we arrived and had our first scan over the Forest, we spotted our first Goshawk up, but it was very distant. At least it was a good sign, that the birds were active despite the cold wind. There were several Common Buzzards enjoying the breeze here too, and a couple of Red Kites.

While we were waiting for more Goshawk action, we had a closer look at the field behind us. We were soon rewarded with two Stone Curlews. They were very well camouflaged, hidden in among the flints in the field – one was sitting tight, but the other had its head up and we could see its staring eye with bright yellow iris and the distinctive yellow-based bill.

Stone Curlew – one of two, hiding in a stoney field

There were also a few Lapwing and Skylarks in the field too. A flock of Fieldfares flew in and landed among the stones. They are on the move now, heading back towards Scandinavia for the breeding season.

It wasn’t too long to wait before another Goshawk appeared. It came in low over the trees, towards us, disappearing behind the tops before coming back up again. It appeared to be a young bird, a juvenile born last year, and a female too from the size of it. When it got to a block of taller trees, it started to gain a little more height and even broke into a quick burst of display, flying slowly, with exaggerated, deep wing beats. This prompted a second Goshawk to emerge from the trees, noticeably smaller than the first, an adult male. Just its presence seemed to encourage the youngster to move off today and the two of them disappeared back over the trees and away.

Goshawk – this juvenile female was displaying briefly

Given the cold wind, it was good to get such a nice view of a couple of Goshawks. It all seemed to go a little quiet after that. The clouds thickened again and even the Buzzard activity dropped off. We decided to move on.

Our next stop was at Cockley Cley. As we parked, we could see a large mixed flock of finches in the trees above the car park – Bramblings, Siskins, Lesser Redpolls, Goldfinch and Chaffinch. However, the clearing opposite was quiet, with no sound of Woodlark singing at first today.

We set off along the ride to look for the Great Grey Shrike which has been here for several weeks now. On our way down, we met some people walking back who said it was still present, although had flown off across the clearing. When we got to the clearing it has been favouring, however, there was no sign of it and several people milling around looking lost. We decided to have a quiet walk round to a more sheltered area and were soon watching the Great Grey Shrike hiding in a plantation of young pine trees, out of the wind.

Great Grey Shrike – found a sheltered spot out of the wind today

We found an angle where we could get a clear view of the Great Grey Shrike and got it in the scope. We could see the hooked tip to the bill clearly. It was looking around all the time, presumably trying to spot some prey, but perhaps it was harder going today, with a lack of wasps, beetles or lizards out and about.

It started to spit with rain now, so we made our way back towards the car. On the way, we walked carefully round the edge of one of the other clearings and were rewarded with a couple of Woodlarks. The first we spotted walking quietly through the grass, but just as we tried to get the scope onto it, it flew up and started singing, fluttering away and landing much further over. Thankfully, that stimulated a second Woodlark to start singing a little further along and that one we were able to get a better look at, perched on the top of a tussock for a minute or so, before it dropped back down into the vegetation out of view.

While we ate lunch back in the warmth of the car, it started to rain a little harder. After lunch, we drove round to Lynford Arboretum and thankfully the rain had eased again by the time we got there. Walking across the road from the car park, we heard a Firecrest singing, but we couldn’t find it and it immediately went quiet again.

The area under the trees by the feeders looked rather quiet today, but a quick stop here was rewarded with lovely close views of a Treecreeper. There were not so many finches feeding down in the leaves though. We could hear Hawfinches calling in the trees, so we walked a little further along.

At first, the Hawfinches gave us the run around – one calling in the top of a fir tree in the Arboretum flew off just as we tracked it down, and a couple of others were hiding deep in the trees behind the chicken run. Eventually we saw a Hawfinch land high in the trees above the feeders and just had time to get it in the scope so everyone could have a look at it, before it flew off, closely followed by two more. It seemed they might be put off by the rain – at least it wasn’t raining hard now, but it was damp and spitting. There were several Redwings perched around in the treetops too.

Hawfinch – perched in the top of the trees calling briefly

We could still hear Hawfinches calling further along the path, so followed the sound. They seemed to be gathering up in the tops of the pine trees today, based on all the calls we could hear. Standing underneath, we got the odd glimpse, but they are hard to see when in here. The pine cones are opening at the moment, so there is a bountiful supply of seed easily available – presumably the Hawfinches were helping themselves with all the others.

There were lots of other finches in the pines too. When the birds spooked occasionally, a large flock of finches burst from the trees, mainly Bramblings and Siskins. Several of the Bramblings landed in a large deciduous bush on the edge of the pines. As we stopped to look at them here, we found two Bullfinches in the same bush too, including a smart pink male, feeding on the buds.

Brambling – feeding mostly in the pines today

As we walked down the hill towards the bridge, we could still hear more Hawfinches calling. We managed to find one, perched high in a deciduous tree, but half hidden behind a branch. Then a second flew in, a bright male, which perched out more obligingly for us. Another large finch in the tops of the trees here was a streaky juvenile Common Crossbill. Through the scope we could see its not yet fully grown crossed mandibles.

Hawfinch – perched up obligingly for us as we walked down towards the bridge

Despite there being some food out for the birds here, it was rather quiet again down at the bridge, perhaps due to the weather. A Reed Bunting was the only bird of note. We walked down to the paddocks, but there was no sign of any Crossbills here on our way past, and none feeding in the pines by the path today. A Marsh Tit called and perched up obligingly in the hedge, giving us a good chance to note the distinguishing features which set it apart from Coal Tit, which we had seen just a few seconds earlier.

We did make our way over to admire the Long-tailed Tit nest again, now complete and occupied – we could just see some black and white feathers of a Long-tailed Tit curled up inside.

Long-tailed Tit nest – now complete and fully occupied

As we walked back towards the bridge, we could hear a Common Crossbill calling as it flew towards us across the paddocks. It landed in the top of a small tree just in front of us, just long enough for everyone to get a look at it in the scope. It was a very smart, deep red male. Then it flew up into the tops of the poplars, where it was joined by several more Crossbills.

From the bridge, we could get a great view of the Crossbills. We got a male in the scope again and watched it preening. There were also several more streaky juveniles here. However, at this point the rain started to spit a little stronger, and we decided to start making our way back.

Crossbill – this male was preening just above us at the bridge

It was already late afternoon by this stage, and we were lucky that the rain had not been too bad until this point – it certainly had not significantly adversely affected our visit to the Arboretum, or the birds we had seen. We had enjoyed great views of Hawfinch and Crossbill here as usual. As we got back to the car park, the rain seemed to be easing once more, but it was time to call it a day. A Firecrest was singing from the top of a fir tree, but a Goldcrest was more obliging, fluttering around lower down in a pine above the car park. It was a nice way to end the day.

18th Mar 2017 – Day Brecks

A group day tour in the Brecks today. Earlier in the week, it had been forecast to be wet all day but the outlook was much improved and we were now not expecting any rain until late afternoon. We set out to make the most of it.

The meeting point for the day was at Lynford Arboretum car park. While we were getting everything packed up, we could hear a Firecrest singing in the fir trees nearby. We had a quick look to see if we could find it, but it was rather cool and breezy and the Firecrest was deep in the trees. Still it was a nice start, hearing it here. There were several Siskins in the trees here too.

Our first stop was at Santon Downham. To be assured of seeing the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, you need to spend several hours here, and we didn’t have that amount of time available today, with lots of other things to see. We thought it was worth chancing our luck anyway, while it remained overcast. As we walked down to the bridge, we just caught a snatch of Firecrest song from deep in the bushes, but then it went quiet. Down by the river, a Kingfisher flew off calling, circling round and disappearing into the trees the other side of the road in a flash of electric blue.

Mute Swan – a pair were busy nest building along the river

As we walked along the river bank, a couple of Bramblings flew into the bushes above one of the ditches where they like to drink and bathe. There were several pairs and small groups of Siskins and Lesser Redpolls buzzing around too, though they wouldn’t settle long enough for us to get the scope onto them at first. A Nuthatch was piping overhead in the poplars. A pair of Mute Swans were busy building a nest platform next to a fallen tree.

We hadn’t gone too far when we heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling some way ahead of us. We hurried along to where we thought the sound had come from and found several people gathered on the river bank. They had heard it too, in fact that had heard two Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers as we were on our way out, one on either side of the river, but they hadn’t been able to see them.

Eventually, after a bit of a wait, one of the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers called again. It was on the south side of the river and a bit further back from where it had been heard previously. We walked quickly back and one or two of us just managed to get a glimpse of it deep in a tangle of branches. Unfortunately, it then disappeared again before we could get the rest of the group onto it.

While we were waiting for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker to reappear, there were several other birds to look at. There were loads of Bramblings in the alder trees and we got a couple of them in the scope for a closer look. They should be on their way back to Scandinavia soon. More Lesser Redpolls were buzzing around the trees and eventually a couple landed and stayed still long enough for us to get them in the scope. A flock of Redwings flew ‘teezing’ through the tops. A Sparrowhawk disappeared back over the trees.

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker called once more, but had clearly moved even further back into the trees on the other side of the river, where we stood no chance of seeing it. We waited a few more minutes to see if it would come back our way, but it had gone quiet again. It was frustrating, but we knew we had so much more to do today, so we had to head back. On our way along the river, we flushed a pair of Grey Wagtails from a tree which had fallen across the river.

Our main target for the morning was to be Goshawk. With the weather brightening up a little, we wanted to try to make the most of it, so we made our way over to a spot where we know we have a good chance of finding one at the moment. Scanning over the Forest,we could see at least eight Common Buzzards up, despite the rather cool and windy weather, which was surely a good sign.

It didn’t take too long before we were watching our first Goshawk, an adult male. It circled up out of the trees and hung in the air, then patrolled back and forth for a bit. It wasn’t displaying and its undertail coverts were not puffed out, it seemed to just be enjoying the breeze. Then it drifted off back out of view.

Shortly afterwards, another Goshawk appeared, this time a juvenile female. Through the scope, we could see its orange-tinged underparts and darker brownish upperparts. It started displaying, flying with deep, exaggerated wingbeats. This brought an immediate reaction and the next thing we knew there were three Goshawks in the air together. Presumably the same adult male we had seen earlier then proceeded to try to chase the juvenile off.

For about half an hour there was quite a bit of Goshawk activity, although they were always rather distant. At one point, the juvenile even embarked on a bit of rollercoaster display, with a series of swoops and steep climbs. Then the cloud thickened again and it went a bit quiet. Even the Common Buzzards retreated back to the trees. We had hoped to see a Goshawk a bit closer, but it felt like we might have to settle for the views we had already had.

Goshawk – a juvenile displaying

Suddenly a juvenile Goshawk appeared up out of the trees in front of us. This one was much closer and we could get a much better look at it. Again, we could see its orange-toned underparts and darker upperparts than the adults. It circled round for a while and engaged in a bit of slow flapping display, then stooped back sharply down towards the trees.

That might have been it, but at the last minute the Goshawk pulled up and landed in the top of one of the fir tree. Even better, it stayed there for several minutes, so we could get it in the scope and all get a good look at it. It is very rare to see a Goshawk perched up out in the open so this was a real treat. It looked very long legged as it tried to steady itself in the swaying branches. We could even see some of the finer plumage detail – the contrasting dark barring on the tail and the paler spotting on the upperparts. Eventually, it dropped down into the trees out of view.

Goshawk – the juvenile landed high in a fir tree

Having enjoyed such good views of Goshawk, we decided to head off and try our luck elsewhere. The Great Grey Shrike at Cockley Cley had not been reported yesterday, but we felt confident it was still in the area, so we made our way round there next to take a look. When we got out of the car, we could hear a Woodlark singing, but we couldn’t see it at first. It was already getting on for lunchtime, so we decided to stop for a quick bite to eat while we scanned the clearing.

A Woodlark flew across and dropped down out of view while we were eating, but thankfully, just as we were finishing up, a second Woodlark flew over from the other side, singing and what was presumably the bird we had just seen flew up too. The two of them landed in a young oak tree, where we could get them in the scope. We could see the rusty ear coverts and prominent pale supercilia, meeting at the back in a shallow ‘v’ on the back of the nape.

When they took off, one of the two Woodlarks flew back out into the middle of the clearing, but the other dropped down by the edge of the path. We walked over and found it singing from a mound of earth among the newly planted trees, its rather melancholy song being a real sound of the forest clearings in early spring.

Woodlark – singing on the edge of one of the clearings

Another group of birders returning along the path told us that they had just seen the Great Grey Shrike, so we set off to look for that. It didn’t take long to find it, perched on a dead tree stump on the edge of a large clearing. We had a look at it through the scope, though it was rather distant at first. It flew down to the ground before reappearing back up on the fence.

We watched the Great Grey Shrike for a bit and were then distracted scanning for other birds. The next thing we knew it appeared in the top of a tall bare tree right in the middle of the clearing in front of us.

Great Grey Shrike – hunting from the trees and fence around a large clearing

With our luck running at the moment, we headed round to another area where we have heard Willow Tit recently. As we walked up, we could hear it singing again and it sounded like it might be on the edge of the block of trees. Unfortunately, as we hurried up to where it was singing, it seemed to move back into the pines and then went quiet just as we started to home in on it. Still, it was great even to hear a Willow Tit, as they have become so rare now.

While we were looking for the Willow Tit, we heard a Common Crossbill singing nearby. We walked round and found a pair of Crossbills in the tops of some poplars. We got the rusty red male in the scope and could see the crossed tips to its bill. As we made our way back to the car, another tall dead tree in an open area held first a Brambling and then a smart male Yellowhammer.

We planned to finish the day at Lynford Arboretum. The clouds had started to darken a bit already, so we thought we should make our way round there to try to make the most of it. Even though it hadn’t been supposed to rain until 4pm, it started spitting as we drove over. Thankfully, that didn’t stop the Firecrest which was singing in the car park when we arrived. It was hiding in a holly tree at first, but flew up and out into the bare branches of a taller deciduous tree where we could see it, if only from below.

Unfortunately, the rain then started. There was quite a crowd gathered by the gate, looking at the feeders when we got there. There were several Hawfinches down on the ground, but they were right at the back and obscured by vegetation. They were not there for long either, as something spooked them and they flew up into the trees. There were several Bramblings which were easier to see here though, and a couple of Nuthatches feeding down on the ground. We could still hear Hawfinches calling in the trees so we walked a bit further up and looked back into the beeches, where we could see a couple of them perched in the branches.

Hawfinch – a female, perched in the trees

Five Hawfinches flew out and headed off towards the pines, so we walked a bit further along to see if we could catch up with them. We could still hear Hawfinches calling and at least three were chasing each other round in the tops of the trees just beyond the chicken pens. We had a look at those in the scope too, although they were a bit more distant.

There were more Hawfinches calling in the pines beyond the cultivated meadow, so we stopped there for a look. Several Redwings had been feeding down on the bare ground and had flown up into the trees nearby in the rain. We had a good look at those in the scope. Then a male Hawfinch appeared briefly with them. Unfortunately it flew before everyone could get a look at it, heading off back towards the feeders.

Redwing – several were still around the cultivated meadow

We made our way back to the feeders to see if we could get a look at a Hawfinch on the ground, and got lucky with a smart male which dropped in about half way back on the edge of the trees. It was doing its best to hide, lurking half behind one of the tree trunks at first before coming out into the open. It was also nervous and flew off into the trees, but came back down again shortly after.

This time, we all got a really good look at it, noting its huge nutcracker of a bill, black mask and bib, bright russet head and contrasting grey nape. The Hawfinch was feeding on the ground, finding seeds, probably beech mast, in the leaf litter. We could see it crunching away on whatever it was finding. Eventually it spooked again and flew up into the tops.

Hawfinch – a smart male feeding down on the ground

Having all enjoyed great views of Hawfinch now, we decided to walk down to the bridge. As we walked down the hill, we could hear more Hawfinches calling from the trees either side of the path and even saw one or two perched up in the tops briefly.

There was some seed out on one of the pillars of the bridge, but either the food was not deemed to be up to standard or the rain was putting the birds off, as it was rather quieter here than usual. The peanut feeder was also almost empty. There were no Crossbills coming to drink down at the paddocks either, at least at the moment we were there and it was not the weather to hang around for any length of time. We did walk round and have a look at the Long-tailed Tit nest though, which is now looking just about finished, an amazing construction of moss, lichen and cobwebs.

Long-tailed Tit nest – now looking just about finished

As we walked round to the lake, we could hear Mandarin calling and just managed to see two of them dropping in through the trees. They spooked as we came along the path but thankfully landed again on the grass opposite, where we could get a good look at them through the scope. The drake was looking particularly gaudy.

Mandarin – a pair were round the lake

The pair of Gadwall on the lake, in contrast, were nowhere near as brightly coloured. But we got them in the scope and admired the intricate plumage detail of the drake. They are the most under-rated of ducks, until you see them up close. We could hear a couple of Little Grebes laughing maniacally, and found one diving under an overhanging branch, where we could get it in the scope.

While we were walking round the lake, we could hear Crossbills calling over the corner of the Arboretum. Back at the bridge, we did manage to find a couple in the tops of the poplars briefly. Fortunately, we had enjoyed good views of Crossbill in the better weather earlier in the day, so we decided not to hang around. A Marsh Tit was feeding in the brash under the trees beyond the bridge and a Reed Bunting was just about the only bird coming in to the seed today.

Reed Bunting – just about the only bird coming to the seed in the rain

As we walked back to the car, there were lots of Bramblings in the trees by the chicken run. We could hear them all calling and chattering as we approached. Presumably they were gathering before going to roost. A large flock of Redwings flew out of the Arboretum and across into the pine trees, presumably also gathering for the night. Both species will be on their way soon, but perhaps it was not a night to be setting off on migration tonight, given the weather. It was time for us to head off now.

The rain coming early this afternoon was a bit of a disappointment, but it was only light and it hadn’t stopped us seeing what we wanted to see. And given the forecast from earlier in the week, we had actually been very fortunate with the weather today, and all the birds.

15th Mar 2017 – Spring Brecks

A Private Tour in the Brecks today, it was to be a relaxed paced day, though that would not hinder us in any way. By 9am, the sun was shining and there was wall to wall blue sky overhead, a glorious day to be out birding.

Our first destination was to be Drymere and Cockley Cley, with Great Grey Shrike and some of the other breeding birds of the forest clearings our targets. As we walked down the ride from the car park, we spotted a pair of Yellowhammers in a small oak tree ahead of us. They dropped down to the ground and started feeding in the long grass and were seemingly unconcerned as we walked right past.

Yellowhammer – the bright yellow-headed male

We walked on a little further along one of the rides, hoping we might bump into a Woodlark, but at first we couldn’t hear any. Then, as we turned to walk back, one flew up from the clearing and began singing its beautiful but rather melancholy song. It hovered up into the air and started to fly round high above the ground. A second Woodlark appeared too, from roughly where the first had come, and flew up into a small tree on the edge of the path. We got it in the scope and had a great look at it, noting the rusty cheeks and striking pale supercilium.

Woodlark – started singing from its perch up in a small tree

At first we thought the second bird might be a female Woodlark, the two having flown up from the same spot, but then it started singing quietly too. It is a real sound of early spring in the forest, listening to the Woodlarks singing in the clearings. As we made our way back to the main ride, a Tawny Owl hooted from deep in a conifer plantation – we have heard a couple of daytime hooters in here in recent days.

The Great Grey Shrike had been favouring a young plantation further down, but when we got there we couldn’t find any sign of it. After a quick look round, we bumped into another couple of birders who told us it had been there earlier, but had been flushed by a dogwalker and flown off. We decided to try our luck elsewhere.

We made our way round to another clearing where we thought there was a chance the shrike might be. As we walked up along the path, we heard a distinctive ringing song from the plantation alongside. It was a Willow Tit, a very scarce bird these days. We hoped it might come out onto the edge but it remained deep in the trees. Unfortunately only a Coal Tit emerged into the sunshine. We listened to the Willow Tit for a while, before turning our attention back to the clearing.

There was no sign of the shrike here either, but looking up into the blue sky and we spotted a Goshawk in the distance, flying towards us. It was getting warm now, with bright sunshine and light winds, and the Goshawk gained height quickly. We noticed a couple of Common Buzzards above it first, then more raptors higher up still. On closer inspection, there were five Goshawks with the Buzzards, all circling together! It is quite a rare occurrence to see quite so many all at once, so we were very pleased but they were high and some distance away, so it was hard to make out much detail.

Fortunately, the next thing we knew we heard a Goshawk calling and an adult male circled up slowly above the trees, much closer to us. It was in no hurry, lurking behind the tops for several minutes before it finally gained height. We could even get it in the scope, noting its clean grey upperparts and striking white underneath. As it circled higher, it alternately disappeared against the blue sky and then flashed white as it turned towards us.

Goshawk – a male circled up out of the trees calling

We lost sight of it as it went higher but, when we heard it calling again, we looked across to see a second Goshawk with it. This was a young bird, a juvenile born last year, with peachy orange tinged underparts and darker brown above. The juvenile female, bigger than the male, was displaying, flying across over the trees with very deep, exaggerated wingbeats. The adult male Goshawk then responded, calling again and doing a burst of rollercoaster display, closing its wings and swooping down before turning up sharply again, repeating this three or four times, losing height all the time back down towards the trees.

That would have been good enough, but we were in for a further treat. The male Goshawk then appeared again, even closer, slow flapping out from the trees and over the ride ahead of us with his white undertail coverts puffed out. The reason soon became clear, as we noticed the big juvenile female Goshawk was circling away to our left over a young plantation. Our view was obscured at first by some trees, but walking quickly forwards we had clear views as she circled overhead for a couple of minutes, gradually drifting further back. Fantastic views and a real treat to see one up so close!

Goshawk – this juvenile female circled overhead for a couple of minutes

Eventually, we had to tear ourselves away from the Goshawks and make our way back. On the way, we saw several butterflies out in the spring sunshine, Comma, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock (we would also add Red Admiral to the list later, at Lynford). Several Chiffchaffs were singing from the young plantations – they have arrived back in numbers in the past few days and are busy establishing territories. As we walked along beside a block of mature trees, we could hear the cones crackling in the heat, as they opened and dropped their seeds.

The Great Grey Shrike has been favouring a couple of different areas in recent days, so with it having been disturbed from one, we thought we would take a look at the other. As soon as we walked along the ride and out through the trees, we could see a white shape sat right on the top of a bush in the clearing, even with the naked eye. There was the shrike! It flew across and landed on a young oak tree by the path.

Great Grey Shrike – still in one of its favoured clearings at Cockley Cley

We got the Great Grey Shrike in the scope and had a good look at it. It was not too far away, but we didn’t want to disturb it by trying to get too close, as some others have been doing in recent days. However, while we were watching it, a couple of walkers came down the ride behind us and continued straight on past, despite us obviously looking at something along the path. As they got close to the tree, the Great Grey Shrike was off, in a bounding flight. Fortunately, it came towards us and landed much closer. Now we had really a great view here – we could even see the hooked tip to its bill.

When the Great Grey Shrike flew again, we decided to leave it in peace and make our way back to the car. Having enjoyed such fantastic views of Goshawk here, we now didn’t need to go and look for them elsewhere, so we decided to head over to the RSPB Reserve at Lakenheath Fen. We wouldn’t have time to explore the whole reserve today, but it would be a nice place to have lunch and use the facilities. In fact, it was just about lunchtime when we arrived so we stopped for a bite to eat, enjoying the sunshine on the picnic tables outside today.

Reed Bunting – in the sallows by the feeders, waiting to come in

After lunch, we walked up to the visitor centre and out towards the Washland viewpoint. There were several Reed Buntings still coming in to the seed on the bird tables by the visitor centre, but not so many other birds here today. There has been a pair of Garganey on Hockwold Washes in recent days, which we hoped to see. We were told that they were asleep on one edge, but we hadn’t been up at the Washland viewpoint long when a patrol boat came along the river and flushed a lot of the ducks. A couple of Water Pipits flew up from the bank too, calling, but they were hard to get onto as they landed again quickly.

All the ducks flew round and thankfully landed back on the water again. It didn’t take us long to find the pair of Garganey, out in the middle of Washes, the drake giving himself away with his bright white eye stripe catching the sun. They were feeding actively, upending constantly, but they swam steadily back towards us as they did so. We could now see the ornate, elongated scapulars hanging down over the drake’s flanks.

Garganey – this pair were on Hockwold Washes again today

There were plenty of other ducks here too. A party of Wigeon were whistling, the drakes with the creamy yellow stripe up the front of their heads. There were lots of tiny Teal and shovel-billed Shoveler. Several Tufted Ducks and Pochard were busy diving and a pair of Shelduck dropped in. The rather dull coloured Gadwall were in danger of being overlooked – we got them in the scope but unfortunately they were too far away to appreciate their true beauty! The Washland provided a pleasant post-lunch stroll, but we wanted to spend the afternoon at Lynford Arboretum. So, with time pressing, we headed back to the car park.

When we arrived at Lynford, we made our way over the road and up along the path. Several Siskins were feeding in the larches, taking advantage of all the cones popping today to help themselves to some seeds. We could hear Goldcrests singing and watched as one flew across between the trees.

At the feeders, we were told that a couple of Hawfinches had been seen down on the ground earlier, but had been disturbed by the ubiquitous Grey Squirrels! We stopped for a scan anyway, to see what was there. A Nuthatch kept dropping in down on the ground and a steady stream of tits came in to the feeders and fat balls.

We could hear Hawfinches calling from the trees beyond, so we made our way along a little further and looked back into the tops. However, while we were scanning for activity, a quad bike came out of the trees and round on the path past the chicken run. It spooked a single Hawfinch from the trees, but that flew off across the clearing and disappeared deep into the plantation at the back, before anyone could get onto it.

The Hawfinches went quiet for a bit after that disturbance. We went back to the feeders, and contented ourselves with watching the Bramblings. A few were feeding in the leaf litter on the ground but several kept returning to the same couple of branches a few metres up in the Beech trees. Through the scope, we could see that the branches were wet with sap and on one we could even see three fresh, small holes in the bark. The Bramblings were drinking the sap, either wiping their bills sideways on the wet bark or supping it directly from the holes. This is not something which is often recorded, so it was great to be able to watch it.

Brambling – drinking sap from holes in the bark of a beech tree

While we were standing by the feeders, we heard a Firecrest calling behind us. We walked over into the Arboretum and found it flitting around in a small holly tree. Unfortunately, it was moving so fast it was hard for everyone to get a good look at it. It came out on to the edge briefly, but disappeared straight back in. It sang once briefly but then quickly flew back into the fir trees behind and went quiet.

Fortunately, the Hawfinch activity resumed shortly afterwards. Someone spotted two fly in to the trees at the back of the chicken run clearing. The birds landed deep in the trees, but thankfully with their help we were able to get one of them in the scope, a grey brown female, but still sporting a massive nutcracker of a bill. They didn’t stay for very long, but when they flew again they were accompanied by another four, the six Hawfinches all flying off towards the bridge.

Hawfinch – this female perched up obligingly in the top of the Beech trees

Despite the mass exodus, we could still hear the electric ‘ticking’ call of more Hawfinches in the trees and then another two females appeared high in the beeches above the feeders. This was a much better view, with one perched obligingly in the open, framed by the opening buds. After a few minutes they flew off too, but we could still hear ‘ticking’ from the trees.

We walked back towards the feeders to see if we could possibly find one down on the ground, but then heard ‘ticking’ from the Arboretum side of the path. We looked across to see a male Hawfinch perched high in the top of a fir tree. It was silhouetted against the sun at first, but we made sure we had a good look at it in case it flew off. Then we made our way quickly round through the Arboretum to the other side of the fir tree. Thankfully, it stayed perched up in the top, clambering around in the thin branches, calling constantly.

Hawfinch – a brighter male, perched in the top of a fir tree

The Hawfinch seemed to be enjoying the afternoon sunshine from high up on its perch. From this angle, we could see it was much more richly coloured than the female, with russet tones around the face and crown and a contrasting grey nape. A very smart bird! We watched it for some time before eventually it dropped down further into the Arboretum, out of view. We took that as a cue to move on down to the paddocks.

Down at the bridge, we were hoping to find some Common Crossbills coming down to drink. As we arrived, we could hear Crossbills calling, but the six of them flew out and disappeared away over the pines before we could get round and into position. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long before another pair flew in and landed high in the poplars. A bright red male was accompanied by a grey-green female. They perched high up in the branches for a few minutes before flying across into the young pines.

That was great, at least we had seen some Crossbills, but given how they have been performing here recently, we rather fancied a closer look. We walked down to the pines to see if we could find any feeding in here, but the cones here too were cracking in the heat and falling off the trees naturally, which meant we wouldn’t be able to hear where any Crossbills were feeding. We had a look anyway, but couldn’t find any in the trees they have been favouring.

There were three Marsh Tits chasing each other through the bushes along the edge of the paddocks, and we walked round to have a look at the Long-tailed Tit’s nest, which has made quite a bit of progress since yesterday and looks almost finished now.

Long-tailed Tit’s nest – made considerable progress since yesterday afternoon

As we walked back, we heard Crossbills calling back at the bridge and when we got there we could see four up in the poplars now. There were two rather dull rusty males, not bright red like we had seen earlier, and what appeared at first to be a grey-green female next to them. When she finished preening, we could see that she was actually quite an advanced juvenile, with considerable patches of new feathering, but still some streaks on her flanks. A rather brown and streaky fresh juvenile Crossbill was nearby for comparison.

The views here were better than we had enjoyed earlier and the Crossbills stayed in the trees for some time, the older birds preening and the fresh juvenile clambering around eating leaf buds. Eventually, they flew off towards the pines and we made our way back to the bridge. We stood here for a while, watching the various birds coming and going from the seed put out for them. A Marsh Tit darted in a couple of times and a Nuthatch tried its luck on one of the wooden posts further back. There was a steady stream of Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits too, and a single Reed Bunting.

Long-tailed Tit – coming down to the seed at the bridge

While we were watching all the other birds coming to the seed, we heard a Crossbill calling and saw it land in the alders nearby. It was a very smart, bright red male, but just as we were getting the scope on it, it flew again, but came straight towards us and landed above our heads. Here it perched for a while in the sun, singing. Stunning views!

Common Crossbill – this bright red male perched above us singing

When the male Crossbill flew again, it was followed by a female which we hadn’t noticed arrive with him. The two of them dropped down to drink at a puddle nearby, before flying back up and chasing each other off through the trees. It was getting late now, so we thought that would be a nice way to end the day, and started to make our way back.

When we got to the car park, we were just loading up the car when we heard a crest calling from somewhere high in the fir trees. We walked round to where we could hear it better and sure enough it was a Firecrest, as we thought. We looked right up to the treetops, where the last of the afternoon sun was just catching the highest branches, and we could see it flitting around. There were lots of small flies up there, buzzing around the tree, and it kept flycatching into them. We could just make out its distinctive black and white striped face. The Firecrest sang briefly, then it disappeared back into the trees and we resumed our packing up and departed for the journey home.

What a glorious day in the Brecks it had been, with such fantastic views of so many of our local specialities.

14th Mar 2017 – Brecks Bound

A midweek group day tour in the Brecks today. It was a grey and misty start, but we were told it was going to brighten up through the morning. And thankfully, for once they were right!

Our first stop was down by the river at Santon Downham. A couple of Greenfinches were singing wheezily in the car park. A Nuthatch kept coming back to the feeders in one of the gardens. As we got to the bridge, a Grey Wagtail flew over calling. As we walked down by the river,we could hear a Woodlark calling away towards the trees. A Chiffchaff was singing in the distance – there are good numbers back on territory now, a sure sign that spring is not far away. A bright male Yellowhammer was perched high in a tree doing a passable approximation of ‘a little bit of bread and no cheese’.

There were several finches in the bushes and trees by the path. High up in the tops of a dead poplar, we had our first look at a couple of Bramblings. We could hear lots of Siskin calling as they flew overhead, but a little further along we found several coming down to drink. We stopped and watched them, the bright yellow and green males chasing after the duller grey and streaky females.

Siskin – several were coming down to drink in the pools by the path

Once again, we didn’t have too long here today, but we hoped we might get lucky and run into one of the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. However, when we got down to their favoured area we found several people looking and the news that they had not been seen since first thing. Several Green Woodpeckers laughed at us from the trees and we managed to find one hiding behind the trunk of a tree, just coming out to show itself from time to time.

Green Woodpecker – hiding behind a tree trunk

We walked along beside the river for a while, past the assembled crowds. Several small groups of Lesser Redpolls flew over calling. Flocks of Redwings speezed as they flew through the trees. A Stock Dove flew in and perched up in a tree. When we turned to come back, most of the other people were still staring blankly at the trees. We were half way back when we bumped into someone who told us he had heard a woodpecker call from the other side of the river a few minutes earlier. We stood and listened for about 10 minutes, but there was no further sign.

The sun was out now and it was starting to warm up nicely. A slight detour took us round to where we had heard the Woodlark call earlier, but we couldn’t find it here now. A couple of Common Buzzards circled up above the trees. With the improvement in the weather, we decided to make our way off to look for Goshawks, so we headed back to the car. However, by the time we got to a convenient spot overlooking the Forest, it had clouded over a bit again.

It was a bit cool at first, with a fresh breeze blowing. There were several Common Buzzards of various shades circling over the pines, but they were not gaining much height today. A Sparrowhawk circled with them for a while, before drifting off east.

After a while, we noticed all the Woodpigeons come scattering out of the trees just to our right. They settled down, but then a couple of minutes later the same thing happened again. The third time it happened and this time, the culprit emerged too – a young Goshawk. It was a juvenile, born and raised last summer, darker grey brown above orange toned below. It circled round in front of the trees as the pigeons disappeared off in all directions, before dropping down behind a line of tall pines. We thought it might come out again the other side, but it didn’t immediately re-emerge.

That was a great start, so we thought we might linger a little longer and see if anything else happened. While we stood waiting, we took advantage of the situation to have an early lunch. Obviously, as soon as we poured a cup of tea or got out a sandwich, a Goshawk appeared again!

Goshawk – this juvenile showed very well today

The juvenile Goshawk was on show for much of the time from then on. It circled up with a Common Buzzard for a time, so we could see just how big it was. It started to display, flying across above the trees with exaggerated wingbeats. Eventually one of the local adult Goshawks had obviously decided enough was enough and came out of the trees. Pale grey above and much whiter below, the immediate thing which struck us all was the bulge of white around the base of its tail, almost looking like a harrier with a white rump! This is part of Goshawk display, when the birds puff out their undertail coverts, know as ‘tail flagging’. It was really quite striking.

The adult Goshawk disappeared back into the trees, as it seemed to have succeeded in its mission. The juvenile Goshawk drifted off and away to the east. A short while later, we picked up what was presumably the same adult Goshawk again, a bit further back. It circled for a while, again with its undertail coverts puffed out, before diving down into the trees.

Having enjoyed very good views of Goshawk, and eaten our lunch, we decided to move on and try our luck elsewhere. There had been no reports of the Great Grey Shrike at Cockley Cley this morning, but given that it has seemed settled in the area for the last few days, we thought it would be worth a look.

As we walked up along the track, there was no sign of the Great Grey Shrike where we had seen it on Saturday. However, looking across above the trees we spotted another Goshawk. This was a big female and she was busy displaying, flying over the tops of the pines with very deep, stiff wingbeats. She headed off north and we could see why – another Goshawk was displaying away in that direction. The two of them flew around for a couple of minutes before the first female flew back towards us, giving us a great view, before disappearing away over the trees. Our third and fourth Goshawks of the day!

The Great Grey Shrike has been feeding in several clearings around here in recent days, so we started to make our way round to another spot it has favoured. As we walked along the path, we heard a Woodlark singing. It was quiet and seemed to be a long way off but they are great ventriloquists. We stopped immediately and started to look for it, just as it flew up from the verge right next to us. It flew up into a small tree not far away, where we could get it in the scope.

Woodlark – flew up from the verge to a small tree in front of us

When the Woodlark flew down to the ground again, we started to walk round past it. The next thing we knew a second bird flew up with the first, from right beside the path. It seemed the female had been feeding quietly on the verge next to us all the time we had been watching the female in the tree! They both flew out into the middle of the clearing.

As we walked down along another ride, past a small plantation, a white shape immediately caught our eye. It was the Great Grey Shrike. We got it in the scope and had a great look at it, pale grey and white, with black wings and tail and a black bandit mask.

Great Grey Shrike – still here, feeding around a young pine plantation

We watched the Great Grey Shrike for a while as it perched in the top of a small pine, staring intently at the ground, before flicking over to another tree. After a couple of moves, it obviously spotted something because it flew down to the ground and came up again with something in its bill, which it gulped down before we could reposition ourselves to see what it was.

Eventually, we decided to leave the Great Grey Shrike to its hunting, and set off back to the car. A Tawny Owl hooted from the trees next to the path, despite it being early in the afternoon – it is not unknown for them to hoot during the day. A Chiffchaff was singing from a small plantation nearby.

As we walked back, the two Woodlarks were back on the grass verge next to the path again. This time, we heard them call and looked down immediately, but they flew off quickly, out into the clearing the other side. It was turning into a real Woodlark day now though – they are just like buses! A little further on, we heard calling again and looked over just as three Woodlarks took off from out in the clearing. One of them burst into song and hovered round over the clearing singing its melancholy song. Almost back to the car, and we heard yet another Woodlark which was singing high over the trees next to the ride this time.

Our final destination for the day was at Lynford Arboretum. As we walked down the path towards the feeders, a Goldcrest was singing from the larches. Several Siskins were flying round and landing in the tops. The trees by the feeders were rather quiet at first, but as we stood there for a few minutes, various birds appeared. A Nuthatch flew in and started jabbing away at the fatballs. A Coal Tit came in to one of the feeders. A male Brambling dropped down for a drink in the water bath.

It was at this point that we heard Hawfinches calling. The sound seemed to be coming from through the trees at the back, so we made our way a little further along. As we did so, a Hawfinch flew out of the trees calling and over towards the edge of the Arboretum. It landed in the top of a tall, bare deciduous tree, followed quickly by another. We got them in the scope and had a quick look at them, perched in the branches, before they flew off again.

Back at the chicken run, there seemed to be even more Hawfinches calling now and we looked across to find at least three of them were still here, in the blackthorn, half hidden in all the white blossom. We could see two brighter males and a duller grey-brown female. They were feeding on buds and the two males flew up higher into the trees where we could see them picking at them.

Hawfinch – feeding on buds in the trees today

We had a great look at the Hawfinches, the bright chestnut males looked particularly stunning in the afternoon sun. Eventually, two of them disappeared back into the trees beyond, while one flew up into the tops of the trees above the feeders. We thought it might come down to drink, so we walked back to the gate, but there was no sign of it. The trees around the chicken run had gone quiet too, so we decided to walk down towards the paddocks.

As we arrived at the bridge, we could hear Common Crossbills calling and looked out towards the paddock beyond to see three in the top of a dead tree. We made our way out of the trees to get the light behind us, and got them in the scope. There were two streaky juveniles, with not yet fully grown and crossed bills, and a rather orange male with them. They stayed there for several minutes, climbing around in the branches and picking at the bark, before flying up into the poplars. Up in the trees, we watched as the male responded to the begging of one of the youngsters by feeding it – some delicious, regurgitated, part digested pine seeds!

Common Crossbill – a streaky juvenile

Another family of four Crossbills dropped down into the same dead tree next. This time there was a female with a brighter red male and two different juveniles. It has obviously been a productive season already for the Crossbills in the Brecks, with so many juveniles around. They have certainly been great to watch. Eventually, all the Crossbills flew across into the pines.

While we were watching the Crossbills, a Hawfinch flew across over our heads and landed in the trees out in the middle of the paddocks. When a second flew out too, we decided to walk along to see if we could see them there. Unfortunately, we got there just as they flew off, but there were also lots of Bramblings and Redwings in the trees too.

We could hear Crossbills ‘glipping’ again, and looked up into a pine tree next to the path to see a male picking at the cones. We had a great view of it through the scope, we could even see it using its tongue as it pulled the seeds out from between the scales of the cone!

Common Crossbill – this male was feeding in the pines by the path

When someone else walked up to join us, we pointed out the Crossbill and they in turn told us about a Long-tailed Tits’ nest in the bushes nearby. We walked back and found it, an amazing structure of moss and lichen, held together with cobwebs, woven in amongst the branches of some brambles. It was not quite finished, with a large hole still in the top, but as we stood and watched we could see the Long-tailed Tits bringing more nest material and weaving it into the structure. Amazing!

Long-tailed Tit – working on the construction of its nest

As we walked back to the bridge, two more Hawfinches flew out of the poplars calling and disappeared away across the paddocks, heading off to roost. We had not stopped to look on our way down, but there was food out on the bridge so we stood for a few minutes and watched. Several tits came in to grab some food and we had great views of a couple of Marsh Tits here.

Marsh Tit – coming to food down at the bridge

It had been another exciting day in the Brecks and the group were tired out now, so we made our way back to the car for a welcome sit down on the ride back.

 

11th Mar 2017 – Brecks Birding

A Brecks Tour today, a single day tour down in Thetford Forest. After a misty start, it was forecast to be cloudy but dry. We met at Lynford Arboretum in the morning and went off to explore the Forest.

Our first stop was at Santon Downham. A Greenfinch was singing in the car park as we got out. On our way down towards the bridge, we could see a single duck flying west along the river and a quick look through binoculars confirmed it was a drake Mandarin as it disappeared into the trees. Down at the bridge, a pair of Grey Wagtails were flitting about, flying up from the bank to the small trees nearby. The male was singing. But a dog walker returning along the riverbank path flushed them, and they flew off upstream.

As we set off along the riverbank ourselves, there were lots of finches in the bushes. They appeared to be dropping in to bathe and drink, and several were drying themselves out and preening. As well as the local Chaffinches, there were several Bramblings and Siskins. We stopped to have a look at them through the scope.

Siskin – there were lots down along the river again this morning

As we walked along, we could hear a Chiffchaff singing, the first we have heard this year, and a real sign that spring is on its way. It appears that there had been a large arrival of Chiffchaffs across the county today, so this was probably a fresh returning bird. A Woodlark started singing too, and we looked across to see a pair distantly, flying around over a cleared area, before dropping down towards the ground out of view. A Common Crossbill flew over calling and several Nuthatch were piping noisily from the trees.

Our main target here was Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but we knew we would need a bit of luck. We didn’t have much time to spend here this morning, with so many other things to do, and they can roam very widely at this time of day. Thankfully, we bumped into one of the locals returning along the path who tipped us off that one had been seen not long earlier just a short distance further ahead, although it had flown off across the river and disappeared. We positioned ourselves in the right spot and listened.

Thankfully, after just a couple of minutes, we heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling from across the river. It was some distance back in the alders, but helpfully chose that moment to fly back to our side. We saw it as it flew across the river, getting a good sense of how small it was in flight. It carried on over the tops of the trees and landed high up in the back. We managed to get it in the scope, but unfortunately only a couple of the group were able to look at it before it moved again. It was a female, with a black crown.

We could see where it dropped so we repositioned ourselves and found the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker again, high in the birches at the back. However, just as we got the scope on it, it flew off back behind the trees. We waited a while, hoping it would reappear. We could still hear it calling occasionally.

While we waited, there were several other nice birds to look at. A male Crossbill was flitting about high in the trees, picking at the bark. It perched up preening for a while, where we could get it in the scope. We could even hear it singing at one point. A flock of redpolls flew in and landed in the birches and through the scope we could see they were Lesser Redpolls, small and rather brown-toned. A couple of Green Woodpeckers laughed at us from the trees, and we could hear a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers calling and drumming briefly.

Crossbill – this male was singing high in the trees

Eventually, we heard what we assumed was the same Lesser Spotted Woodpecker again, calling a little further back along the path. We walked back, but when it called again we realised it was already across the river. We just saw it fly back through the alders on the other side, deep into the trees. When what we assume was the same bird flew in closer calling again, we just managed to get a quick look at it and we realised it was the male, as its red crown caught the light. However, it was not easy to see any more than a small shape as it flew quickly between the trees, and it didn’t settle for more than a second. Then it flew off south and disappeared. It was getting to the time when we needed to be looking for Goshawks, so we made our way back to the car.

It had brightened up and the sun was trying to burn off the last of the mist by the time we had positioned ourselves overlooking the Forest. It was not long before we were watching our first Goshawk, a young female. Through the scope, we could see its orange-tinted underparts and darker brown upperparts, as it banked and circled.

Goshawk – a young female

Over the next hour, the juvenile Goshawk was on show pretty much constantly. As well as circling for long periods, it performed a slow flapping display several times, flying over the treetops with exaggerated wingbeats.

As the air warmed, so other raptors circled up too. Common Buzzards of various shades were on view constantly, circling above the trees, and a pair were perched in the top of a fir tree. At one point, the Goshawk circled with a Common Buzzard, giving a great size comparison – the Goshawk being not much smaller! It even had a quick go at the Buzzard, the latter taking swift evasive action. A Red Kite drifted in from behind us and started circling, with the Goshawk and a Common Buzzard. On another occasion, a Sparrowhawk appeared and circled with the Goshawk, so we could see just how small it was by comparison. It was great to have so many other species around at the same time.

The adult Goshawks were a little more subdued this morning, possibly due to the lingering haze. We did see one adult sneak low across the tops briefly before disappearing quickly back down into the trees. But they were not displaying while we were there. Having enjoyed such good and prolonged views of the juvenile, we decided to move on and try for something else.

Our next stop was at Cockley Cley. We thought we would have a quick look for the Great Grey Shrike before lunch. It had been reported this morning in a clearing further over, near where we had seen it last time, but as we walked along the track from the road we were told it was just round the next corner. When we got there, we found it had flown off, disturbed by a dog walker, but was at least still visible. It was a long way off, perched in the top of a tall tree on the edge of the woods, but we got it in the scope to make sure we had at least all seen it, in case it flew again.

We set off to walk round to where it had gone, but before we had got very far, it flew back in our direction. The next thing we knew, the Great Grey Shrike had landed in a small tree just in front of us! It was a cracking view, especially through the scope.

Great Grey Shrike – showed very well at Cockley Cley again

It flicked across to another branch, and then the Great Grey Shrike dropped down to the ground. When it came back up into the middle of the tree, we could see it had caught a wasp, which it proceeded to gulp down. Then it flew up into the top of another small tree nearby and stayed there for several minutes, looking around, scanning the ground. Eventually it was off again, and it flew quickly back and up into the top of a taller tree behind.

This has been a good area for Woodlarks in recent weeks, but we couldn’t hear any while we were looking at the Great Grey Shrike. We had a quick look round the nearby clearings, but all was quiet. It was perhaps a bit too disturbed here today, with lots of weekend dog walkers, as well as a steady stream of shrike watchers. We decided to walk back to the car for lunch. The sun was out now and the butterflies were out too – we saw at least one Brimstone, plus a Peacock and a Red Admiral on our walk. A smart male Yellowhammer was singing in a small tree by the path.

Over lunch on a sunny grass verge, our attention was drawn to a raptor circling overhead. It was another Goshawk, another juvenile. It circled for a while, before setting off on a burst of slow flapping display flight, before it disappeared behind the trees.

Goshawk – a different juvenile, displaying over us at lunchtime

After lunch, we set off to try our luck for Woodlarks at a different clearing. When we arrived, it seemed rather quiet here too – it was the middle of the day and it was rather warm now. We walked slowly round the clearing, and as we made our way along one edge, we heard a Woodlark call. We couldn’t see it though, and it seemed it was probably hiding in one of the furrows. We walked up to the corner and, as we turned to come back it called again and flew back further into the field, again disappearing from view.

We kept scanning where it had landed as we walked back, and we could hear it calling periodically. Finally, our perseverance paid off as the Woodlark flew up onto a small stump and started singing. Now we could get a proper look at it through the scope.

Woodlark – finally perched up singing on a stump for us

Our destination for the rest of the afternoon was back at Lynford Arboretum. As we walked along the track from the car park, there were several people looking into the trees at the feeders. We stopped ourselves and there was a nice selection of tits, plus Nuthatch and Siskin coming and going but no sign of any Hawfinches.

We walked on a little further and could hear the soft electric ‘tik!’ of Hawfinches calling from the trees. They were a bit more elusive here at first, giving us the run around for a while. There was quite a bit of disturbance today, with lots of people looking for them from the path and a dog walker walking round the paths underneath the trees with three dogs. At one point, we saw one drop down through the trees towards the feeders, but even though it had come down to the ground, it was out of view at the back and we couldn’t see it until it was disturbed and flew up again shortly after.

Eventually our persistence following the Hawfinch calls was rewarded. First, we spotted two females fly up into the bare deciduous trees behind the chicken pen. We managed to get them in the scope, before they flew over into a neighbouring fir tree, where we couldn’t see them. We stood for a while and waited to see if they would reappear. There were several smart Bramblings in the bushes and a pair of Bullfinches feeding on the buds, the bright pink male in particular looking stunning in amongst the white blackthorn blossom.

Then, a single Hawfinch flew over calling and landed over on the edge of the arboretum further down. We walked down after it, and could see three or four high in a tall bare tree, chasing each other through the branches. We were looking into the sun here, but when they flew out, one went back across the path and landed where we could get a much better look at it. A smart male, it perched there for some time, calling, giving us all a great chance to look at it through the scope before it flew off.

Hawfinch – this male eventually showed very well

We could still hear Hawfinches calling over by the chicken pen. We walked back and saw one fly across and land in the top of the trees above the feeders, and again had great views of it, another male, in the scope as it perched high up calling. It appeared to drop down towards the ground but we couldn’t find any sign of it from the gate.

Having enjoyed great views of Hawfinches, we decided to walk on, down to the bridge. There was a bit of bird food out on the pillars, but not many birds when we arrived. However, we could immediately hear Crossbills calling and looked out towards the paddock to see a female Crossbill preening in the top of a low, dead tree. We walked out and round the other side so that, with the light behind us, we were soon enjoying scope-filling views. Back on, we could see the brighter yellow rump contrasting with her overall grey-green plumage.

Crossbill – we first spotted the female preening in the top of a dead tree

Lower down in the same tree, the male Crossbill was lurking nearby. Having enjoyed fantastic views of the female, we turned our attention to him. Again, back on, his red rump was particularly bright in the afternoon sunshine. Stunning!

Crossbill – the bright red male was lower down in the same tree

Looking across the paddocks, we could see the Hawfinches starting to gather in the tops of the trees. We got one in the scope, just to show everyone, but it was distant, silhouetted against the light, and not a patch on the views we had just enjoyed.

The food at the bridge is normally a magnet for tits and a great place to see Marsh Tits up close. By the time we got back, there was a lot more activity here and within a minute we had a Marsh Tit on one of the posts. It came back several times, darting in, grabbing some seed, and disappearing back into the bushes to eat it.

Marsh Tit – coming in to the food down at the bridge

There were several other birds coming and going too. Coal, Blue and Great Tits in particular, and a smart male Reed Bunting. While we stood and watched, we could hear more Crossbills and looked up to see at least five in the tops of the poplars high overhead.

Reed Bunting – a smart male, coming to the seed too

We finished with a quick walk round the lake. There were a few ducks, including two pairs of smart Gadwall, several Mallard and their associated domesticated brethren, plus four Canada Geese and a pair of Mute Swans. A couple of Little Grebes alternately laughed maniacally from the reeds. A Grey Wagtail flew in and landed singing briefly in a tree on the edge of the lake below the Hall, before flying across and away over our heads.

It had been a great day in the Brecks, but now, with several tired legs, it was time to head back for a well earned rest.

8th Mar 2017 – Brecks Bonanza

A Private Tour today, down in the Brecks. It was a day to be spent looking for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker first, and then the other specialities of the region. The weather forecast had been really bad a couple of days ago, for rain all day, but it was now expected to rain overnight and dry up by early morning, which was a good deal more promising.

It was dry when we met up in the Brecks early in the morning, a good start, even though it had rained overnight. As we walked down along the river, we could hear Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker calling, as well as several Nuthatch. A Water Rail squealed from the reeds in its usual spot, but remained well hidden.

It didn’t take long to get to the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers’ favoured spot, even though the path was a bit muddy this morning. As we stood looking up into the trees, we could hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming further back. We had only been there a couple of minutes when a small bird flew across and landed high up in one of the trees. Through binoculars, we could see it was one of the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. Great!

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flew across to a dead tree and spent a couple of minutes climbing up and down the trunk and branches, picking at the bark, and even drumming once or twice. This gave us a chance to get the scope onto it. Through the scope, we could see that it was the female, with a dark cap (the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker has red on the crown). We could also see the barred back and wings, lacking the bold white shoulder flash of a Great Spotted Woodpecker. And it was very small!

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – the female perched for some time in the trees

After a while, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker flew across and up into the higher branches of one of the taller trees. It perched there on a branch for several minutes, preening. At one point it called, a high pitched ‘ki, ki, ki’. Then it flew off further through the block of tress and we lost sight of it. We heard it call further along briefly, but by the time we had stopped to look at a Green Woodpecker in the trees, we had lost track of it.

At that point it started to rain again. Rather than stand around and wait for the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker to show itself again, we had a walk further along the path. We had heard several Mandarin flying round beyond the trees while we were watching the woodpecker, so we walked further up to take a look. There they were, two pairs, perched high up in a large dead tree. It is always quite incongruous seeing ducks high in a tree, although Mandarins are tree nesters.

Mandarin – 3 of the 4, perched high in a tree

A little further along still, we could hear a big noisy flock of Siskin in the alders over the path. We walked very slowly up to them, until we were under the trees. There were dozens of Siskin in the branches, but looking through carefully we found two browner Lesser Redpoll in with them too, which dropped down to join the Siskin feeding on the alder cones.

It was still raining, although mercifully it wasn’t very hard. So, when we got back to where the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker had been, and having had great views of one already this morning, we decided to not to hang around. A Kingfisher called, but we didn’t see it as it zoomed away along the river from behind a fallen tree. We heard Bramblings and Redwings in the trees too on the walk back to the car.

We had been hoping the more recent weather forecast would have been correct and today would have been dry all day, but given that it was still raining we decided on a change of tack. It was a bit early in the day to go looking, but we thought it might be a good opportunity to try for some gulls at Thetford while it was wet. As we drove onto the industrial estate where they have been feeding, the skies looked rather quiet. As we turned the corner and could the roof on which they have been loafing, there were just six birds there. However, even without stopping, one immediately stood out.

Big and pale, it was the juvenile Glaucous Gull which has been here on and off for several weeks now. We got out and got it in the scope, noting the pale biscuit colour overall, pale wingtips, and large, pink-based, dark-tipped bill.

Glaucous Gull – the juvenile still on the industrial estate in Thetford

There have sometimes been other gulls here too, and we were planning to wait to see if any others came in, but rather than stand in the rain we decided to go get a cup of tea and a bacon roll in the cafe across the road. Delicious! And we could still see the Glaucous Gull on the roof from the window of the cafe! When we came out again, there were still not many more gulls – around half a dozen Herring Gulls and a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. However, it had now stopped raining, and we wanted to head off to look for Goshawks this morning, so we headed off back to the Forest. Even better, it brightened up on the way, patches of blue sky appeared and the sun came out. This wasn’t in the forecast, but it was most welcome anyway.

It was not long before we were watching our first Goshawk of the day circling up out of the Forest. It was a juvenile male, brown-toned above and orangey below as it turned in the light. It was rather distant, but it was a good start. Then another Goshawk appeared, also a juvenile. This one was a female, larger than the male. It started displaying, flying over the trees  with deep, exaggerated wingbeats.

Then another female Goshawk appeared, and it too started displaying, closer to us. It was not a juvenile, whiter below, but with quite a dark grey back, so possibly a two year-old (or 3rd calendar year) female. At one point it was pursued by a juvenile male, presumably the same one we had seen earlier. Finally an adult appeared too. It circled up out of the trees closer still to us, and began to display as it flew off over the Forest away from us.

Common Buzzard – there were lots of these up too today, in the sunshine

There were other birds here too. Several Common Buzzards of various degrees of paleness circled up on the warming air, calling. A Sparrowhawk flew out of the wood too and disappeared high into the sky. A Woodlark was singing nearby and a flock of Fieldfares was calling noisily from the trees behind us.

Having already enjoyed good view of the Goshawks, we were just thinking about leaving when all the pigeons scattered from the trees in front. A few seconds later, a juvenile Goshawk circled out and drifted towards us. Great stuff! It had been all action here for about an hour, but we had lots of other things we wanted to do today, so at that point we did decide to move on.

Goshawk – a juvenile, which circled out towards us

The Great Grey Shrike has been erratic at Cockley Cley in the last few weeks, roaming over a large area, but having been reported there for the last two days we decided to give it a go. As we drove up, we flushed a couple of Bullfinch from a puddle on the edge of the road. The clearing where the Great Grey Shrike had been originally was rather quiet, despite a departing photographer telling us that it was ‘always in that one tree’ out in the middle. We carried on a bit further, in case it might be in a different tree today!

As we walked along we could hear a Woodlark calling softly ahead of us. A scan of the ground as we went along revealed nothing, but when it started singing softly, we realised we must have gone past it. Thankfully it had come out of the furrows where it must have been hiding and was now standing on top of a tussock. It walked back down again, out of view, and we made our quietly way back to the row it was on and found it feeding quietly in the grass.

Woodlark – feeding quietly in the grass

As we continued on along the path, a bright male Yellowhammer perched in a tree above our heads calling. The Great Grey Shrike had been reported further round yesterday, so we carried on down the next track. A Brimstone butterfly fluttered past, enjoying the warmth from the sun now. As we arrived at a small plantation, the Great Grey Shrike suddenly appeared on the top of a bush in front of us.

Great Grey Shrike – we had great views of it today

We walked round a little to get the sun behind us, and were soon enjoying stunning views of the Great Grey Shrike. It perched on the very top of a small tree, back on at first, then turned and gave us a look at it from the front. It was focused on the ground below, looking for food. Eventually it flew straight towards us, across the ride, and perched up in the top of a young oak tree behind. With the sun now the wrong side of us, we left it to its hunting.

As we made our way back to the car, a large, hairy Fox Moth caterpillar was making its way across the track. Back at the road, we could hear redpolls calling, and three Lesser Redpolls flew out of the birches nearby.

Our final destination for the day would be Lynford, but having had such a successful morning, we had an hour to two to spare. We drove round to Lakenheath Fen. After a quick break for lunch, we set out across the reserve. We did not have much time to spend here today, so it was a very brisk walk. A quick look at New Fen added a few species for the day – Gadwall, Common Snipe, Teal and Coot. The pools by the path had a couple of Great Crested Grebe and a few Tufted Ducks.

From the Joist Fen viewpoint, we could see a few Marsh Harriers up, but there was nothing in the paddocks today. There was more activity up on the river bank. There were lots of geese down by the river, mostly Greylags and Canada Geese, but five White-fronted Geese were hiding in with them. Further along, there were lots of Wigeon on the water.

Great White Egret – flew past along the river

While we were watching the geese, a Great White Egret flew lazily past along the river. The Little Egret which flew up from down by the water further on was much smaller by comparison. We had hoped to see the Cranes here today. We only really had enough time to look for one of the pairs but there was no sign of them in their usual haunts – they could have been in the reeds or off the reserve to the south. We had to get back if we wanted to be at Lynford in good time, so it was another brisk walk back to the visitor centre.

Round at Lynford Arboretum, we walked down the path from the car park. The feeders were empty, and it looked rather quiet under the trees, but just beyond we could hear Hawfinches calling. Walking round to the other side of the trees, we spotted a male in the tops. Getting the scope on it, it was joined by a female, and then a second male. They can be surprisingly hard to see in the trees, for such a large bird, so there were probably more in there where we couldn’t see them.

Hawfinch – one of the males, up in the trees

There were also lots of Bramblings around the bushes here. A Crossbill flew over calling. When the Hawfinches dropped back down into the trees out of sight, we could still hear them calling. We walked up and down past the trees a couple of times, scanning, and eventually one came out on the grass, a female. It was quickly joined by a second female, but when the male flew out, it spooked all of them and they all flew back into the trees.

Hawfinch – a greyer female feeding down in the grass

The clearing just beyond the trees has been recently cultivated and there were lots of birds dropping down onto the bare earth. Thrushes were well represented – several Redwings, a Song Thrush or two, and three Mistle Thrushes. A pale, silvery grey White Wagtail was feeding with three darker Pied Wagtails, a spring migrant stopping off on its way north. We could hear Woodlark calling and singing and eventually found them – one feeding on the ground was colour ringed, but the other flew up into the air overhead, singing.

Down at the bridge, there was some seed put out for the birds. The first two we saw here were a Marsh Tit and a Nuthatch, both target birds for day’s list. There were also Coal Tits, Blue Tits and Great Tits. A couple of Siskin came down to drink nearby.

Nuthatch – coming down to seed at the bridge

We could hear Crossbills calling close by, and we looked across and saw a smart red male Common Crossbill perched up in one of the alder trees in the paddock. We had to walk down the path a short way to get the sun behind us, but were then treated to great close up views of it.

Common Crossbill – the male perched up in a low tree, preening & calling

There was actually a pair of Crossbills in the trees here. The male perched out in the top of one of the trees in the open, enjoying the afternoon sunshine. We watched it preening, and could hear it calling. Great views. The duller, grey-green female was lurking deeper in one of the thicker alder trees a little further back.

The list for the day was still missing a few more obvious birds which we should have seen, so we had a quick walk round the lake. Two Treecreepers flew ahead of us between the trees along the edge of the water. We heard a Little Grebe calling and following the ripples we found it lurking under the overhanging trees at far end. A Grey Wagtail flew off calling, towards Lynford Hall. A pair of Mandarin were sleeping on the grass beyond the lake, among the molehills.

Mandarin – a pair, down by the lake in front of Lynford Hall

Then it was time to make our way back to the car. What a day it had been! A real bonanza of birds in the Brecks.

5th Mar 2017 – Winter & Brecks, Day 3

Day 3 of a three day Winter & Brecks Tour, aiming to catch up with some of our wintering birds in North Norfolk, as well as the specialities of early spring in the Brecks, our final day. The weather forecast was not great again, with a band of heavy rain expected to move in quickly this morning and last for several hours, but as we have seen repeatedly over the last couple of days, it would be very foolish to rely on the forecast!

Having missed the Pallid Harrier over the last couple of days, the news that it was back early this morning was too tempting to miss. A quick visit by this correspondent on the way to collect the group confirmed where it was and soon we were all back watching this great bird.

Pallid Harrier – we finally caught up with the juvenile at New Holkham

It was nice and sunny first thing this morning in North Norfolk and excellent light. The Pallid Harrier was hunting over a more distant wheat field at first, flying low over the ground or down the hedge lines looking for food, trying to flush small birds or find small mammals. It was very narrow winged compared to the other harriers we had seen over the weekend, with a pointed ‘hand’, and an agile flight action.

Gradually the Pallid Harrier worked its way back towards us, at times disappearing behind a ridge. When it worked its way back along a hedge at one point, a Merlin appeared with it. The Merlin perched up on the hedge while the Pallid Harrier flew over the verge beside. The Merlin was probably looking for small birds flushed by the harrier, which it could chase after itself.

Finally the Pallid Harrier came in over a stubble field, just across from us. As it banked and turned, the morning sun caught on its underparts, which glowed orange, typical of a juvenile. Its upperparts were contrastingly dark brown, with a white square at the base of the tail and a pale creamy patch across the coverts. Through the scope, it was possible to see the Pallid Harrier‘s diagnostic pale collar and dark ‘boa’, the brown patches on the side of the neck behind the collar.

It flew back and forth over the stubble field for a while, allowing us all to get a great look at it, then the Pallid Harrier flew across to one side, had a quick stoop at an unsuspecting female Pheasant, and disappeared across the road. Wow!

It had been well worth the stop. Although we were intending to head back down to the Brecks this morning, this was just about on our way. As we finally got underway again and headed south, it started to rain. It was a bit earlier than expected, so it was good that we had been able to make the most of the early sunshine.

Our first stop in the Brecks was at Santon Downham. When we got out of the cars, yes it was raining, but it wasn’t exactly raining hard. The conditions were a long way from ideal, but we decided to give it a go and have a walk along the river. Our real target here was going to be Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but that was going to be a real challenge to find now. As we walked along, a couple of Green Woodpeckers laughed at us from the trees. It didn’t sound like they thought much of our prospects! A sharp ‘kik’ call alerted us to the presence of a Great Spotted Woodpecker and we looked up to see it flying through the tops and landing high in a bare tree.

There were other birds along here too. A Crossbill flew over calling and landed in the top of a tall poplar. Through binoculars we could see that it was a red male and it then started singing, a jumbled mixture of call notes and quiet wheezes and trills, not much to write home about as birdsong goes but interesting to hear. A couple of Marsh Tits called from further back in the undergrowth. A Nuthatch was piping from somewhere in the trees too.

When we got to the Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers‘ favourite trees, all was quiet. We stood listening for a few minutes, and while we were standing there we turned to look across at the alders the other side. There was a lot of activity in the trees. A pair of Treecreepers were chasing each other round and round between the trunks. A couple of Siskins were swinging in the branches. There were several tits there too and a Nuthatch.

One of the group caught sight of a woodpecker and as we turned to look, a Great Spotted Woodpecker flicked across onto a tree. Then a much smaller bird appeared on the trunk of the tree behind. Rather than the bold white shoulder patches of the Great Spotted Woodpecker, it was densely barred with white on its black back and wings. It was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker!

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker – barred with white on its back and wings

It was a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, lacking the red crown of the male. It was hard to get onto at first, as it kept flitting between trees, climbing up the trunks and sometimes disappearing round the back or behind other trees. With a bit of perseverance, we managed to get it in the scope and everyone had a great look at it. What an unexpected result!

When it disappeared deeper into the trees, we decided not to push our luck and headed back the way we had come. We stopped to look at a large flock of Siskins in the alders and found at least one Lesser Redpoll in with them. There were a few Bramblings in the trees too and a large flock of Redwings flew up from the meadows as we passed.

It stopped raining as we walked back, which was a most welcome surprise! It seemed like the band of rain had passed over much more quickly than expected and without raining as hard. It was still grey and damp though. We had a quick look up around the churchyard to see if we could find any Firecrests, but that was pushing our luck too far.

Before lunch, we had a quick drive over to Thetford, to the delights of a recycling centre on an industrial estate – there is nothing if not a variety in our choice of venues! This has been a very good spot for gulls in recent weeks. A Sunday is never the best day to look for them here, as the recycling centre is closed, although they often loaf around on the roofs anyway. Perhaps because of the earlier rain, there were very few today, just a few Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls, so we didn’t stop long.

Lakenheath Fen was our destination for the afternoon. We ate our lunch in the visitor centre, looking out at the feeders. A steady stream of birds came in and out – mainly Reed Buntings, Goldfinches and tits. One of the volunteers kindly drew our attention to a Water Rail which was lurking in the cut reeds below the balcony, before it scuttled back into cover.

Reed Bunting – a variety came in to feed by the visitor centre

It had started to brighten up from the west over lunch, so we set off to explore the reserve. It was still cool and damp as we walked down the path to New Fen. A Marsh Harrier was quartering over the reeds – it was a young bird and was carrying green wings tags on its wings. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts with scopes, we were unable to read the code, however it had most likely been ringed here.

There were several ducks on the water in front of the viewpoint, mainly Gadwall plus a few Mallard and Teal. Gadwall are one of the most under-rated of ducks, the male’s apparently grey plumage actually being a variety of different patterns – barring, scalloping, streaking – so we had a good look at one through the scope. A Common Snipe flew up and landed back down on the edge of the reeds briefly before scuttling back into cover. A Cetti’s Warbler sang half-heartedly from deep in the reeds.

Gadwall – the most under-rated of ducks

We pressed on west. There was no sign of any Common Cranes from Joist Fen viewpoint. A Cormorant was on a post, drying its wings. Several Marsh Harriers were quartering over the reeds. A Common Buzzard was standing on a fence post at the edge of the paddocks. There were still some dark clouds coming in on the brisk wind, so we waited while they passed over, even though it did nothing more than spit with rain for a few seconds. Once they were gone, we headed up to the river bank.

Scanning the fields north of the river, we spotted a pair of Common Cranes some way over. We got them in the scope, and we could see they were two adults, with well-marked black and white heads and a red patch on the top. We presumed they were one of the two regular breeding pairs from the reserve.

Common Crane – one of the breeding pairs, in a field north of the river

While we were watching this pair, we could hear more Cranes bugling further over, which prompted the ones we were observing to respond. Then a second pair of Cranes flew in and landed right next to the first. This second pair started to display, duetting with their heads pointing skywards.This was all slightly perplexing, as it would be odd for the other resident pair to trespass in the other’s territory.

The original pair then took off and it looked like they would land again a couple of fields over, but instead they flushed a fifth Crane which took off too. Now we knew already from one of the wardens that one of the resident Crane pairs had just today been trying to kick their juvenile born last year out of their territory. In the last few days it had still been accompanying the two adults everywhere, but it had been seen on its own earlier. It quickly became clear that this was the juvenile we were seeing take off, chased by its parents.

These three Cranes flew off over the reserve and disappeared over the trees way to the south, and they were soon followed by the other pair. However, after a few seconds they came back and the three landed down in the edge of the reedbed. Through the scope, we could see it was the pair and the juvenile. Then the other pair flew over and they took off again.

All five Cranes flew up and landed on the river bank. At this stage, we were still assuming that we were watching the two resident pairs with the one remaining juvenile from 2016. However, while they were standing on the bank, another pair of Cranes walked up to join them, duetting as they did so. We could now see seven Cranes standing on the bank together, in a line!

Common Crane – seven birds in a line, on the river bank

The juvenile Crane was still with what we believed were its parents at this stage, but they were clearly not happy with it. The next thing we knew they started to chase after it. The poor juvenile scrambled down along the bank and back up the other side of the other two pairs of adults, where it was out of reach. It was all action  – it was like watching a Crane soap opera!

It was rather hard to keep track of them for a while. Different Cranes were bickering, two flew off down to the edge of the river beyond, but it seemed we were missing one of the adults and the juvenile. The next thing we knew, three Cranes took off again – one of the pairs and the juvenile. We wondered whether the juvenile was being chased at first, but by the end it was not clear whether it was just trying to follow its parents. The three flew round over the reserve, turned back to the river, and then came straight over and past us along the river. Stunning! They disappeared off east, beyond the poplars and were lost to view.

Common Cranes – two adults, followed by a juvenile

While we were watching the Cranes flying right past us, one of the group spotted a Great White Egret flying away along the river. All very confusing, we didn’t know where to look! After the Cranes had disappeared, we walked along the river to see if we could find it. A Little Egret flew off ahead of us and disappeared behind a bush. As we walked past, two egrets took off from behind it and we could see they were very different sizes. The Great White Egret dwarfed the Little Egret.

Great White Egret and Little Egret – one big, one much smaller

The two egrets landed out of view in a channel in the wet meadows north of the river. But almost immediately, a male Marsh Harrier flew right over, flushing all the ducks and the egrets. We got a good look at the Great White Egret as it flew slowly away.

There were some more dark clouds approaching, so we made our way back to Joist Fen Viewpoint and sheltered as a brief shower passed over. Then we walked back across the reserve, with the dark clouds moving away ahead of us, the low sun lighting up the trees in front, and a double rainbow across the sky. Quite a view!

It had been a great way to end the day, and draw a very exciting weekend to a close, watching all the action with the Cranes. We made our way back to Mundord where part of the group left to head off south, while the rest of us continued on to North Norfolk.

POSTSCRIPT – as we drove through Swaffham, we could see an enormous flock of Starlings already starting to gather – we had thought we might be heading back too early to catch them, now the nights are drawing out. We couldn’t resist stopping.

The number of Starlings here still seems to be growing – there were at least 20,000 the last time we came but it looked to be much more than that now. The sky was black with birds. They were mostly flying round in a loose flock at first, a vast cloud covering the sky, rather than making tight shapes. But it was mesmerising standing underneath them, even if we were in danger of being spattered! The flock was composed of different layers, circling in different directions, it was enough to make you feel dizzy. We just stood and watched in awe.

Starlings – a huge cloud over Swaffham

Gradually, as it started to get dark, the groups started to coalesce. The point before they actually go into roost is when the Starlings are at their most nervous. Now we started to see them making some shapes, swirling around. Finally, they started to drop into the trees. It was like someone had turned on a vacuum cleaner – the flocks circled lower and suddenly a stream of birds would drop like a stone and dive headlong into the bushes. It is amazing they don’t crash into each other.

The swirling flocks were remarkably quiet, apart from the hum from the beating of thousands wings, but once they get into the roost trees the Starlings start to chatter and their was a remarkable cacophony building as the sky emptied. Now it really was time to head for home.