A Pleasant Pheasant

In the past I’ve alluded to the fact that some birds we encounter in the UK are not officially recognised as having a sustainable breeding population. They’re not on the British list; they escape or are introduced and just die out.

One hanger on is the Reeve’s Pheasant. Around Breckland in South Norfolk there are small pockets of breeding birds. I was told of one such population I didn’t know of (thanks Mick) around two to three miles from one I did know. Whether these ’new’ birds are the result of an increasing spreading population or are recently introduced birds I do not know. One thing is for sure, they are beautiful creatures and may one day be officially recognised as a British bird despite their Asian origins.

A Brush with a Barnie

I was doing some survey work last week down on the Waveney when a Barn Owl came so close it almost brushed me with its wings. I don’t know who was more surprised … it or me!

It was certainly too close to miss the photo opportunity.

The snow cover is making hunting for raptors and owls more difficult. This particular Barn Owl had to hunt during the day as well as at night to get enough sustenance.

All is not always as it seems

Regularly each winter we get a Black Brant among the Brent Geese here in North Norfolk. Black Brants are a dark and moody Canadian race of the Brent Goose. They are a quite smart in comparison to the plentiful Brents.

When we heard of two Brants among a small flock of geese at Holkham on Wednesday it seemed too good to be true. It didn’t take us long to spot the contenders. Large white flank patches, broad neck collars meeting under the throat and a black belly extending far back towards the vent. The mantle however on both birds was far too pale; it should have been much darker. Both birds were hybrids; always a possibility with these beautiful geese. Still great to see.

Lonely?

When you’re in the situation of being a long way from home it’s comforting to find solace among one’s own kind. Flocking together for comfort, protection and company is an adage of many living things.

The taxonomy of Canada Geese is interesting but complex. Confusion is compounded because articles on identification and classification are quickly outdated and replaced. To simplify things (far too much – reams could be written) there are two species of Canada Geese, Greater, the larger bodies birds and Lesser the smaller bodied birds; the Lesser is also called Cackling Canada Goose. Each species is split into sub species. The Greater has six races the lesser has four. Among all the races the most northerly breeding is the Branta hutchinsii hutchinsii; one of the Cacklers, which quite reasonably used to be called Hutchinson’s Canada Goose and even earlier the Baffin Island Canada Goose … but for some reason is now called Richardson’s Canada Goose. I did tell you it was complex.

Lesser Canada Geese have been seen in Norfolk previously but for the past few weeks a Richardson’s Canada Goose has been roaming the North Norfolk coast among a flock of Canada Geese. It probably came over from Canada in late autumn among Pinkfeet. The resident flock of Canada’s however perhaps proved too alluring despite its diminutive size. That’s one possible origin. Another is it jumped the fence at some wildfowl collection. Who knows?

Safe Haven

Maybe it was the slow encroachment of our boat, maybe it was the sharp eyed guests on it with me or more likely a combination of the two but we had some close sightings on our tour down the waterways of the Norfolk Broads at the weekend. From the Common Terns that accompanied us across the broads to stalking Grey Herons and food passing Marsh Harriers the wildlife was unhindered and relaxed. There’s nothing like seeing something well.

The Great crested Grebe we saw carrying young upon its back is something you don’t see too often and something you rarely see close enough to photograph.

 

Shades of red

Much needed rain fell during last Sunday’s tour. As we walked down the riverbank there was a break in the clouds and the sun broke through for a while at least.

A flash of turquoise and an orange breast bobbed atop a branch overhanging the water. A kingfisher delighted us as it beat the life from a minnow before swallowing it head first. Then above us the song of a Willow Warbler rang out. A Willow Warbler would you believe. Not what I expected to hear on a tour in mid March; in a few weeks time maybe, but not in mid March. A red letter day indeed. As we moved around the tree to see the perpetrator of this early rendition I almost trod on something half hidden in the leaf litter. It was something colourful; something bright and quite at odds with the greyness of the day. As I looked closer it was a fungus. Scarlet Elf’s Cup is not a common species with a limited range. Just a moment within a day that saw us marvelling at a whole host of Breckland species.

Rain, what rain?