Shouting Loudly

It was hard to ignore this Cetti’s Warbler it was very shouty! Despite that it was also very stealthy as it popped up here, and then there, without even showing us how it got between the two!

Three Cornered

As I settled down to do a Sea Watch at Mundesley the other week friend Andrew pointed out some Three cornered leeks (Allium triquetrum). When I looked the whole bank was covered in them. Quite a beautiful plant … but quite prolific.

When is a bird Rare?

Some birds like the Californian Condor are truly rare. There are only a handful of them left. When the last one dies they will be extinct. No more Californian Condors unless Richard Attenborough can be recalled to ‘do a’ Jurassic Park and manifest a DNA clone.

However there is another connotation of rare status. That is, if a species is encountered infrequently out of its range … it could also be said to be rare; although within the confines of its home range the species could be quite common.

Below is a photograph I took last week of a Coot. As you know Coots are not rare and the photograph is not particularly special or indeed well taken. However, it is a photograph of a rare bird. Not because of what it is … but because of where it is.

This is only the second Coot I have seen on the local reservoir in 7 years. Mallards, Tufted Ducks, Gadwall, Teal and Wigeon come and go … but Coot … hereabouts are like Essex virgins. You see, between Hickling in the south east and Felbrigg in the west there is very little standing water. If you were a Coot why would you wish to visit an area with no standing water?

Wherever it came from it’s damn well easily spooked. You only have to show it the top of your hat and it bolts for the reedbed.

Six Species

Two of four passage Ring Ousels in wet pasture up here on the coast last week. All very fine males. In fact there were six species of thrush in the same field … but my word were they flighty!

It feels like spring

A walk around the hill one evening at the beginning of the week gave me my first House Martin of the year. Sand Martins and Swallows have been well established for a week or longer but the House Martins are arriving in dribs and drabs. Lets hope they find enough warm weather insects to get their breeding season off to a good start.

Ospreys

One thing we did get a bellyful of in Scotland were Ospreys. It was hard to miss them. This female came off the eerie one bright morning and did a fly past for us leaving the male alone.

 

Scotland Birding

We had a great time when we were in Scotland on tour last weekend among some good company in a great hotel. We more or less cleaned up on all the specialities with everyone getting decent views. The one thing we missed out on was Scottish Crossbill with no contenders coming our way; in fact I’m told there are few being seen this year among the Crossbill flocks. However, Slavonian Grebes, Black and Red throated Divers, Golden Eagle, Osprey, Red and Black Grouse, Capercaille, Ptarmigan, Dipper and Ring Ousel all put in an appearance. In fact we managed just short of 100 species. Not bad for a weekend in Scotland in April.

I’ve already started taking bookings for next year’s tour. If you are interested take a look at the itinerary at the bottom of this link http://www.wildlifetoursandeducation.co.uk/tours/longer-tours-pelagics/ and send me a mail at carl@wildlifetoursandeducation.co.uk

 

Just passing

As I was on the laptop sitting at the dining room table this Red legged Partridge passed by. They ‘never’ come in the garden. Maybe it was something to do with me casting £30 of wild flower seed in the borders. Typical!

Milky eyed stripping female

This Adder was one of four we saw on the Essex Birding Day Tour we did the other week. It’s a female judging by her ‘hips’ and general colouring, However her eyes are very milky indicating she’s about to shed her skin.

A Pochard with a difference

Red crested Pochards are quite difficult to get close to in Norfolk; always at the far end of the scrape. Not so in Essex. This bird was at Abberton Reservoir on our Essex Day tour last week. Fully winged and un-ringed it did a full-on TOWIE pose.