21 OCTOBER 2024 – ABBERTON RESERVOIR/EAST MERSEA

There was a change of plan overnight, as we were originally travelling to Norfolk for a day’s birdwatching at Titchwell RSPB Reserve, but as there was no positive news from the reserve, John suggested Abberton and Mersea as a viable option – which of course was considerably nearer than Norfolk.

It was grey, grey day, with very light winds forecast, and a chance of brighter conditions later in the afternoon, but we continued to Abberton as planned, arriving at the Layer Breton causeway first at around 9.30 a.m.

Within a very few minutes of John setting up his telescope, he’d found one of our target birds - a Black-necked Grebe way out on the reservoir. A total of six were reported through the day but we managed four; from a personal point of view, I don’t ever recall seeing more than two on any one occasion previously, so that was very good start.

Nearby, a Great Egret (previously known as Great White Egret) was on show at the opposite end of the causeway, so I ‘sped’ off with a view to obtaining a photograph or two. In fact, throughout our time at Abberton, we were to see at least 10 Great Egrets - more than any of us had seen there previously. As it happens numbers of Little Egrets were on a similar par. Very impressive, and a true indication as to how both species had increased in the UK (in fact both breeds successfully) in the past few years.

Other species seen from Layer Breton included:  good numbers of Pochard; Wigeon; Moorhen; Coot; Gadwall; Shoveler; Mallard; Tufted Duck (2) Mute Swan; Lapwing; Egyptian Goose; a Grey Wagtail; Pied Wagtail; Goldfinch; Grey Heron, and a single Western Marsh Harrier.

On to the Visitor Centre at Layer de la Haye, there were impressive numbers of Coot (possibly 2000 or more at a guess); but very little else of note other than some of the species seen at Layer Breton. Visiting the Centre, we made immediately for the Hide Bay Hide, where a truly impressive array of birds was on show for us. These included – at least 6 Great Egrets; a similar number of Little Egrets; a singleton Spoonbill; several Grey Herons; Wigeon; Pochard; Mallard; Pintail; Shoveler; Teal; Egyptian Geese; Canada Goose; Lapwing; Black-tailed Godwit; Ruff (2); Pheasant; Great Black-backed Gulls (c12); Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull; Goldfinch (c100); Starling (c100) and Robin.

Then, on to Mersea Island, with a sizeable flock of Golden Plover on the mudflats over the Strood which connects the island to the Essex mainland, then a quick look at West Mersea (opposite Bradwell Nuclear Plant) which netted a single Mediterranean Gull, with virtually nothing else on the Blackwater estuary. East Mersea (from the Cudmore Grove Country Park) proved an entirely different scenario however, with many birds observed (mainly waterfowl and wading birds), as the exceptionally high tide eventually almost entirely covered the spit.

Right from the outset, good numbers of Eurasian Wigeon could be seen at relatively close quarters (arguably, one of our most beautiful winter ducks); together with Common Teal and a sprinkling of other waterfowl too). There were impressive numbers of Little Egret (we observed at least one flock of 30 plus individuals, with at least 50 seen in total. Flocks of Redshank; Curlew (c120); Black-tailed Godwit; with a few Grey Plovers and many Avocets (which I missed as I turned back earlier than John and Mike who continued a while longer); Snipe; Lapwing; Sanderling; Dunlin; several Brent Geese and Great Crested Grebes on the Blackwater . Mediterranean Gulls seemed plentiful and must have been in the low 20’s. Up to five Little Grebes were seen in the surrounding ditches. On the way back a singleton Ringed Plover was seen from the Strood, where the high tide was causing problems for traffic going to and from the island, although the delay wasn't massively long.

All in all, an excellent day’s birdwatching, which would probably have rivalled and even exceeded what we might have seen at Titchwell from a point of view of the sheer spectacle seen on the Blackwater.

GREAT EGRET

GREAT EGRET

GREY HERON

NORTHERN LAPWING

GREAT CRESTED GREBE

EGYPTIAN GEESE

NORTHERN SHOVELER (IN ECLIPSE)

LITTLE EGRETS

LITTLE EGRETS

EURASIAN CURLEW (c100)

 

 

 SEPTEMBER 2024 – IN OR FROM MY GARDEN

I’ve not been out locally very much due to some health issues, so I’ve concentrated my efforts on things seen in or from my garden (in Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire).

It’s been a rather mixed array of birds; insects; one mammal species; and amphibians, but a very disappointing period for butterflies generally (except for Small and Large Whites).

Like the butterflies, dragonflies have proved rather sparse over the summer, although things picked up a touch early this month when a female Southern Hawker flew round the pond twice in one day, and again once the following day. A pair of Common Darters visited the pond separately one morning earlier in the month, then later the same day, the pair was seen in tandem hovering over the pond, with the female depositing eggs. Only one photograph - of the male, away from the pond - was possible, however. A singleton Emperor and a couple of Migrant Hawkers were observed over the garden, but did not visit the pond.

Other highlights included watching a dog fox searching for food outside my front garden shortly before midnight one night. I was lucky enough to watch it for at least 15 minutes before it sauntered off into the night, but street lighting (which was due to go off at 1.00pm) allowed a much better view than otherwise might have been the case.

Another highlight was the discovery of at least four frogs in my wildlife pond when I cleared away some of the vegetation that had encroached during the summer. The odd thing about this was that at least three of the frogs (apart from varying sizes) had completely different colouration and markings – as is evidenced by one of the included photographs.

Another very welcome sighting/s included my first ever sizeable flock of House Martins moving through on the evening of 25th September – at least 10 birds involved – when I’ve  only managed singletons previously. And at 08.30 hrs on 26th September, I had two (possibly even three) juvenile Chiffchaffs moving quickly through the back garden, and not associated with any movement of tits and other small passerines as one might expect at this time of year.

COAL TIT

COMMON DARTER

GARDEN SPIDER

RED ADMIRAL

RED ADMIRAL

JUVENILE COLLARED DOVES

JUVENILE LONG-TAILED TIT

JUVENILE LONG-TAILED TIT

WOODPIGEON - ASLEEP ON THE FEEDER

ICHNEUMON FLY

COMMON FROG

A TRIO OF COMMON (?) FROGS

29 AUGUST 2024 – SOUTHERN COUNTRY PARK

I hadn’t been out much locally for a couple of weeks, largely because I don’t like hot weather; so, the forecast for today - sunny with maximum temperature 23 degrees C - suited me well. I set out at 0940 hrs aiming to get to SCP before 10.00 hrs, which I did quite comfortably.

On the way I passed through Thorley Wedge, where I hoped to see butterflies at a large Buddleia, and in particular Painted Lady, which in the past have utilised the shrub to their advantage; but in fact, there were no butterflies whatsoever - not even one. So, disappointed I carried on to SCP taking the route near Sainsburys, at Thorley.

I’d also hoped to see Jersey Tiger moths - which I ‘d seen this time last year, but not this time. There were a couple of Commas; the odd Speckled Wood, and a few Holly Blues, which I assumed were 2^nd brood. But nothing else of note.

I made straight for the walkway at the top of the lake, hoping to see dragonflies, but it was extremely quiet in this regard. Suddenly, a Brown Hawker came into view, scanning the water the whole length of the bed, but acting as if it was looking for a suitable place to settle. Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, the insect alighted on some dead vegetation along the northern ridge of the water, and I followed with my camera poised, managing just two shots before a couple of Mallards disturbed the Hawker, which promptly flew completely out of sight. There was a female Southern Hawker, scanning the waters edge on the opposite side of the walkway, but it didn’t land.

Nearby a species of Terrapin was lying out of the water on a cage of stones, looking considerably larger than when I first discovered it at this location, several years ago. Clearly, being abandoned by an irresponsible owner, who hadn’t realised how quickly they can grow in captivity, it is a practise that is sadly on the increase locally in recent years. But, although it seems to be thriving here, it’s presence is likely to have a detrimental effect on the larvae of dragonflies and damselflies, which form part of its diet, so it’s not really a welcome inmate.

I wandered slowly round the lake, looking for more dragonflies, but only came across several Common Darters, and a few Migrant Hawkers, with no sign whatsoever of any Willow Emerald Damselflies, which I’d found at the SE end of the lake in previous years. However, there is a small, secluded pond opposite the SW end of the lake, where I discovered a female Willow Emerald settled on a bramble - an area that I’ve never seen them in before. The camera was quickly deployed again, and one shot later the insect promptly flew away.

West of the lake is a large bank covered in wildflowers, and leading to Middle Wood and West Wood -  at the top. Here, there is a mixture of various species of Umbellifer; Oxeyes; Flea-bane; Thistles; Hawkweed; Teazle; some Vetch and large swathes of Scabious, and one might think excellent for butterflies ………………….but not this year it seems, with only a few Small Whites; a couple of Meadow Browns and three or four Speckled Woods being obvious. I did a complete circuit until at the bottom of The Wedge something a little different came into view…………………… a beautiful Painted Lady (my favourite butterfly). The camera was utilised as soon as I identified it, but it only settled briefly so I was only able to snatch just the one shot before the insect took off! But I was delighted, because it was the first I’d seen this year, and one of my target species for the day.

A brief walk in the Maze Field (an area set aside for wildflowers) produced nothing more than a single male Common Blue butterfly. The pond opposite St. James’s Church just outside the park boundary, was almost completely overgrown with reeds, so it was impossible to view the small area of exposed water in the middle (which on previous years held a tiny population of Small, Red-eyed Damselflies). The reeds had really taken a hold here, so I doubted if any species of Odonata were present this year; but hopefully, some overdue pond maintenance might help for next year.

I’d almost set myself a time-limit for being out (largely because I’d brought very limited provisions); but I managed to get back home just five minutes ‘late’ at 13.05 hrs. Still, nearly four hours after setting out was adequate, and pretty tiring I must confess. But I was pleased to have seen the Willow Emerald Damselfly and the Painted Lady butterfly.

COMMA BUTTERFLY

HOLLY BLUE BUTTERFLY

BROWN HAWKER

TERRAPIN Sp

COMMON DARTER (M)

PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY

 

WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY (F)

22 AUGUST 2024 - RYE MEADS RSPB RESERVE, HERTS

Just a quick visit to this reserve to see a pair of Garganey that had turned up recently on the reserve. John and Mike picked me up at 0910 hrs and we were there before 10.00 hrs.

The conditions were difficult for birdwatching, very dull, with very strong westerlies, and drizzle threatening. A few House Martins and a couple of Swallows were observed after moving through the Reserve Visitor Centre, and we also saw a lone Swift.

At Draper Hide the first interesting birds we saw was a group of four juvenile Green Sandpipers, although they were somewhat distant, and didn’t really move about or feed much whilst we were there. We didn’t have to wait long, although initially there was no sight of the Garganeys, but John soon picked up a male in his scope at the back of the lake; it was in eclipse plumage so it didn’t readily stand out it out amongst Teal and Gadwall - that is until one got one’s eye in so to speak, and could make out the very pale supercilium. We spent a while watching it as it swam around quite contentedly, raking its bill through the shallow water, until we moved off to the next hide where a Great (White) Egret had been reported; but there was very little else on the scrape other than the Teal; a few Gadwalls; Moorhens; Black-headed Gulls; Stock Doves, and a couple of Lapwings.

At the Gadwall Hide, the Great Egret was seen almost immediately, but it was some distance away, so photography wasn’t going to be a cinch, but this elegant bird was continually engaged in catching fish and could be observed raking the waters to disturb its prey, appearing perfectly at home in its surroundings. There were at least two Little Egrets nearby, and many Coots; Teal and some Mallards; a large group of mainly Black-headed Gulls selection of Gulls, and a few Mute Swans.

At the adjacent Tern Hide, there were many House Martins scooping down over the lake, together with a few Sand Martins and Swallows. There were a lot of Teal, with one or two Pochard; an adult Little Grebe and two juveniles;  a couple of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and a Magpie or two on the tern raft. At the back of the lake, at least one Great Crested Grebe could be seen. Later, a lone Migrant Hawker Dragonfly was seen, rather surprising given the windy conditions.

GREEN SANDPIPERS 

GARGANEY

GARGANEY

GREAT EGRET

GREAT EGRET

GREAT EGRET

15 AUGUST 2024 – SNETTISHAM, NORFOLK

There were recent reports of up to five White-rumped Sandpipers being present on the RSPB Reserve at Snettisham, so with nothing else of note John plumped for that destination after consulting with Mike and me first. Frampton RSPB Reserve in Lincolnshire was the other option, but as it’s a very large reserve, I felt it would be too much for me to undertake, given my recent health problems. Luckily for me Snettisham was the preferred option in the end.

About 30 minutes after we set out, news came through of a possible Great Knot (a very rare vagrant from Asia) being found at Minsmere, Suffolk, and there was debate as to whether we should divert. However, as it wasn’t a confirmed sighting together with the fact that undoubtedly it would attract many birdwatchers, and in any event, we’d probably spend a good proportion of our time waiting to get into the relevant hide, we chose to continue to our original destination. As it happened, towards the end of the day we learned that the record was dud, being a likely summer plumaged Red Knot sighted by an inexperienced birder.

We arrived at the RSPB car park at Snettisham shortly after 10.15 a.m. from where it was an incredibly long walk to the hides, located at the southern end of a long line of pits. The weather was sunny and very warm, with exceptionally strong 30 mph southerly winds. Along the way one could look over the beach and out to The Wash – the tide was well out at the time (although the beach area was still cordoned off to prevent disturbance to ground nesting birds).

Along the pits (which at the beginning straddled a long line of holiday homes) the occasional Little Egret could be seen, with many Egyptian Geese, loose flocks of gulls, and Grey Lag Geese, but nothing exceptional – compared with what can be seen in the winter months. Along the path I found a rather worn Wall Brown butterfly (the first any of us had seen thus far this year), though in essence it was far too windy for butterflies. But once out onto the beach John sighted two adult Turtle Doves (one of our target species) which gave very close views as they fed amongst the beach vegetation. There is a small number of breeding Turtle Doves along the northern coastline at Snettisham, and it was likely that these two were from that group.

Along the beachline and out onto the dry mud where there were narrow ditches and pools, some Avocets could be seen feeding (I’d never previously associated Avocets with Snettisham, so perhaps they are a relatively recent addition to the species present here); with Shelduck; 100 or so Canada Geese and a fairly large flock 17 Barnacle Geese; a couple of Curlews and many gulls, although most were a long way off in the distance.

There were two hides that we used along the route to the main hides, but nothing much was seen. Once at the main hides, accessed along a long, winding boardwalk we entered the first of two hides here, (where there were two Swallows still occupying nests at the entrance) although to be frank there was very little else on show:- at least 17 Spoonbills (at the time mostly sleeping, although they did become a tad more active later in the day); more Grey Lags and a few Egyptian Geese; a few Lapwings and Gull species. Earlier we’d seen a large flock of about 200 or so Common Redshank; a small group of Golden Plover; and sporadic groups of Black-tailed Godwits, but if they were present, they could not be readily seen from these hides. Three Common Sandpipers were also seen, and a small group of Little Egrets. But more importantly no sign of the White-rumped Sandpipers. It appears that they had not actually been seen for several days, because there had been no hide tides to cause wading birds to gather at this location; so were unlikely to get lucky today. We tried the other - much larger – hide nearby, but there was no window seating available, so one had to stand at the large picture windows to views the birds. It seemed to me that this hide might be utilised for school groups because the seating was similar to what one might expect from a university lecture room. We returned to the first hide to consume our lunches, then moved off for the long trundle back to the car.

Nearby, John found two Northern Wheatears, and a male Stonechat, but there was very little else of note on the way back – although John and Mike veered off along the beach (as I continued slowly on) and saw a couple of Sandwich Terns with a Little Tern; a Mediterranean Gull and were shown the carcass of a whale. Back to where we saw the Turtle Doves earlier in the day, one was still present and gave very close views indeed, enabling me to get some excellent photos.

I can’t deny that it had been a somewhat disappointing day bird-wise - the Turtle Doves being the undoubted highlight – but it was good being out along the coast, in lovely coastal surroundings.

SPOONBILLS AND CANADA GEESE etc

TURTLE DOVE

TURTLE DOVE

TURTLE DOVES

WALL BROWN BUTTERFLY

VIPERS BUGLOSS

 31 JULY 2024 – MINSMERE

This was my first outing with John and Mike since out trip to Cambridgeshire on 21 May, and although I hadn’t fully recovered from a heavy cough, I was determined not to miss out on whatever goodies were on the cards for us; and with Minsmere being what it is, I was as certain as I could be that we were going to have a really good day. Pick-up was to be 0745 hrs from my house. The only possible downside was going to be the predicted hot weather. But we would just have to manage that as best we could.

We were lucky with the traffic and got to our first port of call - Westleton Heath - at around 9.45 hrs where we saw quite a few Grayling butterflies along one of the sandy trails. Small Skipper; Meadow Browns; Gatekeepers; Small Heath and Small Copper Butterflies soon followed, together with a juvenile Northern Wheatear, which Mike spotted flying overhead, and encountered again on the ground, in a deep depression, amassed with colourful heather and Ling. Several family parties of Stonechats were also seen, with a lone Marsh Harrier and a Common Buzzard being the only raptor species. Finally, John found a singleton Common Blue Butterfly – the first any of us had seen this year. Regrettably, we missed out on seeing Stone Curlews; Woodlark, and Dartford Warblers that we saw here in September 2023, and this time there was no juvenile Honey Buzzard to wow us!

Then, on to Minsmere. On the way to the reserve, we stopped off at a protected site where Stone Curlews had bred successfully I recent years, and sure enough a pair were soon discovered giving good binocular and scope views, in the excellent morning light. Where we parked the car somehow seemed to attract dragonflies, including a couple of Brown Hawkers; a single Black-tailed Skimmer; two or three Common Darters; as well as several colourful Hornets.

Through the Tourist Centre (where we showed our RSPB membership cards) we made our way to the Dragonfly Ponds. Immediately on the way there was considerable dragonfly activity in sharp contrast to the almost wholesale lack of butterflies, where flowering Buddleia held just one or two Peacocks and Red Admirals. At least one (green-eyed) Norfolk Hawker was seen, along with several Migrant Hawkers; Southern Hawkers and Common Darters - but once at the ponds the dragonfly activity soared to new heights and was simply wonderful to observe.

There were more Emerald Damselflies here that we’d ever experienced; together with Blue-tailed Damselflies; both Large Red-eyed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies (although in very small numbers); both Azure and Common Damselflies. More Southern Hawkers, with a female Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing, and  the male in close attendance, protecting her. One or two female Brown Hawkers were ovipositing too. I missed a Grass Snake seen to swim across the main pond but was right on hand when a Water Vole ( as always, a real cutey) was discovered munching on reed stalks; and it didn’t seem to mind having half-a dozen or so pairs of eyes - and my camera - watching its every move. Further along, in Digger Alley (so named because several species of mining bee can be seen there) I found a male Brown Argus butterfly - mine and Mike’s first for the year.

It was at this point when I seemed to run out of energy, so John and Mike continued out to the coastal path where we’d planned to be reunited at the newly refurbished East Hide after I’d made my way there slowly …………………….. very slowly as it happens!!

In my view, there wasn’t a great deal of bird activity out on The Scrape, but eventually (though separately, as John and Mike were coming away just as I was arriving at the hide) some interesting species were seen. These included a couple of Greenshank; up to 15 or so Spotted Redshank; 4 Spoonbills; about 100 Avocets; 10 Barnacle Geese; a lone Egyptian Goose; 2 Shelduck; 2 Little Ringed Plover; maybe 50 Black-tailed Godwits; a couple of Common Sandpipers (although John and Mike saw a Green Sandpiper and a Wood Sandpiper too); a juvenile Kittiwake in flight; and a fly-by Whimbrel, along with a miscellany of the more common birds. Raptors were all very distant birds and included a couple of Marsh Harriers; a probable Eurasian Buzzard; a Kestrel and a Hobby.

Because of the heat (something approaching 30 degrees C) and the fact that we all wanted to visit the woodland areas north of the Visitor Centre, in an attempt to see more specialist butterfly species, we turned back, and that meant a long, hard slog (for me at any rate) along the beach, although a cooling NE breeze made that a little easier (where John picked up a large flotilla of Common Scoter out on the sea, a long, long way off amongst the waves). We were certainly cutting it fine, because it was already 1430 hrs as we set off for the Centre once more.

John went on ahead because he wanted to get some eats at the Centre café, whilst Mike and I took another look at the dragonfly ponds, where at least one male Southern Hawker was getting almost too familiar with the public by whizzing as close as it dared along the walkway. But here we obtained better and closer views of both Red-eyed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies, including views of pairs in tandem, where comparisons with each species were relatively clear to see.

Once into the woodland – comprising almost entirely deciduous trees - it was a real treat to walk along the shaded, grassy ‘butterfly trail’ all the time looking for butterflies over the high bracken fronds. But we had to go quite a way before the familiar sight of the bold, bouncing flight of a Silver-washed Fritillary came into view, and it was an exciting experience for all of us. From then on, the fritillaries came more and more into the fore, peaking at c20 or so individuals (although disappointingly, not one was in pristine condition). Other species included several Ringlets and Gatekeepers; Peacocks; Red Admirals; a Comma or two; and a Large Skipper. I got a bit overexcited as Mike found a female Lesser Stag Beetle, the first I’d seen anywhere - so I simply had to get a photograph, and the insect duly obliged; pity no males were seen.(with thanks to Stephen Patmore for identifying the species from my photograph).

Dragonflies in the woodland were obvious indeed, especially Southern Hawkers, which continued to ‘buzz’ so close, one could almost reach out and touch them. Common Darters were almost profuse, and we gained a glimpse of a Ruddy Darter, identified purely from the cherry-coloured eyes as the head was the only part of the insect showing as it alighted for a short period on a bramble, before flying off.

One species of butterfly had sadly eluded us thus far - the White Admiral - but, just as we were about to call it a day, Mike’s eagle eyes spotted something good over my head, and as it alighted on a low Oak branch, I confirmed that it was indeed our particular quarry, although it didn’t stay there for long before it was off again - a strong, direct flight pattern, until it landed lower down on a frond of bracken, and we were able to satiate our appetites for this simply stunning insect. It was a good end to a truly memorable day; a day completely immersed in Nature - which did our well-being so much good.

GRAYLING - WESTLETON HEATH

SMALL COPPER  - WESTLETON HEATH

NORTHERN WHEATEAR  - WESTLETON HEATH

LING AND HEATHER  - WESTLETON HEATH

COMMON DARTER (MATURE FEMALE) - MINSMERE

EMERALD DAMSELFLY - MINSMERE

EMERALD DAMSELFLY - MINSMERE

FEMALE EMPEROR DRAGONFLY - MINSMERE

BROWN HAWKER - MINSMERE

WATER VOLE - MINSMERE

SPOONBILLS - MINSMERE

ALONG THE WOODLAND BUTTERFLY TRAIL - MINSMERE

JOHN AND MIKE - ALONG THE BUTTERFLY TRAIL - MINSMERE

PEACOCK BUTTERFLY - MINSMERE

RINGLET - MINSMERE

GATEKEEPER - MINSMERE

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY - MINSMERE

SILVER-WASHED FRITILLARY - MINSMERE

COMMA - MINSMERE

FEMALE LESSER STAG BEETLE - MINSMERE

WHITE ADMIRAL - MINSMERE