This adult and juvenile Bewick Swan was found along the Ten Mile Bank Road.
Not only was the weather superb today, but I notched up 6 more ‘year-ticks’, when Becky and I took the long drive south-west to the superb Welney Wildfowl Trust reserve, near Wisbech in the east of the County. The wind had dropped and the sun was out and first thing this morning, we had a flying display of the F1-11 fighter jets overhead, who, it seemed, were practicing flying all over Norfolk!
A male Reed Bunting by the feeders at the Reserve Centre.
A male Tree Sparrow near the feeders.
My day began when I took Scruff for a walk through the village while Becky cooked our breakfast. A large flock of Yellowhammers were seen over the fields to the east of Langham Village and at least two Common Buzzards were seen over the countryside to the south. I even saw a large group of Partridge species in a distant field, but I needed my scope to ascertain a correct ID, unfortunately. While checking out the Yellowhammers, a singing Goldcrest was flitting about in a small conifer close to where I stood, a male bird.
This pair of Avocets showed well in front of the main Hide.
One of the Whooper Swans in front of the main Hide.
After breakfast, we packed all our birding gear and then made our way to Welney. Becky did the driving there as I checked the fields by the roadside, notching up good numbers of Kestrel, Common Buzzard and Red Kite along the way, which took around 90 minutes to get there (55 miles). Sadly, dogs are not allowed on the reserve (apart from guide-dogs) and so Scruff had to stay behind. I had some target birds I wanted to see and I think the ‘Birding Gods’ were most certainly smiling on me today.
The Tundra Bean Geese in front of the main Hide.
One of the Great White Egrets passing the front Hide.
Taking the right turn off the A10, we drove along the Ten Mile Bank road and enjoyed good numbers of Lapwing out in the fields. Then I picked out a Stonechats by the side of the road and then I saw a pair of Swans on the opposite side. I asked Becky to stop as I grabbed my binoculars and checked out the Swans. They were indeed an adult and juvenile Bewick’s Swan as I grabbed my camera and got some record photos of the birds. My first ‘year-tick’ of the day.
The female Marsh Harrier flying over the main lake.
Some of the Tree Sparrows enjoying the feeders by the main Centre.
On reaching the car park by the Reserve Centre, I knew there were Tree Sparrows at this site and were regularly seen here too. Checking the nearby Sparrows, all I could find were House Sparrows, but after paying my entrance fee for both Becky and I (the best £17 I ever spent!)I checked out the feeders within the Centre. At least three Reed Buntings were using the feeders and then further along, another group of feeders attracted the local Tree Sparrows! I have not seen this species for many a year, the last being in East Yorkshire when I went for an unsuccessful trip to Flamborough Head for the Taiga Flycatcher some 15 years ago, So, you can imagine how pleased I was to see my first in such a long time. There were at least a dozen or so birds using the feeders and photographing them through the window. I was getting some reasonable photos. It was going to get better.
The Great White Egret searching for food on the reserve.
The Tundra Bean Geese in front of sleeping Grey Lags.
There was a feed going on for the wildfowl with some chap talking about the birds here and what the purpose of the WWT was regarding the world's wildfowl, that included the demise in numbers of the Bewick’s Swan. Global Warming got the blame, as expected, due to the birds stopping off in Europe and staying there rather than making their way here. We used to get a regular flock in the Avon Valley in Hampshire, but that seems like a distant memory now. Sad times indeed. On a positive note, the Whooper Swan numbers have rocketed and though they were here in small numbers, their numbers here overall has steadily increased over the years. It was when Becky and I were crossing the bridge to the main Hide from the Entrance site, that I spotted a small flock of three Common Crane’s flying overhead - a real bonus! There had been some reports last week here, but I never expected to see any today.
Another photo of the Tree Sparrows on the feeders.
The Tundra Bean Geese on Welney today.
Looking from the Hide, I was looking through all the Grey Lag Geese present and eventually, I came across the Tundra Bean Geese, all nine of them, sleeping on one of the nearby islands. After around 30 minutes, they all woke up and began swimming and preening, showing well in the sunshine. My fifth ‘year-tick’ of the day, which was gratefully received. Good numbers of wildfowl were present including Pochard, Mallard, Shoveler, Pintail and Wigeon while waders here included at least 200+ Black-tailed Godwit, with much smaller numbers of Redshank and Common Snipe noted. A female Marsh Harrier drifted over, scattering a lot of the wildfowl and in the distance, both Kestrel and Common Buzzards could be seen in good numbers.
Whooper Swan in front of the main Hide today.
A Great White Egret flew lazily past and then settled some 200 yards away to begin fishing, but after around 5 minutes, it flew off. A Little Egret was also seen some distance away and I read that a Cattle Egret was in the area, but I did not see it. Becky was getting a tad cold now and so we made our way to the Restaurant side for a hot drink. From here, we grabbed a table and I checked out the fields around the Lady Fen side. I could see my second Great White Egret of the day searching for food in the fields, while more Buzzards and Kestrels could be seen. A Short-eared Owl was reported here after we had left, but I was more than happy with our sightings today. On the drive back, as we neared the village of Fincham, I spotted my 6th and final ‘year-tick’ of the day - a large covey of Grey Partridge within the field by the roadside. Well pleased.
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