Jan 10th & 12th Catton Park
A new year, a new lockdown. 2021 hasn't started any better than how 2020 ended has it? We're pretty much back to how we were last spring but with the situation being much, much worse. Strumpshaw is once again closed and I am unable to volunteer once more. I was planning to do a new challenge to celebrate Strumpshaw's 45th anniversary, but that's now been scrapped (at least for the moment).
After a week staying home, only going out for work and shopping, I had some time to think of a plan B. I have decided to do a local bird list for 2021. Just like my plant hunting of last year, the idea is to find as many species of bird within my city's borders. That means I can not include anything outside the city. Though my plant list will definitely be bigger than this bird list, it will still be interesting to see how many I can find. I can add them if I see or hear them, though seeing them would definitely be the better option. Of course, you are very welcome to let me know if you hear about a scarce bird that I didn't know about (I usually end up finding out a day later most of the time).
As I can't travel very far at the moment due to lockdown, I am restricted of places to go. My local park didn't fail to surprise me last year, so it seemed like the best place to start. And during two visits in the 2nd week of the month, it proved itself once again. In these two visits (and near my flat), I built my list with; kestrel, pink-footed geese (flying over), redwing, common gull, stock dove, buzzard, blackbird, carrion crow, jackdaw, magpie, jay, woodpigeon, collard dove, black-headed gull, blue tit, great tit, robin, long-tailed tit, great spotted woodpecker, wren, dunnock and feral pigeons. Not a bad start at all.
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| Kestrel (Jan 10th), Egyptian Goose & Barnacle Goose (Jan 13th) and Common Gull (Jan 15th) |
Jan 13th Whitlingham Broad
Whitlingham Broad was to be the furthest place I've been to this year so far. Mum and I had a long walk around the main broad. Half of the track round it was fine, but the other half was extremely muddy. However, winter is a great time for birds here and there were plenty of new species to add to the list. Great crested grebe, pied wagtail, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, greylag, Canada geese, Egyptian geese, a single barnacle goose, mute swan, gadwall, tufted duck, mallard, cormorants, coot, moorhen, a little egret and a grey heron, and I also heard kingfisher, siskins, Cetti's warbler and water rail. That's 43 species in one week.
Jan 15th-21st Norwich
Since Whitlingham, I had been exploring the city, mainly the parks and Mousehold Heath. On the 15th, I went for an afternoon walk along the Marriot's Way and to Wensum Park. I heard that there were a yellow-legged and Caspian gull here, both in their juvenile/2nd winter plumage. In other words, you have to be a real expert to distinguish them from the other gulls. Let's just say I took a few photos of the ones that could be them but left them off the list to be on the safe side. On the 17th, I visited Catton again a day after it snowed. Nothing of note in the end and the snow was reduced to tiny patches and boulders of snowman remains. On the 21st, I had a very muddy visit to Mousehold. Again, nothing new to add, but I did have an encounter with a low-flying buzzard and another with a large family of long-tailed tits.
Jan 25th Catton Park
For once a month this year, I want to add an extra challenge on top of my bird list challenge. I want to experience a dawn chorus for every month. I wanted to see what is like month by month and changes between the species. I want to find how it differs throughout the year.
A dawn chorus in January was a chilly thought, so I really didn't know what to expect. It was a very frosty morning and I was glad to have worn a couple of layers before setting out to Catton Park. The thing about this time of year is that it is a good time to learn bird calls and songs as there are fewer species around compared to the spring when all the migrants arrive. At 7am, the birds were already beginning to find their voice as the darkness of night was fading away. Robins and wrens were the main singers at first with some blackbirds were making some alarm calls, but they were soon joined by song thrushes and woodpigeons.
Minutes passed and I started hearing blue and great tits, goldfinches, a goldcrest, chaffinch, a buzzard and a green woodpecker. The light was improving by the minute and I now able to see the birds in more detail. I could now see the gulls fly above me as well as a kestrel and a jay. The park was looking like a winter wonderland with frost sparkling in the early morning light. It was chilly with the temperature below 0 and yet I was surprised to see so many people up and about walking their dogs. It didn't disturb the common gulls that flocked onto the icy field and the great spotted woodpeckers that I found drumming on the branches of one of the old oak trees. However, the dogs did disturb me and I decided to call it quits after one bounded up at me. On the way out though, a flock of redwings appeared and gave me some great views. It was a great first dawn chorus. It may not be the liveliest, but it sure had a lot of birds to experience.
Jan 28th Wensum Park
Another attempt at the scarce gulls at Wensum Park. It was a bit drizzly, but at least this time I found one of them. Despite being called a yellow-legged gull, this one hadn't developed the correct colour just yet. Being a 2nd winter bird, its plumage wasn't fully developed into its adult feathers just yet either. At this point, it looks similar to a young herring gull. However, it looked different enough to draw my attention. I took a few photos of it and emailed it to someone I knew who would confirm that I found the correct bird. He replied and I was 100% correct with my gut feelings. (Thanks James!)
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| Yellow-legged Gull and Ring-necked Parakeet |
Jan 30th Norwich
I was informed that ring-necked parakeets were in Norwich by the Ring Road. I've seen them in London, but I never knew these exotic, colourful birds were even here until recently. After watching Norwich play out a 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough in a lunch time kick off, I went out with Dad to go look for them. It was a long and muddy walk as we ventured through a flooded tow path until we reached the possible area I was informed that they usually hang out. An area of tall trees sandwiched between a flooded part of the river Wensum and a built up area of houses and a road was echoing the squawking calls of a flock of at least 10 bright green parakeets that were restless at times, circling the buildings with a continuous noise. Even with the light fading into a dim fuzz, the bird's exotic colour was clearly visible. This was without doubt the most unusual addition to my list. A stand out encounter in the middle of a winter lockdown.
Jan 31st Norwich, Thorpe Marshes and Whitlingham Broad
It was the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch weekend this weekend and it is a great thing to do while being stuck at home during a lockdown. This is an annual survey to monitor the UK's garden birds. All you have to do is count the birds that visit your garden within an hour. That is pretty much it. Today, as I'm in a support bubble with my parents and I don't have a garden myself, I went to count their birds like I always do every year. Dad and I did our hour this morning and counted; 2 blue tits, 2 dunnocks, 1 blackbird, 1 woodpigeon, 1 great tit, 1 starling and 1 greenfinch as well as 2 redwings that we couldn't include as they were just refused to enter our garden.
After lunch, Dad and I went out to Thorpe Marshes in the hope of adding more birds to my list. I was told to bring wellies and for good reason. It was flooded! Half the reserve was underwater and the other completely muddy. As I was the only one between the two of us with wellies, I had to go it alone. Surprisingly, there were a lot of families out here for a walk. You had to get through 2 small flooded sections to even attempt a walk where it is just manageable. They seemed as crazy to bring their kids and walk their dogs here as much as I am to birdwatch. The rewards wasn't that great either as I only managed to add a flock of teal to the list. The rest are what I've already seen at Whitlingham a couple of weeks ago.
It was a slow slog back through the mud and water. Thankfully, the water washed away the mud from my wellies, so I didn't have to clean them off when I got home. However, we weren't going home just yet. Our final destination of the day was at Whitlingham as I was told that a Mandarin duck comes in to roost at the main broad. Not only that, but also a great white egret does too. Sadly though, despite waiting until it got too dark to see, neither bird showed up. But there were a couple of constellations, a kingfisher perching right by the shore in front of us and a spectacular male goldeneye amongst the large roosting raft of tufted ducks out in the centre of the broad. Not what I was hoping for, but still a great way to end an eventful month of extremely local birdwatching.
