The Drought

 Aug 1st Strumpshaw Fen

Walking up to Tower Hide, I noticed a change in the reserve's landscape. Pools of water was forming in areas that were completely dried up a week ago. It seems the sluice gates were open or something as it still hadn't rained and Norfolk was about to be declared a drought zone. I followed a juvenile green woodpecker to the hide and the view outside looked a little more lively in terms of the amount of wildlife you could see. The birds have returned in the form of ducks and waders. 

Ruff (Aug 1st), Greenshank (Aug 8th) & Dinosaur Isle Museum (Aug 17th)

I was hoping to see the wood sandpiper that was reported, but I could not see it anywhere. However, there were around 4-5 ruff, a pair of lapwing having a scrap and a kingfisher flashing by. I also saw a Chinese water deer and heard bearded tits pinging in the reedbeds nearby.

There were plenty of ducks outside Reception Hide, but it was less so compared to the week before. A bittern made a quick flight from reedbed to reedbed at the far side of the broad, bearded tits made brief cameos, the odd marsh harrier and buzzard soared above them all and that was about it. Swallowtails were being reported still near Tower Hide as the morning went on, but I didn't go back to see.

Aug 8th Strumpshaw Fen

Visiting Tower Hide this time around rewarded me with a little ringed plover, ruff, lapwing, gadwall and my 161st British bird (205th overall) of 2022 (equalling my record from last year); a greenshank. I don't think I've seen one at Strumpshaw before, so I was quite pleased. I also saw a Chinese water deer with a fawn, a green woodpecker and, on the way over, 9 herons with a little egret, 2 cormorants and common terns all together at the Accidental Broad.

There wasn't a lot to see at the Reception Hide other than a hobby, a few ducks, swans, coots, a cormorant and a sunbathing heron. My Aunt Barbara surprised me with a visit and we ended up going back to Tower Hide. It was a lot quieter than during the earlier visit in the morning, but we did see 2 common gulls amongst a large group of black-headed gulls chilling on the dried mud, bearded tits on the ground on the far side along the reedbed edge, a little ringed plover and, on the way back, 2 willow emerald damselflies and a reed warbler. 

Aug 14th Portsmouth

I spent a week holiday with the whole family to Portsmouth. This was to be a non-birding holiday, one that was pretty much all sightseeing and tourist attractions. However, while we spent our first real day of exploring and chilling by the sea, I did do a spot of sea watching while the others were either finding food, sunbathing or swimming by the shore. Though I really didn't see that much other than gulls, I did see a gannet with a bit of seaweed in its bill and at one point sat on the sea not too far away from where my brother, Dad and my 6-year-old niece Ava were swimming.

Aug 17th Sandown

A wet morning as we set off to the Isle of Wight for the day via hovercraft. The weather eventually cleared and we took a bus from Ryde to Sandown and visited the Dinosaur Isle Museum. Though not a big museum, it had plenty of fossils mostly found from the island. I thought it was interesting as it took you back in time gradually down a corridor through displays of fossils with the odd model to a main hall containing many dinosaurs and some impressive fossils. There was a lot of reading and while I was taking my time and enjoying myself, the rest of the family were either preoccupied in entertaining my 1-year-old niece, Willow (who was more interested in moving on) or were bored and weren't that interested as I was. Oh well. Still worth a visit if you are a dinosaur fan.

Aug 22nd Strumpshaw Fen & Cley

There was a lot happening back at Strumpshaw while I was away. Ospreys were seen passing through and I really wanted to see one on my return. Sadly, it didn't happen. No ospreys to be seen. 

However, I discovered something different about the reserve that surprised me. While making my way to Tower Hide, I noticed that the place looked much fuller of water than when I left for Portsmouth. From the hide itself, the mud and the waders were gone and were replaced with water and many ducks. It was as if a drought was never declared. An amazing transformation. 

Willow Emerald Damselfly, Kingfisher,
Small Red-eyed Damselflies, Little Stint 
& Cattle Egret (Aug 22nd) & Chinese Water Deer (Aug 29th)

While at the Tower Hide, I was hoping to spot some garganey, but the early morning light made it hard to spot and identify them amongst the many silhouettes of teal, mallards, gadwall and shovelers. Though I failed to find a garganey, I did hear something that took me by surprise. The croaks of a raven was not something I was expecting to hear at Strumpshaw, but it sounded very close, though I was unable to locate it. One was seen a couple of days before, so it is possible that this was the same bird.

During my shift, I saw a kingfisher on the measuring post, some small red-eyed damselflies at the pond adjacent to the Reception Hide, herons, marsh harriers, bearded tits, swallows and house martins, a kestrel and also some willow emerald damselflies earlier on during the walk back for my shift.

My parents then picked me up and took me to Cley for the afternoon. Mum and I visited the hides, with the central one being very full of people. Why? Well, there was plenty to see. There was a spoonbill, snipe, lots of gulls, godwits, lapwings, a juvenile little ringed plover, ruff, a marsh harrier that was sitting at the back behind a short cover of reeds and two new species for my list, a little stint and a green sandpiper. We then had a cattle egret with the reserve's cattle grazing in the fields before Mum switched out with Dad and we walked to the beach via East Bank. Here we saw another spoonbill, redshanks, curlews, sandwich terns, a turnstone and many geese and godwits.

Aug 29th Strumpshaw Fen

Another week went by and another osprey was seen at Strumpshaw over the weekend. Of course, it didn't show itself for me on the day I was around. Typical! I did, on the other hand, I did get to see a kingfisher at Tower Hide and at Reception Hide, a swarm of swallows and house martins, a snipe and a Chinese water deer at Tower Hide, a muntjac deer, a great white egret at Reception, the odd marsh harrier, kestrel and bearded tit and many eclipsed-phased ducks. Still no garganeys though.

And that was the end of what was a very quiet month for me. I just couldn't get much opportunity to travel around other than to Strumpshaw to add to my bird list, which is now at 163 for my British list and 207 for my overall list. Not only has there been an actual drought in most of England, these past two months have really been a bird drought for me as well. I'm hoping to bounce back next month. My goal is to end the year on 200 British species. I hope I can do it. I've never done it before. As someone who doesn't drive, it is getting hard to organise a trip with someone and I've been feeling fed up on missing out on everything just lately. With the autumn migration already in motion, there is no better time to boost the numbers.