Thursday, 9 January 2025

Autumn To Winter At Strumpshaw

Sep 2nd Strumpshaw Fen

Not the most exciting of walks as I went to Tower Hide via the Lackford Run. There were many ducks and geese at the hide where the sun blinded me again. Silhouettes were all I could make out.

On the way back to Reception Hide, a great crested grebe on the river, lizards were basking along Sandy Wall and a muntjac deer crossed my path in the woods were the few highlights.

A kingfisher greeted me when I got to reception, but failed to show up after that. It became a great white egret day with two making an appearance and fishing by the edge of the broad. A heron was a little more successful.
Willow Emerald Damselfly & Great White Egret (Sep 2nd),
Garganey (Sep 9th), Willow Emeralds (Sep 16th),
Kingfisher (Sep 23rd) & Heron with Pike (Sep 30th)

Sep 9th Strumpshaw Fen

A bit drizzly and the temperature has dropped considerately. Autumn is now here! I was dropped off early by Mum and I decided to visit the Tower Hide (the rain yet to fall at this point). At the hide, it was nice to look out without being blinded for a change. I could finally see the ducks and the 4-5 herons, a great white egret and cormorants. Amongst them the ducks was a pair of garganey. They were much duller and browner than when they first arrived in the spring, but at least the white supercilium was visible.

It was a lot quieter at Reception Hide, however I did get to see brief cameos of a kingfisher, a hobby and marsh harriers as well as another great white egret that hung around most of the morning.

Sep 16th Strumpshaw Fen

I wasn't feeling completely well as I developed a cold and I had a pain in my rear (probably from all the long weekend of travelling with a long footy trip to Swansea and back where I watched Norwich lose 1-0 on the Saturday and then to Hadleigh to my brother's the next day). Thankfully, the pain faded when I walked to Tower Hide. It was a bit from there as the sun shone on the water brightly. Most of the ducks chose to be in the brightest spot, making it hard for me to ID them fully. I had 6 great white egrets (which was easier to see), 2 or 3 little grebes, a marsh harrier, a sparrowhawk and Egyptian geese alongside the usual plentiful ducks (gadwall, mallards, teal and shovelers).

At Reception, a kingfisher showed up a few times, a couple of marsh harriers, migrant hawkers, a sparrowhawk and some willow emerald damselflies laying their eggs into the willow branches by the pond outside by slicing the bark with the female's ovipositor, causing bumpy growths to show up on the surface of the branches. 

Sep 23rd Strumpshaw Fen

A drizzly day and the Tower Hide was closed off. So I had to spend my pre-shift time inside Fen Hide. I opened the flap and a pair each of little egrets and kingfishers were just outside. They soon flew off though. But I was then treated to a green sandpiper, a pair of snipe, a Chinese water deer, a water rail, marsh harriers and, best of all, a pair of bitterns flying from Tower Hide to the river. My time inside Fen Hide ended with another kingfisher fishing from the perches.

The rest of the morning wasn't quite as memorable, though I did see yet another kingfisher and a heron, house martins and plenty of dragonflies once the sun came out (migrant hawkers and common darters).

Sep 30th Strumpshaw Fen

What a rubbish day! Absolutely horrid weather all morning and not much about to see either. The Tower Hide was closed off again (though by mistake apparently), so I sat in Fen Hide. Great white egrets flew by and barely anything else.

Reception Hide was great for kingfishers and more great white egrets and a heron catching and swallowing a fairly big pike whole. I also had a few ducks and house martins. What we didn't get were any visitors arriving. Only one visitor, but he was on the way out after already been here first thing.

Oct 2nd Cley

I have a week off work and it had been rather wet and windy so far. Today, Mum (also on a day off) and I went to Cley. It had been raining first thing but had now eased off, but still windy and murky. We went to the hides, though it was rather forgettable despite there being plenty of ducks (wigeon, teal and shovelers mostly), a few black-tailed godwits, the odd shelduck, a pair of Egyptian geese, a couple of avocets and a kestrel. Plenty to see, but nothing out of the ordinary or too exciting to make the scene more interesting.

We then stopped at Kelling for lunch and then to Sheringham, finding a few turnstones.
Avocet (Oct 2nd), Cormorant (Oct 7th),
Green Woodpecker (Oct 21st), Truxor (Oct 28th),
Snipe (Nov 4th) & Pheasant (Nov 11th)



Oct 7th Strumpshaw Fen

Not the most exciting of days, but at least it was sunny. I walked through the woods, to the pumphouse and to Fen Hide with very little about. Marsh harriers, a heron, great white egrets, a stonechat, meadow pipits and heard bearded tits all from Fen Hide. I ended up backtracking to the hide again as I foolishly left my backpack behind after realising halfway down Sandy Wall! From Reception, the best of the action was 3 sightings of bitterns.

Oct 14th Strumpshaw Fen

A bit of a wet start. I managed to get to Tower Hide though it was a bit muddy in places and the river threatened to burst its banks. A few gadwall, 4-5 moorhens, a marsh harrier in a tree, a heron chasing a great white egret and a pair of Egyptian geese. At Fen Hide, a group of snipe flew over and plenty of rain.

Thankfully, the rain stopped during my shift at Reception Hide and there was plenty to see. A kingfisher spent most of the morning, posing outside for the visitors and large flocks of 10-20 bearded tits were popping out of the reed beds. I managed to spot a green woodpecker flying over the broad, a few stonechats in the bushes, a great white egret and migrant hawkers as the sun came out.

Oct 21st Strumpshaw Fen

7am and it was still dark as I made my way to Strumpshaw this morning. As I walked away from Brundall Station, a bat (most likely to be a pipistrelle) circled around my head doing 3-4 laps. When I arrived to the reserve, a great white egret stood outside reception. I then walked through the dim lit woodland trail where I found more fungi than birds, not that I know the names.

Along the river, a kingfisher alerted me to its presence as it perched on the reeds on the opposite side. A green woodpecker appeared and posed for a single photo beside the Sandy Wall and there were at least 3 Chinese water deer from Fen Hide. From Reception Hide, best of the action were 3 sightings of bitterns (at least 2 individuals), another kingfisher, marsh harriers and a sparrowhawk.

Oct 28th Strumpshaw Fen

It was suppose to rain this morning, so I was given a lift to the reserve. Just a few drizzly spells, but nothing to get soaked in. It was fairly ok, weather wise really. Oh well! at least I had a longer walk today due to the reception opening at 10am instead of 9:30am.

I went to Tower Hide, seeing an otter in the river along the way, then after a dull look out of the hide (great white egret was best I got there), I back tracked towards pumphouse and the woods, Not much other than fungi, though.

At Reception, the highlight was seeing an otter again, showing itself twice on the broad. Also see today were redwing, a Chinese water deer and a muntjac, marsh harriers and a sparrowhawk.

Nov 4th Strumpshaw Fen

This morning, I made my way to Fen Hide where a pair of snipe were probing the boggy ground in front of the hide. Before I entered though, I caught a glimpse of a green sandpiper flying away. From the hide, I also had 3 more snipe fly past, skeins of pink-footed geese, a heron and some swans.

Elsewhere on my walk, I spotted a couple of stonechats along Sandy Wall, a great spotted woodpecker, redwings, Chinese water deer, a muntjac and a close view of a heron. At Reception, there was a moment when I had an otter and a kingfisher around at the same time, though they also appeared at other separate times as well.

Nov 11th Strumpshaw Fen

It is Remembrance day and though I did 2 minutes silence, it was fairly quiet anyway. At Fen Hide, I watched a kingfisher get chased off by a pied wagtail. After it left, I went to Tower Hide, hearing a blackcap in  short bursts of song and seeing fieldfares along the way. Marsh harriers, a great white egret, a few ducks and a pair of little grebes were seen from the hide itself. On the way back, I came across two 'red grouse' which were actually just dark reddish pheasants that had been recently been mistaken for grouse.

The rest of the morning was not so interesting. It was on the dull side at Reception for my shift. A few swans, marsh harriers and a few mallards and not much else. It was poignant to be on the quiet side while I did my 2 minutes of silence really.

Nov 13th Titchwell

I had a day off and so did Mum, so we decided to go out to Titchwell. It was a nice day and it turned out to be a great day of birding too. We walked to the pools and, while most visitors and my mum missed it, I managed to spot a bittern fly over the reeds at speed. Shortly after it plunged into the reeds close to the freshwater pool, a marsh harrier flew over where the bittern landed and gave us all a good view. Even my mum saw that one.

From the freshwater pool, there were plenty to see here. Hundreds, maybe a thousand golden plovers gathered together like a golden mass on the shallow water. Brent geese and other waterfowl were also in good number alongside lapwings, dunlin and linnets. The highlight though was a black-winged stilt. I haven't seen one of these red gangly-legged birds at Titchwell since I saw the well known individual called Sammy in 2003 or 2004, who was a resident here for many years between 1993-2005.

The tide was out but on the way in when we got to the beach. A few turnstones, oystercatchers and sanderlings lingered on what remained of the exposed oyster bed, while others flew to other sections of the shoreline. On the walk back to the visitor centre, about 6-7 spoonbills had arrived at the freshwater pool. Also seen today were curlews, redshanks and redwings.

Nov 18th Strumpshaw Fen

I was hoping for a water pipit at Fen Hide this morning. Had a kingfisher, 2 little grebes and Chinese water deer, but no water pipit. The water levels were a bit high, perhaps that's why they weren't showing?.

At Reception, the highlight was an otter which made two appearances on the broad. I also saw marsh harriers, buzzard and a grey wagtail.
Black-winged Stilt & Golden Plover (Nov 13th),
Grey Wagtail (Nov 18th), Sandy Wall flooding (Dec 23rd)
& Otter (Dec 30th)


Nov 25th Strumpshaw Fen

Storm Bert had just rolled through over the weekend with Strumpshaw being closed due to flooding and for the strong winds battering the reserve. Today, it had calmed down and I stepped over the rope connected by two cones to investigate the paths. Thankfully, there was no sign of flooding, though the Fen Trail leading to Tower Hide was a bit muddy for my liking. I spent most of my pre-shift time inside Fen Hide hoping for water pipits, but again not finding any. I did see a kingfisher and a green sandpiper though, briefly.

At the end of Sandy Wall, several fieldfares (and blackbirds) were attracted to the apples on an apple tree. None of them were photogenic enough to stay in a decent, less obscured spot for a photo though. I also had a glimpse of a water rail at the sluice gates and back at the Reception, another kingfisher and a few marsh harriers. The reserve was now safe enough to re-open.

Dec 2nd Strumpshaw Fen

Not the most memorable of mornings. It was suppose to rain, but it didn't really happen until the end of my shift when I was heading home. I visited Fen Hide, but there wasn't really much there besides a few swans, marsh harriers, a short visit of a little egret with two crows foraging the pool's edge and I heard a kingfisher but it left before I entered the hide to see it.

I then attempted the Fen Trail, but it was so muddy that I refused to go any further than the path's start. I ended up along the river to the Pumphouse and through the woods. Along the way, I managed to see a green woodpecker and a little grebe that I initially thought was the elusive red-throated diver that had been on this river for about over a year now. At Reception, a few swans, a great white egret, marsh harriers, a buzzard, several mallards, a couple of greylags (briefly) and there were some interesting objects discovered inside the outside donations box that were apparently nest chamber cells of a spider-hunter wasp (Auplopus carbonarius) that was only discovered at Strumpshaw in 2012. I also showed a woman with three young children some fungi that had been collected and left on a picnic bench over the weekend.

Dec 9th Strumpshaw Fen

Another storm has hit the UK and I walked over the makeshift barrier to check out the damage, even though I don't think I should have really have done so.

The path to Fen Hide and two of the ponds on the reserve were flooded. I was really just left with a walk to the pumphouse, seeing an otter in the river along the way. The woodland trails had many fallen trees, but it was hard to tell how recent they were. Only one blocked the path (a small one). My other highlights were redwings, fieldfares, a kestrel, buzzards, marsh harriers and, at Reception, a grey wagtail.

Dec 16th Strumpshaw Fen

Fairly quiet and not that memorable at Strumpshaw today. I was mainly at Fen Hide before my shift, not that there was too much about. I did spot a distant great white egret fly by, a grey wagtail, a pied wagtail, at least 8 marsh harriers and a Chinese water deer. At Reception Hide, the best I got was a flash of a kingfisher very briefly.

Dec 23rd Strumpshaw Fen

My final shift before Christmas and it was a bit of a washout. The reserve was flooded again. Fen and Tower hides were closed off. The top of Sandy Wall was also overflowing with water leaking from under the wooden railway sleeper border. You could walk through with wellies as it was shallow enough, but I had my walking boots on so I was forced to walk back.

Best highlights of what was a quiet day for wildlife were some bullfinches and siskins along Sandy Wall and a grey wagtail, marsh harriers and buzzards at Reception.

Dec 30th Strumpshaw Fen

The final shift of 2024 and what a great day to end it. No floods this time either and the sun was out. It started well for me before even arriving at the reserve as I walked by Chinese water deer and a hare on the fields on the way over. Pink-footed geese were flying by from Buckenham across an orange sunrise and siskins and goldfinches in a large flock by the reserve's car park in the alder trees.

I went to Fen Hide seeing a grey wagtail, a little egret flying in the distance and many marsh harriers and buzzards. I then made my way to the pumphouse and had really great views of an otter in the centre of the Yare right in front of the bench with a carving of one on it. It spent a good while hunting right in front of me before vanishing into the reeds on the opposite side. I was then watching a flock of meadow pipits before a red kite flew over my head. My walk ended with redwings, a great spotted woodpecker and flocks of other small birds through the woods.

At Reception Hide, I watched 8-10 birds of prey circling above the reserve (mostly marsh harriers and buzzards) as well as a few swans, a greylag goose and a few sleeping mallards. My final shift of the year saw many visitors (some in large family groups) arrive. We were very busy!

And that was 2024. A strange year that had plenty of rain and stormy weather, but there were some sunny days too. I wasn't quite as engaged in birdwatching than I have usually in my 10 years writing this blog. But I have seen a few good things this year, not many rarities, but good all the same. I admit, my attention has drifted away from birds and have been more invested in my football team, Norwich City, a lot more than ever before. However, I hope to still see some amazing wildlife in 2025, even if my outings are more restricted these days. Happy New Year!

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