Feb 20th Strumpshaw Fen

Blossom

Unlike the past two weeks, this morning at Strumpshaw was not quite as bright and sunny. It was rather cloudy with a slight chill in the air. The sun did come out during lunch time, but for most of the morning, it was stuck behind a stubborn cloud. The wildlife, too, were a bit elusive. All of my main highlights for today were camera shy, either playing hard to get or were just too far in the distance for a photo.

Snowdrops

Greylags

First up was a water rail. I was leaving the Fen Hide when I could hear a loud squealing noise coming just a few feet from the hide's steps hidden in some thick reed cover. I could hear it, but not see it, yet the bird could see me as distinct rustling of vegetation indicated me that it was making an escape. Then came the Cetti's warbler. I made a short walk to the sluices along the river trail, when this noisy warbler belted out its loud call from a leafless bush. This time, I could see and hear it as it circled around me hopping from one vegetated cover to the next vegetated cover. From bush to reed bed. The problem was that it was too quick for me and that the cover it was using was obscuring any chance of a clear shot. With time against me, I had to leave the Cetti's warbler to return to the Reception Hide to start my shift.

Pheasant

Coot

Greylags and Coots

At Reception Hide, my luck continued to tease me. When the broad's 50 or so coot and other wildfowl began to panic and evacuated the area, you just knew that an otter was around somewhere. We were suddenly on high alert, watching the birds movements and reactions to figure out where this otter was. Then came the loud cries of "otter!!" It was briefly seen by my colleague and another person adjacent to some mallards on the stubby reed bank to my left using taller reeds as cover. I missed it! Several minutes later, like 10 to 15 minutes later, it was seen again popping its head up by the cormorant post. A couple more minutes of searching later, I finally caught sight of it swimming down the far right channel before climbing up onto land and vanishing completely. This otter was so elusive that there was no chance of a photo.

Shoveler

Gadwall

Teal

White Greylag

Marsh Harrier

Cormorant

And finally, as my shift was nearing its end, I spotted a red kite making its way from left to right as it soared around the reserve. Annoyingly, it too was difficult to photograph as it was too far away!

Feb 14th Barton Broad, Bacton Wood and Walcott

Barton Broad

It is Valentines Day today, but its not a day that I celebrate as I'm still single. So instead, I went out with my dad to a few locations he decided to check out with me. Our first destination was at Barton Broad. I haven't been here for years. Barton is one of the largest broads in Norfolk. The reserve, however, is tiny. It is basically a circular boardwalk that loops round a carr woodland (a boggy woodland that grows beside a broad) with a viewing platform that looks out onto the broad.

Mute Swans at Barton Broad

Great Crested Grebes

The water of this broad seemed vast and appeared to have very little wildfowl on it at first glance. But scanning the edges revealed goldeneyes and teal, while great crested grebes were performing their elaborate, synchronised dances out on the open water. Cormorants were drying their wings as they sat out on the floating buoys and I also saw a tufted duck, distant marsh harriers and a few coot (which are apparently a rarity here). We sat alone waiting to see if anything of interest would turn up or swim nearer to us, that is until a family with three toddlers joined us on the platform to feed the swans and the bombarding black-headed gulls that came in to pinch the handouts before the swans could get to them.

Goldeneyes

Tufted Duck

Teal

Coot

Cormorant

Black-headed Gull

Bacton Wood

After a short stop at the abandoned train platform at Honing, our next destination was at Bacton Woods. We had lunch before setting off for a short walk to explore one section of this well managed woodland. To our surprise, a series of hooting made us stop in our tracks. My third owl in the space of two days; a tawny owl. We were only able to hear at least two tawnies, but they sounded extremely close somewhere in the canopy. Tawny owls are more nocturnal than the short-eared and barn owl I saw yesterday, but do occasionally call out during the day if disturbed.


The pond at Bacton Wood

Long-tailed Tit

Since my long walk yesterday afternoon, my body had not fully recovered from it and it wasn't long until my back was giving me some discomfort. So, we spent a good chunk of our time at this wood sitting on a bench overlooking a pond. It was a good little spot as we watched the birds come down from the canopy for a quick drink and bath. Coal tits and long-tailed tits were the most frequent visitors to this pond, but we also saw a female siskin as well as a treecreeper that was spiralling a silver birch nearby. We continued our walk up to an impressive ancient sessile oak tree before making our way back the way we came.

Coal Tit

Siskin

Treecreeper

The Ancient Sessile Oak tree

Grey Squirrel

Walcott

Our final stop was at the small coastal town of Walcott. Just a short, simple stroll along the front here, but my back was now in quite a bit of agony. Another bench sit down was needed. It seems that sitting down allows you to see more birds as turnstones ran with clockwork-like legs along the wall in front of me. Herring and black-headed gulls were everywhere, from sitting on the groins to flying over the sea. I also spot a red-throated diver flying in the distance and a seal poking its head out amongst the incoming waves.

Black-headed Gull

Herring Gull

Turnstone