I booked
a rental car from 23rd to 26th September 2023 for a trip away
from home to include visits to a number of sites in Essex, Norfolk
and Lincolnshire.
My main
target species were a reported Pallid Harrier at RSPB Wallasea Island in Essex,
Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper at RSPB Frampton Marsh in
Lincolnshire on their return passage migration plus potentially seabirds off
the north Norfolk coast.
I was
successful in seeing the Pallid Harrier at RSPB Wallasea Island in
Essex, my 2nd UK record, and both Little Stint and Curlew
Sandpiper at RSPB Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire but I also saw 3 other scarce or rare species during my visit ….
Caspian
Gull at…. Cley-next-the-Sea in Norfolk …. my 2nd UK record
White-rumped
Sandpiper at RSPB Frampton Marsh in Lincolnshire …. my 4th UK record
Lesser
Yellowlegs at RSPB Frampton Marsh in
Lincolnshire …. my 7th UK record
In addition
to all these species, I also saw a single Arctic Skua and 2 Common
Scoters at Cley in Norfolk, these 8 species taking my 2023 UK year list to 193 species.
Saturday 23rd
September 2023
After
picking up my rental car, driving home and then visiting Pitsea tip with the
outcomes from my latest decluttering exercise, I drove to RSPB Wallasea Island.
RSPB Wallasea Island is a huge reserve covering more than 740 hectares. It comprises
former arable farming land which has been transformed in to saltmarsh,
mudflats, lagoons and grazing marsh.
To create this magical landscape, more than 3
million tonnes of earth was brought by boat from the tunnels and shafts created
by the Crossrail scheme in London. This allowed the land to be raised above sea
level and place the soil in a way that created a new 115-hectare intertidal
area of saltmarsh, islands and mudflats known as Jubilee Marsh. In addition,
Crossrail helped create saline lagoons, a creek network and grazing marsh.
Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project
After much scanning with my telescope, I eventually
located the Pallid Harrier. It was hardly the best view given the heat
haze and the distance to the far eastern sea wall where the bird was hunting but I still saw my target
species.
The notable sightings from my visit with regard to birds were as follows: Pallid Harrier (1), Marsh
Harrier (1), Kestrel (2), Little Egret (at least 50), Grey
Heron (1), Swallow (at least 10)
Sunday 24th
September 2023
I left home extremely early in order to arrive on the north
Norfolk coast for some seawatching from around 7:30 a.m.
My first birds of the day were 2 Red Kites near
Longham south of Blakeney.
On reaching the beach car park at Cley-next-the-Sea, I set up my
telescope in the shelter to regularly scan the sea for seabirds. The ideal wind
direction for this in autumn is north to north east so a south west wind hardly
filled me with a lot of optimism as to what I might see.
However, it did prove to be a relatively successful 1.5 hours seawatch
which provided me with my 2nd UK record of Caspian Gull plus
first records for the year of Arctic Skua and Common Scoter.
The notable sightings from my visit with regard to birds were as follows: Arctic Skua (1), Red-throated
Diver (1), Gannet (at least 50 including many juveniles), Guillemot
(at least 10), Razorbill (at least 5), Sandwich Tern (2), Common
Tern (5), Common Scoter (2), Teal (8), Dark-bellied Brent
Goose (1), Caspian Gull (1), Mediterranean Gull (3), Great
Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull
After my early morning seawatch, I drove the very
short distance to NWT Cley and Salthouse Marshes and concentrated on the
hides in the central section of the reserve.
This provided me with my first record of the year of Little
Stint.
The notable sightings from my visit with regard to birds were as follows (heard only records in italics): Little
Stint (2), Black-tailed Godwit (at least 100), Dunlin (at least 20), Ruff (c.10), Avocet (10), Lapwing
(8), Curlew (1), Teal (++), Mallard (++), Shoveler
(+), Wigeon (c.20), Shelduck (c.10), Gadwall (2), Water
Rail (1), Mute Swan (1), Canada Goose (c30), Greylag
Goose (c.200), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2), Black-headed Gull,
Common Buzzard (1), Marsh Harrier (1), Cetti’s Warbler
(1)
My other notable sighting was a non-avian one! …. Mark Avery …. former senior conservationist at the RSPB, co-founder of the excellent campaigning group Wild Justice (along with Ruth
Tingay and Chris Packham) and writer and author.
After my visit to NWT Cley and Salthouse Marshes, I drove about 20 miles west
to RSPB Titchwell.
En-route, I saw 3 more Red Kites: 1 at Holkham and 2 together
between Burnham Norton and Burnham Deepdale.
RSPB Titchwell is one of my most visited
locations on the north Norfolk coast and it is a very productive site at any
time of the year due to the mosaic of habitats including reedbeds, freshwater and saline
lagoons, saltmarsh, sandy and shingle foreshore, sand dunes, woodland and
grassland. It is an excellent site for breeding birds, passage migrants and
winter visitors.
However,
my visit on this occasion was relatively disappointing due to the high water
level on the freshmarsh which made it look like a lake rather the usual area of
shallow water with muddy fringes attractive to passage waders. As a
consequence, the number of birds was much less than during a normal visit.
I spent all my time in the first hide overlooking the
freshmarsh and did not visit the second hide or the seashore or scan the sea.
The notable sightings from my visit with regard to birds were as follows (heard only records in italics): Avocet
(8), Ruff (5), Black-tailed Godwit (3), Lapwing (2), Common
Sandpiper (1), Common Snipe (1), Curlew (1), Common
Redshank (1), Little Egret (3), Teal (+), Mallard
(+), Shoveler (c.10), Shelduck (c.10), Pintail (2), Wigeon
(2), Greylag Goose (c.200), Coot (3), Moorhen (7), Herring
Gull, Black-headed Gull, Bearded Tit (at least 1), Chiffchaff
(1 seen plus a singing male and another calling bird heard)
Other highlights included a single Common Lizard on
the boardwalk just outside the hide, at least 20 Common Darters on the
ponds and around the fen boardwalk and a single Red Admiral.
After my visit to RSPB Titchwell, I
drove around 50 miles further west to my overnight stay at Travelodge Spalding
in Lincolnshire.
Monday 25th
September 2023
Travelodge Spalding is just 14 miles from RSPB Frampton Marsh so I was able to arrive early
at 7:15 a.m.
RSPB Frampton Marsh is one of my favourite nature reserves in the UK. It is set against the western shore of The
Wash, the UK’s most important estuary for wildlife and habitats include
freshwater wetlands, reedbeds, wet grasslands and large shallow
scrapes. The reserve is internationally important for vast flocks of
wintering wildfowl as well as migrating and breeding waders. The reserve
includes over 2 miles of trails plus 3 hides, 2 of which have 360-degree views.
The visitor centre has recently been expanded and now includes an excellent
café with amazing views across part of the reserve.
My visit provided me with sightings of both the White-rumped
Sandpiper and Lesser Yellowlegs, both of which had been reported regularly
in the preceding days, my 4th and 7th UK records respectively. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the Black Stork that
had also been reported.
My visit also provided me with my first record of the year of Curlew
Sandpiper plus a sign of the changing seasons with at least 50 Swallows
and 11 Whooper Swans.
The notable sightings from my visit with regard to birds were as follows: White-rumped Sandpiper (1), Lesser
Yellowlegs (1), Curlew Sandpiper (at least 5), Little Stint
(at least 5), Lapwing (at least 200), Dunlin (at least 200), Black-tailed
Godwit (at least 100), Ruff (at least 75), Avocet (at least
20), Common Redshank (5), Ringed Plover (2), Curlew (1), Common
Snipe (1), Little Egret (3), Grey Heron (1), Teal (+++),
Mallard (++), Wigeon (at least 100), Shelduck (at least
20), Shoveler (3), Pintail (2), Whooper Swan (11), Mute
Swan (6), Little Grebe (at least 10), Coot (2), Cormorant
(2), Greylag Goose (at least 200), Herring Gull, Black-headed
Gull, Swallow (at least 50), House Martin (2), Yellow Wagtail
(1), Pied Wagtail (c.10), Meadow
Pipit (at least 100), Linnet
(c.10), Reed
Bunting (4), Sparrowhawk (1)
In addition, I saw a single Brown Hare.
All of the locations during my visit proved problematic for
photography with sightings of birds largely being distant ones through my binoculars and/or
telescope but at least RSPB Titchwell did allow for an opportunity to photograph
both Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet feeding close to the hide.
Photo: Black-tailed Godwit
Photo: Black-tailed Godwit
Photo: Black-tailed Godwit
Photo: Black-tailed Godwit
Photo: Black-tailed Godwit
Photo: Black-tailed Godwit
Photo: Avocet
Photo: Avocet
Photo: Avocet
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