SS15 wildlife watching: Trip away from SS15 – Essex, Norfolk and Lincolnshire

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.