Opportunity knocks

A window of opportunity. D#2 at a course in Cambridge from 10:30-3:30. Mine to do what I like between whiles.

First stop somewhere in the Fens. I have no idea where I just plugged in a postcode and a road and off I went, trusting that a group of birdwatchers in the middle of perfectly flat plain would be easily located, and so it turned out. Equally fortunately 3 Dotterel were also easily located in a pea field (where else?) but unfortunately at distance and against the sun. Nevertheless a cracking 20+year reunion with this species and a chance to brush up on the finer points. Everyone else had their lenses and digiscoping equipment so I thought I'd try my hand at digiscoping. Slap the berry over the scope lense, click the shutter, how hard can it be?

The Dotterel are just to the left. Or possibly just to the right.

Well fortunately for you the experts got here first.I'd thought the male seemd to have first winter-style feathers on the back so was pleased to see this described as "a wintery or first-wintery, male-ish bird".

Then done and on to Fen Drayton RSPB for a Black Tern. this was my first visit and wow, what a place. Its big. Like several Amwells joined together. I drove down miles of path, across the strangest tram-line I've ever seen, and then parked up. Just a few minutes in and I was comfortable picking out Arctic Tern when an realised that the annoying person next to me wasn't asking me what I was looking at but telling me that the reason all the birds were in the air was a White Stork gracefully gliding over the far side of the pit. Holy Cow! Not as good as having one on a lamppost just round the corner from you but neverthelss a cracking sight.

The rest of the list is Avocet, c30 Black Tailed Godwit, Hobby, then a few more standard birds such as Goldeneye, Oyk, Redshank, warblers galore, and I missed a few more.

Being largely by myself my comparative inexperience and caution gets in the way. Two brown waders went up with a Whimbrel-like call. If I had to guess I'd say 1 Whimbrel plus 1 Curlew given the size disparity, and checking on xeno-canto, but that's a pretty unsatisfactory conclusion. And then there was a tern settled amongst the Commons. Lighter, with a bill more black than red, could it be? But then it moved and the differences seemed to disappear.

Easter highlights

 A slow walk with camera round south Sawbo today. Willow Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, plenty of Blackcap, a snatch of Whitethroat all adding to the local summer population. Otherwise poor reward for some slow going and patience. And poor photos too.x

Here's a view from the top of the patch looking west. If you look carefully there's a couple of Common Buzzards.

And slightly more NW ... 

 

 

One of the many Small Tortoiseshells out today.

heavily cropped pair of Gadwall on SLRS

Earlier there was an excellent hour or two in the company of Steve and Kevin at a local spot where we caught up with Raven, Red Kite, and a Shelduck belting across a farmer's field, and then a fleeting glimpse of the lates local celebrity - a male Lesser Spooted Woodpecker sticking its head out of a hole in a dead tree by the Stort.

Broadly Speaking

A family holiday on the broads. Just 4 days at Wroxham before the children have to get back for exams revision. We had a small boat and pottered around on the river Bure. The wooded banks restricted viewing and I saw less wildlife than I had anticipated. Apart from some close encounters with very keen Mute Swans, Greylag Geese and Egyptian Geese the main birds of note were Kingfisher zipping across the river, a pair of Oystercatchers and a singing Cetti's Warbler.

We visited Cromer. D#2 was very impressed - "wow - it can't be! it is! Alpha Pappa finished just here !!!". Others were less impressed, and were not impressed at all with the Turnstones that were resting on the wall unruffled by passing humans (photo below taken with a standard camera).

And we also visited Winterton Dunes. What a place! We went in the evening with low sunlight producing a quite spectacular vista. Birdwise quiet apart from a Ringed Plover, and a flock of c20 Black-Headed Gulls battling their way up the coast against the stiff north wind. Superbly lit pristine white against the sand-churned brown of the waves they were quite a sight. One looked a bit small - hello - yes no black on the wing, dark underwing, adult Little Gull thanks very much.

 In MBYOW I'd be back. Lots more to see and find. I'd be slightly more careful about the parking in the evening at winterton, and depending on what does or doesn't turn up in the post I reserve the right to bang on about local councils. But yes, I'd definitely do some more of this.

Amwell

Amwell in the morning murk. I'd hoped that something might be brought in by the drizzle, but not to be.

3 Redshank, 2 Oystercatcher, Wigeon m, a Swallow at the N end, and a Cetti's Warbler singing. But at Amwell there's always something to watch. Some Cormorants were sitting, and at the top a Grey Heron flew in and regurgitated some food to three strapping younsters. Very David Attenborough.

A few Red-Tailed Bumblebees out now ...