A Breydon Water local patch (5 Viewers)

[Karl J]

While I parked for lunch at Burgh Castle and went for a wander round. From the cover of the trees I had an absolutely cracking view of a male Sparrowhawk circling over the fields adj. the roman ruins which brought the total to 84 for this area since March - when the list started ( .... oddly enough thats also when I signed up to BF ! ).



Right now, the past few weeks, there seems to be something new to add almost every time I go out.

 

[Karl J]

A really good day today. Total of 50 species recorded.

The best ones :

1 x Marsh Harrier (female over Berney marshes)
1 x Red-necked Grebe (on the river near Berney pub)
3 x Wheatear (along the footpath)
7 x Little Egret (various places)
2 x Wood Sandpiper (Breydon eastern end)
4 x Greenshank ( Breydon eastern end)
1 x Kingfisher (Breydon eastern end)

Masses of waders about now.

 

[Nina P]

I now know some of those birds now, having been to Bowling Green marsh last monday where there were a lot of the birds you mention, including the curlew, who has changed its call to my ears now ( what they refer to aging process) but knew I should know the call. The Avocets were very flighty, and only two settled for a brief encounter. Keep the sightings up to date, even if just for me, Nina.

 

[Karl J]

Yes ok then Nina - just for you !

Aren't the Avocets a good looking bird ? We've got a whole flock of them, I counted about 500 one day not long back, really elegant. It was really nice sitting by the water in the late afternoon /early evening sunshine, watching as they fly upriver in small groups of 10 or 20 birds at a time. Really peaceful & relaxing, time just becomes so irrelevant.

And ... I heard the call of a Curlew the other day for the first time so now I know what you mean as well ! Little Egret call as well, never heard that before.

 

[Nina P]

Not heard the little egret call, but you wait till spring for the haunting curlew call, just the thought of it sends little shivvers down my spine!
500+ avocets, 'cor what a crowd, sounds really great, and have total understanding of time standing still when out in the field, just watching, and listening, truely wonderful. Nina.

 

[Geraldine]

My grandson and I were practicing speaking in curlew last summer, when to my grandson's great delight the curlew started answering back. We tried it on a number of subsequent occasions, and very often the curlews replied. I am now learning blackbird! :hi:

 

[Nina P]

Geraldine, Blackbird is easy, just roll your tongue into the roof of your mouth and pull it down sharply, makes a kind of tchuck sound and that makes all my local blackies reply, and calls them to the feeding stations.
Well it works for me!! Nina.

 

[Karl J]

Never tried talking to the birds, I'll have to give it a go sometime. ........ when no-ones around !!

Nina I dont really know to describe a Little Egret call ... A Pterodactyl springs to mind, sort of harsh dinosaur-ish sort of sound

 

[Nina P]

So a bit like KYEEAAHH then eh Carlos? Meant to answre your avocets dancing habit, my grandaughter has a habit of constantly whirling and drifting across the floor in her own kind of ballet, I suppose that would aptly describe the movement of the avocet's in flight.
I was talking to what I think was a young spotted flycatcher recently and my other half had crept up on me and was quietly taking the (Michael) out of me, when I turned round and caught him, Don't know who felt the most stupid!! Ha ha, but I admit to doing daft things all the time, he doesn't.
I often imitate different birds, sometimes to great effect, but all too often with no results whatsoever. Nina.

 

[Karl J]

So a bit like KYEEAAHH then eh Carlos?

Well .... Yes sort of ... must be a few R's in there as well ... KRRAAAHH ... if that makes any sense at all.

Out again today but didn't have the time to really take too much stock of what was about although it was noticeably several degrees colder along the river, so autumn's certainly kicked in now. One thing I did noticed is the Swallows, they seem to have moved from their nesting areas a couple of miles up to this eastern end now. I've seen it a couple of times over the past few of weeks so it must be a definite movement as opposed to a one-off ''looking elsewhere for food''. Guess that means they'll be off soon and be replaced with all those ducks & geese .... Oh dear

 

[Nina P]

Thanks Carlos, I'll remember to listen out for that sound when in Wimborne town centre, as they are there most of the time, well just out the center, on the Poole road over the bridge. The swallows here were acting funny yesterday, but then we had some terriffic thunder and lightening storms here, which knocked out our power supply, right on lunch time!! as ever, always happens here, so now the storms are about there may be days when I'll have dificulty posting, Ho Hum!! Nina.

 

[Karl J]

Out & about today for a few hours between Yarmouth and Burgh Castle.

Nothing major but a really nice day, sunny & warm.

More Shelduck than recently, about 80 of these as opposed to 10 - 20 previously, and 6 Pochard ( least I think thats what they were) they were a long way off, and on the other side of the river. Only 1 Tern (Sandwich). Quite a few Goldfinch, Linnet & Pied Wagtail along the river.

The waders - 1 Grey Plover, 2 Curlew Sandpiper, 1 Greenshank, 4 Little Egret amongst the massed flocks but I didn't see nearly as many Ringed Plover as the last couple of weeks.

34 Great Crested Grebe on the river but didn't see the Red-necked Grebe thats been around a couple of weeks

1 Marsh Harrier, male, over on Halvergate marshes

 

[Nina P]

Now that sounds a perfect birding day to me, Goldfinches and linnets, positively wonderful, dont see many of them hearabouts, just an occasional cluster of goldies, and along the roadside over the moorland for Linnets, at intevals during the year. special birds really, as they are infrequent sights here. We have a Henharrier nearby, 2miles away, so I don't see that over my garden local patch, hence it doesn't get mentioned as only seen once a year, if I'm lucky. Nina.

 

[Karl J]

A spot of cycle / birding today in the sunshine by the river, between Yarmouth & Burgh Castle which turned out another really good few hours birding with 41 definite species without trying too hard.

These were the best ones.



Marsh Harrier x 1 - a tatty looking female, with visible feather wear or damage
Merlin x 1
Kestrel x 1

Jay x 1
Wheatear x 3. at least 3 seperate birds, may have been more
Greater Spotted Woodpecker x 2

Little Egret x 3
Grey Heron x 1
Spoonbill x 3 ...... WOW !!!

Little Grebe x 1
Great Crested Grebe x 5
a flock of House Martin

Greenshank x 1
Knot x 1

a few of each of these ( on the southern mudflats ):
Avocet
Black-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Lapwing
Dunlin
.... and a bit of a puzzle over maybe a Little Stint or a Sanderling, I'm fairly sure it was a Sanderling but a bird scarer proved it works before I'd properly got chance to id it !



The Spoonbill were the real treat so I had to take a better look at these. After cycling round to the northern shore near the Tern platforms, the view was slightly closer although all 3 were together right in the middle of the estuary so they weren't that much closer, but still was a good view of them wading in deep-ish water actively feeding, heads swinging from side to side & occasionally lifting up out of the water.
2 of them had rings on both legs ( green or light blue ??? , maybe green & light blue ???? ) but because of the distance & heat haze etc I'm not certain of the colour.

At this point I probably could have got a few more species if I'd picked through the waders from here, but being someone who's happy to quit while he's ahead, I decided that was time to go home.

 

[Grousemore]

Nice report Carlos and well done on the Spoonbill;they seem to favour East Anglia for some reason.

 

[Karl J]

Yes thanks Grousemore, I think they breed in Holland, so this is probably the closest part of the UK.

Birdguides.com shows East Anglia as being part of their winter range but eurobirding.co.uk says they are passage migrant ........ so ....... I really don't know !

Was a nice surprise to see them though, whatever they are

 

[Andrew]

I wish my cycling environment was as illustrating as yours!

 

[Nina P]

REally great birds are Spoonbils, but I never saw them sweeping the water in this country, even though I saw one at BGM and one on Tamar, neither were feeding. Nina.

 

[Karl J]

Hi Andrew - If you're ever up this way & want to cycle along Breydon you'd be best going along the southern path (to Burgh Castle) as opposed to the northern path ( to Berney) because it has gates instead of stiles..... so much easier !!!

 

[Nina P]

Where are you going this weekend Carlos? as I am so eager to hear what your latest spottins are, Nina.