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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

RSPB Frampton Marsh (1 Viewer)

Well, no phalarope, but the Pec Sand is still showing really nicely. Have even heard there is a suggestion of two of them. Very unconfirmed though.

Curlew sands were also showing on the reedbed today, and 4 wood sands on the scrapes from the 360 hide. This is also worth a visit if you like butterflies, with a couple of clouded yellows there.

Other birds include a male ruddy duck on the reedbed, merlin and little owl on the grassland and still a cuckoo kicking about.
 
Well, no phalarope, but the Pec Sand is still showing really nicely. Have even heard there is a suggestion of two of them. Very unconfirmed though.

Curlew sands were also showing on the reedbed today, and 4 wood sands on the scrapes from the 360 hide. This is also worth a visit if you like butterflies, with a couple of clouded yellows there.

Other birds include a male ruddy duck on the reedbed, merlin and little owl on the grassland and still a cuckoo kicking about.

Are the RSPB on the blower to DEFRA's sharpshooters?
 
Picked up the Pectoral Sandpiper from the path leading to the reedbed hide late on Sunday evening. On the margins of the bank dividing middle scrape and north scrape. Also:-

Curlew Sandpiper x 2
Wood Sandpiper x 5
Green Sandpiper x 1
Common Sandpiper x 1
Dunlin x 4
Whimbrel x 1
Little Ringed Plover x 3
Ringed Plover x 6
Snipe x 3
Avocet x 6
Oystercatcher x 1
Ruff x 14
Redshank x 9
Black-tailed Godwit x c50

Also one Marsh Harrier over the seabank, a dozen or so Little Egrets, a handful of Grey Herons as well as plenty of Teal too.
 
The hotline to DEFRA's sharpshooters must have been cut off! The Ruddy Duck was still very much present this evening! :t:

Pectoral Sandpiper was also still present. It took a while to find but eventually picked it up on the reedbed. In fact, it was pretty much Sandpiper heaven tonight. At least half a dozen Wood Sandpiper, twice as many Green Sandpiper (calling like crazy), two Common Sandpiper and a lone Curlew Sandpiper.

Snipe, Greenshank, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Little Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Avocet and around forty Ringed Plover were also present, along with good numbers Ruff, Redshank and Lapwing and a mass of Black-tailed Godwit.

Raptor-wise, picked up two Marsh Harriers and a Kestrel over the seabanks, whilst the Little Owl was sat on a fencepost on the wet grassland not too far from it's usual spot.

Also, a single Dark-bellied Brent on the grassland and plenty of juvenile wagtails flitting about all over the reserve.
 
Bit quiet in here. I imagine Chris is still catching up on his sleep after Satuday night's big reserve sleep out!

Anyway. A couple of big tides meant that there were loads of waders on the scrapes and reedbeds all over the weekend:-

Avocet
Bar-tailed Godwit
Black-tailed Godwit (c. 4000 on Sunday morning)
Common Sandpiper
Curlew
Curlew Sandpiper
Dunlin
Golden Plover
Green Sandpiper
Greenshank
Grey Plover
Knot
Lapwing
Little Ringed Plover
Little Stint (mobile between scrapes and reedbed Saturday/ Sunday)
Oystercatcher
Redshank
Ringed Plover (c. 130 on reedbed Sunday morning)
Ruff
Snipe
Spotted Redshank (present Sunday)
Turnstone (present Sunday)
Whimbrel
Wood Sandpiper

A good variety of raptors were also present:-

Barn Owl
Common Buzzard
Hobby
Kestrel
Little Owl
Merlin
Marsh Harrier
Peregrine

Also about:-

Corn Bunting
Garganey (as per Chris Grimshaw)
Linnet
Little Gull (as per Ian Misslebrook)
Pied Wagtail
Ruddy Duck
Turtle Dove
Wheatear
Willow Warbler
Yellow Wagtail

On top of this, loads of Reed Warblers and Sedge Warbler were flitting around the reedbed. Numbers of Linnet and Goldfinch seem to increasing and there was a charming flock of Long-tailed Tits roving through the hedgerow on Sunday.
 
Yes yes, I'm getting old and need my nap time...

Still heaving with waders out there. 24 species this morning, all those that LTT mentions in his post.

Merlin was spotted this morning and hobby last night. Marsh harriers showing well. A couple of garganey on the scrapes too.
 
A bit quiter this evening, but still plenty around.

Didn't pick up the Little Stint or any Curlew Sandpiper, but a Wood Sandpiper was still hanging around, along with half a dozen Green Sandpiper, a trio of Greenshank, a smattering of Little Ringed Plover and loads of Ruff, Snipe, Ringed Plover and Black-tailed Godwit dotted about all over the reserve.

Highlights, however, were a stunning Kingfisher along the dyke adjacent to the path along North Scrape and the Merlin tearing over the grassland before settling on a post at the back of the reedbed.
 
Visited this evening between 2000hrs and 2045hrs. In addition to previous post were Spotted Redshank, Garganey, Golden Plover(2), Ringed Plover(54), Dunlin (6). Scrapes were unusually quiet, no sign of Greenshank, and Black Tailed Godwit dotted around but not in larger numbers.
 
I was there Sunday afternoon. Only (!!) c2000 Black-tailed Godwits compared to the 4000 claimed in the morning but they included at least 30 colour-ringed birds. I managed to read 27 of them. All have been reported to the various ringing scheme co-ordinators and I have had the first few life-histories back. One is at least 23 years old. Fascinating stuff.

Steve
 
Hi Steve,

I've got a few to send off to the relevant schemes, fantastic to see where they've been. Would you be able to forward the life histories you recieve onto me please so we can add them to the reserve records. Thank you very much.
 
Hi Steve,

I've got a few to send off to the relevant schemes, fantastic to see where they've been. Would you be able to forward the life histories you recieve onto me please so we can add them to the reserve records. Thank you very much.

Already sending them to John Badley as they come in. Will that do?

Steve
 
Thank you Steve, replied to your PM before I saw this so if John's got them then that's excellent and no need to duplicate. All the best.
 
Early news from this morning:

Little stint on the reedbed, together with 3 bar-tailed godwits
2 spotted redshanks on the scrapes
Hobby over the wet grassland
 
Gorgeous day today, though not so much for the work party who slogged through the heat as we cut the pollen and nectar mix, but plenty of stuff around.

Huge numbers of Sand Martins, with handfuls of Swallows mixed in, a couple of House Martins and a lone Swift were over and around the reedbed for most of the day. Yellow Wagtails were very vocal as they moved around the reserve and 2 Lesser Whitethroats in the car park were the best of the passerines.

There were juveniles of Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Spotted Redshank from 360 Hide and on the wader front, anyone thinking of coming to see us in the next few days you could be in for a treat if you check the tide times. Some VERY high tides over the next few days, peaking on Friday morning but carrying through the weekend and into Monday.

A Clouded Yellow on Middle Scrape was the invertebrate highlight of the day though good numbers of Common Blue were across the reserve. There's been a big influx of Silver Y's and there are loads of White's and Peacocks around so do enjoy them on buddliea and knapweed while keeping an eye out for Comma's and Painted Lady's.

We rescued a Grass Snake from one of our sluices and one was reported around the pond dipping area so keep an eye out for them basking in the sun.
 
Good evening around the reseve with John, Ed and Ian.

Ian and I had our first (very scratty looking) male Hen Harrier of the autumn this evening (2015 approx). We were chatting in the car park when it appeared over the hedgerow. We both presumed it was a Marshy until we put our bins on it and exclaimed in unison "er, I don't think that is a marshy you know". If it had been a film, there would have been a stirring soundtrack and maybe a slow-mo high five. Unfortunately, I don't live in a film, so I cursed at having just locked my scope away in the car and followed it with my binoculars across the length of the grassland until it disappeared over the sea-bank.

Other highlights, for me, were five Turtle Doves, one Garganey, one Peregrine, five Greenshank, four Green Sandpiper, one Golden Plover (over) and two Spotted Redshank (I think there were four in total - I'm sure I remember John saying he had picked up another two on South Scrape as well).

Didn't pick up the Little Stint or any Curlew Sandpiper, alas, but the reedbeds were humming with Sand Martin, juvenile Wagtails, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Snipe and Ruff whilst Knot, Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit were playing an avian version of "Where's Wally" amidst the multitudes of Black-tailed Godwit on South Scrape. Loads of Teal about as well.

... on the wader front, anyone thinking of coming to see us in the next few days you could be in for a treat if you check the tide times. Some VERY high tides over the next few days, peaking on Friday morning but carrying through the weekend and into Monday.

Hmmm, I'm meant to be visiting friends up north this weekend. I think I might discover that I have car trouble on Friday...
 
If you have had car trouble, I'll be over at Freiston tomorrow morning from 7:30, doing a wader wonderland walk, ready for the high tide.

Little stint and curlew sandpipers around today, on the scrapes. First pintail of the autumn was on the reedbed and a garganey on the scrapes.

There was at least clouded yellow in the wildlife garden yesterday, possibly more.
 
Well, there might not have been many visitors today, but the birds were pretty good.

At Frampton:
2-3 little stint
20-30 curlew sandpipers
spotted redshank
whimbrel
60+ ruff, some down to under 10 feet
2000+ black-tailed godwit
Black tern, flying down the river
Hen harrier
Wood sandpiper
Turtle dove
Wheatear


As posted above, myself and Jim were down Freiston for high tide:
1 little stint, right in front of the hide
4000+ oystercatcher
14 curlew sandpiper
16 black tern reported offshore
And I wouldn't like to say how many knot, dunlin and redshank
 
indeed a good morning once the rain stopped.
In addition to the above we had a rather wet looking Merlin
5 greenshank
dozens of ringed plover and dunlin.
Ian
 
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