Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary

Lazy Sunday afternoon, 14 April 2019

The afternoon began with a rather tense football match that Jus, Andy and I watched in the Greyhound in Diss before heading out into deepest Suffolk.

We made a couple of stops at tucked away meadows where Snakeshead Fritillaries where nicely out. Disappointingly Wild Tulip was curiously absent and Early Purple Orchids are only just starting to emerge. This is rather odd because 2019 is well behind 2018 despite the 'beast from the east' having hit in late winter 2018. Creeping Buttercups were just starting to come in to flower but there was very little to get excited about.

We opted to head to Christchurch Park in Ipswich where the stench of relegation was in the air! 8 Mandarins (7 drakes) were easily seen plus a tame Stock Dove and some more Snakeshead Fritillaries (of unknown origin). The impressive Golden Poplar was also just coming into leaf.

Snakeshead Fritillaries

Early Purple Orchids

Creeping Buttercup

Coot feeding chick

Mandarins

Don't ask!

Stock Dove

Golden Poplar

Weybread GPs, 11 April 2019

A quick lunchtime sojourn to Weybread today and I have to say it was one of the quietest visits I've ever made. I did manage to yeartick Common Tern and House Martin but there was little else to trouble the scorers. A good number of Blackcaps was good to note (including my first female of the year) plus a pair of Reed Buntings but that was really scraping the barrel!
At Winks Meadow I was was way too early for any orchids, just loads of Cowslips so I concentrated on taking some photos of flowering European Larch. Fans of Monty Python will know this is #1!

European Larch

Hybrid duck goodness! 10 April 2019

I nipped down to Whitlingham again today but in the end had to visit it twice (with a couple of hours in the city in between) before I finally found the hybrid White-cheeked Pintail x Mallard by the slipway. It was third time lucky and in the end it almost became a personal vendetta! The drake Wigeon was also still hanging about but apart from 3 Cetti's Warblers singing and a scattering of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs it was very quiet indeed. The chiffys included the rather odd bird below which I strongly suspect may be a Siberian Chiffchaff. The call certainly seemed right.

On the way back I called in to Ashwellthorpe Wood where I was delighted to find a single Early Purple Orchid in flower. The season is underway...

White-cheeked Pintail x Mallard hybrid

putative Siberian Chiffchaff

Early Purple Orchids

Weekend wild flowers, 6 & 7 April 2019

Despite the very grey and wet weather we managed to get out for a walk in Tyrrel's Wood close to home this afternoon. Mainly I wanted to check the progress of 'our' Early Purple Orchids which grow in just one spot in the wood. I was pleased to see some kind soul has roped the area off and put a sign up to prevent trampling because many are right on the edge of the path. There was one plant very nearly out but it was pleasing to note a lot more rosettes than last year so hopefully it'll be a good year for them. Also out in profusion were Early Dog Violets, Lesser Celandines, Dogs Mercury, Herb Robert and the first Bluebells. Avian highlights were 2 Nuthatches, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Chiffchaffs and Blackcap.

Yesterday, while out we stumbled upon a nice patch of Summer Snowflakes.

Early Purple Orchids

Early Dog Violet

Herb Robert

Summer Snowflake

Top Secret Mission, 6 April 2019

The boys and I headed out into the Norfolk wilds yesterday on our very own 'secret mission'. En-route a single Red Kite livened up a very grey afternoon and then we arrived at the site for our vigil. It took some while with just some tail views of a bird on the nest but after about an hour and a half in flew the other bird of the pair for a nest change over. A breeeding pair of Ravens in our home county! Last year they bred at this same location but that was the first breeding pair since 1859! We hung around for a bit gaining several views and hearing the young calling from within the nest. A Marsh Harrier flew over and a Siskin was singing but that was about it. Nonetheless it was mission accomplished.

With the light fading we then popped in to another site we know for Little Owl adding 22 Oystercatchers (a very good inland count), 2 Stock Doves and a calling Kingfisher.

Earlier in the day I'd spent a little while at Whitlingham failing to locate the hybrid Mallard x White-cheeked Pintail at the slipway but the drake Wigeon was there. 4 Grey Wagtails, c6 Swallows (my first of the year), c25 Sand Martins, 2 Cetti's Warbler and several singing Blackcaps. I spent a little time getting some gull 'portraits' to whie away the time before meeting the boys.

Raven

Tree featuring Little Owl!

Wigeon

Lesser Black-backed Gulls

Common Gull

Blackcap

Whitlingham Garganey and some stunning naturalised flowers, 28 & 29 March 2019

Yesterday I nipped out to a churchyard location I'd been given where the stunning Dog Toothed Violet grows. Upon arrival I was greeted to a superb display of over 300 plants. These are now regarded as being naturalised as, despite them being a mainly Mediterrenean species they have been growing here happily for nearly 200 years!

This afternoon I paid Whitlingham a visit and eventually located the pair of Garganey on Little Broad that Jus had found yesterday. Kingfisher, Cetti's Warbler and Siskin plus plenty of Brimstones were also noted in a brief visit.

A few days ago (last Sunday to be precise) we had a Small White in the garden and a walk from Covehithe to Kessingland produced singles of Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Wheatear. The latter a male on the beach by Benacre Broad.

Garganey

Dog Toothed Violets

Wymondham Abbey Peregrine, 22 March 2019

I took a drive out to Wymondham this morning. To do some shopping but also to try for the regular Peregrine there. After doing a whole 360 around the abbey I found the bird perched high up on the last side of the second tower! After spending some time in the town I returned on the way back to the car at it was still in the same spot. Quite a small bird so presumably a male. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming too.

While passing I also had a quick check in Ashwellthorpe Woods and found a few rosettes of Early Purple Orchids showing that the season is nearly upon us. The first few Wood Anenomes and plenty of Early Dog Violets were also out. There was also a flock of c40 Yellowhammers in stubble/hedges on the walk to the wood.

Peregrine

Early Purple Orchid rosette

New arrivals herald the start of spring, 21 March 2019

My first port of call today was Weybread GPs again where I hoped to photograph yesterdays Goldeneye. Just my luck that the bird was distant this morning and the light was awful! Nevertheless I did add a pair of Treecreepers, Common Buzzard and Redwing to the stuff I saw yesterday. The flock of Barnacle Geese were seen from the road on the other side of Ocean Pit and has grown to 18 individuals!

My main aim of the day was to see the adult Glossy Ibis on the marsh west of the harbour carpark at Walberswick. It duly obliged by being present on arrival but again it was never close. The same can't be said of a ridiculously showy Little Egret!

With not much else doing there I decided to head north to Lowestoft. An exploration of North Deans was a good idea with 5 Wheatears showing very nicely despite the pain in the arse dog walkers! The arrival of these dapper birds is always a highlight for me. A flock of c40 Linnets and a Chiffchaff were added before I retired to the Lighthouse Cafe for one of their famous breakfasts.

After that I needed to walk it off so worked the length of the bushes on the seaward side of the Birds Eye factory. There had been a bit of an arrival with 11 Chiffchaffs and 1 Blackcap counted.

Not being one to give up I called in to Weybread again on the way home and nailed the Goldeneye to some closer views and photographs at the 3rd time of asking! 3 Common Buzzards were circling (a site maximum) and a Chiffchaff singing.