Locally things have been on the quiet side more recently with the autumn migration dispersal still only a trickle. The best has been Napton-on-the-Hill and the ever present
Common Redstarts and
Spotted Flycatchers, which have been a real pleasure over recent weeks.
Another opportunity to borrow the Wildlife Trusts minibus on Monday so I took fourteen of the Brandon team across to Norfolk and Lincolnshire, visiting RSPB Titchwell and RSPB Frampton Marsh. With the strong north, north-westerlies hopes were high for something special dropping in along the coast.
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| Love this Meadow Pipit disguise at RSPB Titchwell |
We arrived shortly after 10am at Titchwell and our first stop was the Island Hide in the hope that the long staying
Spotted Crake would make an appearance. Sadly, not during our stay but the wader count got off to a decent start with
Avocet,
Ruff,
Ringed Plover, summer plumage
Golden Plover, at least four
Spotted Redshank,
Dunlin and a flyover
Greenshank. A single
Whimbrel was seen by a couple of the team, namely myself and John Osborne and several
Curlew and
Little Egret were also evident.
Marsh Harrier,
Hobby and several
Swift were other notables and a
Wall Brown butterfly was also recorded on the path, in fact the only butterfly seen during our stay.
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| Spoonbill - This was one of two at RSPB Frampton Marsh |
A count of ten
Spoonbill on the fresh marsh and
Sandwich Terns were a constant, a single juvenile
Common Tern was also recorded. The salt marsh had at least two summer plumage
Grey Plover but unfortunately we didn't time our visit to the sea shore very well, with the only birds of note for me
Sandwich Tern and
Fulmar, although
Common Scoter was also noted by PB and AJ.
We gave up after a short while, when most of us got fed up of being sand blasted! Also of interest a
Chinese Water Deer was showing well out in the vegetation across on the fresh marsh.
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| RSPB Frampton Marsh Glossy Ibis |
Next was Frampton Marsh and almost immediately on arrival several of the team shot off to catch a glimpse of the
Glossy Ibis, a bird I'd fortunately connected with a few weeks earlier. It was actually showing better than my previous visit but was flushed by a tractor just as I caught up, so I never quite managed to improve on my previous photographs. Showers were becoming more frequent but despite this I was the only individual who braved a full circuit of the reserve, while the other less hardy huddled in the 360 hide! Two
Spoonbill,
Marsh Harrier, several
Snipe, a couple of
Brent Geese and a
Water Vole by the time I arrived at the 360. Here Jim had picked out an eclipse
Garganey and
Yellow Wagtails seemed to be everywhere.
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| Gorgeous Whinchat - My bird of the day! |
A similar selection of waders to that of RSPB Titchwell with the addition of
Green Sandpiper and
Little-ringed Plover but despite so many excellent birds my favourite had to be a single
Whinchat, stunning little birds and my first of the autumn. Although a good days birding was had by all, including top fish and Chips in Grantham on route home, that special oddity never quite materialised for us!
** A bonus for Derek and I when leaving Brandon Marsh at around 1:30pm on Tuesday, when a
Great White Egret flew at height across the top reed bed, sadly not hanging around and departing out towards the north-west. My last at Brandon was a few years ago!
