Birding and other distractions

Arriving at 1:30 after the Cambridge bird club event the Richardson's Cackling Goose at Brancaster was not on view though had been seen earlier. It was still thought to be present amongst the 2-3000 Pink-footed Geese but was hidden behind a hedge bordering the field. Eventually, after a 2 hour wait I saw it briefly through a gap in the hedge. Slightly smaller than the accompanying Pink-feet it appeared to have whiter cheeks and paler flanks than Canada Goose. At 4 p.m. I was very cold and light was going so called it a day. Picture by Colin Green

Having never seen full summer plumage Sabine's Gull a last minute change of plan saw Keith and me at Budd's Farm (Southmoor NR) this morning. In glorious sunshine the gull was seen immediately on arrival, present on the lagoon. It was the closest bird at a distance of no more than 20 metres, and seemingly unconcerned by the presence of nearby birders. On occasions the gull would fly off to feed just offshore, with a light buoyant wing action. At one point it fed in the adjacent creek, and was very close. Odd that the bird is in summer plumage in January though the primaries aren't fresh, appearing worn in flight. Sabine's Gull Brent Geese on the lagoon Little Egret 

A colder day than of late, though fortunately dry. There has been no maintenance work by National Grid in PV so it is fairly overgrown. There was little to see in PV until reaching the gate leading to DV where I found a Marsh Tit loosely associating with two Great Tits, plus a Coal Tit nearby. A couple of hundred yards further on, in woodland adjacent to DV, was a second Marsh Tit. I could hear two Bullfinch in the hedgerows though couldn't see them. On entering TF a Green Woodpecker flew to cover. On the way back in the churchyard trees a Sparrowhawk was unnerving a flock of Long-tailed Tits. Just beyond the churchyard I heard a Firecrest in the area with a fair amount of Holly, and for the next hour spent time with this bird, which often hovered whilst feeding. I tried to photograph it though mostly unsuccessfully as is often the case with this fast moving species. Firecrest Firecrest 

I started at the North Quarry though this was fairly quiet, with four Goldeneye the most notable birds. T he fields at West Court Farm were then checked, with 22 Curlew of note there. Moving on via Brett's the Timber Lake had a good assemblage of ducks, geese and Lapwing on the spit. The geese included 37 Barnacles, probably from the Dutch reintroduction scheme, some of the birds having neck tags. The Barnacle Geese soon flew off and after circling around for several minutes eventually landed on nearby Higham Marsh. Whilst viewing the Alpha Pool the weather took a turn for the worst, with skies darkening before rain started and the wind increased in strength. I almost gave up but could see lighter skies to the west so stuck it out and the rain became lighter, then stopped. This proved fortuitous as  a Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe, and four Red-breasted Merganser (two drakes) were seen in the next hour. Two Green Sandpiper also flew past. Barnacle Geese on the Timber Lake R...

A blustery day though dry with sunny intervals. Starting at Reculver I first checked around the perimeter of the caravan park where a fair number of Chaffinch were nice to see. Then along the seawall the reported flock of Snow Bunting had increased by one to eight, though the birds were very flighty, not settling for long in any particular spot on the beach.  They ranged from 0.5-1 mile east of the towers. One or two pairs of Stonechat were typically showy though I couldn't find the Black Redstart near the towers that others had seen. In the afternoon at Swalecliffe I was keen to try again to photograph Pallas's Warbler though the bird had not been reported that day. However, 30 minutes after arrival there was a major distraction when a nearby birder pointed out a woodpecker in the upper branches of a dead tree, albeit about 100 yards away. The bird was very small with white barring on the back, key features of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. Unfortunately it didn't hang around ...

The mild weather continues and today was also fairly calm with odd spells of sunshine. Starting at Hothfield the wintering Great Grey Shrike was unfortunately not seen and the site was generally quiet for any birds. By midday we decided to head to Swalecliffe. I had already been to Swalecliffe on Monday, following news that a Pallas's Warbler had been found early that morning. My views of the bird on that occasion were fairly brief after two hours searching along the brook, and so was keen to try again. This afternoon the warbler was seen within ten minutes of arrival and it continued to show well for about a quarter of an hour. The bird hovered several times displaying the pale yellow rump, and overall views were best ever for this fabulous little warbler. The odd Chiffchaff was also present plus several Goldcrest. A Red Admiral that appeared was perhaps no great surprise considering the mild conditions.

A dull day though fortunately dry and fairly mild. Starting at Walland Marsh three adult Whooper Swans were present near Midley Cottages and gulls in the adjacent  field included three Mediterranean: a first-winter, second-winter and an adult. Further along the road at Hawthorn Corner a large flock of approx. 52 Bewick's Swan contained a high proportion of juveniles (c20) indicating a good breeding season. Moving on to the RSPB reserve a Great White Egret was again seen on Cook's Pool with a Marsh Harrier in the same area. On Burrowes Pit the main interest was gulls coming into bathe, especially two smart first-winter Caspian. Adult Whooper Swans  Whooper Swans  Bewick's Swans Bewick's Swans Great White Egret  First-winter Caspian Gull in foreground  Caspian Gull