Apponagansett Bay, South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA, 31/12/2007

Weather: cold, blustery & cloudy with occasional sunny spell. From 1pm.

Walking across the bridge: Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Eider, Mallard.

Apponagansett beach: Ring-Billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-Backed Gull, Dark-Eyed Junco, Red-Breasted Merganser (female only), American Crow.

Back woods, Smith Neck Road: White-Breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Mourning Dove.

14 species, 5 new.

Welney Washes Reserve, Norfolk, 23/12/2007

Weather: Foggy, cold & frosty. From 2:30pm.

Very difficult conditions to see anything but from the first hide, to the left of the main observatory hide:

Coot, Whooper Swan, Mute Swan, very many Pochard, Mallard, Tufted Duck, a single Smew (red-headed female) enthusiastically diving.

From the main observatory hide, more of the birds seen above, in particular Pochard & Whooper Swan were the most numerous & enthusiastic when the warden fed them at 3pm. Also seen were:

Scaup, a single female with a white patch at the base of the bill, but without the yellow eye so it may have been a hybrid Pochard.

Bar-tailed Godwit flew over the main stretch of water.

On the walk up to the further hide (as well as an abundance of rats):

Moorhen, Greylag Goose, Robin, Woodpigeon, Widgeon (white panel in mist), Gadwall (white panel in mist).

15 species.

I can't remember much of my first visit to Welney in 1987 except that the weather was bad & I didn't see much, so this return was very similar! It was nice to see the place doing so well, the observatory was spectacular as were the shop & cafe, however after paying the entry fee for 3 I knew where the money had been made for the facilities. Next time I venture out along the A10 I'll visit the RSPB's Ouse Washes reserve.

Lynford Arboretum, Norfolk, 23/12/2007

Weather: Foggy, very cold - difficult & gloomy conditions. From 1030pm.

In & around the woods before the lake:
Coal Tit, Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Marsh/Willow Tit but impossible to tell through the gloom, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Siskin. The tits & siskins all part of a typical winter feeding party.

On the lake:
Mute Swan, Mallard, Moorhen, a large flock of Canada Goose feeding on the nearby grass.

Disappointingly because of the foggy conditions it was impossible to see the hawfinches in the paddock's trees, but on the way back picked up Mistle Thrush, a group of Great Tit feeding in a low bush, then Carrion Crow.

15 species.

Fisher Fleet to the Point, King's Lynn, Norfolk, 04/11/2007

Birds seen in & around the Fisher Fleet:
Collared Dove, Magpie, Mallard, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Curlew

On the drive up to the Point:
Carrion Crow, Blackbird, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Robin, Woodpigeon, Dunnock, Fieldfare, Starling, Song Thrush.

At the Point, on the marsh, the river & riverbank:
Reed Bunting, Wren, Little Egret, Lapwing, Greylag Goose, Pipit Meadow, Redshank, Cormorant.

On the drive back:
Yellowhammer, Pheasant.

29 species.

I haven't been to the Point in many years, although have been since the previous post, & I wasn't expecting much to change, however I was pleasantly surprised that the area I used to visit as a quiet, almost secret local patch was now part of The Wash National Nature Reserve, complete with visitor signs & proper pathways over the marshes. The birdlife hadn't changed an awful lot, although I will definitely visit again in the summer to see if the sandpipers & terns seen 20 years ago are still present. One new species seen was the Little Egret, now quite common along the North Norfolk coast.

RSPB Snettisham, Norfolk, 28/10/2007

Guided walk for "Autumn Spectacular".
Dull, windy, showery but mild.

Waiting in the car-park for the guide & other walkers to arrive: Curlew, Greylag Goose, Black-Headed Gull, pair of noisily disapproving Egyptian Geese in flight.
Heading into the fishing lakes, over the sea-wall & along the path besides the first lake: Mallard, Moorhen, Long-Tailed Tit, Fieldfare, Blackbird, Lapwing.
On the shore a lone Grey Plover, & at this point large skeins of Pink-Footed Goose could be seen leaving the mudflats to head inland for the day.
As the tide continued to rise birds seen on the water included a single Brent Goose, Shelduck, Canada Goose & overflying the area into the shingle pits/scrapes, Oystercatcher & good-sized flocks of Golden Plover.

Reaching the hide that had been set aside for the guided walk provided views of thousands of birds escaping the high autumn tide by congregating on the shingle of the scrapes including Little Egret, Redshank, Greenshank, thousands of Knot, Turnstone, Bar-Tailed Godwit & on the water, Wigeon, Little Grebe.
As we watched the main congregation of waders, which continued to build-up, a Peregrine, lured by an easy meal, swept in causing havoc. It appeared to be a juvenile, possibly first winter, & it was unsuccessful in its hunt so it flew out into the estuary & out of view; an exhilarating sight nonetheless.

We eventually left the first hide & made our way back up the reserve, stopping to admire the overhead flocks making their way back out onto the now revealed mud after the high tide. Eventually, reaching one of the earlier hides, without the guide who had to leave, for: Goldeneye, Coot, Herring Gull, Cormorant, flocks of Starling, Great Black-Backed Gull, Dunlin, single Avocet, Tufted Duck.

Continuing along out of the reserve, & reaching the fishing lakes & the nearby arable fields for: Magpie, Wren, Common Gull, Mistle Thrush, Chaffinch, Pheasant, Woodpigeon, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit.

44 species, no new species.

Missouri, Illinois & Boston, USA, 06 to 09/10/2007

A week away to visit relatives in the mid-West during the still hot & sunny autumn.

St. Charles, 7th October: Black-Capped Chickadee, Chimney Swift, Mourning Dove, House Sparrow, Starling.

St. Louis Gateway Arch & Zoo, 8th October: Red-Tailed Hawk, Common Grackle, Red-Winged Blackbird, Cardinal, American Robin.

Cahokia Mounds & Grafton, Illinois, 9th October: Double-Crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose & Great Egret on various waterways seen from the car; Turkey Vulture, American Kestrel, Kildeer & American Crow by the banks of Mississippi in Grafton; White Pelican passing way overhead at Pere Marquette viewpoint.

Boston, 10th to 12th October: House Sparrow, European Starling, Hermit Thrush (whilst walking to hotel), Double-Crested Cormorant (during Boston duck tour).

20 species, 17 new!

RSPB Titchwell, Norfolk, 26/08/2007

Nice & sunny but quite breezy.

Avocet
Swallow
Bearded Tit
Black-headed Gull
Black-tailed Godwit
Canada Goose
Coot
Cormorant
Curlew
Dunlin
Eider
Gadwall
Greenfinch
Grey Heron
Grey Plover
Herring Gull
Lapwing
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Mallard
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Oystercatcher
Pied Wheatear
Pochard
Redshank
Reed Bunting
Ringed Plover
Ruff
Sanderling
Shoveler
Snipe
Starling
Teal
Wood Pigeon

35 Species

RSPB Titchwell, Norfolk, 15/07/2007

Bright, overcast, breezy.

Avocet
Blackcap
Black-headed Gull
Black-tailed Godwit
Canada Goose
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Common Tern
Coot
Curlew
Greenfinch
Grey Heron
Hobby (possibly)
Lapwing
Little Egret
Marsh Harrier
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Oystercatcher
Reed Bunting
Reed Warbler
Robin
Ruddy Duck
Shoveler
Skylark
Wood Pigeon

26 Species.

Tring Reservoirs, Hertfordshire, 08/07/2007

Bright, sunny & warm.
Walk around all the reservoirs: Startops End, Tringford, Marsworth, Wilstone.

Barn Swallow
Blackcap
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Collared Dove
Common Tern
Coot
Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe
Great Tit
Grey Heron
Greylag Goose
Long-tailed Tit
Mallard
Moorhen
Mute Swan
Rook
Song Thrush
Swift
Tufted Duck
Pied Wagtail
Wood Pigeon
Wren

23 Species.

Roydon Common, Norfolk, 07/04/2007

Early morning walk, both sides of the reserve.

Blackbird
Chaffinch
Chiffchaff
Curlew
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Great Tit
Green Woodpecker
Greenfinch
Jay
Kestrel
Mallard
Meadow Pipit
Mistle Thrush
Moorhen
Pheasant
Red-legged Partridge
Reed Bunting
Robin
Skylark
Stonechat
Wood Pigeon
Wren
Yellowhammer

24 Species.