The week of birding is over & the totals are in: at the 8 RSPB reserves (& Southwold) I visited in 9 days, I spotted a total of 97 different species & narrowly missed out on another 3 which would have given me my century.
My favourite part is difficult to pick out as all the places had their own special charm, but putting aside my (almost) local patches of Snettisham & Titchwell which I always enjoy, Minsmere sticks in my mind. It has the feel of being one of the older RSPB reserves, like an older sibling of Titchwell, & all the habitats seem at a correspondingly mature stage which supports a huge range of species. Added to this is its size & the variety of habitats which again adds to the possible range of species one might see. I'm fairly certain that the 60 species I saw there is a record for any outing of mine & I will be planning to return, hopefully to see the little terns this summer.
Another highlight was the wonderfully wild Buckenham Marshes & although the wintry weather & snow made the conditions sometimes difficult it was amazing to see the skeins of White-Fronted Geese over the marsh. Also the close-up views of the Red-Throated Diver on the canal were an amazing treat especially as I had never seen one before.
This Easter trip was easily the most birding I've done in at least 10 years, probably ever, & I mostly had the luxury of time to explore, using the RSPB reserves as a framework to visit areas I'd never visited before. Although it's stating the obvious I was struck by just how precious a commodity time & patience are when hunting for a bird sighting. I have always known that often the best strategy is to find a good spot & wait for the wildlife to come to you, but this trip emphasized just how important that can be, for example I added 3 new species to my life list by staying in a hide & patiently observing movements outside. I also appreciated the value of communicating with other birders & being amongst a group of birders, especially in a hide, simply because the more pairs of eyes keenly watching the area, the more species will likely be spotted.
Many of the reserves I visited shared some elements of their habitats, in particular reedbeds & scrapes, but the birds seen were nonetheless still varied, for example Cranes at Lakenheath & a Slavonian Grebe at Dungeness. The sheer numbers of species that can also be seen is something to be amazed at, birds fit the countryside like a patchwork pattern on the landscape, often exceedingly localised but also wide-ranging in distribution, even with birds that would be considered quite sedentary.
It's also heartening to know that there are still some wonderfully wild areas in the east & south-east of England & that they are in the hands of the RSPB & other organisations, presumably in perpetuity. Part of my interest this trip was to see if I had any perception of how those areas have changed in the 20 years since I first started birding, & on the whole I was pleased & relieved that the areas have in some cases expanded & in most cases have preserved their appeal & species. I'd also like to think I surveyed quite a few of them during my week-long expedition but I know that's not true, I saw just a fraction, & I am looking forward to continuing my exploration.
Finally a mention on digiscoping: I shelled out for some new kit, a new camera & new adapters for my old scope, so I could get better photos than my previous hand-held efforts & I was not disappointed with the results to be seen within my posts. The only disappointment was the battery life of my new Canon Powershot A590 IS which often lasted less than a day with a new set of AAs; it's being returned for another, hopefully it's just a dodgy one-off. Now I think I just need a new fluorite 'scope to improve results further, that & more familiarisation with the camera equipment I eventually settle on.
View Easter 2008 in a larger map
No comments:
Post a Comment