First part of a double-header of two reserves near Norwich but only after checking out Great Yarmouth & only then after defrosting my car which was covered in about 3 inches of snow! The day before there had been a report of a glaucous gull at Yarmouth port but when I headed that way I realised I was on the wrong side of the inlet, unfortunately I knew I wouldn't have time to go to the other side & decided to head up the A47 instead, & make my through the wintry landscape to Buckenham & Strumpshaw. The only gulls noted in Yarmouth were Herring & Great Black-Backed Gull.
Weather at Buckenham: bright & sunny but with the presistent, strong & cold wind. From 1030am.
After reaching Buckenham train 'station' (more like just a platform & a house) & realising that the cul-de-sac was the informal parking, I began to wrap up for the hike & immediately registered a Rook or two from the huge rookery on the marsh, & a nice flock of Fieldfare sweeping over the platform's hedgerow. Crossing the rails onto the path into the reserve to see impressive numbers of noisily whistling Wigeon, also quite a few Redshank foraging in the fields as well as the usual Black-Headed Gull, Common Gull & Starling. More numerous Meadow Pipit in evidence at this reserve too & also plentiful Lapwing although mostly ones or twos & not large flocks.
I reached the end of the first stretch of the path, before turning left, & took some time to scan a stretch of water to the right where the majority of the ducks were congregated. Amongst them, wading in the water a couple of larger-looking waders were identified as Ruff. A small wader then flew left to right & settled on marshes & it was clear from its head markings that it was a ringed plover, however after fixing the scope on it & picking out a prominent yellow eye & bright white nape I thought it looked more like a Little Ringer Plover than the usual ringed variety. After digging out the field guide to confirm my suspicions the bird had gone when I looked back but after I had seen enough to credit it as another new species for me. A bit further along the path I met another, more local birder who confirmed that these birds were due to arrive at this time of year.
On with the walk along the canal wall & the creeks between the wall & the marshes held Coot, Mute Swan, Moorhen & on the canal itself a pair of Great Crested Grebe. Slightly further on I scanned the largest expanse of the marshes & picked out small groups of Dunlin & summer-plumage Golden Plover as well as Shelduck & Oystercatcher. A singing Skylark also flew overhead.
As I rounded the far corner of the path around the marshes a good-sized skein of geese began to circle the area ready for a landing & again acting on information from the local birder I fixed the 'scope & picked out the white fronts of the White-Fronted Goose as they eventually came in to land. An elegant bird with a gentle honk (unlike the Greylag) & a species I've never seen in England before. Once they had landed & settled it was difficult to find them again, later on however, they again rose & made their way to a more distant part of the river-marshes.
I reached what appeared to be the furthest end of the reserve next to the old water tower & scanned back across the marsh for Teal, Gadwall, Mallard, Grey Heron & a possible Peregrine which was mobbed by Lapwing as it briefly perched on a fence post. My glimpse wasn't enough for me to determine whether this bird wasn't just a female Kestrel though, as it flew too low & quick to the ground.
Although it was apparently the end of the path I was lured by the promise of a hide which had been described on the map at the train station, so I climbed up again onto the canal wall to continue walking to a far distant sign & a gate next to a sluice gate. Walking along the wall put up Snipe & brought me close to several Greylag & Canada Geese, & as I scanned my destination along the wall a Green Woodpecker undulated into some far canal-side shrubbery.
Halfway along the canal wall I came across a strikingly pale bird low in the water, a profile which immediately shouted 'diver' to me. At a stretch it might have been a pale winter great-crested grebe but it was the wrong shape & size & too late in the year - grebes, like the two I'd seen earlier, are now in full summer plumage. Although it kept an eye on me it serenely floated up & down the same stretch of water allowing excellent views; its bill was always upturned & dark, almost black & its back was dark, with fine cream spots. Although there was no white visible on its flanks, as it shifted in the water it was nonetheless obvious that it was white underneath. Taking all this into consideration & after using the field guide I had to hand, it fitted most closely with a Red-Necked Diver & subsequent reference confirmed it; its dark bill I put down to its moulting into summer plumage. A completely unexpected & fantastic new bird to me: my first diver anywhere & I wonder how long it will be before I see another! Eventually & reluctantly I moved further on & reached the sluice gates before heading back. By this point a passing boat had disturbed the diver, but it soon reappeared from beneath the water only to resume diving with an elegant leap as it re-submerged itself. It moved further away from me amongst several geese so I moved on.
Heading back to the car along the creek a Wren flitted amongst the reeds & a few Pied Wagtails mingled with the pipits. Finally back at the car at the station & numerous garden birds in the hedgerow: Greenfinch, Robin, Magpie, Great Tit, Dunnock.
38 species, including 2 new species.
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