A blizzard of gulls as the flood water recedes - February 2014

The water level on the River Meon has been steadily receding over the last couple of days and this has resulted in meadows being transformed into large areas of exposed mud. The wetland habitat left looks ideal for visiting waders and with reports of Green Sandpipers on other river valleys in the county, I have been checking the fields regularly in the hope of adding one to the patch list. 

Mixed flock of Black-headed, Common and Mediterranean Gulls

There has not been much of note most days, but today was different. As I approached the river I noticed a large flock of gulls feeding on the newly exposed mud, many more than the usual 30 or so. Quickly scanning through the flock it appeared that it consisted of mainly Black-headed and Common Gulls, but then I heard the distinctive mewing call of a Mediterranean Gull. Scanning through the flock again it was not long before I had picked up four Med Gulls in with an estimated 500+ Black-headed and around 100 Common Gulls.

Two Med Gulls with Common and Black-heads

The Meds gulls were starting to come into breeding plumage and so were exhibiting nearly full jet black hoods. By contrast most of the Black-heads were still in winter plumage, and where they were not, their dark brown hoods and smaller size made the meds stand out. The whole flock was quite jumpy and would occasionally take flight, the mewing call of the Meds stood out from the cacophony produced by the whole flock. The Meds stood out again in flight due to there all white wing tips, can you see the one in the picture below?

Can you see the Med Gull?

I did not have my scope with me and so was unable to work my way through the flock in detail but hopefully the birds will hang around for a few days. Before heading off I had a quick scan of the nearby pond and was pleased to see a pair of Shoveler. These birds were not present yesterday so it looks like birds are starting to move around.

The pair of Shoveler on the Pond 

So two new species for the patch year list and hopefully as spring approaches there will be more surprises to come.

In Search of Winter Birds - Norfolk 2013 Day 2

Our day began with a re-calculation of last nights species total, from the lowly 63 species that we thought we had recorded, to the dizzy heights of 68. There is no reason for the miscalculation other than over indulgence in ale from the nearby pub followed by a couple of healthy drams of Talisker before bed....not the wisest thing to do when you have a full day's birding ahead of you!

After a hearty home cooked breakfast we ventured out into the crisp morning air. Overnight  light snow was still lying on the ground so we knew it was going to be cold, but the brisk north-westerly wind was unexpected. 

Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra

We began our day with a trip to Choseley Barns, a former site for tree sparrow, but sadly no more. Nonetheless, there are still good birds to be seen in this area and today was no exception. Yellowhammer, brambling, chaffinch, linnet, and the now very difficult corn bunting were present in the hedges whilst grey partridges were unusually present in good numbers in the fields.

Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra

In Hampshire, species such as corn bunting and yellowhammer have disappeared from many of the their former haunts, which makes these trips to Norfolk even more enjoyable; not only do you get to see the range of species, but in good numbers too.

Brambling Fringilla montifringilla and Chaffinch's F. coelebs

The farm has recently entered a High Level Stewardship scheme and it seems to be paying dividends, since the number and diversity of species was great, and this in turn attracted interesting predators, the most noteworthy being a hunting merlin which headed low over the fields in search of food.

Brambling and Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella

Our next stop was the RSPB reserve at Titchwell, a great place for wintering ducks and waders and for looking out to sea for sea ducks and divers. We arrived in glorious sun but before long a very ominous dark cloud appeared on the horizon. The pasture to the west of the reserve was excellent, golden plover, curlew, lapwing, black-tailed godwit and ruff were all present, a great start to our visit.

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata, one drake and two ducks 

In contrast to the pasture, the scrapes were much quieter. The usual species were present, shoveler, shelduck, mallard, gadwall and teal, with a single female red-crested pochard putting in a surprise appearance. Wading birds were relatively thin on the ground, with pied avocet and a single spotted redshank the most noteworthy.

Sanderling Calidris alba

Our timing was not great because before we reached the second hide the storm arrived, and with it a deluge of hail and sleet and an increase in wind speed. After it had passed we headed out to look at the sea, the strong wind and rough sea made viewing difficult, but we still managed common scoter, only four though, loads of goldeneye, great-crested grebe and red-throated diver. Thousands of gulls were roosting on the beach whilst sanderling, redshank and bar-tailed godwit fed amongst them.

Snow Buntings Plectrophenax nivalis

Whilst at Titchwell, we were told of a flock of snow buntings that were frequenting the dunes at Holme, so you can guess where our next stop was. We parked in the car park, walked out across the golf course and before long we were watching a flock of around 80 birds, which had joined with even more goldfinch's and skylarks. It doesn't matter how often you see them snow buntings are spectacular, and when you have a flock of 80, you can see where the phrase a 'blizzard' of snow buntings comes from.

Dunlin Calidris alpina (left) Knot Calidris canutus (right)

Holme was also great for waders and the dunlin and knot were extremely approachable, giving the ideal opportunity for photography. The image above provides an excellent change to compare two species that can be easily confused by the inexperienced birder.

Knots in flight

After Holme we headed to Wells harbour, where a common seal had hauled out on the sand, before heading to our final destination of Holkham Park.

Common Seal Phoca vitulina

There was not much to report from Holkham, and with no large flocks of geese to see dropping in at Lady Anne's Drive, we headed back to our lodgings and some freshly caught mussels.