short eared owl - Thorpe Marshes

short eared owl - Thorpe Marshes

Friday 20 April 2012

Busy couple of weeks......

  So it's been a manic 2 weeks so a quick up date on what I've seen!
I've only managed a couple of patch visits. I got my first Sand Martins of the year on 8th along with my first  Willow Warbler, 5x Cettis Warblers and the 2x LRPs still. On the 10th I had 55x Tufted ducks on the broad which was a nice count for the time of year, along with a few more Sand Martins over head-(also a Chinese Water Deer in among the reeds).
 On Tuesday this week I had my first Swallows over the patch with a total of 6 and 2x Cuckoos! (A week earlier then last years) . I watched from the bridge as they flew south west over towards Whitlingham. Also 3x Sedge warblers, 2x Willow warblers and single male Blackcap and 2x common Buzzards were of note.
singing Willow Warbler

Now back to last week where I got my first Swallow of the year over Marston allotments & managed to nip off to blofield for Ring Ouzel which was feeding in a field along with 2x Fieldfare and also a male Marsh Harrier over.
I got to see the very showing Hoopoe too - As soon as i stepped out the van in the car park i had a Short Eared Owl being mobbed by a few gulls. A stunning Stonechat along the way to the caravan site was a joy to see but not was all the birders telling us it hadn't been seen who passed us by . I was joined with a local birder named Clive at this point who i meet in the car park & we got gassing as u do and hoped our luck was in (he had been lucky earlier in the day with views of the Osprey at Ransworth).We then noticed a few birders up on the dunes and got chatting .Tara & Andy both had not seen any sign of the Hoopoe so all scanned away and as I watched a group of gulls cross over in the distance I picked it up on the ground .Very distance views but at least we knew it was here.
We all got a littler closer but still not great views but then it took to air after being spooked by a dog only to land right in front of us. A real picture moment !
An absolute stunner & a lifer for me so I was well chuffed:-)
Hoopoe!(246)

Stonechat (likes the National Trust)

Also picked up the Bewick's swan that has been in the river Wensum for few days. This was my first view of one actually in the water as I only ever had them in the fields up at Catfield so nice bird to see and a good lunch break tick !
Bewick's Swan

 Happy Birding,
 Shaky