Welney

On Saturday the group I sometimes help with was due to head up to Cley but with the recent flooding we decided to go to Welney for a change instead.  I had time to pop in to Narford Lake on the way.  There weren't as many ducks there as there had been on my last visit and most of those that were there disappeared round the corner out of view as I arrived.  But the Great White Egret that's been wintering there dropped into the reeds opposite the church while I was stood there.

Great White Egret, Narford Lake, 4th February

Arriving at Welney the Whooper Swans behind the centre provided the first atraction for the group and 10 Snipe were seen on the fen while we were signing in.  We saw the first of 3 Goldeneye from the observatory and then headed over to Reedbed Hide.  While we were there a small group of Pochard flew in and I noticed one bird had a female Scaup-like white patch on its face.  I wondered if it might be a Scaup but I only got the briefest of views and didn't notice Scaup wing-bars.  I suspected they had gone down in front of the observatory but couldn't see it there.

We headed over to the observatory just in time for the swan feed, at the start of which I relocated the Scaup-faced bird.  It was immediately obvious that it wasn't a Scaup.  Structurally it was much like a Pochard and it had grey Pochard-like wing-bars.  I considered the possibility that it was just an aberrant Pochard, but I don't think so - it also had a less contrasting dark breast than other female Pochards there and the bill pattern wasn't normal.  I'm aware that female Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrids typically show a white face, more extensive than is usually present on either parent species, but they are also normally smaller than Pochard, have a different bill pattern and often a hint of a tuft.  I have seen photos of one individual that looked very similar to this bird - its identity was never fully resolved but one suggestion was that it might be a Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid backcrossed with Pochard.  I suppose it could be a Pochard x Scaup hybrid, a combination I have never come across before, but I'm not convinced.

possible Pochard x Tufted Duck hybrid, Welney, 4th February

Whooper Swans, Welney, 4th February

Pochard, Welney, 4th February

Tufted Duck, Welney, 4th February

A drake Pintail appeared while the swan feed was going on and just afterwards a Water Rail appeared to the right of the observatory.  Then a group of about 20 Bewick's Swans flew in.

Water Rail, Welney, 4th February

Bewick's Swans, Welney, 4th February

Mute Swans, Welney, 4th February

We headed up to Lyle Hide from where I picked up a Great White Egret.  The first-winter Glaucous Gull that had been present a few days was feeding on a dead swan at the far edge and more Bewick's Swans and Snipe were visible from here.  Kate picked up a pair of Stonechats outside Lyle Hide and then another pair behind Friends Hide.

Snipe, Welney, 4th February

 

Greylag Geese, Welney, 4th February

Shoveler, Welney, 4th February

Tufted Duck, Welney, 4th February

Wigeon, Welney, 4th February (including yet another female with white behind the eye)

Wren, Welney, 4th February

Lapwing, Welney, 4th February

Glaucous Gull, Welney, 4th February

swan feed, Welney, 4th February

Back at the centre a Peregrine came towards us disappearing over the centre before the whole group could get on it, and we saw a small group of White-fronted Geese on Lady Fen.

On Sunday afternoon I headed to a field where I have seen Jack Snipe in the past.  Given that they tend not to flush until you practically walk on them I had to walk up and down the field 24 times to cover it fully!  In doing so I flushed 23 Snipe and, eventually, 3 Jack Snipe.  Grey Wagtail flew over and nearby 2 Barn Owls were hunting.

On Tuesday there were still 12 White-fronted Geese on the patch, and a count of 84 Gadwall on a lake which has been pretty birdless on most recent visits.

On ThursdayI intended to go to Sparham Pools but somehow missed the turn and ended up at Lenwade.  I took the opportunity to return towards Lyng along the back road through Lyng Easthaugh and paused to wander round Catch 22 fishing lakes.  Apart from 4 Greylag Goose x Canada Goose hybrids there wasn't much happening, although a fleeting view of a falcon was frustrating.  Had a Merlin feel about it but I'm not sure.  Merlin would be my first in the valley I think.

Great Crested Grebe, Catch 22 pits, 8th February

I did get to Sparham Pools in the end but there wasn't much happening there - a Treecreeper being the highlight!  I'd had a text about some White-fronted Geese near Sparham and as I'd been planning to stop off there anyway in case the Great Grey Shrike might still be lurking in the area, I headed there next.  A flock of Greylags was in the air as I arrived and I could see some White-fronts among them.  Eventually they landed in the field nearby and sure enough there were 16 White-fronted Geese among them.

Yestserday's visit to the patch produced nothing better than 3 Bullfinches.

A day in the Brecks and Fens

Yesterday morning Redwings were still calling overhead at first light, as they had been when I went to bed.  I headed down to the Brecks for some Good Friday birding, this being the best day weather-wise for birding all weekend.  At least the nicest day, though with winds turning to a more southerly direction (and strengthening and bringing rain) there might be more in the way of migrants later on I suppose.

Barn Owl and Reeves's Pheasant got the day off to a start at Great Cressingham and the original Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant hybrid at Threxton Hill was still present and displaying.  Didn't see the darker bird this time.

Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant hybrid, Threxton Hill, 25th March

Pheasant, Great Cressingham, 25th March

A Red Kite at Bodney was the only bird of note before I hit Lynford Arboretum.  I'd seen a brown-bristled Marsh Tit last year - brown nasal bristles are supposed to be a feature of Willow Tit but this wasn't a Willow Tit.  With Willow Tits disappearing it's plausible that the odd hybrid should be appearing and, though I wouldn't go as far as to say that brown-bristled bird was a hybrid, I was conscious of this and determined to study all Marsh Tits carefully to see if I could find any evidence of hybridisation.  I found at least 5 different Marsh Tits but none that I could suspect of being hybrids.  One silent bird with a relatively bull-necked appearance and a bit more pale on the wings had me wondering for a while but it appeared so briefly I didn't get a good enough look and after studying the photos I think it was a pretty normal Marsh Tit.

Marsh Tits, Lynford, 25th March

Always nice to see Nuthatches, of which there were plenty, and only 1 Treecreeper.  A displaying male Firecrest appeared briefly, in a place I'd not seen them before and a Grey Wagtail dropped down in front of me.  Lots of Siskin flying around but no sign of Hawfinches or Crossbills.

Grey Wagtail, Lynford, 25th March

Mute Swan, Lynford, 25th March

I was planning to visit Welney later but with a need to find some clean facilities fairly urgently I decided to head there next!  I headed out to Reedbed Hide first (I think that's what it's called - the one left of the observatory).  Saw one of at least 4 Cetti's Warblers on the way down and a Fieldfare, and flushed a Water Rail from literally under my feet (it was under the boardwalk).  A Stoat showed from the Observatory but I didn't see so much up the other end, and no sign of the Great White Egret at Lady Fen.

Reed Bunting, Welney, 25th March

As I weaved my way back through the Fens I heard a Chiffchaff singing at Blackdyke.  Decided to drive down Cowle's Drove at Hockwold Fen, just north of Lakenheath (but in Norfolk).  Got as far as I wanted without seeing much of note but as I headed back through the muddy track one scan revealed a Great White Egret standing in a field.  Hadn't been expecting to see that, although it was presumably one of the two that have been frequenting Lakenheath (indeed they had been seen that morning).  I think they had been seen the Norfolk side of the river, on Hockwold Wash, but so far as I know not reported from this site.  Even so, Lakenheath is literally a stone's throw away, so I'm not treating it as a 'self-found' bird!

Great White Egret, Hockwold Fen, 25th March

I tweeted news out, looked back up and the egret was gone.  Hadn't seen it fly, but couldn't now see it anywhere.  A car that I'd seen parked up by the next field (separated by a strip of wood) but not realised were birders came past me as I headed down, and stopped to tell me that a Great White Egret had just dropped in there.  The same bird presumably?  Better just check my field again just in case, seeing as there are two around... no, there's still a Great White Egret here, so must be a different bird.  But this bird was now largely hidden deep in an area of thick rushes - hence not seeing it there before - and when I checked my photos later I realised this area was some distance from my first sighting.  So it probably hadn't walked there so either way I'd missed seeing it fly when I was busy tweeting.  In hindsight I think it's most likely that the bird the couple had seen was my original bird and the bird in the rushes was the second bird.  But definitely two birds between us anyway.

While this was going on a Green Sandpiper flew along the dyke and a large tanker lorry was heading towards me along the track.  I waited for it to pass before heading to the next field, but with a tanker passing I imagined any Great White Egret there would have been flushed, and whether it was or not I couldn't find it.  The tanker must have decided not to proceed down the very muddy rutted track and attempted to turn round, apparently failing to do so and getting stuck.  Glad I wasn't the other side of it as might have been there for some time!

I checked various other sites without much success, followed by visits to Cranwich Heath and Cranwich Camp.  These were more for invertebrates than birds, but a fine male Brambling flew over the camp, Green Woodpecker on the heath and Siskins everywhere.

Red-legged Partridge, Fowl Mere, 25th March

Another look for Pheasants in the evening only turned up the same Reeves's Pheasant x Common Pheasant hybrid, still in the same place at Threxton Hill.