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.

Local White-fronts, Cley, Christmas & an Eastern Black Red

No birding on 21st December though I did drive past Lyng Easthaugh gravel pits on my way home from Norwich and noticed a Greylag x Canada Goose hybrid there.

On 22nd I popped in to the local patch for the first time in ages.  Not much doing on the whole except for one exellent local record - a flock of 26 White-fronted Geese.  Not the first time I've seen this species on the patch but a flock this big is very unusual.  The flock comprised 18 adults and 8 first-winters.

White-fronted Geese, Hell Pit, 22nd December

A drumming Great Spotted Woodpecker was great to hear - I thought it might prove to be my earliest but checking through my records I've heard them drumming this early several times before.  On my way up to the coast I paused briefly at Bintree Mill.  Not much doing there but a flock of 20+ Brambling opposite the end of the road.

I headed up to Cley hoping to see the hybrid sparrow that's been knocking around there.  I spent a good deal of time in Cley Spy looking at the feeders but with no luck.  Eventually I gave up and headed along the road to look in the hedgerows and gardens (I gather it was first seen at Steve G's place).   A party of 3 White-fronted Geese flew around, eventually heading inland with Brent Geese.

White-fronted Geese, Cley, 22nd December

Once I'd given up on the sparrows I headed to Dauke's where a Water Pipit appeared briefly.  Interesting that it seemed to be quite heavily streaked (especially above) which made me doubt my ID slightly, but in the end it has to be Water, unless I'm much mistaken.

Water Pipit, Cley, 22nd December

Lots of duck there, but I failed to find anything unusual among them.  A Bittern flew low over the reeds and a Kingfisher sped past.  A Stonechat perched up in the distance.

Shoveler, Cley, 22nd December

Wigeon, Cley, 22nd December

On Christmas Day Vitty and I headed up to Burnham Overy for a picnic lunch after church.  Two Red Kites were trying to feed on roadkill north of Sculthorpe.  The walk out to the dunes and back was a bit more rushed than usual (with Vitty not being interested in standing around in the wind while I looked at birds), but I had time to pick out the Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose hybrid, an odd-looking Pink-footed Goose with very dark head and neck (stained?), at least 46 Barnacle Geese (far and away the largest number I've seen here - perhaps wild but with a feral population nearby I'm not sure) and at least 2 White-fronted Geese.  Finally a single Stonechat was seen in the dunes, and we headed back home for another goose, cooked this time.

We headed up to see family in the Lake District on 27th, stopping en route at Skinnigrove (ok, Cleveland isn't exactly en route, but near enough) to see the Eastern Black Redstart.  A thoroughly lovely bird it was too, although the sun was some way off rising enough to shine on it before we had to leave so the photos are a bit grainy.

Eastern Black Redstart, Skinningrove. 27th December

Amazing the number of birds feeding on this unvegetated pile of boulders - Wren, Dunnocks, Robins, Pied Wagtails, Rock Pipits and the Redstart.

It's grim up north, and whether it was the air or just a bug, I was pretty unwell for the rest of the day, which was a shame as it rather spoilt the lunch we had at one of the best restaurants in the country. 

Feeling a bit better next day I ventured out around the south Lakes, stopping first at Windermere where one of 3 Goosanders was very tame.  

Goosander, Windermere, 28th December

Also a hybrid between a domestic Greylag and a Canada Goose here.  From the Roa Island causeway a large mixed flock of Dark- and Pale-bellied Brent Geese contained at least 220 of the latter.  Also 319 Eider.

Hodbarrow held another Greylag x Canada Goose hybrid, at least a dozen Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser and 12 Scaup.  2 Greenshank flew over the causeway to the beach.

I had just a short amount of time to kill on the morning of 29th before meeting family for lunch and had a drive round Ullswater.  Not much doing there - just a couple of goose flocks and a one Wigeon flock.  The former included 40 Barnacle Geese and 5 Greylag x Canada Goose hybrids.

Wigeon x Mallard hybrid, Brant hybrid and the leucistic intersex Wigeon

I headed up to Burnham Overy on 26th November.  The walk out was uneventful save for my second Barn Owl of the morning and a flock of 7 Bearded Tits.  From Gun Hill I spent a while scanning the sea.  There were quite a few Red-throated Divers on the sea but very distant and it was going to be tricky picking up anything more interesting at that range.  Then I noticed another diver that was a little bit closer - it was a Great Northern Diver.  As I watched it a much smaller bird appeared next to it - a Red-necked Grebe.  I later saw a Red-necked Grebe flying west - not entirely sure if it was the same bird or a different one.  Also a few Great Crested Grebes on the sea and half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers just beyond the shoreline.

I had a look round the dunes with little to report.  There were 3 Stonechats (all in different places) and a Merlin, but nothing else of note - in particular I didn't see the Isabelline Wheatear that I thought was long gone but which reappeared here a few days later.

Stonechat, Burnham Overy, 26th November

From the east end looking into Holkham Bay the Scoter flock was too distant to identify individual birds until it took to flight.  Then it became apparent that there were somewhere in the region of 20 Velvet Scoters among them, the best count I've had in Norfolk for a while.

As I returned to my car a fabulous male Hen Harrier flew west through the freshmarsh and on towards Burnham Norton.  The Brent Goose flock contained a bird with white speckling on the head - a pattern of leucism I have observed many times though I still do not know why they are prone to this whereas birds with evidence of leucism on the wings/body are so rare.

Dark-bellied Brent Goose, Burnham Overy, 26th November

The Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose hybrid was also there.

Black Brant x Dark-bellied Brent Goose hybrid, Burnham Overy, 26th November

Next day I didn't have much time but enough to nip up to Stiffkey to see a hybrid duck that Mike Buckland had tweeted about the previous day.  It was still there, on the marsh opposite the Red Lion best viewed from the Muckledyke Way permissive path, with 345 Wigeon - a splendid Wigeon x Mallard hybrid, the first I've ever seen.  It was mainly grazing with the Wigeon but occasionally the whole flock was spooked and came forward to the pool closer to me.  The light was poor so my photos were taken with very high ISO...

Wigeon x Mallard hybrid, Stiffkey, 27th November

Also on the pool were 203 Teal and 123 Black-tailed Godwits.


Yesterday (Saturday 3rd December) I headed up to Cley first thing.  As I got out of my car I heard Bewick's Swans calling and looked up to see a family party of 5 flying east over my head.  Good start!

As I started to walk out a Cetti's Warbler was calling away and, unusually, showing quite nicely.  As I crossed the bridge a Water Rail flew from under it and was then seen swimming in the dyke for a bit.  I entered Dauke's Hide, opened the flaps and there in front of me was a Water Pipit.  The day had started well!  It didn't contine so well.

Water Pipit, Cley, 3rd December

I searched the Teal flocks hard looking for the Green-winged Teal x Eurasian Teal hybrid that Mark had found earlier in the week.  No luck, although I was interested to see one Teal that seemed to show a very faint hint of a pale vertical bar between the flanks and the breast.  On closer inspection I think it was just the light - at any rate it didn't seem to be an actual plumage mark.  I don't think it was a hybrid - in all other respects it was 100% Teal and when it eventually moved the line seemed to disappear and didn't seem to be present on the other side.

Teal, Cley, 3rd December

As I returned to the car there were 2 Stonechats and then I popped along to Salthouse to see the odd Wigeon that's been wintering there for several years now.  It's a fascinating bird, apparently an intersex female, a female that's developed male characteristics, and has a white patch on the head.  Noel E and John M both contacted me recently to say that they had watched it on the duckpond apparently paired to a drake Wigeon and they heard it calling, giving a call that is typical of female Wigeon.  It was still there today, still paired with the drake Wigeon, but I didn't manage to hear it call.

leucistic intersex female Wigeon, Salthouse, 3rd December

It was still early and I had a little bit of time before needing to meet friends in town so I went on to Blakeney Freshes.  The walk out was uneventful save for a lovely Kingfisher in the channel, 4 Goldeneye and 4+ Red-breasted Mergansers.  A Stonechat was seen but not much else at first.  Eventually a small finch flew up and off - I was pretty sure from the call that it was a Twite but I hadn't seen it well enough.  Fortnately a minute or two later it returned and landed on the fence - it was indeed a Twite.

Twite, Blakeney, 3rd December

I had hoped to pop along to Stiffkey to see if the Wigeon x Mallard hybrid was still there but I'd now run out of time and had to race off to Norwich (where I saw a Grey Wagtail).  Fantastic lunch at Baby Buddha - it helps so much having a Chinese person in your group who knows what to order!  After lunch I had just enough time to look for a Ruddy Shelduck x Egyptian Goose hybrid that Dave had seen recently (possibly the same bird I saw at Burnham Market although a long way from there).  He hadn't seen it again during the last few visits and I didn't either - just 71 Egyptian Geese.  Not far away I saw at least 12 Red Kites at a known roost site.