by chris c Mon Oct 30 2017, 00:10
Oh bless! We used to get Green Woodpeckers in the garden regularly, digging into the ants' nests, but they haven't been around for a while. Still get Great Spotteds in the oak trees but not sure where they nest, probably further up or down the road where there are several more oaks which are probably what remains from a hedge that was at the field edge before the houses were built.
I went back to Minsmere in the lovely morning sunshine, but within half an hour it had clouded over. I started off to Island Mere, the big new hide overlooking the lake. On the way there I heard but didn't see a couple of Crossbills in some pines, the Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, a flock of assorted tits with a couple of Goldcrests that I tried and failed again to make into Yellow Browed Warblers, and another flock of Long tailed Tits.
Everyone coming the other way was telling me about the Bittern sitting right out in the open after catching a huge fish, but predictably just before I arrived it vanished. There was an Otter though, swimming about just in front of the hide, and once it popped up looking at us just like a seal would, and after it went down again there was a lot of rippling as it swum about without re-emerging. A Little Grebe popped up briefly, like a fluffy bath toy, then the Bittern flew up and around in a giant circle until it was mobbed by three Marsh Harriers and flopped into the water, sitting there with its beak pointing straight up until they gave up and returned to floating back and forth over the reedbeds. A Kingfisher zapped past, and in the distance were five Whooper Swans, a couple of Mutes, some Brent Geese along with the usual Greylags and Barnacles, a couple of Grey Herons and Little Egrets and a small flock of Cormorants, and quite a lot of non-rare Gulls and Ducks.
I snuck out onto the walkway, and after hearing some pinging eventually a pair of Bearded Tits flew up quite high, over some willows and back down again. I could also hear some Water Rails in the distance, as invisible as usual.
On the way back were even more tits, Goldfinches with a few Redpolls, and the usual Cetti's Warblers. Someone showed me a photo of a juvenile Merlin which had just arrived and was parked on the ground, seemingly exhausted. A different one from the adult we saw briefly the previous week.
I fell in with a delightful Yummy Mummy, with an adorable little daughter, and her mother who wasn't quite a GILF. In fact, being half term, there were a lot of families with kids, and while some of them were being dragged resentfully around it was great to see so many of them so enthusiastic about nature, climbing trees and finding fungi just like I used to do sixty years ago. I pointed out a few birds for them, much as people used to do for me.
They went down onto the beach and I went into the big hide where there were increasing numbers of Black Tailed Godwits and most of the expected ducks and gulls, including a lot more Wigeon and Shovelers than before, but nothing unexpected. A couple of gull experts were picking out a couple of Caspian and Yellow Legged Gulls among the Herrings, Lesser Blackbacks and increasing numbers of Great Blackbacks, and not a few Black Headeds, but I didn't see any Mediterranean or Common Gulls. A flock of Linnets which didn't appear to contain any Twites, and several Pied Wagtails. In the bushes were the usual Stonechats but no rarities or migrants, and several Meadow Pipits. On the way I met the family coming back, having spotted a seal just off the beach.
I walked on round to the next hide but the Merlin had moved on. The sun finally broke through from under the clouds and there was a solitary Redshank looking incredibly knock-kneed, which turned out to be an optical illusion from its reflection in the mirror-smooth water. I got chatting with some more people, some of whom I'd met previously as we went round in opposite directions, and we compared notes, including on various farm shops and butchers with their specialist local sausages.
I'd been to the farm shop on the way out, where my delighful Thai friend made me wait while she packed EIGHT Gloucester Old Spots especially for me, and sold me another hunk of Red Storm cheese. She takes such good care of me that if I'd married her instead I'd probably not have needed to get divorced, though she might. Despite that I decided to finish the other half of the rump steak with some more perfectly cooked sprouts, and this time I didn't overcook the steak.
Next day was a lot less excellent, it was back to being cold and blowy. I did the Co-Op, drove around looking at the autumn colours, and walked on the funky common which is marshy, covered in Early Purple Orchids in spring, and huge spectacular piebald horses which like to stand in the middle of the roads, and have been known to eat windscreen wipers, probably for the road salt, but they'd been put away. I was expecting to see and hear Fieldfares and Redwings but didn't, just the usual Pigeons, Pheasants, Partridges and Gulls and a couple of Blackbirds, Robins, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits, so I turned for home and yet another Chilli Beef with broccoli.