Waxwings again

On Thursday 31st January, 18 Waxwing were seen around the Berry bush at Crab Lane and they all flew west a few yards to a tree by some houses. Early afternoon, the Waxwings were busy feeding on the bush again, joined by Ricky F, we both witnessed a Sparrowhawk dive at great speed into the bush and unfortunately pluck out an unfortunate Waxwing, held securely in its talons as it shot away. The rest of the Waxwings flew to the tall trees in the churchyards where there were 50+ birds. The Fieldfare was again seen on the berry bush giving very good views.

More Waxwings

With a load of Waxwings just up the road from work, you'd think I'd have some time to look at them, but being exceptionally busy at work, I have to confine my views to drive bys and a brief stop at lunchtime. Just before 10.30am 8 Waxwings flew up from the berry tree and feeding in the tree itself was an obliging Fieldfare as I stopped at the traffic lights. At 1.20pm there were a much larger group noted in the tall trees by Almond road/ Oak road at Gorleston and a ten minute stop here led to a confirmed count of 55 Waxwings! Alison was there also. The Waxwings then suddenly flew over to the berry bushes but in the breezy conditions weren't staying long, my cue to leave. At 2.50pm again passing by, I saw c40 Waxwing again flying again around the berry bush/ tree by the eastern end of Crab Lane.

Unlucky for some, but not me!

I was just about to take my lunchbreak, when a tweet from Ricky, saw me driving to Crab lane and I drove down Almond road to Berberis Green, where I saw 13 excellent Waxwing perched on a TV aerial, some flying down to the garden. They were trilling regularly until they all flew north- east to a tree in Almond road. Where they perched trilling once again before finally flying south and alighting on the well berried tree on the Crab Lane corner.

RSPB Big Garden birdwatch

Over the weekend, I participated in the RSPB Big Garden birdwatch. On Saturday in the first hour of daylight, 3 Greenfinch, 5 Chaffinch (3 male, 2 females), 4 Blue Tits, 3 Great Tits, 4 Wood Pigeon, 2 Collared Dove, female Blackbird, Dunnock, Robin a female Green Woodpecker seen as it flew up to a bush on Fallowfields. 4 Starling seen on aerials at the front. On Sunday, the 4 LT Tits visited the fat balls.

The snow has finally gone

At Oulton Broad, Mutford Lock it was low tide and consequently no Jack Snipe seen amongst the Redshanks, 3 Sanderling were seen. At Lake Lothing from the riverside, 4 Shag were seen, at one time 3 together. 3 Sanderling flew east along the river. At Hamilton Dock, 4 Sanderling were seen in the north east corner. A Ness Point walking north to the sea wall 100 yards from the Point, a group of waders included Turnstones, 3 Sanderling, 6 Purple Sandpipers and 1 Dunlin. They fed on the rocks while for a time the Dunlin slept. They eventually flew south to a groyne. walking back along the Point to the finger, a Sanderling flew past and settled on the ledge just feet away but was running right (south) the whole time. It eventually settled at the eastern most point feeding before flying south again.

Jack Snipes, Whoopers & Glaucous

Driving past Oulton Broad Mutford Lock bridge, I could see Rob Wil, scoping something by the time I had parked up and walked round he had gone. Looking over I could see 2 Redshank and a Snipe, Morris B arrived and I suddenly spotted the excellent Jack Snipe right in the back corner, seen behind a drainage pipe, it was bobbing up and down on the mud before it walked up to the snow and disappeared behind a clump of grass. Later when we had been joined by Ricky F, Paul & Jane F, Tony B & Neville S, 3 Snipes were at the back and 2 Jack Snipes came out running down to the shore whilst one disappeared up the bank. A Rock Pipit flew down to the side of the bridge briefly before flying off. I later saw Dave H & Paul W as I left. At Leathes ham, 8 Pintail seen (4 males and 4 female) including the pale buff coloured head of the male from last winter plus a male Wigeon. At Waddling Lane, driving down to it from the Queen Highway at Flixton and taking the lane west of the telephone box, I met James B & Paul W and looking north from the gate, at the far end of the field in front of a wood, were a family party of 6 excellent Whooper Swans, with 2 adults and 4 immatures. feeding at the back of the field. Back at Oulton Broad, I was parking up ready to photograph the Jack Snipe, when a tweet stated that the Glaucous was on the water from the yacht club and I joined Morris B & Tony B and I could see the excellent 1st year Glaucous Gull swimming on the water just by a pale pink buoy it started to swim right and I could see the large two tone pink and black- tipped bill, biscuit coloured plumage and and white wings/ primaries. It swam around for a while and watched for twenty minutes before it flew west at around late afternoon. I was joined by first Ricky F and then jane, Paul F & Robert Wil and later Andrew E. Also on the water quite close to us, was the ever popular "Woody" the male Wood Duck, a very smart plumaged male. Walking over to the bridge the Jack Snipe was showing very well by the drainage pipe as I looked over the wall albeit in fading light. Again it was bobbing up and down, then it walked into the water before walking onto the mud by the drainage pipe. Later, a walk around Warren House Wood, I saw a Woodcock fly up and west. It was great to see Snipe, Jack snipe & Woodcock all in one day. Looking around the stream by the Japanese Knotweed, no sign of the hoped for rail and the dark drape of dusk had fallen, back in Warren House wood, I heard 2 Tawny Owls hooting from the eastern end of the wood.

Sad demise of Ruddy Duck

Whilst driving to a meeting at the Time & Tide Museum, I noted a Fieldfare fly over Southtown road and perch in a tree by Matalan, it later flew back to another tree on the same car park before flying over to the Mountain Ash/ Waxwing trees just south of there. At Great Yarmouth Library, by the Sycamore along the eastern side of the car park, a Redwing perched on top of the tree. Along Caister road, another Fieldfare flew east across and over the road, whilst travelling north. Later on at lunchtime from the dual carraigeway going west of Caister, I noted a Brown Hare running along a field carpeted with snow. As I was working at Martham Library this afternoon, I had an eventful lunchtime visit at Filby from 12.45 to 1.45pm. Walking to Filby Broad from the car park, some birds flew in by the alders including at least 5 Siskins, around 70 Coot swam away plus a Kingfisher zipped past first showing its irridescent blue plumage as it flashed past, and later its fiery orange under belly when it returned. At a 95% frozen Filby Broad, near the bridge was an unfrozen patch of water were around 30 Tufted Duck and a very close male Goldeneye. Looking over to an area near the back, to the right of the wooded island, was a long line of unfrozen water, amongst the Tufted duck here, was an excellent female Ruddy Duck, a small pale buff duck with stiff erect tail, now very much a rarity following the ongoing DEFRA cull to stop this bird hybridizing with the globally threatened near relative the White- headed Duck in Spain. It was swimming around merrily swimming left along with the Tufted ducks. I watched it for some time as it swam and constantly dived, it showed paler checks with dark brown band running across them. I then walked to Ormesby Little Broad, (on the walk down, along the boardwalk, by the dyke a Kingfisher zipped past), here too the Broad was 95% frozen, 2 Mute Swans & Tufted duck seen in the unfrozen pool at the back. By the alders, 2 Marsh Tits flew across from right to left and a Lesser Redpoll was heard but not seen. At the very back just left of the wooded island was another small area of unfrozen water and a thin line of unfrozen water by the far bank, this area was covered with many, many c150 Shovelors, a male Pintail was seen here too and following a sighting from other birders, I scanned this area constantly for half an hour before a female Marsh Harrier helpfully (for me!) scattered the birds as it flew low over the ducks here. Many started to swim way over to the right or fly away. At last I had a chance of realistically seeing these elusive Smew, amongst their number, I briefly spied an excellent redhead female Smew swimming right too. The constant scanning over the far side of the Broad, meant that I missed a macabre event reported to me by other birders who just arrived (from viewing the broad from the boardwalk bridge along the eastern side of the Broad, they informed me that they had been watching the female Ruddy Duck swimming in this area, when abruptly a Great Black- backed Gull had flown over and was about to commit a felony, it swam alongside it in the water, the GBB Gull promptly grabbed the female Ruddy Duck's head and held it under water drowning the unfortunate bird. The GBB Gull then grabbed it's unfortunate victim and flew onto the ice. Later, I saw the GBB Gull pecking at a corpse of a very small pale brown duck, which indeed looked like a corpse of the female Ruddy Duck.