"Perfect Day": Fisher Row & Ness Point park pool

On Sunday 14th February, keeping up the Laurel and Hardy featurette names- was a perfect day. A calling Bullfinch flew over the front garden (heard only) early morning. I was keen to go back to Fisher Row and with my dysfunctional backup camera, get a better shot of a Water Rail as the wintry weather was due to end within 24 hours. With a relatively early start back on my exercise walk at Fisher Row, taking the main camera (sans 1.4X converter) and lens, I gingerly made my way down the lethally icy entrance hill and went back to the dyke just beyond the dumped cycle in the dyke. 2 Water Rails were showing reasonably well although they were mostly in the shadier areas or were obscured, Rob H, Paul and Sara arrived and Sara imemdiately spotted a Water Rail right out in the open by the snowy bank, needless to say it soon sprinted off before I had set up. Rob, Paul and Sara left to check Ness Point park pool but they showed me the formerly very obliging Water Rail(my third of the day) by the dyke near the entrance hill, it say by the blue pipe but dog walkeres forced into running back into vegeation and I didn't see it again. Returning to the original dyke, one Water Rail fed again and then went way out "south" (pity it wasn't "west" with the cutrrent Lauerl and Hardy theme!) and fed out in the open albeit in poor light, it then andered further south where the dyke ran out andina wet area just beyond it disturbed and flushed a Jack Snipe that got up and flew off west! I then tracked it back to the northern edge of the dyke and incrediby this time it flushed a Woodcock that did indeed fly "way out west!" I then went to the Ness Point park to continue my exercise walk and saw Rob, Paul & Sara again. The area immediately east of the net posts was flooded with a big pool and amongst the Gulls in the middle of the flooded were 2 elegant adult Caspian Gulls , amongst immature Herring Gulls and later 1 adult Mediterranean Gull. An impressive array of waders were present pick of the bunch was a winter- plumaged Bar- tailed Godwit feeding along the watery edge of the pool, also present was a Grey Plover feeding onb the grassy perimeter. There were also 17 Dunlin, Oystercatcher and a Redshank. Whilst in the now fenced off Net Posts compound was a Lapwing. By the northern edge of the pool was 1 immature Brent Goose, whilsy around 6 Meadow Pipits. Back home, a calling Meadow Pipit (not seen) flew south.

"Below Zero": a fine afternoon at Fisher Row

On Friday 19th February is the terrestrial television Freeview of the film on BBC1, "Stan & Ollie" which is an excellent film (I thoroughly recommend watching it, if you hacven't ssen it you in for a real treat!) telling the story of the archetypal and original and in my opinion, the finest comedy double act; Laurel and Hardy. In one of the best films I've seen in recent years with stunning stand out performances from both Steve Coogan and John O'Reilly in the title roles. So in tribute to them and the film I am naming each blog post in the immediate future after either one of Laurel and Hardy's films or shorts starting with "Below Zero"! Having been kindly told by Rob H, of obliging Water Rails at Fisher Row, On Saturday 13th February, I headed down at 3pm and along one of the few dykes with free flowing water along the western edge of the path, 1 showy Water Rail was seen and amazingly another 3 so 4 Water Rails in all. Particularly pleased to see them as I haven't seen Water Rail for several years. The Water Rail was usually in the darker or more obscured sections of the dyke and together with the back up camera/100-400mm lens malfunctioning, I'll need to pop down again tomorrow with my 7DMk2 and my trusty 500mm lens. 2 Barn Owls were hunting in the field just north west of the dyke where the Rails were. Walking on just over the railway line I looked in a good wooded area for Woodcock (determined to get in on the Woodcock action in the Beast from the East 2)and saw 4 Woodcocks fly out. In addition walking to the bowl I saw another Woodcock fly out. Walking past the rea gardens I heared another Water Rail so 5 Water Rails in all. Walking along the path along the river, a Wren flew from reed to reed and I spied a group of 6 Greylag Geese and 30 Greylag Geese flew in from across the river. Finally, another Wren seen by the small alder wood.

"The handsomest Pheasant in all Christendon"

On Sunday 7th February, to paraphrase the Venetian ambassador on the assent of Henry VIII to the English throne, I saw what maybe the "The handsomest Pheasant in all Christendon" during the blizzard conditions last weekend (Sunday). It was particularly gratifying to see this virile Male Pheasant fly over (while we can see part of the western part of the building site near the Parkhill hotel grounds, (before another 2 "Empire State Building" style/ "Tower of Babel" vile and hideous recreations completely block our view) Where were the planned bungalows that was in the planning applications?) from Parkhill grounds onto the building site. He's still about and I was very pleased to see him. Sadly, the monstrous artifical edifices completely blocked any further view of him. Also, very gratifying to see a charm of 18 gold, red and fawn spangled Goldfinches, fly in and they took full advantage of the recently replenished bird feeders. This is my highest tally of this species in the garden to date. Also, seen was the now, sadly, rare sighting of 3 Chaffinces (1 male & 2 females) and the now equally rare sighting of a female Greenfinch too. (Library pic of the virile Pheasant from last summer 2020 when he spent much of his time in the now sadly eradicated grassland habitat just "a stone's throw" from the back garden fence).

Buzzard flying past the garden

On Wednesday 3rd February at 7.10am, a Buzzard flew south- west close by past the front garden just as day was breaking. With birding deemed an illegal activity (despite angling and shooting judged as exercise) I can only get out exercising on my bike (with a pair of bins around my neck of course!) on nice days when I can cycle around, sadly there haven't been any (when I have been off work) over the past few weeks.

Really poor RSPB garden birdwatch

On Sunday 31st January, the garden was virtually birdless all day, but we did manage a Wood Pigeon which is usually hanging around usually on the back kgence or the garden pagoda and a foraging Blue Tit prospecting our nest boxes (offering hope for a nesting pair in the spring). Despite the plethora of food put out sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, fatballs, dried mealworms, peanuts and alder seeds the bird were probably put off by all the buidling work which with 3 great big houses being worked Monday- Friday just over the fence. No sign of the Robin, or Blackbirds or Dunnock which was very disappointing. A far cry from a year or two ago when we would get Bullfinches plus Greenfinches, Goldfinches & Chaffinches. Several Black- headed Gulls seen flying over the garden though.

Fieldfare over

On Saturday 23rd January, whilst replenishing the bird feeders a Fieldfare flew west over the garden at 12.10pm.

Sad demise of a young Minke Whale

On Thursday 21st January, my lunchtime exercise walk was along the Lowestoft south beach and just south of Claremont Pier and just south of the Coastguard lookout was the unfortunate and sad sight of a young dead Minke Whale washed up on the beach, obviously got into difficulty the previous evening when the there had been high winds. Around 20 foot long obviously a young Minke Whale.