I had some time off last week, which was totally unplanned, but turned out quite well.
It actually started on Friday 16th, when I spent the morning at Amwell, only my third visit of the year. I quickly added a few year ticks, with several singing Reed and Sedge Warblers, the usual Oystercatcher pair and three Little Ringed Plovers. There was also a large Sand Martin flock feeding over the south end which gradually dispersed along with small parties of Swallows among them. One female Goldeneye remains, but otherwise only the normal summer wildfowl were present. Snipe were rather more conspicuous than usual with several birds flitting around, one Raven was seen briefly and at the end of my visit a Common Tern appeared.
The Saturday afternoon walk around Aston End wasn't really productive, though my first Whitethroat of the year was seen, but otherwise summer visitors were scarce-having weeks of cold northerlies has really had an impact this year.
Sunday 18th was split into two parts. I did a quick circuit of Norton Green in the hope of picking up Ring Ouzel and Wheatear but it was largely empty. I then went round Dyes and Kitching Lane which again was a bit on the quiet side, there were a a few Chiffchaff and Blackcap around, and the usual Marsh Tits. All of the winter thrushes appear to have finally departed. I was hoping the. ponds and stream would remain through the summer but they are getting rather dry now. A few Hares are in the area-these were snapped last month.
An early walk around Fairlands Valley on Monday was a bit bracing with the northerly winds, but maybe have been beneficial as several Willow warblers were singing, along with a few Chiffchaff and Blackcaps. Willows have been declining locally and the south over the last few decades and last year despite daily walks only recorded a handful of singing birds yet they are certainly more common this year. Two Pairs of Tufted Ducks were noteworthy as well.
Another early walk on the 20th around Aston End was another cool one though it did warm up a bit eventually. Three Willow Warblers was good news, and there were now a lot of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing, but there were no other summer warblers. Last year I had already located a number of Common and Lesser Whitethroat territories.As for cuckoos and hirundines well they were non existent. I did get to see a pair of Yellow Wagtails presumably on passage and there seem to be a few Linnets, Chaffinch and Greenfinches nesting this year.
Wednesday 21st was a red letter day-a trip to Norfolk and meeting up with Colin for the first time in six months. I just wish I had taken my winter jacket.
A quick stop at Chosely and then onto a nice quiet and almost empty Titchwell. Naturally year ticks in abundance with Avocets, Godwits and so on, Brent Geese, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers plus a few rather smart Med Gulls in the Black Headed colony. The sea, despite the northerly was a bit disappointing with a few Gannets and Sandwich Terns passing and a rather pitiful flock of three Common Scoter.
After warming up a bit we went to Morston Quay and having walked along the sea wall to the eastern paddock realised that the long staying Ring Ouzel was back where we started near the car park. A couple of Wheatear and a Greenshank in the harbour was useful.
The final part of the trip was an early afternoon walk around Lakenheath Fen. Lots of hirundines over the mere-though without House Martins which I have yet to see. After a bit of a search, a pair of Garganey were found, and a Stonechat then it was a bit of a quiet walk along the river to the Joist fen viewpoint where a rather loud booming Bittern kept us entertained while we failed to see any Cranes though a pair of displaying Hobby in the distance was nice.
Gluttons for punishment we were out again the next day this time to Pembrokeshire. Star of the show was the long staying young Walrus which had taken a liking to the Tenby lifeboat station ramp. It was an exhausting long journey but worth it as it isn't a species I was expecting to see in the UK. While there have been couple of records the last couple of decades in the northern isles they have tended to be short stayers and mobile, and I have known people spend days trying to track one down. This one was in Ireland last month and then made it's way to Tenby where there appears to be a plentiful supply of clams for it to feed on.
This is what it was doing while we were there-would have been nice to see it hauled up on the ramp, but watching it bobbing around offshore was an amazing sight. Naturally, despite it's presence for several weeks there was still a bit of a crowd, though I don't think many took an interest in the Turnstones and Purple Sandpipers feeding on the rocks.
In the afternoon we had a walk around St Annes Head overlooking Skomer and Skockholm islands. I had hoped to pick a headland with a plentiful supply of auks and sea birds but there was a distinct lack of them. Maybe the wind direction was keeping them well offshore and perhaps one of the other places I had found would have been better. However we should see some eventually this year and having a pair of Chough low overhead is always worthwhile particularly when there are Greenland Wheatears flitting around and three Whimbrel feeding in the cattle field.
Naturally the next two days were a bit of an anticlimax. A short walk around Fairlands on the Friday produced a Garden Warbler-apparently the first there for several years and the bluebells are staring to look quite nice now. The Tufted Duck appear to have finally departed. One Willow Warbler still remains, and the first Moorhen brood has appeared. The afternoon around Aston End on Saturday was primarily for butterflies and while numbers are still low, Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, and Green Veined Whites were frequently seen, along with a couple of Speckled Woods and Orange Tips. The Muntjac wasn't expected and seemed to be very curious staying for some time despite the noise from the nearby pub.
