Despite wandering as far afield as north Norfolk, Mike still finds local birding very much to his taste
Remember the three Rs. This is what I should have in big bold letters in my notebook. Yes, I still keep a notebook. As a lazy youth, I would always feel guilty that I never wrote down a thing when birding. These days, if I don’t carry a notebook, how am I going to remember what I have seen? And if I don’t write things down, how am I going to remember what anyone says to me? In the past week or two, I have jotted down a few things said to me in the field. The first was from a bloke walking a couple of dalmatians, who asked, “You seen any Lesser Spotted Thrush Warblers?” and finished with, “It’s actually quite a peaceful hobby, isn’t it?”
The second quotation was from our daughter Jasmine’s partner, Nadir. Jas and Nadir live in Swansea, and were over in the east to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 90th birthday, (down in Kent). The day after the event, together with my dear wife Jo and our son Eddie, all five of us squeezed into our little car for a short break in north Norfolk.
Usually, it takes an hour and 20 minutes to get from Peterborough to Titchwell. This time, it took us nearly four hours. Still, it is all part of the ‘holiday experience’ – being forced to share a limited space for extended periods of time, and engage in conversation (rather than going to separate rooms and doing phone/tablet/TV stuff). And I can’t think of anyone I would rather be cooped up with…
We had a very pleasant time at Titchwell, with 20 Spoonbills being the highlight, plus the chance to have a leisurely workshop on Ruff, and Avocets and so on, up close. The next day, we visited Cley, which was also great, as was mucking about on the beach at Brancaster, later in the day.
Back in Peterborough, I suggested to the gang we have an early morning start the next day to look for birds and perhaps Otters at Deeping Lakes. We rose early and after less than 20 minutes’ drive, Jasmine, Nadir, Ed and I arrived at DL at about 6.30am. The east pit was covered in birds (but no Otters)! Goodies included two Great White Egrets, two Avocets, a Black-tailed Godwit, several Little Ringed Plovers and a couple of bright yellow Willow Warblers. Then, at 7am, I heard a repeated ‘chewit’, and shushed everyone as we listened to and watched a gorgeous juvenile Spotted Redshank drop from the sky and land on one of the gravelly islands. It stayed for about half an hour. My notebook tells me we recorded 50 species there, that morning. Nadir, a true novice birdwatcher, said, simply: “It’s fun staring at birds”.
Juvenile Spotted Redshank
Later that evening, when the various Weedons had gone their separate ways, I returned to Deeping Lakes, and found a Wood Sandpiper, my second scarce juvenile wader find at the site that day. And it comes back to the same old theme. Much as it was very pleasant to spend a few days in Norfolk, we Peterborough birders are very lucky to have great sites virtually on our doorstep. No need for long drives.
I have my notebook in front of me as I write, and it is telling me that on Saturday 16 August, I saw 73 species at Deeping Lakes, including Dunlin, Ringed Plover (both scarce there), Glossy Ibis, and Hobby. The next day, so the book says, at the same place, I found my first juvenile Mediterranean Gull of the year, plus had the first Jay of the autumn and (perhaps) the last three Swifts of the year.
Early this morning, I was back again at the east pit of DL, where the Glossy Ibis, Avocets and Black-tailed Godwit were still there to greet me. I recorded the statutory 50 species by 7am and then it came to me: remember the three Rs.
I drove to the west side of Market Deeping to park near a place called Molecey Mill, and headed out for a walk along ‘the three Rs’. It is the grassy path which follows the raised banks of the course of the Greatford Cut (a ‘navigation’ channel, which zig-zags its way for 3.5 miles to link the Rivers Glen and Welland). The short-cropped path is lined with hedges of scruffy Hawthorns and Wild Rose bushes and the like, perfect for birds to hide in, feed in, and pop out of to feed on the short grass. If you can picture it in your head, you will realise that this is ideal passage Redstart habitat. Indeed, a few years ago, there were a couple of Redstarts along here in early autumn. But, I have been stupidly neglecting this site. I must remember the three Rs!
Whinchat
This morning, I stared at a small rose bush which had within its tangles, not only four battling Lesser Whitethroats, but also a Garden Warbler, a Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff. But the best find of the morning (which made me delighted to have remembered the three Rs) were a couple of Whinchats (my first of the ‘autumn’) working their way along the scraggly Hawthorn hedge.
Lesser Whitethroat
Sadly, no Redstarts yet, but I will keep trying. Why the three Rs? The habitat there looks great for Redstart, Wryneck and Ring Ouzel.
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