A Private Tour today, down to the Brecks. The weather was good, dry and mostly bright with blue sky at times, but there was a nagging, blustery NE wind with a real chill to it – it didn’t feel like spring at times today!
It was an early start this morning at Santon Downham. We hoped to find Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, even though they have been rather more elusive in recent days in the wind. As we got to the bridge, a couple of Kingfishers shot off upstream in a flash of electric blue. We could hear one or two Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming in the poplars. They have not been very obvious in recent days, so we thought this might be a good sign.
There were lots of finches along the river as usual, mostly Siskins and Redpolls buzzing around overhead. A Hawfinch was calling as we walked along the river, but we couldn’t see where the sound was coming from before it stopped. A Water Rail squealed at us from the reeds as we passed. We could hear Mandarin calling and looked over the river to see four chasing each other round in a tight group.
Nuthatch – very noisy down along the river at the moment
When we got to the area favoured by the woodpeckers, we stopped and listened for a while. The Nuthatches were being very noisy, piping away up in the trees. When a couple of Great Tits came in to investigate the hole in the tree, the Nuthatches quickly chased them away. There were several Green Woodpeckers calling too, but no sign of the Lesser Spotteds this morning. Perhaps it was just too cold and windy for them again today?
There was a backdrop of constant chattering of Redpolls as we stood and waited on the river bank. For most of the time, we couldn’t see them, as they were down in the sallows at the back of the trees. Periodically, a small group would fly round. Eventually, three landed in an alder tree where we could get them in the scope, confirming they were Lesser Redpolls, including a nice pinky-red breasted male.
A pair of Grey Wagtails kept us company. They were feeding around a tree which had fallen across the river, gathering a mat of water weed and associated plastic bottles around its branches which seemed to be providing them with food. The male was singing on and off while it fed.
Grey Wagtail – a pair were feeding around a tree which has fallen across the river
A Common Lizard had found a log in the morning sunshine on which to bask. At low level, it was probably protected from the chill of the wind. Eventually, we decided to call it a day here and move on to try our luck elsewhere.
Common Lizard – basking in the sunshine
Our next target for the morning was Goshawk. We made our way to a suitable spot overlooking the Forest and waited. It had clouded over a bit more now and, coupled with the biting wind, it seemed there was not much thermal activity for raptors to enjoy. A Red Kite circled in the distance and a few Common Buzzards were making the most of the breeze.
A scan of the stoney field behind us and we quickly located a single Stone Curlew. Through the scope it looked slightly prehistoric, with its yellow iris and yellow-based bill. It was very well camouflaged against the stones and, when it walked into a hollow and sat down, it completely disappeared from view.
Stone Curlew – looking distinctly prehistoric
A commotion behind us attracted our attention, as a large cloud of Rooks and Jackdaws seemed to get spooked from the field and took off calling. As we looked round, we then saw a dozen Woodpigeons burst out of the trees beyond. The next thing we knew, we were looking at a juvenile Goshawk flying through the pandemonium it had just caused.
The Goshawk didn’t seemed to be hunting, perhaps it was just enjoying itself. It circled round, through the panicking flocks, then gradually gained height and embarked on a long glide over the other side and down behind the trees. Then it all seemed to go a bit quiet again, even the Buzzard activity tailed off. We decided to go somewhere else.
We parked on the edge of Drymere and set off to walk down along the ride to look for the Great Grey Shrike. However, we hadn’t gone very far when we heard a Woodlark singing. We looked across and could see it perched in a small oak tree. As we walked round to get a better look at it, it took off and fluttered up, disappearing away over the clearing, singing. A second Woodlark started singing too, from the ground behind us.
While we stood and listened to the two of them, the first Woodlark flew back in and landed on the ground in front of us, before flying back up into the oak tree. This time we were in the perfect position to get it in the scope and get a really good look at it.
Woodlark – perched in the branches of a small oak, singing
It didn’t take us long to find the Great Grey Shrike next, in its favoured plantation. It stood out like a sore thumb against the dark green of the young pines. It was perched in the top of a young deciduous tree in one of the old stump rows, so we made our way round to the other side of the plantation where we had the sun behind us, and got it in the scope.
Great Grey Shrike – in its usual place this morning
When it dropped down, presumably looking for prey, we lost sight of the Great Grey Shrike. We had a walk round the Plantation to see if it had gone round to the other side, but it wasn’t there. Presumably, it had simply found a sheltered spot out of sight amongst the trees. We had enjoyed a good view before it disappeared, so we decided to leave it to it.
We stopped for lunch overlooking the Forest, to see if there was any more Goshawk action. Despite the skies having cleared, and there being a few more Buzzards up again now, there was no further sign. So once we had eaten, we packed up and headed round to Lynford Arboretum for the afternoon.
As we walked up along the path, we could see a small crowd gathered by the gate. It appeared that the Hawfinches had been coming down to feed in the leaf litter. We could hear them calling from up in the trees, but unfortunately before we could see them, a noisy quad bike was driven round under the trees and two Hawfinches flew out. We saw them go up into the top of the trees just beyond the chicken run, but by the time we got over there, they flew again, dropping down and away, out of sight.
We stood and waited, looking at the trees and listening, for a few minutes. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long before a female Hawfinch flew back in. It landed in the tops of the trees above the feeders, just long enough for us to get it in the scope and for everyone to have a quick look, before dropping down towards the ground. We walked back to the gate, hoping we would be able to see it from there, but there was no sign of anything in the leaf litter. We could hear it calling, but couldn’t see it in the trees either. After a few minutes, the quad bike did another circuit under the trees and the Hawfinch flew off, disappearing away over the Arboretum.
Brambling – several came down to drink from the gate
There were some other nice birds to see from the gate. Several Bramblings dropped down from the trees to drink, and one or two stopped to feed in the leaves at one point. A Redwing was feeding on some ivy berries, before it too came down for a drink in the small stone trough. However, it seemed like there was just too much disturbance at the moment for the Hawfinches, with the quad bike making regular circuits.
Redwing – came down to drink too
We made our way down to the bridge, thinking we could have another look for the Hawfinches later. The walk down the hill was rather quiet – there were not the numbers of finches feeding in the pines today. Down at the bridge there was more activity. Several birds were coming and going, darting in to grab some of the food put out for them in the pillars. Most notably, there were a couple of Nuthatches and two Marsh Tits.
Marsh Tit – coming to the food put out at the bridge
There was no sign of any Common Crossbills around the bridge at first today, so we decided to go for a walk round and come back for another go later. We had a quick look at the Long-tailed Tit nest. It was hard to see if it was occupied today, although there seemed to be feathers inside which were possibly attached to a bird!
Long-tailed Tit nest – probably occupied by a Long-tailed Tit
A quick walk round by the lake added a few ducks and geese to the days list. In addition to the usual two pairs of Canada Geese, a couple of Greylag Geese were on the lawn in front of the Hall. On the water, the ducks included two pairs of Gadwall, a couple of pairs of Mallard and some of their domesticated cousins, plus a pair of Tufted Ducks. We could hear a Little Grebe laughing maniacally at us.
We continued on past the lake and down the path. A Treecreeper called and appeared in a tree above us. A Goldcrest came out onto the edge of a yew tree in the sunshine. There were more tits and Nuthatches down here too. As we turned to come back, we heard a Common Crossbill calling and looked up into the poplars to see a stunning red male catching the afternoon sunshine. We got it in the scope and watched it for a while. When it eventually moved, it flew down and chased a second Crossbill, presumably a female, out of the branches.
Back at the bridge, there was still lots of activity. This time, a smart male Reed Bunting had appeared and was feeding on the seed.
Reed Bunting – feeding on the seed at the bridge
When we heard more Crossbills calling here, we looked up into the trees, in time to see a small family party appear in the alders above us. The streaky brown juvenile Crossbill was begging and we watched as the orangey male fed it, regurgitating half digested seed for it. The green/yellow female perched in the tree nearby. After a while, the three of them flew down to a small pool in the grass for a drink, before disappearing back up into the trees.
Crossbill – the streaky brown juvenile begging for food from the male
It was great to get such good views of Crossbills, but with the afternoon getting on now, we thought we would head back up towards the Arboretum and have another go with the Hawfinches. As we walked back back up towards the gate and the feeders, we could hear a Hawfinch calling, but by the time we got there it seemed to have gone quiet. We were still standing scanning the trees, when someone kindly waved to us from the gate to say that a Hawfinch was down on the ground.
We hurried over to find a smart male Hawfinch feeding in the leaf litter on the edge of the trees. Through the scope, we could see its enormous bill as it crunched on seeds.
Hawfinch – a male, feeding on seeds around the base of the trees
We watched the Hawfinch for a few minutes, feeding quietly around the base of the trees. It was a great view, great to see one on the ground. Then something spooked it, and it flew up into the trees. We waited a few minutes to see if it would come back, but then the quad bike did another noisy pass through the trees, and it seemed like we would be pushing our luck to hope for another appearance. It was a great way to end the day – with such a good look at the Hawfinch. We decided to call it a day and made our way back to the car.
