Titchwell Marsh RSPB 13th May 2012

Titchwell Marsh RSPB 13th May 2012

On our last day at Cley we decided that instead of going to Cley Marshes again we we would go to the RSPB reserve at Titchwell Marshes to check that out. As it turned out it was much better and it was dry throughout our visit if fairly windy. When we arrived there we were informed that the “wings over Titchwell” project was underway which was a bird count over the weekend. We were told that there would be RSPB volunteers throughout the site who would be happy to help with any enquiries. This was not actually the case as the dozens of volunteers there to assist with the bird count appeared to be more interested in getting their own ticks than in helping the general public. In fact all the benches along the main path to the Dunes were occupied by these volunteers so it wasn’t even possible to sit for a while and look over the marsh. On top of this it was a Sunday and probably the driest weekend day for a while so there were literally thousands on people on the site and the path to the beach was a long procession of people. Obviously we had not picked the best day to visit !

We did the very short walk around the several hides near the visitor centre but that was a very small area indeed. We did see a number of woodland birds but the dominant characteristic of the day was the wind which kept a lot of birds hunkered down. From the various hides around the visitor centre end of the freshwater reed beds we saw a Little Egret, Shelduck, Gadwall and a Black-tailed Godwit. It didn’t take long to see all of these hides so we started on the walk down to the junction of the saltwater marsh and the freshwater marsh which is made up of the Parrinder Wall. As we walked down the path we could see the odd Reed Bunting and we could hear Sedge Warblers. There were Skylarks and Lapwing in the meadows to the left of the path and a small flock of Brent Geese flew over. We also spotted a Marsh Harrier and a Kestrel. As we approached the  Parrinder Wall I thought I saw some Red-crested Pochard through my scope but when we got to the Parrinder Hide I could no longer see them so I felt I couldn’t really “tick” them without a closer view. From this hide we saw Common Sandpiper, Little and Common Tern, Oystercatcher, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover, Avocets and Pied Wagtails. As I was panning my scope over a scrape a bird flew into my vision and it turned out to be a Wimbrel – the first they had spotted there over the weekend and one of the 121 species they spotted in total during their “wings over Titchwell” weekend. As for us we only managed 43 birds. On the sea side of the hide there was very little – perhaps due to the wind – but we did get good views of a Grey Plover.

We spent a fair amount of time there before taking the 1 kilometer walk back down to the visitor centre. We sat outside the cafe having a cup of tea and this gave us the chance to see one or two other woodland birds. A chap sat down next to us and we got talking. He had apparently started his birding day at 2am and had so far seen around 112 birds. He explained that he was single and that all his holidays were birding holidays and that birding was the only thing in his life. I have to say that he was a pleasant enough chap especially for an obsessed birder. We have met enough of the other kind of obsessed birder on our ten day holiday to appreciate a chatty one – and one happy to discuss birding without condescending.

In truth we felt that the place was far too crowded for our tastes and a bit too full of over-keen and over-competitive volunteers. As other coach-loads turned up we decided to go to somewhere quieter.

Bird Sightings : Titchwell Marsh RSPB