Birding in The Brecks Day 2 : 24th March 2013

Birding in The Brecks Day 2 : 24th March 2013

On the second day of our two-day guided birding tour we had some new additions to the group and a couple of losses so Stuart felt obliged to show the newcomers some of the same spots we had visited the previous day. Whilst this was a little boring for us it was understandable – at least it wasn’t snowing and, although it was cold, the birding was much easier because you didn’t have to clear snow off your bins every five minutes. As with the previous day, we started off with a walk along the banks bank of the Little Ouse near Santon Downham. The going was poor underfoot as some of the previous days snow had partly melted into the underlying mud making it very slippery and slow walking. Again we saw Siskins, Bramblings and Redwings, though not in the numbers of the previous day and no singing from the Redwings but, in contrast to the previous day, we did get brief glimpses of a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

As with the previous day we then went to Lynford Arboretum to try for Hawfinches again but again to no avail. We got some views of Tits, Chaffinches, Blackbirds and Siskins on the feeders there and anice view of a Song Thrush in the snow but that was it. Next up we went looking for  Goshawks but again it was a bit unclear where we were being taken. What I can say is that we drove down a road with signs for the “Iceni Village” and Cockley Cley  which I think may have meant that we were on the Swaffham Road  and we turned off this road towards the “”Round Covert” – or at least somewhere around here. When we did stop we parked in a lay-by with fields in front of us and behind us. Looking in front of us we could see a horizon of trees which we scanned long and hard for Gosharwks. As we waited a small flock of Stock Doves were seen amongst a larger flock of Wood pigeons which was interesting because it was clear that the Stock Doves had absolutely no white on their plumage and had dark tinges to the ends of their feathers. There were also at least four Buzzards in the sky at one time – it may even have been more. A Kestrel hovered but it was a long time before Stuart, our guide, pointed out a bird flying fast just above the tree line on the horizon going from left to right. This very brief view was followed some time later with better views of another bird and, after about an hour standing in the freezing cold, a third sighting showed pretty well and although it was distant I did manage to get it in my scope and follow it all the way until it disappeared down into some trees. Not quite the views I might have hoped for but they were still worth the wait in the cold – and a life tick !!

After a very short break for a cup of tea we set of for Thetford and Stuart tried to locate the Otters on the River Thet for the newcomers to the group but they seemed to be in hiding. As before we also tracked down the Black-Bellied Dipper but – even better – we also managed to locate the other bird that some people thought they had seen. On a bend in the River Thet we could see from one position one bird on the opposite bank and by making a few steps – no more that a couple of yards – you could see the other on a rock in the middle of the river. According to our guide this may be the only time that two Black-Bellied Dippers have been proven to be in the UK at the same time !

Stuart was not to be defeated on the Otter front so we went back to the van and drove around some roads to meet the River Thet further up (or down) stream. We parked up again and watched under a bridge where a Grey Wagtail showed well in the sunlight and then the Otter appeared. Those that had seen it before watched for a bit but others who had not seen them yet followed it as it swam along the river for a little while.

Back in the van we headed back to Lynford Arboretum to try, one last time, for Hawfinches. En route we went past  the biggest piggery I have ever seen ! It seemed to go on for field after field and although we were on a narrow road we managed to slow down, and sometimes stop, to get better views of the thousands of birds that were taking advantage of the feed that had been spread amongst the fields for the pigs to eat. There was quite a variety of birds, some of which were in very large numbers. There were Black-headed and Common Gulls, Carrion Crows, Rooks and Jackdaws There were also Blackbirds, Starlings  and lovely flock of Fieldfares of which we got great views. Amongst these bigger birds there were also Goldfinches and Meadow Pipits – all this in a a piggery !

When we got back to the Arboretum  we entered via a slightly different route but the results were just the same – no Hawfinches. As we all  stood scanning the tops of trees for Hawfinches one of the group tentatively turned over a lump in the snow that looked odd and, amazingly, it turned out to be a dead Woodcock ! Despite it being in the snow and partly covered by snow it was still relatively warm so could not have been there very long. It was clearly dead and had traces of blood at the base of its bill. A most extraordinary sight and surely the closest we will ever get to a Woodcock. Stuart opened its wing out to show us the most amazing patterning and we all felt sorry that such a beautiful bird should come to this end. There was no obvious damage to the bird apart from a dark patch on its chest which may just have been a plumage variation. There were a pair of double power lines meeting each other just above us so perhaps it had flown into these ! A sad end to a good days birding that had given us sightings of Goshawks for the first time and also a pair of Black-Bellied Dippers – perhaps a recored not just for us.

Stuart’s Blog for that day can he found here

Dead Woodcock
Lynford Arboretum

Bird Sightings : The Brecks