25th February 2024

Pinkfooted Geese used to be a distinctly uncommon bird in the parish with sightings restricted to the odd fortuitous sighting as they passed over in Autumn. Now they are seen with some regularity in winter and on both migrations.

This bird was one of eight associating with the parish Greylag flocks…

And this morning there was a fine skein of 175 calling high over the village…

Otherwise it has been a quiet week although I have added a few more species to my year list with the first Corn Bunting singing by the river, small numbers of Golden Plover near Morton Bridge and a lovely Barn Owl along Greenhills Lane…

This should have been a great shot as it was flying right at me but by the time I had fiddled with settings it had spotted me and this is all I got!

Finally, a small cover crop down Potter Lane has been good for finches and buntings this winter and the Linnet flock here yesterday had grown to more than 300 birds (but difficult to count in the fog!)

Suffolk & Early Butterflies

We have just come back from a week in Suffolk, staying again in Eastbridge. Normally we would have taken a daily walk down to the sea at Minsmere but the intense rain of the previous weeks meant this path was completely flooded (above welly level!) as were a number of the roads. In contrast we had a lovely week of (mainly) bright skies and sun.

No intense birding this week but Suffolk is the kind of place you can’t help bumping into wildlife…

  Dabbling duck on North Warren

Marsh Harrier

Muntjac

Snow Buntings

   Tremella (?) Fungus

White-fronted Geese

But pick of the sightings for me were at least four different adders…

And two singing Woodlarks…

Despite forty odd years of birding, and a number of sightings of the species, this was the first time I had actually heard their (beautiful) song.

Back home today and a quick walk out was quiet for birds but I did see both Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock on the wing in Morton-on-Swale. Easily the earliest village record for both species.