Microbirdology

The usual trip down to Seaton.  On the way down we tried for a Purple Heron at Shapwick, next to Ham Wall.  No luck but we did get a cameo appearance by a Bittern , a first for the year. The big surprise was the Black-winged Stilt that stayed on the Black hole Marsh for multiple days.  Originally there was a male and female. Both flew off on the 8th but the female returned on the 10th May.  The Black-winged Stilt ( Himantopus himantopus ) is a striking wading bird with long pink legs, a slender black bill, and contrasting black-and-white plumage. It is a rare breeder in the UK, but sightings have become more frequent in recent years, especially in southern England, likely due to climate change and habitat creation in wetlands and nature reserves. Black-winged Stilts are migratory and typically do not remain in the UK for winter. Instead, they migrate south to warmer regions. Most European birds spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa, although some may also overwinter...

Red-footed Falcons at Carlton Marshes, Suffolk Red-footed Falcons are rare visitors to the UK, typically seen during spring and autumn migration. These small, graceful birds of prey breed in Eastern Europe and winter in Africa. In the UK, sightings are sporadic, usually along the east and southeast coasts, and most often involve young birds or males. This year there seems to have been quite a few reports, including Ouse Fen - very distant birds and Carlton Marshes - where five birds were roosting in plain sight.  Sadly on the day I visited, it was cold, windy and dark - so there was almost no flying. Revisiting the Stone Curlew at Weeting Heath, Norfolk The Stone-curlew is a rare, ground-nesting bird found in the UK, mainly in dry, open habitats like chalk grasslands and arable farmland in southern England, particularly in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Wiltshire. It is a summer migrant, typically arriving in March and leaving by October. During winter, Stone-curlews migrate to southern S...

Our first stay in the caravan, on the site near Fakenham.  This was an excellent location for accessing the North Norfolk coast. North Point Pools, between Wells and Stiffkey, seems a good location for Marsh Harrier . It was also near the Pallid Harrier's roost, before it was flushed by a high tide and went north.  The female harrier below had a wing tag label '4H', which identified her as a Norfolk bird, tagged on the nest in 2017. The caravan site has a small bird hide overlooking a few feeders.  There was not much to see, perhaps because the feeders were patrolled by a pair of squirrels. My first attempt to find Shore Larks at Gore Point failed but there were a lot of Linnets patrolling the strandline and apparently being successful in scavenging food from the debris. I failed to find the Ring Ouzel at Roydon Common several times but did notice this Stoat hunting. It put up a Red-legged Partridge and a duck, which may have been sitting on a nest. I thought this littl...

The Shore Lark ( Eremophila alpestris ), also known as the Horned Lark, is a scarce winter visitor to the UK, primarily along the east coast. These birds do not breed in the UK but migrate from their Arctic breeding grounds to overwinter here. Their numbers vary annually, with estimates ranging from a few individuals to over a hundred in some years. They are typically found in coastal habitats such as sandy beaches and dunes, where their distinctive yellow and black facial markings and small black 'horns' make them stand out.   In recent years, they have been seen 'regularly' at Holkham Gap in Norfolk and less regular sightings in other Norfolk beach areas, such as Old Hunstanton.

Ru tland Black Swan.  Black swans, native to Australia, are rare but present in the UK due to escapes from private collections. Small, scattered populations exist, especially in southern England, but they are not officially classed as wild or native birds. Osprey : Maya, not long after her arrival. Ospreys are fish-eating birds of prey that breed in the UK, mainly in Scotland, with growing numbers in England and Wales. After going extinct in the 1800s, they naturally returned in the 1950s and are now a conservation success story. Mandarin duck at the Lyndon feeders. Mandarin ducks are a non-native species in the UK, originally from East Asia. Around 4,400 breeding pairs live here, with up to 14,000 birds present in winter. They thrive in wooded wetlands and park lakes, mainly in southern and central England, and are not considered invasive. Red Kite at Eyebrook. Red kites are large birds of prey once nearly extinct in the UK. Thanks to reintroduction efforts, they’...