onestopnature

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Going shopping ?

22 May 2012
This Red-legged Partridge was behind the shop this morning - obviously didn't realise that we don't open till 10am ! and we have a pair of Swallows prospecting around the bus shelter and right under the covered area of the shop window. Other birds from the shop today include some very noisy Oystercatchers, a Sparrowhawk zipping through and a Chiffchaff in the trees opposite.

Thursday, 17 May 2012

One Stop Nature Shop Guided Bird Walk Report

7^th May 2012

Summer-plumaged waders at high tide roost

Another unsettled day of wet weather gave uncertainty to our walk this evening, fortunately it was a dry but cool evening at the high tide roost. On arrival the high tide seemed some time away. Had I got the tide tables wrong? It was a great relief to see the tide rapidly coming in, with the distant oystercatchers (350) on the furthest spit soon becoming unsettled, and moving closer to the second nearest shingle bar. Other small flocks began to fly in from The Wash and other species began to move over from the shingle ridges where they had been sheltering unseen from the cool wind.

Unlike the earlier visit to the roost most species we began to encounter were in partial or full summer plumage, most notably at first were the stunning 300 grey plovers, then the 450 sanderling, quite different in their rusty brown, black and grey plumage from the almost pale grey white birds we had seen on the earlier visit. The few bar-tailed godwits present were mostly still in winter plumage, but finally we did pick up the odd dark chesnut bird in summer plumage, along with 25 knot and 2-3 dunlin. The “local” birds also showed with ringed plovers and an oystercatcher located in the breeding cordons on their nests. There were some moments of panic as the roost rose quickly to the air, with the male sparrowhawk late on being the likely culprit.

Other signs of summer were really difficult to detect due to the cold conditions other than a handful of swallows migrating west. a brave distant cuckoo heard over the golf course, and late on little, and Sandwich terns putting an appearance in, on what otherwise was a poor evening for any bird song.

Out at sea we did mange to pick out a grey seal, 6 eider, a great crested grebe and close too dusk, two little egrets heading east. On our walk back the wind was unfortunately too strong to stand any chance of seeing the local barn owls.

Thursday, 3 May 2012

and in a nearby garden.....

2 May 2012
Summer time, rain and wind, probably makes these Bramblings feel at home. A local customer very kindly allowed me into his garden to get a snap of the Bramblings that were around his feeding station. An unusual May sighting.

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Owls of delight

1 March 2012 - report on the One Stop Nature Walk - from our local guide

Our evening on 1^st March began in Thornham Harbour in extremely calm, sunny and warm conditions, very unseasonal but none of us were complaining. We began watching two rock pipits of the Scandinavean race litoralis on the edge of the main creek that leaves the harbour.

As we reached the seawall it was obvious one of our hoped for species was on show as several birdwatchers were watching intently across the marshes. A short-eared owl was soon picked up by everyone hunting over the field with its deep mechanical flaps. This bird also perched on a post for us, while another was seen further ahead. With the sun burning brightly in our faces we decided to move further along the seawall to improve viewing conditions, pausing for a while to look over Thornham creek and with the area being backlit the views of the male teal, curlew, grey plover, knot, redshank and a fine spotted redshank with three of its slighter, browner cousins were stunning.

We then walked further along the seawall only to stop almost immediately as a pair of Mediterranean gulls flew over towards the roost at Thornham Beach, their nasal ‘yeah’ call alerting us, one was a full adult showing its full clean white wings from below.

Mediterranean Gull - winter plumage

Further along the bank hunting activity seemed to have slowed, until a brown blob in a distant field, was revealed to be a resting short-eared owl. It seemed everyone was waiting for more flight views but the ridiculously calm conditions may have been putting the birds off as smoke rose vertically in the distance and small swarms of midges appeared over our heads like halos. The calm conditions however had the opposite effect for the local grey partridges as local males were calling from several different areas, the nearest entertaining us when a lone male decided to impose himself on an established pair only to be taken to task by the other male, several confrontations and jumps into the air were brought to a holt, when the female joined ranks with her mate and chased the imposter off. As the evening wore on the temperature began to drop considerably towards dusk, but this didn’t put off the two Chinese water deer way out on the marsh, nor the male marsh harrier which gave us fine views.

However the hoped for barn owl was less obliging with only one individual on the distant NWT reserve being picked up late on, perching briefly before flying off.

As dusk drew closer a small skein of pink-footed geese came into roost on Thornham beach, and by this time a thin cold band of mist began to form over the marsh, it was time to head back to the car park.

Why not join us on our next walk to see local Saltmarsh birds - Burnham Deepdale - see website for

details

Thursday, 1 March 2012

A good Hare day.....

1 March 2012
In the fields behind the shop the Hares were again zipping about the fields. I felt it called for some creeping about, and it paid off. Unfortunately against brown fields doesn't show them off very well, but green fields mean crops and I'm sure the local farmers would not like me slithering around in there. So these will suffice for now. That said I was able to get quite close with some slow stalking. Here some of the pics: