14th February 2012
Rather than visit Whitlingham today I decided to have a walk around the Thorpe side, and it paid off nicely. Scanning the scrape from the cattle compound I picked up a Dunlin, my second new patch bird in under a week. I watched it feeding along the back edge with some Lapwing before it disappeared behind the rushes. From near the path a Water Rail called. Near the nyjer feeder a Greenfinch and a couple of Jays were in the bushes, a noisy flock of Siskins were in the railway line Alders and a few Snipe flushed up off the marsh. From the bird screen I noticed a redhead Goosander serenely gliding around the spit. I let Ricky know, and it turned out this was a patch tick for him. I kept on it until he arrived, which turned out to be just in time as a minute later it did a vanishing act, although its presumably still nearby.
If anyone is interested, the NWT are running a "family fun day" event here on Wednesday to celebrate their leasing of the site, so attend or avoid as you see fit.
After we met at the weekend I walked around the Broad. Teal and gadwall on Thorpe Broad and near the island. Not a lot else.
ReplyDeleteWater rail on north side scoped when back on south side. Unidentified possible wader flew fast and low across the frozen broad and into the reed edge and gone. Could have been the dunlin you had but bird remains unidentified.