WHITLINGHAM: New record Shoveler count

13th January 2024

The path around the Great Broad is still flooded in places, with the water level almost reaching the wooden bridges along the south shore. A local resident remarked that it was the highest he'd ever seen the water here and implicated the hard infrastructure (e.g. the car parks), but that would overlook the large swathes of the county that have been flooded for some time. Anyway, knowing what it was like I wore my wellies and carried on.

As it was WeBS weekend I carried out a complete wildfowl count, the undoubted highlight of which was the number of Shoveler present. They started increasing in number during the week, and the 61+ present on Friday had been a new site record, but careful scanning from multiple viewpoints led to me counting (and double-counting!) 83 on Saturday, a mixture of adult drakes, immature drakes and females. So currently a site high count, but who is to say that the numbers won't keep increasing over the next week?

Sadly there was no sign of the Pintail that had been seen on Friday, a bird I've only seen here twice. There were however 2 Goldeneye, 2 Wigeon, 249 Tufted Ducks (including the pink-billed one), 122 Gadwall, 25 Teal and 11 Pochard, so a good selection of ducks. The wintering Great White Egret showed well, as did the 'brown' Cormorant discussed in last years Whitlingham Bird Report. Close-up views of five Lesser Redpoll and a Redwing, a flyover Ring-necked Parakeet and two Sparrowhawks up in the distance were all welcome sitings too.

WHITLINGHAM BIRD REPORT 2023

10th January 2024

I have now completed the annual bird report for Whitlingham & Thorpe 2023 - you can download it here

A big thank you as always to everyone who has reported sightings, provided data or allowed me to use their photographs. A special mention to Robin Chittenden, Ed Mackrill and David Ratcliffe whose photos have enhanced the report significantly. Here's to an interesting patch 2024!

WHITLINGHAM: 1st Jan 2024

Last year due to various things, mostly childcare related, I got very behind at keeping this blog uptodate and then the task of catching up was too much. I am therefore leaving the last 6 months unwritten and starting again with the best of intentions!

1st January 2024

I started the year as usual, staring out of my living room window trying to see what birds were landing in some distant trees or flying past. I managed to see a slightly disappointing 8 species, beginning with Woodpigeon followed by Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Magpie and Starling. A visit to the in-laws produced several additional garden species, notably Goldfinch, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Dunnock and Jackdaw. It was then off to Whitlingham for an after-lunch walk.

The water levels at Whitlingham were probably the highest that I have ever seen them, with the circular path flooded in multiple places. Knowing this I was wearing my wellies and comfortably made it round. Some of the recent ducks had either departed or were too hidden to pick out with binoculars (I didn't see Teal, Pochard or Goldeneye) but I did see two Great White Egrets, Shoveler and Great Black-backed Gull, which were decent first of January birds here. The local aberrant Cormorant was present just before dusk, although as it seems to have moulted a bit it no longer sticks out as much. As I was leaving I also noticed a Carrion Crow with a few pale feathers too. Sighting of the day was perhaps a large Pike, seen well as it lurked under one of the bridges.

If you squint you can see the Pike!

Great White Egret, Grey Heron and 2 Little Egrets

Kestrel

Carrion Crow with a few white feathers