NORWICH: Early Egyptian Geese goslings

25th February & 1st March 2019

On my way home from work I glanced down into the river and noticed a pair of Egyptian Geese with four goslings. This species breeds in any month of the year in the UK, although presumably with varied success. I remembered having seen goslings in February before, and having checked my records I had seen goslings earlier than this twice before - on 13th Feb last year at Flitcham and 18th Feb 2010 at Holkham. Later in the week I found a family with three goslings in Wensum Park. Given that this isn't very far upstream of where I had my first sighting I suspect it is the same birds.

WHITLINGHAM: Cuckoo, Garden Warbler & Goslings

28th April 2014

Having been busy at the weekend it was Monday evening before I managed to get to Whitlingham. It was overcast and a bit murky, and most of the birdsong was rather muted. As I headed round the broad I heard the call of a Cuckoo coming from the main island, and eventually I got a brief view in one of the tall trees. At that point I heard another Cuckoo, further away towards Thorpe. Continuing along I saw my first Reed and Garden Warblers of the year, along with a couple of Whitethroats and lots of Blackcaps. I dutifully scanned through the hirundines skimming the broad, all of which were Swallows or House Martins.

Walking back along the south shore there was a bit of a gosling-fest, with three broods of Greylags (11,3,3), the first Canada Geese (3), Egyptian Goose (5) and some fast-growing-up piebald Domestic Mallards (3).

Goose broods (foreground Egyptian, middle Canada and far Greylag). Plus bonus Mute Swan.

WHITLINGHAM: Swifts and goslings

12th May 2013

I made an early morning trip to Whitlingham to complete May's WeBS count. The weather was overcast, which meant that a huge number of Swifts and hirundines were feeding low over the broad. They moved in relentless waves across the surface of the water surface, occasionally swarming up to form a screeching cloud when a patch of sunshine broke through. Twice they were parted by a male Kestrel cutting through the flock, but I once again failed to see the Hobby that has been kicking around for a couple of weeks. Lots of Swallows and House Martins were mixed in, along with a few Sand Martins.

It appears that this year is the best year I can remember for Greylag broods, as well as the super-brood of 13, there were broods of 2, 2 and 3 at the west end (plus the Swan Goosiest hybrid had a lone gosling), a brood of 3 in the conservation area and two broods of 5 at the east end. One brood of nine Canada goslings was along the south shore of the broad but there was no sign of the other one from last week. Duck-wise the Pochard had gone, so it was three Tufted Ducks on the Great Broad and one Gadwall at Thorpe.

Garden Warbler was the pick of the passerines, whilst I once again didn't see or hear a Cuckoo. A few more plants were in flower, including Greater Celandine, Common Stork's-bill and Dove's-foot Crane's-bill.

WHITLINGHAM: Week 17 - Its gosling time

22nd April 2011

Whitlingham was jam packed with people, the predictable result of a hot Bank Holiday. This could easily be overlooked thanks to the recent hatching of goslings and ducklings. The second brood of Egyptian Geese (5), first brood of Greylag Geese (5) and a black-and white domestic Mallard brood (5) were all overshadowed by a whopping 12 ducklings accompanying a pair of Mallard on the Little Broad.

I watched in despair as a group of idiots on Thorpe Marshes who had ignored the big gate and "please don't disturb the breeding birds sign" decided to row a small boat around the edges of the broad. Luckily they soon got bored and went to lay on the shingle. After a while the birds returned, with what was probably a Snipe flying into the vegetation near the spit. Three Common Terns circled over the broad before thinking better of it and departing eastwards. There was no sign of yesterdays Cuckoo.

WHITLINGHAM: Week 14 - Spring is temporarily postponed

1st April 2011

I can sometimes be guilty of over-optimism, but I really expected to at least find Sand Martins, Swallows and the regular Willow Warbler back at Whitlingham today. They weren't, and together with an absence of Shoveler and a reduction in other duck numbers it was very quiet. Not happy with just fencing in the Little Broad, trees have been planted all around the outside. Unless someone is trying to create habitat for Mandarins, this seems utterly ridiculous to me. There were two bright spots to the evening - a Kingfisher flew through my binoculars and away down river, and the first brood of Egyptian Geese were on the south shore of the Great Broad.