A Trip To Elmley Part 1 - The Entrance Track

15th December 2024

Time for a visit to Elmley for the Short-eared Owls but first a slow trip up the entrance track looking for anything that puts in an appearance. Often get a distant Buzzard sitting on a post or tree along here and today was no exception, although this was a lovely pale individual.

Also a few distant Marsh Harriers, but only this female came close enough for a shot.

Apart from the usual Lapwings the only waders present were a handful of Curlews.

Also saw my first Brown Hare here for a while, and luckily it was used to cars and sat feeding quite close.

The Lapwings are now looking resplendent and can always be relied on to wander around just outside the car providing some great opportunities.

And on the way out I managed to get a shot in the golden hour.

A nice surprise today was a pair of Stonechats by Gate 2 and although the female kept away, the male did venture close at one point for just one shot.

But the star of the show today was the tame female Kestrel which picked us up at the entrance and followed us along the track so it could pose on different posts. Just how good is that?

She even dropped down for a snack at one point.

Wow, what a good start and now on to the reserve and hopefully some Short-eared Owls.

WATCH THIS SPACE!!!!!

Hawfinches at Bramfield Church

6th December 2024

The first confirmed report of Hawfinches at St Andrews Church at Bramfield this winter was two birds on the 14th November. Since then up to three birds have been seen, but have been far more elusive than in previous years so time for another visit.

There were no Hawfinches on show when I arrived but it gave me the chance to have a catch-up with Ian Conn and Simon Radcliffe and six eyes are better than two. Amazingly no Redwings today feasting in the Yews, but there was a supporting cast of a Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush.

Nuthatches are regular visitors, but this is the first time I have seen one feeding on the ground here.

At that point Ian spotted a single Hawfinch tucked in on the edge of a Yew which gave us our first shots.

Other birds were seen suggesting there might be more than one present , but we never saw more than one at any one time. Let's hope they increase in numbers as the winter draws on.

Two Tree Island Update - The Story of a Dunlin

3rd December 2024

When taking 1850 photos on a trip to Two Tree Island as on my last visit, it is only when you get home and start sorting through the photos that you realise what you have taken. An example is this photo of a Dunlin landing on an island. When they come in to land they have their legs dangling which show any colour-rings, and you clearly see the rings on this bird.

When magnified as in this next photo it is possible to see the colour combination so I sent it to my good friend Ed Keeble who monitors colour-ringed waders in the local area, particulaly the River Stour. Ed is then able to decipher the code from the rings which in this instance was from the Netherlands wader ringing programme, and send the details to the programme coordinator Job ten Horn.

Job said that the Dunlin was ringed as an adult on the island of Griend in the West Wadden Sea on the 28th September 2022 and was subsequently seen there again on the 14th August 2024, recaptured there in a mist net on the 14th September 2024, and now photographed at Two Tree Island on the 3rd December 2024.

Griend is a small uninhabited island with an area of just 0.1 sq km, about 500m x 200m, and is shown on the map by the red tear-drop.

So in terms of European wader migration Two Tree Island is truly on the map!!!

A December Visit to Two Tree Island

3rd December 2024

Time for a December visit to Two Tree Island to see how the high tide roost is developing. On our last visit most of the waders had already arrived which is unusual three hours before high tide, and not many more arrived after that. Today we arrived ay the same time before high tide and there was hardly a wader on the lagoon. The majority of birds present were ducks including Teal, Shelduck and Wigeon.

Some of the Wigeon were intent on bickering...............

......................whilst others were more interested in having a bath.

Some of the waders like Lapwings, Redshanks and Avocets are present all day although Redshank numbers are swelled over high tide.

There is normally about 60 Avocets present.

Normally one of the most numerous birds at the high tide roost are the Black-tailed Godwits which can reach 1000+, although a handful are present at other times just feeding as was the case today. However, what was different today was that not a single bird flew in the the roost which is most unusual. They are also significantly reducing in numbers from other local sites such as East Mersea and Fingringhoe Wick.

There are normally a few Curlews on Hadleigh Ray but today was a first for me. I have been coming to Two Tree Island for several years now and today is the first time I have ever seen a Curlew on the lagoon, and right in front of the hide as well.

Another unusual sight was a flock of Bar-tailed Godwits circling over the lagoon. I have seen this before on just one previous occasion but they didn't land on the lagoon then or today.

Grey Plovers tend only to be present at high tide and there were certainly were none there when we arrived. Also you tend not to see then fly in, but suddenly hear their eerie calls.

But now on to the main high tide roosters in order of appearance starting with the Ringed Plovers. They start flying in in ones or twos and then the flocks increase in size and are normally well synchronised.

There are normally about 200 present.

Then the second arrivals, the Dunlins, again initially arriving in small groups and then in bigger and bigger flocks.

And then the WOW factor when they all get spooked. 

Probably about 500 present today.

And now for the finale, the later arrival of the Knot which fly in in huge waves.

This is just a small section of the final tally and I would estimate that there were 1500+ present.

Well Two Tree Island never disappoints and part of its attraction is that the mix of waders is different every time. I don't think it will ever pose a threat to Snettisham, but it is a lot closer than North-west Norfolk!!!!