A Water Pipit at Blue House Farm

2nd April 2022

The destination today is Blue House farm, but first a quick visit to Abberton Reservoir. Still no migrants on show at the Layer Breton causeway, just a few Pied Wagtails and a rather stunning Great Crested Grebe now coming into all its summer finery.

No terns yet but a handful of Black-headed Gulls including quite a few juvenile birds still showing some brown feathers on their wing. This one was behaving more like a tern, plunging head-first into the water after fish.

Male Shovelers are now in pristine condition in readiness for the breeding season.

At the Layer de la Haye causeway a handful of Teal were dabbling in the shallows and also on the banks were the first migrants, four Little Ringed Plovers.

The plovers were amazingly tame and would let you get to within just six yards for some close-ups. Just look at those yellow eye-rings!!!

I could photograph these all day, and nearly did.

Now at last on to Blue House Farm and the fields were alive with Sky Lark song. This one was helpful by singing on the ground.

I also tried a couple of flight shots and probably need to practise my technique, or possibly more important how to get closer!!

At the third hide a drake Shelduck was having a preen, sorting out all those important feathers before flying off to feed on the estuary.

Now on to the first hide and what is going on here? The scrape was drained during the winter months to allow some re-profiling to take place, but apparently due to a sluice planning issue with the council remains dry so probably no breeding Avocets this year. In fact the whole scrape was dead apart from a distant Green Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover.

However, the day was saved by a Water Pipit that emerged from the bankside vegetation and fed on the mud right in front of the hide for five minutes before disappearing as quickly as it arrived.

We normally see Water Pipits in their winter plumage and spend some time trying to decide whether they are Water Pipits or Rock Pipits. However, no problem with this one as it is moulting into its summer plumage, still showing the distinctive wing-bars and supercilium, but the stripey breast being replaced by that warm peachy colour.

Wow, that was an unexpected surprise!!!