Stone Curlews and a Hare-raising Experience at Weeting Heath

6th August 2026

Time for another trip to see how the Stone Curlews are getting on, but first a pit-stop at Fowlmere to see if the juvenile Cuckoo was around. No luck there, but I did see an adult Water Rail on the rapidly drying up mere.

Now on to Weeting and first a quick look at the area on the other side of the road when on my last visit they were showing well and in more favourable light. No birds there today and none from the East Hide, so it all rested on the West Hide.

A bit worrying at first as, although I knew there were Stone Curlews there, not one was visible. The problem is that their preferred area is a large rectanguler section of Wild Mignonette as shown here.

Stone Curlews and Wild Mignonette share a specialised chalk downland and breckland habitat connection, where the plant's low-growing yellow spires and chalky soils complement the bird's cryptic sandy-brown camouflage, open nesting requirements, and sparse, stony feeding grounds. Also, such is the height of the mignonette that when they sit down they disappear, and about 10 minutes later they all stood up and there were 12!!!!

Here are a few shots.

There were also a couple of Brown Hares in the field....................

.......................which were obviously on very good terms with the Stone Curlews, as they didn't bat an eye-lid when the hares ran past.

At that point the two Hares joined forces.........................

.......................and then all bedlam let loose with the pair chasing around in ever decreasing circles.

Here is another Stone Curlew looking on.

This of course led to the inevitable boxing match. Now most people assume that when you see them boxing it is two males fighting over the females, but this is not the case. A few years ago a Hare expert told me that if you see them boxing it is a male and a female as shown here, and it the female's way of saying "I've got a head-ache.".

At this point it is advised that all those of a nervous disposition avert their eyes as there is going to be an........................

.......................moment!!!!

Well, that got your attention didn't it?

Yes, and right in front of a hide full of people the inevitable happened.

No wonder there are so many Brown Hares around!!!

Well, what another fantastic day at Weeting Heath and good to have a chat with Bernie and Lorraine who stopped off on their tour of Norfolk. Wishing you a good trip and a safe journey home.

A Couple of Hours in the Draper Hide

1st August 2026

Another visit to Rye Meads today and I chose to spend the next couple of hours in The Draper Hide as it was a bit warm to walk round to the Kingfisher Hide, it was likely to be busy, and at the time the female was still on eggs so unlikely to be much acion. What a good decision that turned out to be!!

Unusually a Cormorant was posing right in front of the hide which got me off to a good start.

The other usual suspects were a Little Egret and a Little Grebe.

Green Sandpipers were well represented with six birds present.................

.....................and here are four in one shot with one hiding in the vegetation.

And when you have an itch there is only one thing for it.

The only other waders were a few distant Lapwing and two Snipe which had already arrived for the winter.

Only one Common Tern today which is presumably a result of all the tern rafts being commandeered by the army of Black-headed Gulls. However, it was fairly active allowing a number of shots to be taken.

But now for the real reason it was a good decision to stay in the Draper Hide. When the female is on eggs at the Kingfisher Hide, the male brings her a fish now and again but rarely fishes there. And luckily today he decided to do his fishing in front of the Draper Hide.

Here is a sequence of one of his successful fishing expeditions just below the perch.

And once back on your perch you subdue the fish by smashing it on the perch.......................

...................and then fly back to the nest to offer it to the female and perhaps have a change-over.

Well an action-packed couple of hours in the Draper Hide and nice to have a chat with Jason.