Monday 11 January 2010

Random bird sighting on the way to the reserve this morning. While driving along I noticed a large bark brown bird with a pale head standing in the middle of a stubble field. Managed to pull over in a gateway expecting to see a large raptor and it turned out to be a drake Muscovy duck!

The plan of the day was to search for any diver activity offshore. Things started off promising with 3 pale bellied brent geese feeding with brents on the grazing marsh and 2 water pipits on the fresh marsh.
Although the wind was light today there was still a large swell on the sea making viewing conditions difficult. I started off at Thornham Point with good views of the red kite preening in the bushes, 18 snow bunting and a red necked grebe offshore. A fly-by diver made me walk from the Point to the Brancaster creek but I couldn't relocate it. The lingering 1st winter glauc was still present on the beach along with 2 adult meds. A large mobile flock of common scoter (1200) offshore were too distant to check for any velvets. The 12 little grebes on the tidal pool was a good count and are probably birds escaping the cold of the Midlands.

Hard work with the yearlist (98) at the moment, struggling for turnstone and Canada goose still!

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