Spring at Upton Broad and Marshes

Nigel Robson, Volunteer Bird Recorder for NWT

Birdlife at Upton from February, through March and well into April reflected little change due to persisting cold easterly winds. Mark Crossfield of the reserve staff now regularly watches birds at Upton and his records are combined with mine for this and future posts.

The wintering pintail was last noted at the river lagoons on 14 March, at which time oystercatchers arrived in their breeding ground, six weeks later than the shelducks. Gadwalls were assembling on the grazing marshes, peaking at 48 on the 26th, and at the same time shovelers were gathering on Great Broad, with a maximum of 20 on the 24th. A few dunlin passed through, including a group of seven on the 26th. Teal remained the most numerous duck at the marshes with some 200 staying into April, by which time a few Wigeon had joined them.

After a paucity of starlings on the grazing marshes during the winter months, hundreds appeared on 28 March. The wintering peregrine was there to take advantage, once causing the flock to rise in a spiralling cloud before diving in from above - and moments later making off low with a bird in its talons. Other raptors regularly seen were a resident pair of marsh harriers, a recently arrived pair of buzzards in the woodland, sparrowhawks and kestrels. Barn Owls appeared not to be reduced in number despite reports throughout the country of a high mortality during the cold weather, though they tended to keep hunting throughout the day which may be an indication of reduced availability of prey.

The anticipation of spring was finally realized in mid-April with the sounds of chiffchaffs, soon followed by blackcaps, whitethroats, sedge, willow and grasshopper warblers, and finally reed warblers. The cuckoo was back before the end of the month, as yet remaining a familiar sound across the marshes every spring.

Pairs of waders occupied their territories on the marshes. Conditions were not as optimal as had been hoped after the ample winter rainfall, high winds causing water in some shallow scrapes not linked in with the dyke systems to evaporate quickly. Nonetheless the lowest grazing marshes attracted some 8-10 pairs of lapwing, three of redshank and one each of oystercatcher and little ringed plover.
 

Whimbrel, photo by Lawrie Webb

Some of the regular passage migrant species were well represented towards the end of April, and others less so. There is always a strong passage of whimbrel at Upton, and this spring a steady build up of numbers reached 73 on the 28th. Unlike last year, no bar-tailed godwits were seen amongst them. A pair of pintail was present at the river lagoons on the 21st. A pronounced fall of migrants on 27th included many yellow wagtails (including blue-headed forms), two white wagtails, seven wheatears, a whinchat and a stonechat on the marshes, and four ring ouzels and a lesser whitethroat in the tall hedgerows.  Up to 34 golden plover were well concealed in an adjoining wheat crop for several days during this time. Waders stopping on passage on the exposed mud of the tidal lagoons were fewer in number and variety this April than last (the first year of the lagoons existence) with a few snipe and the odd common sandpiper and greenshank. Visually the conditions seemed favourable enough – possibly invertebrate richness has reduced after the first spring following the laying down of the dredgings, or there may simply have been fewer birds about during so late a spring.  

Sightings from Ranworth's Damselfy

Daniel J. Maidstone, boat operator at Ranworth

On board Damselfy at NWT Ranworth Broad, photo by Barry Madden

The Damselfly boat at Ranworth Broad enjoyed a busy and very sunny bank holiday weekend. With the warmer weather finally here, the birds were in full voice. The cetti's warbler explosive song could be easily identified and the voice of the willow and sedge warblers rang out through the reeds. The chiffchaffs also were making noise along the boardwalk.

Butterflies appeared too with a number of brimstone, small tortoiseshell and peacock appearing above the tops of the reed. 

This week the wildlife seem to be catching up, finally! Goslings of greylag and ducklings of mallard have been spotted on both Malthouse and Ranworth Broads. The swifts have finally arrived and more birds such as the coots and great created grebes are perched on their nests keeping warm those brood of eggs. While on the water trails, marsh harriers have been spotted floating on the thermals overhead and some black terns have been spotted. At the far end of the Broad, the results of the reed management can be seen, with new shoots of reed and other flowers growing through attracting various insects. The flash of orange and blue of kingfishers have been seen across the Broad too.

Come on you BLUES...

Caroline de Carle, Hickling Visitor Centre

Not the cries of a dedicated football fan - Norwich City Canaries followers will be please to hear - but a shout of delight as the blue hues of late spring start to appear.

The mellow yellows of March and April are still all around, with gorse in full flower, dandelions and lesser celandines colouring the hedgerows. But now the more subtle hues of blue are appearing to compliment the clear blue skies above NWT Hickling Broad national nature reserve...
 
Although primarily a wetland reserve, Hickling does have stands of mature oak and here you can find one of our loveliest spring flowers. Not in profusion, but bluebells are starting to appear along with other blue species such as dog violets and another, perhaps lesser known flower, gound ivy. Combining with the gentle yellow of primroses and bright, white stitchwort, the effect is stunning.
 

Holly blue butterfly, photo by Bob Carpenter

In the insect world, blue is in fashion too. Holly blue butterflies are our earliest emerging blue species and can be seen bustling around not only holly, but many other plant species and is a very common sight in gardens too. On warmer days, common blue and blue-tailed damselflies emerge from their watery nursery and grace us with their iridescent beauty.
 
We cannot forget the birds and talking of iridescent, one immediately thinks of the magnificent blue/green of a kingfisher. They are here in small numbers and can most often be seen on the Broad itself, so it is really worthwhile booking one of our boat trips. On a smaller scale but no less lovely, blue tits are busily making homes in nest boxes around the visitor centre, so let's hope they have a bumper year with lots of chicks.
 
Blue is a word to describe sorrow and feeling sad, but on a sunny day in May at Hickling, it is joyous.

Spring is creeping in at Ranworth and bringing with it signs of life...

Simon Thomas, Broads Wildlife Centre, Ranworth

The distinct call of the chiffchaff is a constant accompaniment to a stroll along the boardwalk as is the sight of the marsh marigolds as they lend some much needed vibrancy. The swallows have returned and are busy building their nests in the eaves of the wildlife centre. They can be regularly seen through the centre windows and via the screens linked to cameras observing the nests. The first osprey sighting was recorded on 16 April, nearly a year to the day since it was seen last year. Enjoy a guided water trail and you stand a very good chance of a glimpse of this magnificent creature swoop in and pluck a fish from the water, only to be pestered by an opportunist buzzard. An osprey platform was erected during the winter months in the Bure Valley, and the hope is here that a mate soon joins our resident and decides to make use of it. 

Great crested grebes, photo by Barry Madden

The thousands of fish fry surrounding the centre are sending the great crested grebes into a feeding frenzy and allowing close up viewing of this creature both above and below water level. Already this season some fantastic photos have been taken of the birds ‘dancing’ during mating rituals right in front of the wildlife centre. Common terns are back and are biding their time to move in and nest on the rafts. So despite the rather indifferent weather, the wildlife is holding up its end of the bargain and providing plenty for all to enjoy here at NWT Ranworth Broad.

A varied week at Cley and Salthouse Marshes

Carl Brooker, Summer Warden

What a varied week it’s been for me at Cley. Luke - our volunteer warden - and I have been installing some new fencing panels alongside the three main hides (Avocet, Dawkes and Teal). The old fencing, which was of a wood and reed construction, had finally given in to the relentless onshore winds that have plagued us for the past few months. Head Warden, Bernard Bishop, managed to procure some really nice wattle fence panels to ensure that you are well screened off from the wildlife as you enter the hides. We have still got a panel or two to go though as a mallard has decided to nest right beside the next set of posts!

The winds have also been bringing in several dead birds over the past three weeks, mostly razorbills and guillemots with a few puffins among them. It has been happening all along the east coast of the UK and according to news reports the cause is the bad winter. Along with the birds the sea is also dumping quite a lot of plastic and helium balloons on our beach, a lot of which blows onto the nature reserve. These pose a major threat to our marine life and birds which may ingest them thinking they are food. I read a report not so long ago that it is estimated that 95% of our fulmars have plastic of some type in their stomachs. Last year we collected 239 balloons from the nature reserve between the east and west banks. We have around two miles of beach here at Cley and Salthouse Marshes and it makes me wonder how many thousands of balloons there must be landing on the UK shores each year!

But it’s not all doom and gloom: spring migrants continue to arrive daily. On Wednesday morning I counted six separate sedge warblers singing from the start of the boardwalk to the main hides, a lovely pair of whinchats making good use of the stock fencing adjacent to Teal hide, and spoonbill have been present around Billy’s Wash for a couple of days.

A red kite has graced us with its presence three times this week and while I was in the Visitor Centre talking to our colleagues on reception, we had a hen harrier fly past us. The fall of yellow wagtails is still occurring on the eye field and on Friday when I had just got my scope out and was scanning the Eye pool with two of our regular birders, we simultaneously spotted a blue headed one amongst the flock.

A cuckoo was reported over the back of the nature reserve by the shingle on Friday in the morning and I was fortunate enough to catch it as it flew over the Blakeney Fresh Marsh (West bank).

Aside from the birds we have seen quite a number of ruby tiger moths emerging this week along the edges of the reed beds and our dykes and drains are now teeming with three-spined sticklebacks. The bright red belly of the male can be clearly seen in the clear water of the spring fed catch water drain that runs alongside the A149 coast road as they voraciously defend their nests and display to attract a mate. (Tip for viewing: I have a pair of fishing glasses that are polarising.)

If you are coming to visit us in the Cley Marshes Visitor Centre over the next couple of weeks don’t miss the Rural and Wild photography exhibition by local photographer, Sarah Weston in the old visitor centre. Admission is free!

Cley Catch-up: 3 May 2013

Barry Madden, Volunteer Bird Guide at NWT Cley Marshes

One interesting aspect of visiting a place every week is that you get a real sense of how things change as a season progresses. It is sometimes quite surprising the difference a passage of only seven days can make. For example, last week at Cley Marshes it was all swallows and wheatears, this week it was house martins and whinchats. Last week only a few avocets were sitting, this week the marsh was covered in incubating adults. The grasshopper warblers that were entertaining visitors on my last visit could not be found today, but in their place were reed warblers and lots of newly arrived sedge warblers eagerly staking their claim to a suitable plot of bramble and reed scrub. Spring moves on apace.

Shelducks fighting, photo by Barry Madden

Although wader passage is very light, there was still much entertainment to be had from Bishop’s hide this morning. Skirmishes were breaking out all over Pat’s Pool with shelduck, avocets, gadwall and coots squabbling over territory and mating rights. The belligerent avocets were also kept busy seeing off any marauding crow, heron or marsh harrier. A pair of Sandwich terns added their raucous calls to the melee and a brightly patterned ruff together with a few chestnut breasted black-tailed godwits enlivened the scene.

Avocets mating, photo by Barry Madden

It was very interesting to observe the mating ritual of the closest pair of avocets. The female assumed a submissive posture, crouching low, almost submerging her head in the water whilst the male stood by her side rearranging his plumage, apparently oblivious to her soliciting. Presently, after an episode of strutting around his true love, the male alighted on the females back and mating occurred. Then the most entrancing section of the dance, when immediately after the mating itself, both birds speedily high-stepped away from each other and commenced preening with total nonchalance. Perhaps it is morally questionable to subject these birds to the indignity of having this intimate moment captured digitally at seven frames a second, but such is the lot of a star bird at Cley Marshes.

After a spot of lunch, I accompanied Carl Brooker, Summer Warden, into the reed beds to set up the weekly moth trap. The forecast indicated a potentially good night for moths, and the number of species recorded here is impressive. Moth trapping is a highly enjoyable and addictive pastime, and during the course of the year Norfolk Wildlife Trust holds several Magical Moth events where members of the public can inspect the previous night’s catch. It really is a great introduction to the nocturnal inhabitants of this diverse area, and if you get a chance I would highly recommend taking a look.

Although the wildlife is constantly changing here on these coastal flatlands, one ever-present factor is the wind. Today a chill easterly breeze took the edge off the temperatures and forced more than one otherwise eager visitor to close the viewing hatch and retire to the Visitor Centre to imbibe well-earned coffee and cake. But, of course an easterly airflow at this time of year could well result in the appearance of stray continental or Scandinavian migrants; the old adage ‘the worse the weather, the better the birds’ could be put to the test over the next few days. In fact when I got home I noticed reports of red-footed falcons, black storks, a black kite and various other goodies in and around Norfolk, so Cley Marshes or Holme Dunes could well boast yet more really good birds over the coming few days. What better excuse than to get out and spend some time there over the Bank Holiday weekend.