Cley Catch-up: June 2014

Barry Madden, Volunteer Bird Guide at NWT Cley Marshes

So there you are, plans drawn up, contractors in place, bulldozer at the ready and then you realise there are some birds in the way. Not just any birds but a nesting pair of rather wonderful little ringed plover. Such was the position at Cley Marshes during May just as work was due to commence on building the much anticipated Simon Aspinall Education Centre. The plovers had set up home on a patch of bare ground slap bang in the middle of the planned access route. Nothing for it but to down tools, fence off the nesting site and wait for the birds to complete their reproductive duties. 

Happily the pair have now successfully hatched their chicks and their thin piping alarm calls could occasionally be heard today from the car park. I couldn't resist a peek over the hedge to see if I could catch sight of these small bundles of down, and sure enough there they were confidently strutting around in search of tiny invertebrates. When scuttling around the chicks were quite easy to see, but as soon as danger threatened - a passing magpie or gull perhaps - they would crouch down and freeze in response to their parents alarm. Then their cryptic colouration and small size rendered them virtually invisible; a very effective natural defence. It will be interesting to see how these dainty birds fare, especially since they may have to somehow lead their chicks to more fertile feeding areas which will mean navigating across the busy A149 itself. One of the many perils these minuscule youngsters will have to face if they are to make it to adulthood.

The plovers were far from the only birds tending young today. As I worked my way around the reserve I came across several pairs of sedge warblers actively feeding their offspring in nests secreted deep in the luxuriant growth of reed, sedge and grasses. Whitethroats also seem to be doing quite well and my casual observations today located three pairs, all having territories in bramble and nettle covered areas close to the road. Their harsh 'tacking' alarm notes indicating they had broods nearby. Bearded tits could, with patience, be seen and heard pinging fast over stands of reeds near the central hides. Difficult to keep sight of once they crashed into the reeds, but I suspect some of these birds were newly fledged which augers well for a successful breeding season following the trials of the preceding winter.

On the fresh marshes lapwings and redshanks were actively protecting their own prodigy giving determined chase to any would be predator. I watched a pair see off marauding gulls and a crow before one attempted to take on a young bullock grazing nearby. This particular bovine was having none of it and after the lapwing had buzzed it a couple of times retaliated by giving chase to the bird. Taken aback the lapwing didn't seem to know how to deal with this unexpected turn of events but realising the beast meant business ran away roadrunner fashion with the bullock in hot pursuit. Of course cattle cannot fly which is just as well because otherwise the lapwing would have been in serious trouble.

As I gained the beach, I noticed a large gathering of gulls and terns near the site of the old wrecks. There was evidently much food to plunder at this spot and as I watched more and more birds joined the feeding frenzy attracted from afar by the whirling mass of white wings. Several species were participating in the feast including a rather smart Mediterranean gull that eventually flew over my head uttering its call, reminiscent I thought of a child's squeaky toy.

 

Sandwich Tern, photo by Barry Madden

I spent some time near the sea edge watching the sandwich terns fly past. The object of this vigil was to see how many were returning to their nesting colonies at Blakeney Point with food. I'm pleased to report that a vast majority of those I saw today flew purposefully westward with a beakful of sand eels or other small fish. Little terns were similarly successful and I watched several hovering close to shore before plunging into the waves to emerge with some hapless fish clamped firmly between its mandibles. Encouraging news indeed.

Now all we need is for those plovers to get a move on…

Beautiful babes!

Eilish Rothney, Trinity Broads Warden

End of April and May have seen the start of our breeding wetland bird survey on the Trinity Broads. This involves myself and two volunteers “pootling” around the reed fringes of all five broads looking and listening for signs of breeding birds. And, with 21km of reed fringe this is no mean feat. 

Spot the chick!

Early in the season is best for nest spotting as the reeds have not grown too tall, the low flat rafts of the great crested grebe and the raised maisonettes of the coot are works of art. Each nest is individual, sometimes we can see eggs but sometimes the coot builds a “volcano” so little is visible in the crater. Often the parent sits tight protecting her clutch. We are very careful not to disturb or cause distress.

Other signs we look for are birds “skulking” in the water – looking furtive, swimming low like a submarine about to dive. Or else they shoot out… or into… the reeds very suddenly. A lone male swan, wings erect, magnificent and regal patrols keeping others away from his territory. The female sits serene atop a mountain of plant material.

With the warm spring, already there are mature families of grebe – the young beginning to lose their characteristic stripy heads. The stripes signal the parents to feed them, soon these will have to fend for themselves. We spot a family of pochard, seven little ducklings sticking as close to mum as possible, for the moment safe from predators such as lesser black-backed gulls.

From the reeds warblers and reed buntings churr and whistle and occasionally a Cetti's warbler shouts its melodic song from a broad-shore bush; each call a territory and potential nest. A lone bittern boomed in April but we don’t think he found love.

May and the broads have been full of coot chicks – some families of five young which is unusual! There is still nest building activity and we are hoping for more duck families. If you are out on the Broads try to disturb the red fringes as little as possible, some birds are very nervous. Keep a safe distance and mind your boat wash.

The Birds and the Bees at Weeting Heath

Matt Twydell, Weeting Heath Summer Warden

We now have our first stone curlew chicks of the year at Weeting Heath! Both pairs that nested outside the hides hatched two chicks each. Unfortunately one of the pairs lost its chicks soon after hatching, possibly due to the immediate cold and wet weather conditions. The good news is that the second pairs chicks are now about 11 days old and have been viewed feeding and being fed with the adults. These chicks will also hopefully be rung in the next few weeks. I was lucky enough to capture some video though the scope of the two adults and two chicks

 

The adult male in the video is the one with rings on its legs, you can see the more striking features of the bird around the eye for instance which makes it stand out more than the female, this is just one way to identify between the sexes.

The pair that lost their chicks have already laid another clutch and are now viewable from the west hide, so hopefully by about mid-June they should hatch two more chicks.

The pine belt along the visitor centre is home to a variety of woodland bird species. This has been evident the past few days with adults feeding the chicks of 13 different species of birds, including goldcrest, treecreeper, mistle thrush, blackcap and several finch and tit species.

Blue tit chicks in a nest box

Spotted flycatchers have returned to nest in the pines. They are one of the latest arrivals back from Africa and we are fortunate to have them return. They were once a common sight in some gardens but unfortunately their breeding population has decreased by 86% over the last 40 years. So far we have just the one pair near the Visitor Centre, so look out in the pines for their distinctive up right posture from perches and you might just come across the audible snapping sound that the bill sometimes makes when the bird snatches an insect from the air.

Bombus hypnorum or their more common name of tree bee have decided to nest in our bird box with a camera inside, unfortunately they are not camera friendly! and have obstructed the lens. Tree bees are a new species of bumblebee to the UK, first colonising the country from the continent in 2001 and have quite quickly moved up through  the country. As their name suggests they nest in holes in trees, or in this case our bird box outside the visitor centre.

Other wildlife that has been seen on the reserve includes a turtle dove, tree pipit, woodlark and hobby on the woodland trail, as well as several butterfly species including common and holly blue and green hairstreak.

Species of the month: Bittern

Ed Parnell of Norfolk Wildlife Trust

Visit some of the larger reedbeds of the Broads in May, particularly early in the morning or around dusk, and there’s every chance you’ll hear a strange booming sound, reminiscent of someone blowing across the top of an empty bottle: the breeding call of the male bittern, one of the UK’s rarest and most unusual birds.

Bittern, photo by Ed Parnell

The bittern is a member of the heron family, but differs widely in its plumage from the commonly-encountered grey heron. Bitterns have a light, straw coloured base colour, which is exotically streaked with darker, almost-black, lines and chevrons. The overall effect is exceptionally cryptic and it is little wonder that the bird blends so effortlessly into its favoured reedbed habitat. Although bitterns have a long neck, which they stretch out vertically to mimic their surroundings when alarmed, they never appear as tall and elegant as herons. Indeed, in certain poses they almost seem to take on a rather hunched, owl-like appearance. What never changes is the lethal dagger-like bill, which is used to impale unfortunate frogs, fish and small mammals with lethal precision.

As to the bittern’s boom, this remarkable sound is produced when the courting male bird exhales air from its oesophagus. The noise, usually repeated in short sequences of three or four chimes, has the lowest frequency of any note produced by a British bird and can be heard from up to three miles away.

Bitterns were a common bird in medieval times, when wetland and reedbed in places like the Fens was much more prevalent. They were also considered a great delicacy for the table and eaten in large numbers (sometimes hundreds at a time) at medieval banquets. Over-hunting, along with the loss of its habitat, factored in its decline and by the end of the Victorian age, the species had disappeared as a British breeding bird.

Bittern in the reeds, photo by Liz Dack

So when in 1911 the Edwardian naturalist Emma Turner photographed a nestling at Hickling Broad, there was much excitement. And despite a gradual increase in numbers over the following decades (with Norfolk the UK stronghold), the species began a severe downward spiral in the late 1960s. By 2010 the UK population contained just 14 booming male birds.

However, dedicated conservation work (including generous EU funding) has helped to turn things around so that in 2011 the UK population of the species reached 104 males, with 23 of these in Norfolk. These are centred around the Broads, with smaller numbers in suitable habitat along the north Norfolk coast at sites such as NWT Cley Marshes and NWT Holme Dunes. The best places to hear the species though (for they are very hard to see, unless you happen to be in the right place at the right time) is in the Broads, with NWT Hickling Broad offering a very good chance.

The Brecks: curlews and pingos

Isabelle Mudge, Seasonal Education Officer

 

The Education team has recently been on a visit to the Brecks to learn about the sensitive and rare habitats in the area, and about those species which thrive on them.

Stone curlew, photo by Jessica Riederer

The heathland at NWT Weeting Heath is very different from that at NWT Roydon Common, where a sea of purple in late summer is clear evidence of the heather. Lacking heather, Weeting Heath is perhaps less impressive, but this is only at first glance - if you look more closely at the ground you see an incredible patchwork of different colours and textures thanks to the great variety of mosses and lichens which cover the surface of the soil. It is these, and the numerous other plants exclusive to heathland habitats, which amaze the botanists who come here. It is also this environment that attracts birders from near and far to see lapwing, nightjar and stone curlew. Having heard so much about the elusive and rare stone curlew, we were all thrilled when, after scanning the area for some time, we were lucky enough to see first two, then four stone curlews! 

Pingo at NWT Thompson Common

Following our visit to Weeting, we went on to see the pingos, which are ancient glacial formations, at nearby NWT Thompson Common. The pingo trail gives the impression of going back in time, by initially taking you through what looks a bit like a prehistoric jungle swamp where the several pools of water are often concealed by dense vegetation. Then out in the open, however, the clear water of the pingos is exposed and brimming with life, with an abundance of freshwater invertebrates, and several plants such as water violets and lilies, making the pools beautiful and unearthly.

We had a fantastic day, and came away feeling that these two contrasting sites provide the visitor with a unique experience not to be missed.

June's Wildlife Watch event for children takes place at NWT Weeting Heath. Come and discover our Magical Moths!

Cley Catch-up: 7 May 2014

Barry Madden, Volunteer Bird Guide at NWT Cley Marshes

Walking around Cley Marshes with the warmth of the sun punching through my sweatshirt, it was strange to think that only a few short weeks ago a sweatshirt would have provided woefully inadequate cover against the biting North wind. But today was so lovely that it made all the trudging through the cold, bleak months worthwhile and left the grey shades of winter nothing but a distant and unwelcome memory. The natural world has burst into life and brings with it a tangible lifting of the spirit and a spring to the step; it seems at this time of year that anything is possible and every field, hedgerow or pool can harbour a surprise.

Looking around the reserve on such a beautiful day it is hard to visualise the devastation that was wrought during December and January. The only obvious reminders of those events are the re-profiled beach and the roadside area which still suffers from being strewn with tonnes of reed debris. So much hard work has been undertaken by reserve staff and volunteers that everything else now looks much as it did before the storm surge. Footpaths have been cleared, hides cleaned out and re-thatched, breaches in the retaining banks plugged, waterways unclogged and fences mended. In fact the destruction of fencing along the beach has provided an opportunity to realign the boundary to make much larger areas of untrodden shingle available for breeding waders whilst still maintaining plenty of space for people. I think it true to say that the reserve today is in good shape and looks splendid. The extent of underlying damage to the flora and fauna is yet to be determined however, and only time will show the effects of the flooding on the less obvious elements of the ecosystem.

Two pairs of marsh harrier have set up territory on the reserve, the first have been nest building within photographic range of Bishop's hide and will no doubt provide many opportunities for amateur photographers to capture that elusive shot of a food pass. The other pair were busy displaying over the reed bed on the newly acquired Pope's Marsh. The male of this second pair chanced his arm at one point and trespassed onto his neighbour's patch provoking a boisterous aerial display by the incumbent bird comprising much swooping from on high and high pitched calling. A treat to witness.

Little ringed plover, photo by David Pelling

It was encouraging to see wader numbers building up on the scrapes. Joining the ever abundant avocets were three pairs of little ringed plovers, a greenshank, several ruff and a group of thirty or so brick red black-tailed godwits. The avocets seem to have sorted out breeding plots and skirmishes were surprisingly few and far between. Not so the black headed gulls that were constantly beating one another up and dive bombing any hapless shelduck that had the audacity to paddle within range. Small individual episodes that collectively form a rich and varied mosaic of relationships between the inhabitants of these wildlife rich marshes.

People were out in force enjoying the warm spring sunshine; family parties, rambling groups, dog walkers, birders, artists and picnickers, each enjoying the reserve in their own way. There's room for all, and indeed without this essential human element the reserve would not be fulfilling its purpose as part of a Living Landscape - a wild space managed for the benefit of people and wildlife in equal measure.

Wheatear, photo by Bob Carpenter

My stroll around the reserve perimeter, punctuated as it was by frequent stops to pass the time of day and chat with visitors, revealed a pleasant sprinkling of summer migrants. Resplendent wheatears in crisp breeding plumage hopped around bare patches of ground close to the shingle ridge, pairs of sandwich terns made their way stoically westward towards breeding grounds at Blakeney and best of all in my book, a gorgeous yellow wagtail fly-catched its way across the Eye. All this set against a background of tootling redshanks, burbling lapwings, trilling skylarks and piping oystercatchers - it really is hard to beat a walk around Cley Marshes on such a vibrant spring day.