Sunday 3 June 2012

Damp Osprey Watch


 


Yesterday was a grey, wet, drizzly kind of day with little worth reporting and, so it was again today. A cold easterly wind with a murky, grey, misty, drizzly outlook. Starting at the Ramp there were 2 drake Wigeon, 2 Tufted Duck, 4 Pochard and a dozen Mallards. I quickly moved on to Harrison’ which was also almost bird less but there were 2 drake Garganey on the ‘White House’ pool at the end of Harrison’s. Next stop was Marsh hide where most bird life appears to be this year along with the Water Meadows. Three Little Egrets flew past as I was walking down and a 4th was from the hide, a couple of Cetti’s Warbles sang out and there were 2 Shelduck and 50 Gadwall from the hide. Forty five minutes after entering the hide I received a phone call from Pete Solly with ”have you got the Osprey”. He’d just arrived at the Ramp to find one fishing in front of him only to drift of south towards Preston. Sadly from Marsh hide the Grove end was shrouded in mist and I could not locate the bird. Pete joined me a while later in Marsh hide and 50minutes after his sighting I picked up the Osprey distantly over Grove again where it dived, caught a fish and came straight towards us, disappearing past the hide and looking as if it would land somewhere around Stodmarsh lake with its breakfast. We left the hide and headed through the Alder Wood to the Lampen Wall where, with the help of Brendan who had now arrived, we relocated the Osprey on a dead tree on the far side of Stodmarsh lake. Here it stayed for the rest of the morning until it’s departure at 11.55am. A few other birds making the note book included Reed and Sedge Warblers, Blackcap, Whitethroat and Chiffchaff, 5 Grey Herons, 1 Cuckoo, 2 Bitterns (1 male), 3 Pied Wagtails and 4 Marsh Harriers. There was 1 Hobby, 4 Greenshank, 4 Ringed Plovers, 3 Redshank and a Kingfisher plus a gathering of Swifts, Swallows and Martins feeding low over the reserve.
Record shot of Osprey in the drizzle

Record shot of Osprey in the drizzle

Record shot of Osprey in the drizzle

Record shot of Osprey in the drizzle