It was back to the mundane
today (Sunday) and a hard slog around the Stour Valley where the footpaths are
becoming increasingly treacherous from cattle tramping over them and defecating
everywhere added to the fact the a lot of the area is sub-aqua due to the persistent
rains and high ground water levels. As I sat in my car listening to Richard
Allinson on BBC radio 2 and drinking my cup of tea just before 6.00am a
Woodcock came over the road from the Grove Ferry Public House car park area and
dropped down by the footpath to the reserve parallel to the road. After a
minute or so the Woodcock then took flight again and flew down the road and was
lost in the darkness. There is now a very large amount of water from the Ramp
but sadly the Duck numbers seem to be down with only 467 Teal, 4 Wigeon and 3
Pintail plus a few Shoveler and Mallard. There were also 84 Lapwing but, there
should be a couple of hundred at this time of year. Three female Marsh Harriers
left roost, 136 Cormorants streamed out and 48 Mute Swans left the back pools
to feed in the fields behind the Boat House. From the Ramp I noticed the first
20 Fieldfares dropping in to the Paddock and by the end of the morning’s
session at least 300 birds were present with more still arriving. There were
also 140+ Redwings, a dozen Song Thrushes and at least 30 Blackbirds. A Kestrel
was hovering over the footpath before crossing the reed bed as I walked toward
the Feast hide, in the Feast hide the island was covered in Mallards while the
pool had 12 Gadwall and 1 Wigeon on it plus a couple of Teal and a few more
Mallards. The Pinging of Bearded Tits was heard along the path towards Harrison’s
but they remained unseen and the pool from Harrison’s Drove hide was absolutely
bird free, not even a Teal to look at. I looked across the fields behind
Harrison’s and there was a small group of Greylags feeding amongst the cows and
with these there were 4 White-fronted Geese and a single Pink-footed Goose.
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Pink-footed Goose |
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Pink-footed Goose
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The
walk to Marsh hide was perilous and the cows tried to block my exit by Middle
Drove but a “Boo” soon saw them off as they galloped past me, the only avian interest
being the masses of berry eating Thrushes. Marsh hide, like Harrison’s, was devoid
of bird life except a single Grey Heron standing in the middle of the left had
pool while a walk through the Alder Wood produced just 1 Goldcrest and a few
Tits. The lake at Stodmarsh looked completely birdless but I could see the
Ducks were at the northern end and as I made my way there I met Norman McCanch
just before Tower hide where we birded and chatted for a while. On the lake
were 39 Pochards, 2 Tufted Ducks, and 18 Great-crested Grebes while the Great
Black-backed Gull was again on the Tern raft and a Common Gull was in the water
near the Ducks. A Little Grebe was over the far side of the lake although
Norman had seen two earlier and a very late Swallow was feeding over the reed
bed behind us. Norman and I went our separate ways and the river walk proved to
be a very quiet adventure the only ‘stop in tracks’ moment was at the jungle
where it no longer is, cut right back and no overhanging brambles to tear at
your face. Cutting back from the river along Harrison’s Drove a Stoat ran
across my path and I met up again with Norman behind Harrison’s hide where the
Pink-foot was still present but there was no sign of the White-fronts. The
drive home took me through Sandwich where I saw a late Whinchat at Dickson’s
Corner but I didn’t visit the Scrape and carried on through to home.
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Whinchat at Dickson's Corner |
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Whinchat at Dickson's Corner |