Dengemarsh - cool, cloudy, S 4 - For a change of scene this morning we walked the bridle path from the ARC car park to the hayfields and back in blustery, dry weather conditions. Scrub clearance across the reserve continues apace as shown by the picture below taken from the track down to the pines. The wet fields at Boulderwall and behind Hookers held the bulk of birds with 500 Lapwings, 200 Starlings and 200 Wigeons, plus 12 Golden Plovers, 10 Curlews, four Ruffs, a Redshank and a mix of corvids, feral geese, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, and four Shelducks. Singles of Kestrel, Buzzard and Marsh Harrier also noted. Due to the brisk wind passerines were in short supply with just a few Reed Buntings, Cetti`s Warblers, Stonechat and Chiffchaff present. The flooded hayfields looked inviting but a spring of Teal was the only bird activity. A flock of around 300 White-fronts were reported from the fields opposite Cockles Bridge (MC).
This afternoon a Firecrest was calling from the fir trees opposite the cottage where it showed briefly before being chased off by a Magpie. There has been no change to the birds on the local patch at both the Lade wetlands and on the bay since my last post. The forecasters have promised a plume of warm air sweeping up from north Africa this weekend, and I did consider rigging the moth trap up, until that is I saw the predicted wind speeds... Still, the wind might deliver an early Wheatear or Sand Martin and we can always dream of an Alpine Swift or a Great Spotted Cuckoo!
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