Dengemarsh - warm, dry and sunny, E 3 - A pleasant enough morning in hazy sunshine for a circular Ted walk around the farmland and wetlands. Much of the arable lands had been sprayed off with herbicide prior to spring sowing of crops and as a result was devoid of any bird life; apart from one untouched stony field with a few pairs of sitting Lapwings and an Oystercatcher. Around the bird reserve the reedbeds and ditches were full of Sedge, Reed and Cetti`s Warblers, Reed Buntings and Bearded Tits, plus Common and Lesser Whitethroats in the dry scrub. From Hooker`s ramp several Marsh Harriers, two Hobbies and a `booming` Bittern were noted but there was no sign of any Cuckoo activity. Several pairs of Pochard, Gadwall, Shelduck and Tufted Ducks were present along with two Great White Egrets, two Common Buzzards, five Whimbrel over, a Common Tern on Dengemarsh lake, a few more Lapwings and Redshanks and an Avocet on the hayfields.
Elsewhere this week I`ve twice seen a Little Owl on the out buildings at Hammonds Corner and singing Corn Buntings nearby. A check from Hanson hide yesterday revealed very little due to high water levels while two visits to Kerton Quarry yielded just the usual breeding waders and wildfowl and up to 150 roosting Oystercatchers. The garden moth trap continues to be disappointing with low numbers, probably due to the chilly nights.
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