Exminster Marshes

Wednesday 12th May and it was off to Exminster Marshes for the day with Mavis. The weather forecast was for rain in the afternoon but on arriving at the RSPB car park at around 9am it was sunny and warm. However the forecasted rain did eventually arrive at around 2:30pm but we were very fortunately nearing the end of our walk by this time and managed to get back to the car before the rain really got going.

Our time on the Marsh was very productive with the highlight being a juvenile White-fronted Goose, presumably one of the family of wintering birds that has been left behind. 

White-fronted Goose

A Hobby flew through all too briefly while a male Kestrel showed very well hovering overhead and at one point it swooped down and carried off a small rodent.

Kestrel (Courtesy of Mavis) 

A partial summer plumaged Bar-tailed Godwit, a Whimbrel and 22 assorted plumaged Black-tailed Godwit were seen along with Lapwing, 2 Oystercatcher and 3 Little Ringed Plover. Mallard, Shelduck, 2 male and a female Wigeon and a pair of Tufted Duck were also seen along with Coot and Moorhen. The resident Snow Goose was found amongst the Canada Geese along with a pair of white feral farmyard Geese.

There were good numbers of Swifts and Swallows over the Marsh with a few House Martin and Sand Martin amongst them. Sedge Warblers and Reed Warblers were very vocal and showy along with Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat but the Cettis Warblers while vocal kept themselves very well hidden.

Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Green-veined White, a male Orange Tip and a Small Copper were also seen flitting about in the sunnier spells.

Orange Tip

A very enjoyable walk, my first at Exminster Marsh for 2 years, with a good range of birds seen despite the deteriorating weather. 

A Trip to Suffolk

Due to health issues and family problems I needed to travel to Suffolk (also a Tier 2 area) for a few days and so Friday 4th December saw us driving up to Ipswich. It was a cold day and there was snow in the distance on the moors as we drove around Marsh Mills roundabout in Plymouth and there was also snow on the ground and on rooftops along the A12 in Suffolk.

Red Kites showed well along the drive between Stonehenge on the A303 and the M25 with at least 15 seen soaring over the carriageways along with Buzzards and Kestrels. 

We stayed in a hotel across the road from where my parents live in order to follow the Tier 2 COVID rules as much as possible and it was a pleasent stay and quite convenient although a little weird.

Saturday 5th December and we managed to get out for a walk at RSPB Lakenheath Fen on what was a cold and still day with occasional sunny spells and there were still patches of snow on the ground around the reserve.

RSPB Lakenheath Fen

Lakenheath Fen

We only had a short time (90 minutes) but I did manage to see some good birds. The highlights were a pair of Bearded Tits which showed very well and very close before "pinging" off deeper into the reed beds, a distant female Marsh Harrier perched on top of a small tree amongst the reeds, a lone Whooper Swan sleeping on the lake and looking a little poorly and 2, possibly 3 Great White Egret (a distant bird flying over the reed beds and later a bird flying away downriver with another bird feeding around the lake).

Whooper Swan

Great White Egret

A male Reed Bunting, Gadwalls, 2 Shelduck, a squealing Water Rail heard from deep in the undergrowth and a male Brambling on the bird feeders at the visitors centre were also noted.

Brambling and Blue Tit

Sunday 6th December and we managed to get out for a walk again, this time to Snape Maltings on the River Alde. A Tundra Bean Goose had been reported in the area with 11 European/Russian White-fronted Geese but I only managed to find 5 of the White-fronted Geese which did show very well in the sunshine. 

White-fronted Geese, RSPB Snape Marshes

White-fronted Geese

2 Avocets out on the mudflats amongst the feeding waders and a small group of noisy and mobile Bearded Tits in the reed beds were also seen.

We also had a quick look around at nearby RSPB North Warren near Aldeburgh and out on the marshes in the fading light were a large mixed flock of White-fronted Geese and Barnacle Geese along with Pintail, Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler and Greylag Geese.

Heading back to Plymouth on Monday 7th December and it was cold and very foggy and so there were no Red Kites seen this time but it had been a nice trip away despite the strange circumstances and weird COVID times.