With the primary three months of the yr now gone, it’s time for a assessment of my birding efforts up to now this yr. On the time of writing, my British yr record stands at a modest however passable 139, whereas my European record is on 173, because of a go to to southern Spain in February. The following couple of months will in fact see a lift to my British record, as summer time migrants flood into England, whereas forthcoming journeys to Cyprus, Greece and northern Spain may also turbocharge the European record.
Pinkfooted Geese in North Norfolk – winter guests from Iceland
My British record is, the truth is, merely an East Anglian record, as I haven’t (up to now) ventured out of the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. Nor have I chased explicit birds, both: nearly all of the birds I’ve seen have been encountered throughout a traditional day’s birding, not a focused twitch for a specific species. I’ve managed to see the nice majority of the wintering birds I anticipate, however there have been a couple of main misses. I haven’t, for instance, seen a Bewick’s Swan, although I’ve encountered quite a lot of Whoopers, their greater cousins. My goose rely stands at a passable eight species, together with the bonus of a Crimson-breasted, however there have been few information of Bean Geese in East Anglia this winter, so I haven’t seen any.
A lone Whooper Swan on a gray January day in Norfolk
As for the geese – I’m now as much as 15 species. I’ve failed to search out Velvet Scoter, whereas the mildness of the winter (no snow and never a lot frost) meant that few Smew reached England, so I haven’t seen one. Quick-stopping signifies that they keep on the continent, however laborious climate there’ll push them throughout the North Sea to England. We have now had a winter with no snow, and few frosts, so no Smew.
Drake Shoveler – one in every of 15 species of geese seen up to now this yr
A drake Pintail was my a hundredth species of the yr on 22 January, whereas my bonus geese had been 5 Lesser Scaups – three grownup drakes and two females – on Abberton reservoir in Essex. I actually loved seeing these birds, as if I’ve watched them of their native North America, the place they’re considerable, that was a very long time in the past. They’re rarities in Britain, with the primary particular person solely recorded as just lately as 1987. The birds I noticed had been combined in with a flock of Tufted Geese, their European counterparts, for they’re an identical dimension and have very related habits and behavior. Frustratingly, there have been simply too distant to {photograph}.
Goldeneye have turn out to be scarce in current winters
Goldeneye was widespread winter guests to this a part of the world, however they’ve turn out to be a lot scarcer in recent times, once more on account of brief stopping. I finally noticed my first of the yr on Abberton on the identical day that I noticed the Scaup. With their exuberant shows, drake Goldeneye are all the time entertaining birds to look at.
A Black-winged Stilt in Spain in February
My wader record (or what you’d name shorebirds in North America) is as much as 25, a passable complete, however one which doesn’t embody any surprises. I haven’t related with an over-wintering Greenshank or Noticed Redshank, each species I’m positive to see within the subsequent few weeks, whereas in Spain my solely notable additions had been Stone Curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover and Little Stint, the final three all on the estuary of the Barbate. Wader watching in spring is all the time thrilling, as so many of those birds are remodeled after they purchase their breeding finery. A winter Gray Plover is an unremarkable hen, however in spring plumage, with deep black stomach and silver-spangled again, it’s a completely different proposition completely.
Gray plover in winter – it’s a distinct hen in its summer time finery
One species I used to be happy to search out was Purple Sandpiper. Although this hen winters generally on the rocky northern coasts of Britain, it’s not straightforward to search out in East Anglia, with its usually sandy coast. I discovered my birds close to Ness Level on the Suffolk coast, probably the most easterly level within the British Isles.
Purple Sandpipers like rocky seashores – we don’t have many in East Anglia
A hen that many British birdwatchers battle to see is the Woodcock, the wader of the woods. I’ve seen fairly a couple of, together with no fewer than 14 flushed, one after the other, from a small Suffolk wooden in late January. The Woodcock had been disturbed by beaters driving Pheasants for a recreation shoot. Although the Woodcock is a authorized quarry species, many individuals now not shoot them, and never one was fired at on this present day. I think that nearly each Suffolk wooden holds a Woodcock (and even a number of Woodcock) in mid winter, however as a result of they hardly ever fly in the course of the day except disturbed, they go unseen. A couple of breed domestically, and in March I went out twice at nightfall to look at for roding (displaying) males: I noticed single birds on each events.
A typical view of a Woodcock – excessive over the woods
The heath the place I noticed the roding Woodcock is a daily web site for Lengthy-eared Owls. They bred right here in each 2021 and 2022, although none had been discovered final yr. There was an opportunity I’d discover one when on the lookout for the Woodcock, however I didn’t have any luck, and the one owl I recorded was a hooting Tawny.
At all times hen to see: a Quick-eared Owl. This hen was within the Norfolk Broads
It has been winter for Quick-eared Owls, however I did not see any till the top of March, after I got here throughout a single hen within the Norfolk Broads (above). This was a co-operative person that spent a while looking a area of tough grass, giving loads of alternatives for images.
One of many wintering White-tailed Eagles, photographed in North Norfolk in March
The previous winter has been notable domestically for the looks of two White-tailed Eagles, one a tagged younger hen from Sussex (the primary English-hatched hen for 200 years), the opposite one other first-year hen that had fledged in Holland. Although they got here near dwelling, and had been even seen by non-birdwatching pals, I did not see them. I did, nevertheless, take pleasure in two sudden encounters (likely with the Dutch hen) on the Norfolk coast in February and March. Seeing eagles is all the time thrilling, and I a lot loved these two encounters.
An grownup Spanish Imperial Eagle, perched on a roadside pylon
As for different birds of prey, I did see a feminine Pallid Harrier that wintered for the second yr in a row in Norfolk, although the view was a distant one. I struggled to discover a Hen Harrier, however lastly noticed a ring-tailed hen inside a mile of dwelling when strolling my spaniel, a stunning sighting that I used to be fairly delighted with. In Spain, my most notable raptor was a fantastic grownup Spanish Imperial Eagle, sitting on a roadside pylon close to the city of Medina-Sidonia. It is a good space to see these good-looking eagles, although pylons hardly take advantage of photogenic of perches.
Nice Gray Shrikes have turn out to be uncommon birds in East Anglia
In Spain I surprisingly did not see a Southern Gray Shrike, as soon as a typical hen in rural Spain, however which has turn out to be scarce in recent times. Right here in East Anglia Nice Gray Shrikes was common winter guests, however they’ve turn out to be fairly uncommon this century. Just one was reported domestically within the Brecks this previous winter, so I did make an effort to go and see it. It was a protracted stroll to search out it, on forest tracks, however was a lot loved by Emma my spaniel who accompanied me. As soon as they’ve discovered an space they like, these shrikes turn out to be site-faithful, so they’re comparatively straightforward to search out if the place to look.
Hawfinches are a lot wanted by birdwatchers within the UK
On the near-continent Hawfinches might be fairly widespread, however right here within the UK they’re uncommon birds, so are a lot wanted by birdwatchers. I’ve loved three sightings this yr: the primary had been very distant, sitting in a hornbeam tree; the second was a celebration of six birds that flew over my head, whereas the third was a co-operative particular person that allow me {photograph} it. Two years in the past Hawfinches nested in a buddy’s Breckland backyard, however he hasn’t had any sightings but this yr.
Yearly I look ahead to the return of our summer time breeding birds. There was a mass arrival of chiffchaffs on 14 March, and now they’re in every single place, whereas I heard my first Blackcap domestically on 23 March. Although I noticed each Swallows and Home Martins in Spain in February, I don’t anticipate to see them right here till April. Nevertheless it’s not till I hear my first Cuckoo (usually round 21 April) that I do know that spring has actually arrived. I can’t wait.
