Newbourne Springs

Work parties are held fortnightley throughtout the winter period.  At the last work party the volunteers were coppicing and working on the heathland.  Mike Wise our voluntary warden is always looking for more help; so if you fancy lending a hand please come along.  The next work party is scheduled for January 8th.

Photo by Julie March

Trimley reserve and Levington update

All the open water areas and dykes are still frozen at Trimley, waterbird activity is confined mainly to the seaward side of the sea wall.

The lagoon at Levington is also frozen. One Spotted Redshank there today whilst on the saltings and mudflats there were several thousand waterbirds.  Yesterday, 34 Red-breasted Mergansers and 12 Goldeneye were reported and at nearby Loompit Lake there was an adult Yellow-legged Gull (Will Brame).

Trimley Reserve

The reserve is still frozen.  Wildfowl (Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Pintail, Wigeon, Pochard and Shelduck) c1500 hugged the shoreline as if waiting for an imminent thaw of the reserve.  All the wader species that you would expect to find on the estuary at this time of the year, including Avocet were feeding on mudflat adjacent to the sea wall.  Several hundred geese, including Brent and c100 Golden Plover were on the marshes.

The photo below shows a frozen winter flood area.

Double click to enlarge

Merry Christmas

I would like to thank all of the volunteers who have given their time so generously and supported me in so many ways over this past year. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas.

Merry Christmas

Hazlewood

It was a cold murky morning on Hazlewood marshes.  I was with our contractor, Tim Day, who was restoring 600m of dyke and replaceing a broken sluice.

Shingle Street & Ramsholt

Shingle Street was bleak this morning; the sea was rough and there was a cold strong north-easterly wind.  I was out birding with my boss; we watched Snow Buntings flit and forage amongst the sparse vegetation on the beach.  On the shingle island at the mouth of the Ore there were c200 Cormorants along with a small gathering of gulls.  Our walk took us around Oxley Marshes; numerous Blackbirds and a few Redwings and Fieldfares foraged in the berry laden hawthorn bushes.  Curlews and Lapwings were on the meadows and we flushed a Woodcock. 

At Ramsholt we had Avocet, Rock Pipit and Green Sandpiper.  Not too many birds were seen but none-the-less it was a very enjoyable morning.

Trimley Reserve

Driving a 4x4, I drove as near to Trimley reserve as I dared before walking the rest of the way.  The reserve was covered in deep snow; the most I have seen in twenty years.  Wigeon hugged the shoreline along with a few Redshank and Turnstone and waterbirds had abandoned the reserve.  Everywhere was frozen and fallen snow still clung to the reeds and willows; with sub zero temperatures the reserve looked bleak and hostile, yet so beautiful.  A lone Marsh Harrier quartered the reed bed to no avail and a Fox searched the icy reservoir for dead or dying birds.

Holywells Park Canal

The canal was frozen except for a small open area of water in the pond area, which held a few Mallards, a Moorhen and a pair of Mandarin Ducks.

Freston WeBS count

Today we had freezing conditions again with overnight snow up to three inches deep.  So far, there has not been much let up in these severe weather conditions.  As a reminder, our waterbirds are daily living on a knife edge without having to contend with such harsh weather conditions.  It is imperative that these birds are not disturbed. I was involved in the monthly Water Bird Survey (WeBS); my count section was on the Orwell at Freston.  The shoreline was frozen; however, a few birds flew in to roost, which included 320 Black-tailed Godwits, 55 Oystercatchers, 70 Redshanks, 120 Dunlins, 15 Turnstones and 105 Shelducks.





Black-tailed Godwits coming to roost







Orwell estuary and Trimley reserve updates

Today I was involved, with about 44 other fieldworkers, in a coordinated low water count of the Stour and Orwell estuaries. My patch of intertidal was between Cliff Quay and Bridge Wood saltings. I counted 1,600 Dunlin, the highest number for many years, other species included 248 Redshanks, 465 Oystercatchers, 127 Black-tailed Godwit, 1 Scaup, 39 Great-crested Grebe and 20 Little Grebe.


Observations these past few days at the Trimley Marshes wetland reserve have included Waxwings, Red-headed Smew, Mandarin Duck, white-fronted Geese and a Pink-footed Goose.



Gulls, ducks and Geese on the reservoir at Trimley



Oulton Marshes

We had a site managers meeting at Carlton Marshes for updates from our team leader Dorothy Casey then we had a walk round Oulton Marshes, led by Mat Gooch, looking at recent management work.  Since my last visit it was quite obviouse as to how much restoration work has been completed, the wetland reserve is looking great.

We held our Xmas shared bash at the Carlton VC and in the afternoon Mat gave us a demonstration of how the Trust's new foot-drain machine carves out grips.

Observations on Oulton Marshes included several Woodcock, 2 Marsh Harriers, 5 Egyptian Geese, 2 Barn Owls, several Snipe, Sparrowhawk and a wintering Chiffchaff.

Site Managers on Oulton Marshes

Trimley Marshes Reserve

Volunteers Mike, Rob and Tom cleared more brash during another bitterly cold day.  Observations included 29 WAXWINGS in the Visitor Centre bushes.

Trimley Marshes Reserve

Lots of management work achieved today thanks to a Green Team from the Environment Agency. Ten enthusiastic youngsters chopped (bow-sawed) their way through the hedge and burnt the brash. The baked potatoes and camp fire soup was great and the camaraderie was even better. The fire was burning well and it was becoming darker by the minute when someone produced a big bag of marsh mallows; the day was finished off with a well earned natter and toasted marsh mallows.

I would like to thank Andrew Rainie and his team from the Environment Agency for all their hard work and for making the day a great success.

There was no time to look for birds today but we did flush a Woodcock earlier in the morning and when we packed up some of us saw a Short-eared Owl.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Trimley Reserve

Freezing fog with no let up all day.  Before first light I saw a Fox on the bund caught in the dockland floodlights and had beautiful close views; it did not run but just nonchalantly strolled ahead of me.  A little later another fox was scavenging the saltmarsh and then I had a third walk across the frozen reservoir on tip-toes which was so comical.  A Water Rail was searching for morsels on the saltings.  It is a tough time for our wildlife.  The foggy conditions meant that it was quiet and still until a Peregrine and a Kestrel had a ding-dong of a battle right above me.  All the thrushes were present feeding on the abundant berry store in the hedge and to top it all I saw three Waxwings feeding at close quarters by the Visitor Centre.  I thought that this is a tough job as I sipped my hot coffee.

Trimley Marshes Reserve

Observations today included a Great White Egret Flying over the reserve, seven Whitefronted Geese and one Pink-footed Goose and a Common Scoter on the river.

The number of bird species seen on the reserve now stands at 230.

Newbourne Springs

Site management meeting; observations included Little Egret, c80 Siskin and 3 Woodcock.

Trimley Reserve

Another snowy start to the day, at dawn there were six Woodcock along the bridleway.

Trimley Reserve

Many of our open water areas have been frozen for several days but today with our first covering of snow the reserve looked desolate. Where there was open water it was packed with ducks and geese.  Observations included Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Woodcock and Avocet (41).  Fieldfares, Redwings and Blackbirds fed on the abundant supply of berries and one fortunate lady saw four Waxwings in the bushes by the Visitor Centre.

Scenes at Trimley today:

Trimley Reserve

More coppicing work was carried out on the viewing platform hedge.  We also cleared much of the brash thanks to Ben for bringing along the Sandlings chipper.

Snape Marshes

At Snape today we finished cutting the bracken on the heathland in readiness for another volunteer workparty next week.  Also, Alan created new footdrains in one of the meadows using the Trust's new specialised implement for such management tasks.

Observations included a sleepy Adder on the heath, 20 Redpolls, Marsh Harrier, 12 Pied Wagtails and four Bearded Tits.

Snape Marshes

On Wednesday 17th a group of local people volunteered to carryout management work on the heathland area of Snape Marshes. The work included raking cut bracken, removing pioneer saplings and making habitat piles.

Thanks go to our wardens Lesley and Derek Walduck and volunteers Alan, Alice, David, Graham, Helen, Mike, Roger and Sue.

Trimley Reserve update

At first light it was white and bitterley cold, I only had a bow saw to keep me warm!  No butterflies!  There were six Bearded Tits and a Cetti's Warbler in the borrow dyke next to the Visitor Centre.  Other observations of note included Buzzard, Greenshank, Avocets, two Rock Pipits and there were a few Redpolls and Fieldfares over.

Trimley Update

Observations include Chiffchaff, Short-eared Owl and Water Pipit.

Trimley Reserve

A firecrest today in the bushes by the Visitor Centre (Paul O & Paul H)

Reserve Update

Snape Marshes: cut bracken in a heathland glade in readiness for a volunteer work party scheduled for next Wednesday.

Hazelwood Marshes: the hide is temporarily closed as the track and footpath are impassable due to extensive revetment work to the sea wall.



Trimley Update

What a day!  A howling wind and driving rain forced wildfowl to seek whatever shelter they could find.  Ducks are still increasing in number and are now almost up to 2,000.  Wildfowl counted today included 700 Teal, 450 Coot, 230 Mallard, 110 Pintail,  160 Gadwall, 110 Shoveler, plus smaller numbers of Pochard, Tufted and Shelduck.  I am not sure where the Wigeon were hiding.

Levington

This morning I spent some time at Levington marina with a TV crew from Anglia Television .  The morning was all about filming the East Anglian Sailing Club (EAST) in their bid to win funding.  Filming took place on the pontoons and boats to capture shots of youngsters being hoisted  into boats and sailing, guide dogs, scenery and wildlife etc.

Nearby on Loom Pit Lake there was a Grey Phalarope.

Grey Phalarope at Loom Pit Lake today

Suffolk Winter Bird Atlas

SUFFOLK ATLAS


We are now a few days into the fourth and final winter of fieldwork for the Bird Atlas and we are in a terrific position to achieve full coverage here in Suffolk. Out of 1100 tetrads we only have just over 30 left to survey. One last push is required to achieve complete coverage; so if you do not have a TTV site to survey please contact me.

We also need comprehensive species lists in every Tetrad.

Many thanks in anticipation

Mick

Trimley



Grazing, topping and grazing the aftermath has produced a meadow
 in readiness for this winter's wildfowl and geese.



Twitter

Follow me on Twitter @KupeBushshrike

Trimley Marshes

Early this morning a Barn Owl was hunting over the tussocky grass headlands of the marshes. Bearded Tits were seen and heard calling from a number of reedy areas; our best winter by far for numbers.


John, Dave, Tom, Mike and Rob (volunteers) worked hard on hedgerow work. Rob also cooked lunch, Chilli con carne – delicious.

Taking a well earned rest.

Trimley Marshes

Compared to yesterday it was a slow start to the morning with barely any Blackbirds and only a few Fieldfare and Redwing.  The Bearded Tits were still calling and showing well in front of the hides.  There were three Buzzards, a Peregrine and Marsh Harrier and at lunchtime a Hen Harrier caused havoc amongst the Teal and Lapwing flocks.


Double click to enlarge image



Trimley Update

I arrived at Trimley before dawn; it was clear that there had been a big influx of Blackbirds overnight.  Other birds of note included Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, up to nine Bearded Tits, Water Rail and three Greenshanks, and, of course, hundreds of waterfowl.

It was arduous work today and Dave, John and Margaret (volunteers) worked extremely hard.  We worked on enhancing the ride and glades and also made a start on coppicing part of the bridleway hedge.

Levington Lagoon

Levington Lagoon is managed by SWT for Suffolk Yacht Harbour.  Five Bearded Tits were seen there today.

Trimley update

A Peregrine Falcon hunting caused several hundred Teal to scatter. Other observations included Wheatear, Bearded Tits, Buzzard and Water Rail. There were c1500 ducks and geese on the reservoir.

Reserves update

Birds at Trimley during the last few days include 4 Spoonbills, Short-eared Owl, Bearded Tits have been showing well in front of the reservoir hide, 4 Greenshank, up to 6 Mediterranean Gulls, several Buzzards and 2 Marsh Harriers daily and good numbers of wildfowl and geese.

At Levington 144 Avocets, 128 Grey Plovers, c70 Golden Plover and a Curlew Sandpiper.

Trimley Update

Three volunteers working with me today were Tom, John and Rob.  John spent all day in the tractor topping one of the meadows whilst the rest of us were grafting on a number of tasks.


Rob resting and wondering how he is going to pull up the remaing three feet of an 8in x 8in gate post before installing a new one.





Tom installing the gate latch, note the pre-war geared brace (may even be pre First World War).

Today we saw our first Goldcrests of the autumn; the Short-eared Owl is still present; other observations include Sparrowhawk 3, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard 2, Wheatear 2, Stonechat, Swallows 12 and a Redpoll.



Reserves Update

A Great White Egret at Levington Lagoon (found by Ernie Lucking) then later I saw the Egret at Trimley Marshes whilst drinking a well earned cuppa!

A Short-eared Owl and an Otter was seen by the reservoir hide (Mark Angiss). Other birds at Trimley included c450 Coot, c200 Gadwall, 16 Little Grebe, 110 Redshank, Greenshank 2, Spotted Redshank, 12 Snipe, 2 Ruff, 2 Buzzards, 2 Marsh Harriers plus several Redwing, Song Thrush and Brambling.

Reserves Update

Snape Marshes: Derek and Lesley (wardens) saw  a Jack Snipe at very close range and reported that the number of Common Snipe are increasing.  Also, they noticed Badger footprints along the public footpath in one of the muddy areas.

Trimley Marshes: On Saturday I saw a Clouded Yellow (very few seen this summer) and on Saturday Nick Mason found a very late Willow Emerald Damselfly. Birds included Ruff, Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and ducks are totalling around 1,000.  Water Rail are being seen easily infront of the reservoir hide.



Water Rail



















Newbourne Springs:  Thanks to Mike Wise (warden) and his hard working volunteers, and not forgetting the Trust's Hebridean sheep the fen areas are looking fantastic.

SWT CONSERVATION DAY and AGM at Felixstowe

During the morning we had lectures on Hidden Treasures of East Anglia 's Secret Sea - Rob Spray , Seasearch East : North Sea Herring – the Myths, Mysteries and Mismanagement - John Nichols, CEFAS : Safeguarding the North Sea marine environment - Kirsten Smith , North Sea Marine Advocacy Manager for the Wildlife Trusts.

After an excellent lunch over 70 attendees visited the Trimley Marshes reserve.  First we had to ferry people from the car park to the Visitor Centre by 4x4. In one of the pictures below you can see Sir Kenneth Carlisle and David Thomlinson taking a back seat.

Trimley Update

Another early morning start (0530hrs) at Trimley, my nets were up by dawn (0630 hrs). Birding was good again; Barn Owls were hunting over the top fields, so pleasing to see these charismatic birds once again on the marshes. On a length of fencing, perched within a few feet of each other, were two Reed Buntings, a Wheatear, Whinchat and a Stonechat.  I caught and ringed  afew more birds, which included another Water Rail and a young female Stonechat.

Trimley Update

Yesterday we had our first Brent Geese; winter is just around the corner!

Today we had a Wheatear, three Buzzards, several Kestrels, a Marsh Harrier and two Sparrowhawks. Duck numbers are building up and we still have Reed and Sedge Warblers with us.

Early this morning I caught and ringed an adult male Water Rail.

Trimley Update

Last night I was on the reserve well into darkness.  I counted 70 Linnets going to roost in the reedbed, I heard a Barn owl screaming, a couple of Little Owls calling and several Water Rails squealing.  I also saw a Jack Snipe.

Today, two Little Stints were still present on the summer flood; other birds of note included 6 Mediterranean Gulls, 3 Greenshanks and on the beach there was one exhausted female Sisken feeding that had made landfall during the mornings bad weather.  The bird was feeding on Narrow-leaved Ragwort seeds.

Trimley Marshes update

There was a Pectoral Sandpiper on the reserve yesterday but was not seen today.  Other observations today include 2 Little Stint, 3 Greenshank, c100 Redshank, c200 Lapwing and a single Sedge Warbler.

Trimley Update

Birding has been good all week.  The Spotted Crake is still present, other species today included 3 Little Stint, Bar and Black-tailed Godwit, 12 Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, 45 Pintail, several Bearded Tit, Buzzard, 3 Water Rail and Marsh Harrier.

Trimley Update

The Spotted Crake is still being seen on the summer flood.  Other birds include Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover, 7 Ruff, 12 Yellow Wagtails, Mediterranean Gull and 4 Buzzards.

Trimley Update

On Saturday, we had a fantastic beach and shoreline litter pick. Scout leaders, scouts, sea scouts, young explorers and the local community participated. We had an exceptional turnout of about 200 people which included 150 scouts. The day was brilliantly organised by Andrew Cassy from British Telecom and BT supplied a free shuttle bus. Refreshments were supplied courtesy of the local scout groups and there were prizes for Ipswich Town hospitality box tickets, Sea France Ferry and for a SWT Badger Watch.

I would like to thank Andrew, the scouts and everyone who made the day such a success.

All this activity overshadowed the fact that we had a very rare bird on the reserve; a Spotted Crake was on the summer flood.

 

Trimley Marshes Reserve

We all enjoyed another successful and eventful work party (I wished I had taken a photo of John taking a mud bath). More grass cutting work was carried out on the summer flood thanks to John T, Tom, Margaret, John R, Anne and Danny.


The near gale force winds meant that birds were hard to find but there were still about 10 Yellow Wagtails following the cattle around; other species included Ruff, Green Sandpiper and Greenshank.

On several days last week, there were up to four Lapland Buntings present.

Reserves Update

Trimley: Duck numbers continue to increase, there are now c100 Shoveler on the reservoir.  Waders include Greenshank 8, Green Sandpiper 6, Ruff 3 and Common Sandpiper 3.  Several Buzzards and a Marsh Harrier are present daily.

Levington: c500 Golden Plover, 150 Redshank plus Grey Plover, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Curlew and a single Curlew Sandpiper.

There is also a very late breeding Turtle Dove, see photo below.

Trimley Reserve

Trimley is the place to be birding. 

The reservoir is packed with waterbirds and visible warbler migration was evident along the hedgerow by the main track.  A young female Sparrowhawk has been hunting around the hedgerow for the last four days.  Once again, it was another good day for Sedge Warblers in the reedy areas.  There were several Whinchat and Stonechat present.  Other birds of note included Wheatear, 2 Buzzards, Marsh Harrier, Swift and 3 Bearded Tits.

Reserves Update

Snape Marshes - Wasp spiders were seen on the reserve for the first time.


At Trimley during the evening of the 19th, a Red-crested Pochard was present on the reservoir (per Paul Oldfield).

Trimley Reserve

The birding was good again today, especially for migrant waders, which included  6 Green Sandpipers.

A Willow Emerald Damselfy was also observed.

On the beach Narrow-leaved Ragwort  Senico inaequideus is abundant  (see photo).  This is an alien plant, which is becoming widespread and common.

Bird News

Levington (17th, yesterday) late evening Hobby over and c90 Linnets roosting in nearby reedbeds.

Trimley (17th, yesterday) Hobby, Kestrel 10, Green Sandpiper 2 and Spotted Redshank 1.

Trimley (18th, today) Sparrowhawk, Buzzard 2, Marsh Harrier 1, Kestrel 8, Barn Owl 2, Yellow Wagtail 6, Bearded Tit 3, Bullfinch 2, Green Sandpiper 2 and Black-tailed Godwit 160.

Levington & Trimley Update

Levington, Sun. 15th: Bittern, Green and Common Sandpipers and a pair of Turtle Doves with a late clutch of eggs.  There are Wasp Spiders in several locations on the sea wall in the Sea Couch.

Trimley, Sun. 15th: Migrant waders included Wood Sandpiper 1, Little Ringed Plover 2, Ruff 7, Grey Plover 1, Greenshank 4, Green Sandpiper 3 and Common Sandpiper 4.

Today at Trimley there were 2 Wood Sandpipers and a Spotted Redshank.

Trimley Reserve

Early this morning migration was good; the reed bed and reed corridors were literally bouncing with Reed and Sedge Warblers.  The hedgerow, by the main track, was also full of warblers.  The usual range of wader species were present on the scrapes including 5 Ruff and 1 Wood Sandpiper.  There was also 4 Barnacle Geese and a single Buzzard.

Migrant Hawkers were abundant; in the area where I was working there were at least c100.

The Wood Pigeon is one of our commonest birds.  They have an extensive breeding period where they try and rear up to three broods.  However, they are also one of the most heavily predated birds.  The chicks below have almost made it to the fledging stage.

Trimley Marshes

Observations today include: Spoonbill, 5 Green Sandpipers, 2 Common Sandpipers, 2 Greenshanks, 4 Bearded Tits, Marsh Harrier and Buzzard.

Newbourne Springs

Two Stag Beetles seen today.

Reserves Update

Hazelwood: Lots of Dragonflies today including Emperor and several Small Red-eyed Damselflies.  Butterflies included Grayling and Painted Lady.

Snape Marshes: Stuart (Ipswich Team Leader) and volunteers were busy managing one of the herb rich meadows today, they will also be there tomorrow (I hope that it does not rain!).  Up to 5 Barn Owls are being seen on the marsh now that the young ones have fledged.

Trimley Marshes: There is an excellent assemblage of waders and wildfowl on the reservoir.  Wader species include Green and Common Sandpipers, Greenshank, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Avocet, Redshank and Lapwing.  The first Wigeon of the winter have also arrived. 

Small Red-eyed Damselflies can be seen well from the reservoir hide.

The reserve is also home to a number of nationally scarce plants.  The reserve is one of only a few places in Suffolk where you can see the three species below.  The photographs were taken over the weekend of Rock Samphire, Golden Samphire and Shrubbery Seablite.

Levington Lagoon

We have started the annual task of cutting and removing the clippings from the lagoon area.  This is in readiness for the breeding season next year and for this coming winter period for roosting waders.

Observations included 30 Golden Plover, Dunlin, Greenshank and 4 Turtle Dove.  Just past the screen in the long grass there were several Wasp Spiders, these can be seen from the footpath.

Chiffchaff

Early morning is the best time to see our summer migrants on their southerly movements back to Africa.  These last few days Chiffchaffs have been very much in evidence as they flit through bushy scrub.  They were one of the first summer migrants to arrive (late March/early April) and now they are heading back to their wintering quarters having probably had two broods.

The picture below was taken on Sunday at Levington; it is a young bird, not long out of the nest - note its yellow gape.

Trimley Reserve

I am now into the cutting season and have lots of work to do.  I would love to hear from anyone wishing to help i.e. raking up clippings etc.  There is plenty of tea, good company and lots of birds to see.

The Red-crested Pochard was present again today and there were 10 Common Sandpipers. 

A Water Rail was seen from the reservoir hide.

Trimley Reserve update

Autumn passage migrant waders are being seen daily; these include Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper.  On Saturday there was a Red-crested Pochard.

In the herb rich grassland by the track Roesel's Bush Crickets are plentiful and the first Wasp Spiders of the season are now being seen.