Spotted Flycatcher Nest Box Project

As there has been no decent light to photograph anything of late, thought I would let you know about the project my local bird club "The Waveney Bird Club" have embarked upon. As you may know or not know of the decline of the Spotted Flycatcher, numbers have fallen drastically over the past 3 decades by 87%, so our local club under the guidance of Steve Piotrowsky........yes the author of The Birds of Suffolk have coordinated with the Churches of South Norfolk and North Suffolk along with Hollesley Bay prison, to manufacture over 130 nest boxes to be erected in the churchyards in and around the Waveney valley.

   I am personally very fortunate to have them nest in my garden, but for many birders in East Anglia they are a distant memory and remain a difficult bird to see, please visit the website waveneybirdclub.com  for the whole story, I have added some images from my garden last year, they really are fantastic little characters.





A pair of Flycatchers!



Who ate all the flies??



Purple Patch at Lowestoft

   Last weekend I spent a rather disappointing morning at Minsmere, everything was very distant or against the light, I met up with Essex based wildlife photographer Dave Martin, who was having an equally bad day, he was asking if there was anything else around, all I could think of was the Iceland Gull at Lowestoft, then I thought Purple Sandpipers too, as they were very obliging last time I visited, but the light was horrendous.
   So off we went to Englands most easterly point, Ness Point at Lowestoft, on arrival, there were a few birders there but no sign of the Iceland Gull, it had been seen briefly ten minutes before we got there, and was seen to head off towards Hamilton dock, so I decided to go and look for the Purple Sandpipers, I lifted my binoculars to a familiar looking bird on the sea, no sooner had I focused on the bird it was up and away, the unmistakable white wing tips, heading straight towards us, the Iceland Gull, it then landed on the roof of the Birds Eye factory and had a couple of short flights over the factory, always returning to the same place, however after the third flight  it disappeared out of sight.

   So our next target birds were the Purple Sandpipers the afternoon sun was perfect, the light on the rocks was fabulous all we needed  now were the birds themselves, and they didn't disappoint, coming as close as fifteen feet at times, I had to move back to keep them in focus, in and out of the shadows, dodging waves and splashes, climbing the rocks like mini-mountaineers , and slipping down them too at times.
  All in all a wonderful time was spent with these Beautiful little waders and some fantastic images to boot!

Waxwing Lyrical!

Happy New Year All, As I mentioned in my previous post regarding the renamed Blackbird tree, well I can now safely say that is has now been re-christened "The Waxwing Tree" The series of branches set up by Minsmere's volunteers to look like an apple tree has finally been visited, witnessed, and photographed by myself (and many others) by WAXWINGS!!!!

JEDWARD!

Lovely Hair Do!

AAAGGGGHHHHHH!

All images from "The Waxwing Tree",  Minsmere

      

December Highlights from Minsmere

As December and indeed 2010 come to a close, I thought I would share some more images from the last couple of weeks at Minsmere, in some very varied weather.

   The 14th brought us some glorious sunshine, and a pair of very obliging Bearded Reedlings to give them their proper name and an equally confiding Lapwing......or should that be a Pewit?.....or a Green Plover......Oh well whichever It looked fabulous in that sunlight.

  The following day was equally sunny but flippin freezing, whilst walking towards the sluice via the dunes behind East hide, I heard a Dartford Warbler calling then I noticed the little bird fly up from a patch of brambles into the depth of some gorse bushes, it showed quite well eventually before disappearing back into the gorse bushes.

   The 18th another sunny day, well some of it, I did manage to see and photograph a Grey Plover on the beach, although the Sanderling and Redshank weren't so confident.

   The 21st was very quiet, the "Waxwing tree" Which had been erected by the RSPB staff Robin and Ian with help from volunteers Luke Mark and Ricky is actually a well strategically placed bunch of large branches laced with Suffolks finest apples, made to look like an apple tree, supposed to attract Waxwings, which have been reported by visitors actually feeding on the apples, sadly I have not witnessed this spectacle myself, only Blackbirds, so it is now Christened the Blackbird Tree! However the apples do not last long on there, as soon as the apples are put in the tree, the Blackbirds are eating the apples before the job is completed.

   The 27th and we are still frozen except South scrape where there are at least 5 Redhead Smew, still diving for fish in what can only be described as slush, in places where it wasn't completely frozen.

Iceland Gull Lowestoft

   I have spent the last couple of weeks visiting the most easterly part of our shores, Lowestoft to see the juvenile Iceland Gull which has graced us all with its presence, quite a dainty little gull, and eventually quite obliging, although nearly always into the sun, not helped by the security man at SLP in Hamilton Dock who would not let anyone passed "his bollards". just another half a dozen fence posts along and I would have had the sun over my left shoulder, but no, he is definately the winner of this years Jobsworth of the year award!

   Hamilton Dock also provided excellent views of a female Eider, Ness Point has been superb for some 9 Purple Sandpipers and of course the very tame Turnstones. Oh and the Pied Wagtails.