Winter Thrushes—A Song Thrush and Fieldfare
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Winter thrushes—a song thrush and fieldfare. These pictures were taken by member Alan Baldry in his garden. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales—No. 207076, Scotland No. SC037654 If you have not yet renewed your membership the form is on page….. GROUP LEADER’S COLUMN from Tim Kenny utside the weak watery O sun on a short November day reminds me that the midwinter solstice is not far away. Migration is tailing off, and by the time you read this Christmas will have come and gone and it will be 2019. Already I’m looking forward to the warmer days of spring and the air being filled with birdsong. But this particular period does have compensations in winter thrushes and wildfowl flocks that come to our relatively warmer Whooper swan. Picture—Tim Kenny climes. The two yellow- billed swans, whooper and Bewick’s, are the main harbingers of trip to the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust winter for me. Whilst the Bewick’s reserve at Welney is a must. After dark makes a journey from their Siberian the lake is floodlit and the birds are fed, breeding grounds that takes around six bringing them close to a warm heated weeks, the larger whooper flies non-stop hide. I don’t think birding ever gets as from Iceland in as little as 48 hours, only comfortable as that. ditching on the sea if grounded by bad weather. January sees the annual Big Garden Birdwatch, the largest citizen science As a young birder I was taught a couple exercise in the country, if not the world. of handy techniques to distinguish the All it needs is an hour sat by the window winter swans. The whooper is a during the last weekend in January noting whopper, because it is larger, and the what comes into your garden (or the yellow on the bill is more angular, airspace thereof). Having a bird free resembling half a letter W. The Bewick’s garden myself, I chose that of a close yellow patch is much more rounded and relative, and recorded a grand total of one resembles a half of a letter B. It also has bid – a long-tailed tit. Even if you see a shorter neck and when the two are seen nothing, it’s still vital data to be reported. together, the difference in size is obvious. To see these birds Minsmere is as good a We are fortunate to have many long- place as any locally, although they can serving members of our committee and it turn up anywhere with a large body of appears it is years ending in an eight water for them to swim and feed in. But which bring up significant anniversaries! I for sheer numbers and swan spectacle, a (Continued on page3 ) 2 ORWELL OBSERVER January 2019 (Continued from page2 ) Bewick’s swan. Picture—Tim Kenny myself was honoured with the silver puffin award for ten years of service to the group, but I am a mere whippersnapper in comparison to Mick and Judy Cook who have both received gold bittern pin badges for thirty years of volunteering for the RSPB. Finally Rosemary Milner has been honoured with the golden eagle pin badge for an amazing forty years of volunteering. My warmest thanks and congratulations go to Mick, Judy and Rosemary for the century of volunteering they have combined between them. organiser, and he is the man who actually invented the aforementioned Big Finally I am genuinely excited to Garden Birdwatch. Peter will be welcome Peter Holden MBE for our presenting Birds, their Hidden World and indoor meeting on the 14 March. As a it should be a great evening. YOC member in the 1980s his name was on all the communications as the Happy birding. First call for pictures for Ipswich RSPB Local Group’s 2020 calendar! There are no prizes other than the pleasure of having your entry chosen. The closing date is 31 August so get your cameras out as we want pictures of birds to reflect each season of the year. There are just a few rules:- The decision of the judging panel is final. Preferably submit pictures electronically or if a hard copy is the only means available to you then they should be of good enough quality to be scanned. Pictures must be taken in 2019. Only two pictures per entrant. Pictures must be taken in Suffolk which can include the Stour and Waveney Valleys. Please send your pictures to [email protected] or telephone 01473 328121 for those without Internet access. You will need to state the subject of your picture and where and when taken. And finally, we can offer a small discount to those who place an order and pay for their calendars by the September indoor meeting. 3 ORWELL OBSERVER January 2019 MINSMERE DIARIES 3 August grey plovers, green, common and curlew sandpipers, ruffs, A brilliant week for pied flycatchers, with greenshanks, sanderlings and bar- many dropping in across the Suffolk tailed godwits. Up to 30 little gulls Coast, including at least three birds here continue to visit the Scrape as do one or this week in the Sluice and North Bushes. two yellow-legged gulls, little terns and It’s also been great for hummingbird an occasional juvenile black tern. East hawkmoths, with two showing well on and South Scrape are particularly the visitor centre buddleia but productive at the moment. Views from demanding a bit of patience as they only North Hide are more limited, but there’s a showed for a few minutes at a time. nest of hornets in the roof which is adding a bit of interest – and jeopardy. On the Scrape, a sandpiper bonanza with common, curlew, green and wood In the reedbed, sightings of bearded tits all in attendance around the East and have become a bit more frequent at South Scrapes. A trio of black terns Island Mere, while bitterns, otters, have spent some time on South Scrape hobbies and marsh harriers are still too, whilst avocet numbers have varied seen every day – with a bit of patience. between 200 and 300 birds. Ruff, spotted redshank, knot, turnstone, A turtle dove is regular in the North little ringed plover, ringed plover, Bushes, and has also been heard along dunlin, snipe, black-tailed godwit, little the Woodland Trail, while several stint, and grey plover have all been on whitethroats, lesser whitethroats, East Scrape. garden warblers, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and the first wheatears of the Bitterns, bearded tits and marsh autumn have also been seen. harriers have all been showing very well despite the hot weather, but many fewer Insects, however, have perhaps stolen hobbies reported this week. Two the show this week. At least two nuthatches around Whin Hill were a nice hummingbird hawkmoths have been addition to the list this week, and the visiting the buddleia along with painted Woodland Trail has continued to be lady and grayling butterflies and a few excellent for butterflies and dragonflies. silver y moths. Digger Alley had continued to attract the crowds too. 10 August Popular as these have been with visitors, the star attraction was undoubtedly a It’s been another great week for watching gorgeous Jersey tiger moth that fed on migrant wading birds on the Scrape. hemp agrimony near Wildlife Lookout for Numbers and locations have varied each most of Wednesday – this was not only a day, but some of the highlights have first for Minsmere but probably only the included impressive flocks of 200+ fourth for Suffolk! Wednesday proved to avocets, 100+ dunlins, 100+ black- be a very good day for insect watchers as tailed godwits and double-figure counts an adult antlion also showed well all day of spotted redshanks and snipe. Other in the sand martin photography area. species have included little ringed and (Continued on page5 ) 4 ORWELL OBSERVER January 2019 (Continued from page4 ) 17 August A mixed week of weather has been welcome for helping to up the water levels, but has meant it hasn’t been as good for butterfly sightings this week, though a few worn silver washed fritillaries, peacocks and red admirals remain around the buddleias, along with the fleeting glimpse of a hummingbird hawkmoth. Lots of willow emerald damselflies have been seen in the ditches near the Wildlife Lookout. The big rarity this week was a juvenile semipalmated sandpiper, which was found on East Scrape Common tern with chicks. Picture—Barry Hall. before moving to South Scrape. This species breeds in Canada and see more ducks, geese and swans Alaska and has overshot it’s wintering appearing. grounds in South America. The beewolves, pantaloons bees and The water vole family put in a great other digger wasps are nearing the end appearance in the pond, with a pair of of their season on the North Wall, with adults and a pair of young showing all just a few burrows remaining open, but together. Southern hawker dragonflies we still have wasp spiders showing well have been hunting and egg laying on the in the gorse in the dunes near East Hide pond boardwalk, while hornets have and towards the Sluice. been found nesting both at North Hide and using the old woodpecker nest at the The Konik ponies have been churning crossroads. More than 70 little gulls up the mud on the Konik Field, which has have been on the South Scrape this brought a little flock of yellow wagtails to week, with over 200 avocet, 50 black- feed around their hooves.