Don’t forget to renew your membership for 2018. If you have not already done so the form is on the back page. Please read this carefully as it does contain important information about this magazine. Members’ pictures. The little owl was photographed by Barry Hall and the snow buntings by Alan Baldry. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales—No. 207076, Scotland No. SC037654 GROUP LEADER’S THOUGHTS from Tim Kenny inter is here! Well according to the As I write on the second day of W Met Office anyway. I’m not one for December, Chelmondiston appears to the neat compartmentalisation by month be the centre of Suffolk birding, and not favoured by the weather forecasters (for just because of the impressive gathering me, the solstice marks the start of the of up to 30 corn buntings at Ling’s season) but traditionally December sees Lane. On the river path a Richard’s the nets rolled up and put away for the pipit has been in residence since 25 winter at bird observatories up and down November. This is a bird of the northern the country. The winter thrushes and European grasslands and a few stray as swans are far west as now here Britain every until the year. spring and Incidentally we’ve seen the bird is the last of named after the French swallows naturalist and Charles warblers Richard (excepting (1745 – Dartford, 1835) – so Cetti’s and we really the odd need to start blackcap pronouncing and it as the chiffchaff) French until next would, year. Parrot crossbill at Tunstall Forest, ‘Reeshard’s’ November 2013. Photo Tim Kenny. pipit! And yet what was a fairly limp autumn has As if all this variety wasn’t enough, a suddenly come to life in the last couple Coues’ arctic redpoll has appeared at of weeks. There has been an influx of Hazelwood Marshes near Aldeburgh, hawfinches around the country and a and a magnificent immature Iceland gull couple of sizeable flocks of parrot has been patrolling the seafront between crossbills at both Upper Hollesley Landguard and Felixstowe Ferry, where Common and Santon Downham. These a purple sandpiper has been seen on relatives of our common crossbill are the jetty. All these birds are still around larger and paler with a distinctly larger as I write. bill. There is a small population (around 65 pairs) breeding in the highlands of In your latest Nature’s Home magazine Scotland, but otherwise this is a bird of you will find an insert from the RSPB north-western Europe and western chief executive urging you to say ‘yes’ to Russia. (Continued on page3 ) 2 ORWELL OBSERVER January 2018 (Continued from page2 ) receiving contact from the society. New rules regarding data handling mean that, unless you give your express permission, the RSPB will not be able to contact you regarding the work that we do. Please read and respond to this as soon as you are able, as the new rules take effect from Iceland gull at Landguard May 2018. Nature Reserve, November 2017. Photo Tim Kenny On a personal note, my episode of Mastermind was finally aired on 10 November and it is a relief to be able to talk about the I hope you enjoy this edition of the Orwell result finally! Twenty-three points and Observer, as ever lovingly crafted by our no passes would be enough to win two editor Pat. All contributions are welcome heats this year, but I was unfortunate to for future issues, and you can find out be drawn in the same heat as quiz how on page 24. juggernaut Alfred Williams who scored 31! He could well win the series with Happy birding performances like that. Vacancy for Publicity and Recruitment Officer Do you enjoy meeting the public and talking about the RSPB? The group is looking for someone to take up the post of Publicity/Recruitment Officer. This will involve attending wildlife events in the Ipswich area, whilst helping to promote Ipswich Local Group and encouraging people to join us. Whilst you may distribute material about the RSPB in general you would not be responsible for recruiting people to the main organisation—occasionally someone from the RSPB Eastern England Regional Office will attend for that purpose . You will be supported by other committee members. For more details, please contact Tim Kenny or any committee member. 3 ORWELL OBSERVER January 2018 Places to visit: THE RIVERS WITHAM & WELLAND & THE WASH from Patricia Hall f you fancy a weekend away or don’t I mind a bit of a long drive (just a little Avocet. Picture—Alan Baldry further than Titchwell) a birdwatching cruise aboard the Boston Belle is certainly worth the effort. These trips are organised by RSPB South Lincs Local Group and run regularly from the middle of May until the end of October. Passengers embark in the centre of Boston and the Boston Belle sails down the River Witham, out into The Wash and up the River Welland overlooking RSPB Frampton Marsh reserve, before retracing her course back to Boston. My cruise was at the end of September. I personally saw 40 species but there were a few more seen which I did not get onto being on the wrong side of the gannets diving into the water. There boat! were the usual assemblage of gulls, greylag geese, great crested grebes, Boston has, along with many other towns teal and widgeon on the river and on the and cities, resident peregrines. These sea and we saw a marsh harrier over were seen flying over the town and the Frampton Marsh. Once into the River perched on the cranes in the dock area. Welland we saw our first common seals We also saw several kingfishers flying pulled out onto the mudbanks. across the river and perched on the mooring ropes. The tide was not up too Species seen on these cruises does, as high and several species of waders were always, depend on the time of year and seen along the river: little egret, bar and the state of migration (if going in spring or black-tailed godwit, grey heron, autumn). The Boston Belle has a galley curlew, lapwing, redshank, curlew serving hot and cold drinks and snacks, a sandpiper, green sandpiper, dunlin, comfortable saloon (if you need to get oystercatcher, ringed plover and under cover) and a foredeck for birding. 1 avocet. Snipe were seen flying over. The cruise takes 4 /2 to 5 hours. Some of the last swallows of summer were seen, and a common buzzard and Close by are RSPB Frampton Marsh and sparrowhawk joined the peregrines Freiston Shore Reserves over the town. Once out onto The Wash we could see flocks of knot looking like Further information from: drifts of smoke high in the air over RSPB South Lincs Local Group towards Snettisham. There were also www.rspb.org.uk/groups/southlincolnshire large flocks of waders along the shore— Booking agents: South Holland Centre Tel: 01775 764 777 www.southhollandcentre.co.uk some too distant to identify easily, but we were able to see a pair of juvenile Information correct in September 2017 4 ORWELL OBSERVER January 2018 SWIFTS OVER NORTH IPSWICH IN 2017 from Richard Stewart hris Courtney's article contained these superb birds spend in our country C almost all of the amazing facts about each year. swifts. All I can add is that they also gather nesting material in the air and For those wanting to know more about their feet are so weak that they are only these incredible birds, the swift is one of just strong enough to enable them to 21 birds given a chapter each in the breed successfully. A swift that has recently published, 'As Kingfishers Catch fallen to the ground finds it very difficult to Fire' which is written by Alex Preston get airborne again. with beautiful illustrations from Neil Gower. The classic study, published by I must admit to being worried about Methuen back in 1956, is 'Swifts In A swifts in north Ipswich in 2017. My first Tower' by David Lack, based on his sighting was a single one in Fonnereau Oxford observations. It has 17 chapters Road on 7 May. I then had to wait until covering all aspects of the life of this 14 June to see five above Westerfield magnificent summer visitor. Road and then at least ten over Christchurch Park on 18 July. It was only further afield, in towns with plenty of old houses offering abundant swift nesting Fenn Wright sites, that my count increased, with over Estate Agents twenty at Wickham Market on 19 July. I watched them long enough to pick out Tel: 01473 261090 young as well as adults: slight plumage differences and less agility in flight from Sponsors of an indoor meeting youngsters that looked newly fledged, possibly on their first open flight. However, my concern for numbers in north Ipswich ended on 2 August. I was looking out of my upstairs study towards A W Hart—Builders Borrowdale Avenue and, despite the rain, over fifty swifts were in flight, obviously Tel: 01473 680017 not feeding but seeming to be gathered together before departing for their winter Sponsors of an indoor meeting quarters. What I could not decipher was whether this was the accumulated total for Ipswich or whether similar scenes were being enacted elsewhere in Ipswich. My deduction that they were Mid-Suffolk Fencing ready to depart was probably correct, since subsequently, and I am writing this Tel: 01449 721025 at the end of September, I have seen just four, two singles and one pair.