Suffolk holiday Part 1

June 29th to July 2nd

Just a quick holiday diary. We were based at Wangford, and the birding which took place during this time was centred on the Hen Reedbed Reserve and the adjacent Blythe Estuary.

The Hen Reedbed is a Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve, and we knew it from a previous visit in 2009.

Hen Reedbed pool from viewing platform

The reed bed could be viewed from a viewing platform a short walk from a small car-park. Typical specialities which could be seen were at least four Marsh Harriers, several Little Egrets from a nearby nest site, Bearded Tits, and on one occasion a Bittern. I was chatting to a voluntary warden, Les, who told me that this was the first place in Suffolk where Little Egrets had nested, and also that the Bearded Tit population had crashed in the cold of last winter so that there were only six pairs this year.

I took a few shots of various species. Trying to get one of the Marsh Harriers in flight was a most frustrating experience.

Green Woodpecker

Marsh Harrier

On my first two visits I found that on the estuary itself the tide was well out and so all the Curlews and Black-tailed Godwits were miles away. However, my third visit, on July 2, coincided with a falling tide and as a result the waders were close enough for some record shots.

Avocet

Oystercatcher

Black-tailed Godwits and Curlew

My highest count of waders on the estuary was 134 Black-tailed Godwits, 100 Curlews, 40 Redshanks, 16 Avocets, three Ringed Plovers, and a calling Greenshank. Also present were two or three Mediterranean Gulls, and half a dozen Common Terns.

It would be a great local patch.