Saturday 13 July 2024

Little Cressingham (Watton Brook Valley) 1345-1600

A few changes to the habitat in the valley since my previous visit, the riversides are very full and lush, Burr reed is beginning to thicken in the brook, and it was good to see the roadside verges looking very attractive to invertebrate species with knapweed, umbellifer species, and long grasses.

The meadows in the valley are very wet with isolated patches of flood water looking good for passage wader species. 

Highlight species seen included a juvenile female Goshawk, one Little Egret on a meadow, evidence of breeding success with at least 3 juvenile Stonechats seen, adult Whitethroats with food for young, and a single Kingfisher flying downstream.

Whitethroat Little Cressingham 13 July 2024

Upon my arrival in the Watton Brook valley, I was greeted by a rather curious Whitethroat which flew up onto a post and stayed alert as it looked around.   Later in the valley, Whitethroats gave alarm calls when I was close to the nest, also, food was being carried for young.

The immediate area here saw plenty of long grasses with various tall weed species including knapweed and umbellifers, which provided a rich

habitat for invertebrate species for bird species including our Whitethroat pair, to gather for their young from.

Little Cressingham 13 July 2024. Insect rich habitat 

Whilst scanning the tops of a nearby woodland, I saw a very erratic, disorganised departure of birds, such behaviour suggested a Goshawk was present and as I looked above the woodland canopy I saw the menacing approach of a Goshawk clearly intent on taking prey, once over the woodland it entered the trees, this bird was a juvenile female Goshawk, a very large, powerful raptor. 

Still looking west along the valley a single Little Egret searching for prey in the grass.  An Oystercatcher was also probing into the soft ground.

Checking the valley I saw 3 Stonechats (juveniles), quite distantly, on fencing posts and tall weeds,  From these perches the birds would fly to the ground to presumably take an invertebrate and then return to its perch. 

Also here was a number of Goldfinches which fed from knapweed and thistles

Watton Brook.  A lush valley rich in insect life

Species Focus

Raven Corvus corax in Breckland

Recent years have seen a welcome return to Bird species in British Isles and indeed to Norfolk, most notably all three Egret species, and the Raven.  The following account provides a brief historical review of Ravens in Norfolk along with the current status of this very impressive corvid.  

The Raven was until just a few years ago described as a rare vagrant in Norfolk.  The last breeding record occurred in 1859, however, it's numbers were greatly reduced due to persecution by farmers and gamekeepers.  Since the 1950's, Ravens numbers in Northwest Europe began to increase, this was due to reduced persecution and by the introduction of Ravens into Germany, Belgium, and Holland.  The occasional visit by a Raven to our shores were thought to have been from birds reintroduced in Europe.  

Although a reintroduced species in north-west Europe, the appearance of Ravens in Norfolk has been as a result of range expansion.  Ravens have increased significantly in a few short years with their status moving from being a rare vagrant to an increasing but still scarce species.

Here on my Breckland patch and in nearby surrounding areas, Ravens, in line with the regional picture, has seen increasingly frequent observations of this species.  The following are my records of Ravens on my patch.

Little Cressingham (Green Lane) 15 November 2019

A pair of Ravens approached from the north passed directly overhead and alighted in trees on Green Lane

Little Cressingham (The Arms and Hopton Bridge) 13 November 2020

I thought I heard a distant Raven approaching from the south, a while later a single bird flew through 'The Arms' area, low over fields towards the Watton Brook Valley.  I relocated about a mile of my position and eventually relocated the Raven in a distant Scots Pine, it then flew into the dead branches in the canopy of an Oak where it called along with uttering a few clucks.  A Carrion Crow and Mistle Thrush in the same tree offered great comparison between the species. 

Raven at Little Cressingham 13 November 2020

Raven in Oak at Little Cressingham 13 November 2020

Little Hockham 28 February 2022

A very memorable observation involving 3 Ravens which were watched from some time in clear conditions.  Behaviour seen included chasing, tumbling, rolling, and lots of calling.

Raven at Little Hockham 28 Feb 2022

Ravens 28 Feb 2022 (Two of 3 birds seen in display) 

Great Ellingham (Deopham Road) 15 March 2022

A single Raven seen in a roadside tree.  Flew off calling. 

Watton (Garden) 21 March 2022

A single Raven directly overhead in a westerly heading.

Little Cressingham 22 May 2022

Single calling bird in the Watton Brook valley

Little Cressingham 15 September 2022

Two Ravens (pair) watched flying east along the Watton Brook valley.  Calling heard.

Cranberry Rough 8 October 2022

Single bird seen and calling.

Little Cressingham 3 February 2023

Single bird seen.

Little Cressingham (The Arms) 1 May 2023

Two Ravens (pair) flying west from The Arms along the STANTA boundary and off in the direction of Bodney.

Little Hockham 7 May 2023

Pair seen.

Bodney 21 August 2023

Pair seen

Cranberry Rough 21 September 2023

One bird present

Hingham (Deopham Road) 16 January 2024

One bird calling

Garvestone 3 March 2024

Pair seen and calling.  On one occasion seen directly overhead and quite low, also pair seen in association with electricity pylons where seen to alight on to.

Little Hockham 20 April 2024

At least one Raven present and calling.

In a very short period of time, Ravens have increased rapidly in Norfolk with three-figure numbers being reported annually along with breeding successes also being seen.  It is fair to report that the future of Ravens looks very bright indeed in Norfolk, and indeed, in other counties where the species was formerly, and recently, regarded as a rare vagrant.  How wonderful it is to now hear the call of this magnificent corvid in Breckland, and beyond.

Mattishall (Windmill Lane) 1845-1930) Following the storm.

When I am at work between calls and if time allows, I like to park up at a new location and obtain counts of bird species for BTO's bird track project.  For this early evening count I stopped on Windmill Lane, Mattishall.  Just 30 minutes prior to my visit a very heavy thunderstorm passed through which you can see on the horizon in this picture.

 Arriving on Windmill Lane for this short visit I was first of all greeted by 3 Carrion Crows in the crown of an old Oak, also, a single Yellowhammer sang from the same area.  A single Green Woodpecker was heard calling further along the Lane.

Other common species seen here included 3 Blackbirds (including a juvenile), Robin, Magpie, and a pair of Goldfinches.  Male Blackcap and male Whitethroat briefly heard in song.

A pair of Stock Doves overflew a field, a beautiful, well proportioned Dove readily identified in flight by their blue-grey upperparts, pale grey rump and black borders to the wings.  If seen on the ground look for their iridescent green patch on the neck sides.  The breast is pinkish.  The Stock Dove can be separated from the Wood Pigeon by its smaller size, also, the Stock Dove has no white in its plumage, as does Wood Pigeons.  

From the Archives

Great White Egret at Caston 13 March 2003

On 13 March 2003 a Great White Egret was at Caston in the Breckland area of Norfolk.  Back in 2003 this species was considered rare in the UK, however, it's current status sees it as scarce but increasing.

I see this very elegant, stately looking bird quite often at a number of sites on my patch, this includes an occasional bird overflying our garden in Watton, Norfolk. 

From the archives: .

Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator badius at Great Cressingham July 1995

On 3rd July 1995, I decided on an early morning visit to the Peddars Way at Great Cressingham, I parked at the Watton Road crossroads and concentrated my birding efforts along the Peddars Way north of the Watton Road to as far as the Priory Road junction, however, my walk did not quite go to plan.

As I got out of the car I saw an interesting bird perched on the old wooden Watton to Great Cressingham road sign.  From this sign the bird flew down to a puddle on the side of the road to bathe, straight away I could see this was a Woodchat Shrike.  It was not until some time later that I learnt that this bird was the Balearic form Badius, I also became aware that this stunning bird had actually been reported the day before by another local birder.

Throughout it's stay, the Shrike was seen between the Peddars Way and Watton Road crossroads north along the Peddars Way to as far as a woodland belt running west from the road.  It was in the Larch pictured here that the bird was occasionally seen. Fence posts, hedges, trees, and a road sign were all used for lookouts and to hunt from.  A particular delicacy was bumble bees, from it's perch the Woodchat Shrike made flycatching sallies and bring the prey back to the perch for consuming.  Although not witnessed by myself, the Shrike would impale food on a thorn or barbed wire for returning to later when needed, such behaviour has earnt Shrikes the name of 'Butcher Bird'.

The Woodchat Shrike is about 7 inches in length and as with other Shrikes, it has an appearance of a small bird of prey, although it is fact a song bird.  The beak is hooked, this is used for tearing up prey, it is essentially a striking black and white bird with a chestnut cap and nape.  I was later to find out this bird was the Balearic form badius, it was identified by the lack of a white wing patch seen in other forms.

This beautiful Larch tree along the Peddars Way is where the Woodchat Shrike occasionally visited, it was seen mostly up in the crown of the tree.

This Woodchat Shrike remained in the area until the 5th July and as of 1995, I believe this was only the third example of the Balearic form badius to have reached the British Isles.  I have seen this form on Majorca, this included finding a pair with young in a Larch, or similar tree species.

A magical Breckland dawn 4 July 2024

 

0310 at Little Cressingham.  I spent about 90 minutes this morning just watching the dawn sky brighten. It was a dry morning with a moderate westerly wind.

The first bird heard was a single Skylark singing overhead at 0310.  Later at 0335 a Song Thrush started singing followed just minutes later by a second bird.  As I was about to leave a Blackcap broke into song, also Wren and a Bullfinch gave its piping call.

I departed at about 0440.

Hingham (Seamere Marsh) 1 July 2024

I had about an hour long break late morning on 1st July and as I was in the Hingham area I decided upon a short visit overviewing Seamere Marsh from the Deopham Road.  This beautiful habitat is a jewel within a sea of arable farmland, a very valuable site for inland Norfolk.

Over the years, Seamere has produced excellent records of both common and rare bird species, and without doubt, my personal highlight was not an exotic wanderer to the area, but a Corn Bunting, a rather drab looking bird which is very rare in this part of Norfolk, in fact the species does not breed here, I have only seen this large Bunting as a breeding bird, in the fens and in the vast rolling arable lands of Docking and Ringstead in the north-west of the county.  Corn Buntings are a sedentary species, which makes the Hingham bird all the more remarkable.

Upon my arrival for this short visit I was initially greeted by 50+ Hirundines (mostly Swallows), along with a few House Martins, skimming low over crops and marsh, as well as gathering around the canopy of a few large Oaks in their pursuit of insect prey.  At times, several Swallows gathered on overhead wires whilst others alighted on the upper branches of an old Elder, one was seen preening, it was a male with its long tail streamers.

A broken hedgerow near Hingham (Seamere). A valuable habitat for several species. 

I was particularly interested in watching a short length of broken hedgerow just to my left, this habitat comprised Hawthorn, Elder, Oak, and lovely dense ground cover.  Within a very short period of time this valuable habitat held a good range of species, firstly, a Lesser Whitethroat gave a frequent "chit" alarm, a second bird responded in another area of hedgerow, also, a couple of Common Whitethroats were seen, 1 Chiffchaff, a singing Yellowhammer in the Hawthorn in the middle of this picture, Goldfinch, Linnet, a singing Greenfinch in the Oak in the left of the picture, singing Wren, and a pair of displaying Stock Doves which alighted in the Oak  to the right where singing was heard.  The value of such a short section of broken hedgerow both demonstrates the value of  such habitats as well as the importance of paying attention to such sites.

Seeing both Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat almost together on this visit provided an opportunity to see the obvious differences between these two Sylvia species.  The Lesser Whitethroat is a very smart looking bird with a dark grey head contrasting strongly with the white throat, the upper parts are a uniform grey brown and the underparts are white.  The Lesser Whitethroat usually delivers its rattle-like song from cover.  The Common Whitethroat is a marginally larger bird and is always, in all age groups, readily identified by the two-tone colour on its upperparts, most notably brownish wings with a lovely rusty coloured panel.  Unlike the Lesser Whitethroat, the Common Whitethroat is a very conspicuous songster, often delivering its loud scratchy song from the topmost sprig on a bush which is often accompanied by a highly visible song-flight.