List of Shame (Letter in 'Birdwatch Magazine' August 2020

An excellent and very timely letter to August 2020 edition of Birdwatch magazine highlighted the disrespect a 'well known Twitcher' and the lengths this idiot went to during 'Covid Lock-Down' to break the simple rules the government laid down to keep us all safe.  I have responded to that letter in the hope it gets published in order to shame this twitcher type.
My letter reads as follows: 

I am responding to Adrian Halliday's excellent and very timely letter regarding certain elements of the twitching fraternity who feel that 'Covid Lock Down' rules do not apply to them.

The vast majority of birders adapted their birding during lock-down to Garden birding and watching the sky from their gardens for migrants, and this produced interesting results.

However, those twitchers who disregard the simple rules of lock-down in pursuit of a tick, clearly lack the respect for others in the community and are putting people and potentially the emergency services and NHS at risk.

As a response to the disregard towards others and lack of respect for important rules laid down during lock-down, those twitchers who breached those requirements should be banned from public events in future and not given any form of media publicity.

It would be interesting to hear from those twitchers who could not comply with lock-down rules for their side of the story?

Swifts

Most of todays birding was done at various times from the garden.  The day started grey with rain but by the afternoon it was warm and sunny.
Sparrowhawk featured numerous times today, twice, I saw a bird high drifting slowly before plummeting groundward.  The same, or another bird passed through the garden late afternoon.  The occasional Buzzard was seen gliding/soaring overhead.
In the garden, Starlings dominated with 100+ often in the hedge, but departing swiftly to watch threatening Sparrowhawks.  Why do Starlings expend energy to shadow Sparrowhawks, when they could just remain in the safety of our thick hedge.

Swift 19th July

Juvenile Swift 19th July.  Note the light scaling on the underparts which ages this bird as a juvenile.

Swifts were numerous overhead with screaming parties and family groups seen throughout the day. Today I saw juvenile Swifts on the wing.  Look at the photo of the well lit bird, the light scaling on the underparts ages this as a juvenile bird.  These enigmatic birds will soon be leaving our shores for South Africa, in fact, I have already seen evidence of passage Swift this month.

17th and 18th July

My plan for the weekend was to do some tidying up in the garden, mowing, cutting the Laurel and Privet back, but I love my weeds,  I have lots of Poppies with their heads about to crack, then I will harvest the seed and put them in a container for sowing elsewhere.  I have thistle in my front garden which has attracted Goldfinches, and in hedge in the back garden, our pair of Collared Doves are incubating again, having successfully fledged two young from an earlier nest.
At the end of the day on the 17th I relaxed for a while in the calm of the warm evening hoping for calls of overhead passage waders in the night sky.  At 2250 I was rewarded with an overhead, calling Green Sandpiper.  Waders are on the move.
Before starting my second day of gardening, I decided on visiting a location near North Pickenham, again, in the hope of seeing, or hearing passage waders, but nothing recorded.
Hedgerows were checked and I found 4 Blackcap (2 males and 2 juveniles), Whitethroat, several Chiffchaffs, 1 Swift, singing Yellowhammer, Linnet, and the highlight for me this morning, a pair of Bullfinches with the male looking spectacular as he gave his simple 'piping' call.

Starling in the garden. This juvenile is clearly beginning to acquire adult plumage.

I arrived back home mid morning and enjoyed a coffee before getting started on the garden.  Once again, Starlings featured as the most abundant species seen in the garden, the greatest numbers being juvenile birds.  Watching these Starlings I was able to appreciate how boisterous they have become, and indeed how comical they are too in their antics towards each other.  Of particular note, I also saw that these juvenile Starlings are beginning to acquire patches of adult feathering on their breast sides and flanks, along with the darkening of wing coverts.  Beautiful birds.

Merton, Norfolk 1500-1610

Merton is a wonderfully wooded parish, and this afternoon I took short walk through mature woodland and parkland, and gathered some notable observations.  It was lovely to see some Rowan trees within mostly Oak woodland showing off their vast clusters of beautiful red berries.  Also, Bird Cherry fruits are now ripened and were enjoyed by Blackcaps and Blackbird.
Highlighted counts/observations saw:

26+ House Martins feeding overhead
2 Swallows
1 Swift
8+ Blackcaps
1 Treecreeper
Wren (pair food carrying)

Of 8+ Blackcaps recorded, 5+ were watched in a small Bird Cherry where they were consuming ripened black berries, these comprised a male, female, and female/juvenile birds.  An adult female Blackbird also enjoyed the feast.  A further 3 singing Blackcaps were heard.

One of a pair of Wrens seen.  This bird is carrying food for its young nearby.

Also of interest was a pair of Wrens agitated at my presence, one of which was food-carrying, I love the way these lovely little birds bob up and down when checking me out.
House Martins are not as common as they used to be, therefore, it was pleasing to see 26+ birds feeding high above parkland.

Marlingford, Norfolk, 11th and 12th July

This was a working weekend in Norwich, I therefore chose Marlingford for my work break birding due to its close proximity for my return to work.
A productive visit to this beautiful area.  An overview of the floodplain in the Yare valley produced a single Grey Heron,  Blackcap, Whitethroat, 1 Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, and a singing Reed Bunting on the 11th.

Marsh Tit Marlingford 11th July

The highlight of this visit was initially heard, a familiar "eez tk tk", only one bird has this call, Spotted Flycatcher, and indeed after a short search I found a bird on a wire, with a second bird also present.  In fact, upon my arrival I thought of the possibility of this sadly declining species being here.

Spotted Flycatcher - One of a breeding pair at Marlingford

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher showing the nicely streaked crown.

Visiting on the 12th, I concentrated my efforts on watching the Spotted Flycatchers again.  Both were always close to an Oak with very old, dead climbers around the trunk of the tree, I suspected this as the site for the nest.
Food carrying was noted by the parent birds.  I was amazed at the sheer speed of Spotted Flycatcher's flight through trees and its sweeps  and swoops as it hunts prey.
A great weekends watching these beautiful Spotted Flycatchers, a sadly declining species these days.

Whitethroat (useful tips for identifying juvenile birds)

This morning I visited a lane near Bodney, Norfolk, where two territories of Whitethroats have been seen this year.  The lane is within a vast expanse of arable with little tall cover.  The wide roadside verges have a couple of well-spaced Hawthorns, otherwise the habitat is one of long grasses, umbellifer species, and low sprawling ground cover.
This morning I watched two pairs of Whitethroats, one of which was accompanied by at least two juvenile birds.  The adult birds typically gave their single, nasally alarm call to warn the juveniles, also the adults were food-carrying.

Juvenile Whitethroat (Note the all dark eye)

All ages and sexes of Whitethroats have the distinctive chestnut wing-panel, the only British species to have this feature, other than the very rare Spectacled Warbler.  Note here the concolourous head and mantle, also, see that the eye of the juvenile bird is all dark, on adults the iris is Orange with a darker pupil.  The other obvious giveaway is the pale gape flanges, an 'elastic' like membrane which allows a wide gape when being fed by adult birds.

Juvenile Whitethroat 10th July.  The dark eye and chestnut wing patches are visible here.

This photograph highlights nicely the chestnut wing patches and tertial fringes, the only British Warbler to have this feature, which also helps separate this species from the slightly smaller Lesser Whitethroat. 

Two juvenile Whitethroats waiting for food 10th July

Surlingham Marsh, Norfolk, 7th July

Today I had a longer than usual work break, I therefore decided to drive the 14.5 miles from Wymondham, where I was working, to Surlingham Marsh, a beautiful reserve south-east of Norwich in the River Yare valley.  I only had a couple of hours to spare, so a gentle walk around the marsh was just right for the time I had available to me.
Following my arrival, I descended along the narrow track which leads down to the river and saw Song Thrush, and heard both Blackcap and Reed Warbler.  At the end of the track, a lovely row of Guelder Roses were beginning to show many bunches of berries, a larder for winter Thrushes no doubt.
Walking alongside the river, it was clear from the mostly dry state of the path that we are in need of a good rainfall.
Reed Warblers continued to be heard in song, probably six males in total heard on this visit.  In waterside habitat, 5+ Greenfinches were both seen and heard, whilst on the far bank, 5 Oystercatchers probed the land for food.  A single juvenile Robin flew between bushes.
A short visit to the hide overlooking marsh and broad produced a couple of Gadwall, Mallard, and a passing overhead Cormorant.

Surlingham Marsh and Broad. Gadwall were present on the water.

An idyllic Norfolk marsh scene

With more of the marsh beginning to become more visible, thoughts turned to Marsh Harrier, and indeed, a male bird was seen hunting the marsh, flying back and forth over reeds and occasionally hovering whilst searching below for prey.

Marsh Harrier (male) Surlingham Marsh 7th July

Note the tri-coloured pattern on this male Marsh Harrier.

Also seen on the marsh where the Harrier was hunting was Kestrel, male Reed Bunting singing, a pair of Mute Swans dabbling in a dyke, and singing Sedge Warbler.
The male Marsh Harrier is easily distinguishable from the female by its smaller size and the lovely tri-coloured wing, gingery coverts, grey secondaries, and the black hand. The tail is grey.
My very worthwhile walk ended back at the car with a Chiffchaff calling in a hedge.  A great visit.