11th and 12th March 2023

An interesting weekend with my first summer migrant on the patch and evidence of courtship and display seen including a recently returning Curlew, a scarce breeding species in Breckland.  

11th March

My first destination was on private land at Little Cressingham within the training area, here, woodland held singing Mistle Thrushes and drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers.  As the sun rose and it warmed up a little, a female Goshawk broke cover and began soaring over woodland in a prelude to display, a male Goshawk was also seen.

On farmland and heath a male Curlew was displaying song-flight, a wonderful display and song more often heard on upland moorland.

A walk along a wide grass margin produced a pair of Woodlarks on short grass whilst in a pine woodland several hundred winter Thrushes had gathered with the majority species being Redwings, which were also heard singing.

A lovely very wide roadside verge held a male Stonechat in what is possibly a breeding site for the species. The verge is a mini wildlife reserve comprising rough grassland, hedgerow, Hawthorn, and Gorse scrub, an ideal breeding habitat for Stonechats. 

Nearing the end of this particular walk I was greeted by the delightful song of a male Woodlark high overhead.

Chiffchaff at Threxton 11 March

My next stop was in the beautiful parish of Threxton, an area dominated by very undulating farmland, meadows and river.  A very notable observation was seeing many thousands of midges swarming around the top of the church tower which in turn attracted feeding Pied Wagtails to enjoy the veritable feast.  In the churchyard a recently arrived Chiffchaff was seen skulking in cover where it occasionally sang and called, the bird also broke cover on one occasion to chase a Blue Tit.

A pair of Goldcrests seen (male singing), a pair of Song Thrushes, and a pair of Mistle Thrushes on a meadow where earthworms were pulled from the ground..  10+ Meadow Pipits and a few Pied Wagtails fed on the meadow. 

12th March

Goshawk shadowed by Crows 12 March

A good morning where common species well represented, most notably, 250+ Fieldfare and many Redwings seen.  Nearby, 200+ Starlings wandered the valley. On grassland heath a displaying Curlew seen with Lapwings also on same area of heath.

A pair of Stonechats were seen on marshy floodplain, also 14+ Meadow Pipits seen and a few Pied Wagtails too.

Four raptor species seen began with 3 soaring Buzzard over woodland where later a Sparrowhawk emerged.  One Kestrel also seen.  

Just as I was packing up to leave I saw an approaching Goshawk, the bird passed directly overhead with mobbing Crows shadowing the raptor.