Magical sounds and moments.

The weekend sure comes round quick, and with reasonable weather, a trip down to my special place (Goldcliff) was on the cards. I was hoping the recently sighted Cranes were still about but not today sadly. What did greet me though around 0715 was the Glossy Ibis which was perched on the edge of the reeds preening for some time. Prior to this, a number of birds were seen including Crows, Herring Gulls, Jackdaws, a Buzzard, Robin, Blackbirds, Blue Tits, Moorhen, Wren, Canada Geese and the five White-fronted Geese which left as I was arriving, calling as they passed overhead.

Black Tailed Godwits

From the platofrm where I was watching the Ibis still preening away, I scanned through the above 153 Black Tailed Godwits. I had the telescope trained on the Ibis, and with a cup of tea in one hand and some biccies in the other, I peered through the scope to enjoy this magnificent bird. No other waders were mixed in with the Godwits and none of these birds were ringed. Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler and Mallards were present and suddenly the female Marsh Harrier appeared, quartering low over the lagoons and scaring everything up into the air - including the Glossy Ibis, which promptly made its way as usual over to the nearby wetlands reserve. The Harrier moved on and everything settled down again. Greylag Geese were sharing the lagoons with Canada Geese and a single Grey Heron passed through showing off the characteristic 'headlights' on the front of the fore wings.

I moved on to the next platform now that the Ibis had gone, and scanned out along the edges of the lagoons where amongst the Common Redshanks I picked out two Spotted Redshanks which were noticeably paler than the Redshanks. However, the long straight 'needle' like bills and eye stripe are always reliable features even from some distance. A visiting birder turned up and I showed her the Spotted Redshanks through my scope along with a small group of perfectly camouflaged Common Snipe tucked away in the low vegetation. Their cryptic plumage makes them almost invisible. I managed to get the below distant picture which has at least four birds present - there could have been more close by? 

I made my way to the seawall and what a difference from last week, where the remnants of Storm Erik prevented me staying on the wall for no more than a few minutes. Now with the sea at low tide, lots of exposed mud and a lone fisherman staring intently out at sea waiting for the float to disappear, I too joined the peaceful scene. Wigeon were along the edge of the water and numerous Shelduck and Curlew were enjoying feeding in the soft mud. A distant patch of white was worth investigating, and this is where a good telescope is a must. I was able to pick out a group of Avocet and counted fifty huddled together. Black Headed Gulls were close by and a pair of much larger Greater Black-backed Gulls passed by.  Several Oystercatchers were feeding and calling noisily, and some males in particular were 'piping'. This is a part of the display ritual, where they flex their muscles and show off to potential females. They make a 'piping' call as they move quickly with their heads pointing downwards. It is comical and inspiring to watch. There was no sign of the Black Redstart so I made my way down to the third hide for my usual flask of tea and some snacks, watching five male and three female Tufted Ducks along the way.

Shelduck feeding. 

From the third hide I watched Coot and Gadwall and a lovely flock of Curlew in the short grass, and after fuelling up with some hot tea and nibbles I made my way back to the seawall and this time I located the Black Redstart which was flitting about on the fence line with several Starlings before disappearing behind Hill Farm. I could hear a distant Green Woodpecker giving its familiar 'yaffling' call which contrary to popular belief (according to the old wives), this sound signifies rain, but not today thankfully.

I made my way back to the car park listening to the full song of a male Chaffinch inspired by the mild spring weather, and six Reed Buntings passed overhead. A Skylark singing away higher up also added a nice sound to the scene. A Cettis Warbler calling from the thick scrub was a pleasant surprise, as it has been a while since I heard the last one here - and this bird always takes me back whenever I hear it to many magical memories on Mallorca and mainland Spain. Back at the car, I scanned the little field which had a good number of Starlings, and amongst them were good numbers of Redwing and Fieldfares, ending a very pleasant mornings visit.

Before heading off home I decided to stop off at the nearby Red Farm Barn viewing platform in the hope that the Cranes may be out in the fields. Again there was no joy with this species but another Cettis Warbler was nice, and other species of note included five Grey Herons, a single Little Egret, more Tufted Ducks, a single Common Snipe and a Water Rail which ended a great morning.