01/03/2019 With Marcus Nash 1/3 In The Brecks for Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Friday 1 March 2019

The weather has changed dramatically since yesterday.  The sunny days and 19C have gone and today we have overcast conditions with no sun, much lower temperatures and the possibility of showers.  Tomorrow is likely to be the sunniest day and on Sunday it is forecast to be raining. 

Marcus re-jigged the programme so we visited the Brecks today, looking for Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers and we will go back again tomorrow looking for Goshawks, leaving Sunday free to go to the north Norfolk coast where we can use the bird hides if the expected wet conditions prove true.

SANTON DOWNHAM
 

The long drive down from Wells to Santon Downham was well worth it with some outstanding birding moments. 

• 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers were seen about 20 minutes after we took up our position by the river.  The female flew in first, followed quickly by the male.  They then moved about in playful tandem at the top of the Poplar trees . 



courtesy of Marcus Nash



• This continued until we lost sight of them.  The female then re-appeared a short distance away and was seen busy feeding at the top of the same Poplar trees

courtesy of Marcus Nash

. 

All in all we had over an hour of rich activity from these lovely birds.

• Woodland birds were present in good numbers, particularly Siskins, Redpoll, Chaffinch and Brambling.

courtesy of Marcus Nash

• We even saw a Goshawk fly over the trees in front of us, having been involved in an altercation with some Carrion Crows.



courtesy of Marcus Nash

• We also ended on a high note when we saw at least 3 Woodlarks on the ground in the heathland on the opposite side of the railway line.

courtesy of Marcus Nash

BRANDON COUNTRY PARK
 

We had a lovely lunch at Brandon Country Park, a new venue for me, where we met  a familiar bird behaving very uncharacteristically.

• On the way down to the lake we came across a mixed group of Mallards and Mandarins - on the grass!  Some were sitting underneath the large Oak tree, others were out in the open but all were a long way from the water and not the least bit perturbed by our presence.  We saw 9 drake Mandarins and 3 females.

one of my own snaps using my iPhone

courtesy of Marcus Nash

What a difference from Weir Wood Reservoir in Sussex where, despite being a breeding site, the best I have had so far this year was a female flying overhead!

• We also had good views of a Firecrest in the pines close to the lake.  Goldcrests were also present.

Thetford Forest, near Brandon
 

Our final port of call was the Thetford Forest, a few miles SE of Brandon where we were hoping to see the Great Grey Shrike that had been reported there earlier.

• On the way to the designated sighting location we heard, then saw, a Crossbill flying overhead. 
• A lovely Yellowhammer added to the glamour

courtesy of Marcus Nash

• Right on cue, the Great Grey Shrike was showing well and we were able to get superb views in the scopes.

courtesy of Marcus Nash

• On the return leg to the minibus we heard, then saw, a second Crossbill.

A great first day!

The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker sightings have made my weekend already - everything else is a bonus.  One hour in the presence of these birds is an enormous privilege.