Its been something of a purple patch for birds on the Havergate reserves for birds over the last week or so.
The highlights include a rough legged buzzard (twice), a short eared owl, a couple of hen harriers, a firecrest, two whooper swans and at least one spotted redshank. There has also been some staggering numbers of waders with over 500 avocets, 200 dunlin, 300 redshanks, 200 black tailed godwits and good numbers of ring plovers and grey plovers. Regular passage of brent geese, ducks including teal and wigeon beginning to arrive, a razorbill, a bar headed goose and 3 late spoonbills heading south. It seems a tad unfair that the reserve is performing so well, when so few people can see it due to the current works.
However, here are 3 highlights from the last week or so and an expansion upon there stories. First up, is the firecrest.
David Kjaer (rspb-images.com)
These smart little birds are on the amber list of birds for concern in the UK, mainly due to there small breeding population. It is estimated that 165 males breed in the UK, most restricted to Southern Britain. However, it is more than likely that this bird was a migrant from continental Europe. Despite its tiny size, it competes with the far more common and well know British bird the goldcrest for the title of Europe's smallest bird, these birds undertake a potentially gruelling migration to escape the worst of the winter weather and the relatively mid, Atlantic climate of a British winter is sometimes the perfect place to while away a winter.
Quite why a Razorbill ended up, on the River Ore is something of a mystery. The sighting came after a period of strong south easterly winds and it is likely that the bird was a juvenile, who became progressively weaker after days of battling against the wind and struggling to feed and was eventually blown into the river. It has being on the amber list in common with firecrests but this is where the similarities end. Razorbills are seabirds, primarily feeding on fish and crustaceans, the UK is home to 1.4 million, which is almost half the european population. In the winter we would expect to see a few in the southern North sea but most can be expected to be a long way north and in some cases penetrating the northern Atlantic.
One of the rarest birds (at least in a Havergate island context) recently where the two whooper swans, being only the 9th record and probably only the fourth record on the ground on the reserve. A relatively common if localised winter visitor to the UK, these birds will have been on the way to the wintering grounds in the UK from Iceland. Up to 7000 individuals winter in this country, this is infact most of the breeding Icelandic population of whooper swans. Making this country hugely important in the context of this species. Most wintering birds can be seen Caelaverlock, Welney and Martin Mere and Broubster Leans feeding on aquatic plants and grass.
Courtesy of D.Fairhurst, 2011
In other news the flamingo is still around and the EU Life+ work is beginning to progress with diggers and dumpers on site.