Inspired by looking at the BTO Website this lunchtime about the tagged cuckoos returning to Norfolk I thought ' I'll go to Northward Hill and hear one ' as I haven't managed to hear one yet this year!
The weather was pretty rubbish I'll have to say with a barely achieved 8c and a North Easterly breeze it felt distinctly wintery.
In the car park plenty of Goldfinches were about with Blue tits, Great tit and Chaffinch on the feeders. 50 yards along the trail the familiar scratchy call of the Whitethroats hit me as 3 or 4 flew up from the bushes calling and darted back into the cover. Despite the weather it was beginning to feel more spring like already.
Up at the top view point I scoped the ponds, Avocet were present alongside a Greenshank dash-feeding along the margin. A pair of Redshank sat on the bank quite near to an Oystercatcher poking around in the tussocks.
Canada Geese were there as well with Grey lag off across the marsh. A Lapwing flew his bubbling aerial acrobatics over the grass. Mallard, Tufted Duck and a lone Gadwall swam around feeding with a half a dozen Shelduck, and I saw my first Swift of the year, a pair whizzed overhead as I walked down to the meadow and across to the bridge to see if I could hear any Nightingales.
At the ditches I could hear a Reed and Sedge Warbler limbering up in the undergrowth. By now I could hear Nightingales singing up the hill in the distance so I left them to it.
Halfway up I heard two males dueting in the scrub and a Cetti's Warbler singing his powerful song.
Walking back down to the bridge a male Blackcap was hopping around a bush. In the distance Heron and Little Egret could be seen making their way homeward. On the way back to the viewpoint a Green Woodpecker yaffled up onto a telegraph pole. Swallow were overhead now with 20 or so Swifts.
Now back at the car park I was beginning to despair about the cuckoo until one started to call in a distant tree over at the Marsh Viewpoint.As I was just about to get into my car after twenty minutes of listening to that iconic sound a kind gentleman pointed out a trio of Wheatear on the old lambing field.
Through the telescope the male was magnificent in his colourful summer garb escorted by his female entourage.
Northward Hill well worth a visit anytime even if you only have a couple of hours to spare.
thanks to David Saunders for this report
It always amazes me how early Cuckoos get up! At 4.30am, whilst stepping blearily out the door with no hint of natural light on the horizon, a Cuckoo could be heard shouting his name out in the clear silence of dawn. “Good morning and welcome home”, I remarked to myself in reply.
The highlight of the walk for most was undoubtedly the exciting and thrilling fruity notes of the newly arrived Nightingales. There are at least 20 individuals now on the reserve, after arriving from their distant winter holidays in Africa, all vying for territories before more rivals arrive. Thrushes and warblers, tits and finches, all of Northward Hill’s feathered inhabitants joined the chorus, not letting the rain dampen their morning sing-song. The gentle cat-like purring of the beautiful Turtle Doves could also be heard, adding their own unique sound to the chorus.
It may be a effort to emerge from your slumber in the early hours of the morning, but as those that came along to the walk agreed, it is certainly well worth it!!! With next Sunday being the official National Dawn Chorus Day why not be an early bird and set your alarms to see and hear for yourselves the spectacular dawn chorus, one of nature’s true wonders.
Northward Hill dawn chorus line-up in order of appearance: Cuckoo, Robin, Nightingale, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Great Tit, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Wren, Dunnock, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Green Woodpecker, Blue Tit, Turtle Dove, Chaffinch, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Linnet, Cetti’s Warbler, Greenfinch, Sedge Warbler
Simon Ginnaw – RV, Northward Hill
resident volunteer Peter Beckenham was awoken by a Cuckoo calling from the scrub in front of the farmhouse this morning - brings a whole new meaning to a "cuckoo clock"!
According to the BTO this Cuckoo is over a week early (their average day of first arrival being 19th April).
A walk on the woodland side...
Is there a better herald of spring than a Chiffchaff singing from the top of a tree? It’s been a slow start for spring migrants on the north Kent marshes but there are signs that it is hotting up. A walk around the woodland yesterday turned up several male Chiffchaffs – hard to spot in dense scrub but identified easily by their repetitive song. These have now been joined by Blackcaps, with two males singing their beautiful song from cover in the woodland too. Also heard (but not seen!) was a Treecreeper - always nice to come across and an important record for the area. The woodland is already showing signs of benefitting from the busy winter programme undertaken by staff and volunteers. Carpeting the newly widened rides and glades along the Saxon Shore Way are dog violet, lesser celandine and bluebells. The latter, not quite yet in bloom but promising to be spectacular when they do. Also enjoying the sheltered, bright conditions were Comma, Red Admiral, Peacock and Green-veined White butterflies - all spotted on the wing.
A Common Buzzard sailing over the wood on Wednesday was met with a determined mobbing by several Rooks. The heronry continues to be a hive of noisy activity as herons and rooks prepare for the breeding season. The impressive nest structures of both birds make an intriguing site from the viewpoint; the comings and goings of the birds mean there is never a dull moment. Elsewhere in the wood, Great tits are conspicuous alongside the frequent squawks of Jays and Great Spotted woodpeckers.
By Peter Beckenham
On Sunday 11th March, myself and Jenny led a guided walk to the heronry and back. There was an excellent turnout in the fine weather and those present received an introduction into how this extensive site is managed as well as some of the amazing wildlife found here. The group were treated to views of Grey Herons gathering nesting material and flying overhead with it in their bills. Using scopes we observed nesting herons on display from the heronry viewpoint. At the moment, the majority of birds are nesting in trees to the right; numbers are still quite low but will no doubt increase in the coming weeks. On the main scrape, there was a Green Sandpiper and a Snipe among the usual wildfowl species. Late-stayers were able to observe a female Marsh Harrier perched on a distant bush. Three harriers (2 female, 1 male) have been spotted from the Marshland Viewpoint this week.
Other sightings of note include a pair of Long-eared owls that continue to display close to the Heronry trail at dusk. A Cetti’s Warbler has regularly been seen and heard near the ‘orchard bridge’. Mornings are gradually becoming noisier with the yard filled with the incessant chirp and chatter of smaller passerines. This dawn chorus is one of nature’s little wonders and will gradually increase in volume until April/May. We will be holding several dawn chorus walks this spring, why not set your alarm clock and join us? Check the events page for details. But the birds don’t just sing at dawn. On calm, clear evenings, the chorus of bird song at dusk can be just as memorable. At the moment the scrubland areas are filled with the gorgeous songs of Dunnock and Song Thrush. A Tawny Owl can also be heard calling most evenings. As winter slowly fades away, we can now look forward to spring and the return of many more migrant birds. Northward Hill’s first Chiffchaff of the year was heard singing on the Marshland Trail this morning (15th) closely followed by a Comma butterfly on the wing. These will be the first of many no doubt and a sign of things to come.
Peter Beckenham, Resident Volunteer Warden, NKM