Trip reports

Blacktoft Sands 10th September 2011

Black tailed godwit. photo by Marie Ollerenshaw (member)

Saturday, 10 September 2011

Blacktoft Sands RSPB
Reserve has the largest tidal reed bed in England and a species list of some 280 birds. As the welcoming warden explained, the shallow washes need sufficient rain and high tides to maintain the wader habitats. You might think it's been plenty wet enough lately but not here. The eastmost and westmost hides looked out onto dried mud, billowing reeds and few birds. High tides later in the month may provide the remedy.
Nor were we lucky enough to spot some of the reserve's star attractions: Avocet (too late, bred and flown), Hen Harrier (too early for its winter roosts), Bearded Tit (too windy for small birds), Bittern and Water Rail (too secretive).
On the other hand, there were superb views of waders and Marsh Harriers from the 'middle' hides and fortunately, knowledgeable group members on hand to help me identify Spotted Redshank and Curlew Sandpiper which were firsts for me. Rather distant and difficult initially but once I'd put aside my 'book' memory of a summer plumage Spotted Redshank in black, it wasn't too hard to separate from its more numerous unspotted
cousin. The Curlew Sandpiper eventually came and fed in front of the hide for a long time, very active and beautifully marked.

Marsh Harrier drawing by Langman
"See those two birds at the right hand edge of the little island? Now look at the legs". And there among the many Redshank was a pale and crisply elegant Greenshank. A Little Egret (yellow feet) dropped into the lagoon. Then came a distraction from following the flight of a dragonfly as young twin rod deer tip-toed out of the reeds to drink. A few feet in front of the Marshland hide, a Black tailed Godwit sat in a grassy hole, showing only its head. Then it rose and picked its way slowly over the grass, gawky with improbably long bill but glorious in chestnut and orange head and breast and scaly patterned wing feathers; not much like the duller 'winter' Bar tailed Godwits I'm used to seeing around St Mary's Island. There were also more Snipe than I'd ever seen in one place, perhaps 15-16 and only a few metres away, resting and feeding in the shallows. The Ruff gave a good account of itself as a species, once I'd recognized the different sizes and plumages. Until I looked it up, I hadn't known about the Ruff's loose raised back feathers when feeding; so it wasn't simply the wind!
Perhaps the spectacular sightings of the day were the majestic Marsh Harriers, male, female and juvenile seemingly anxious to impress the gallery of photographers clicking (crashing ?) away in the hide. We learned that one had been tagged earlier in Kent, so what was it doing flying north at this time ?
All too often these birds are soaring distantly; here we were treated to a magnificent display at close quarters. As we left for the return journey, cloud was building from the west after a sunny and breezy afternoon, much improved on the grey gloom of Tyneside at 8am.
A longish day out but excellent bird-watching, agreeable company and comfortable transport - so much nicer to be driven! Many thanks to Graham for meticulous arrangements. Jeff Mason
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