How to record sightings

This page is for anyone to record wildlife sightings in the South Yare area. Leave a comment on any post by clicking on the relevant ‘leave a comment’ link below the post, and follow instructions.

Records from the RSPB bird hide at Rockland Broad for April 2012

I collect the recording sheets from the RSPB hide at Rockland Broad and I thought it would be interesting for others to know what birds have been seen and written on the sheets by visitors to the hide. This has been the wettest April on record, and it has also seemed the coldest, and consequently the summer migrant birds have been slow in coming here from warmer climates, and who can blame them. However there have been some interesting bird records from the RSPB hide at Rockland Broad .

On April 3rd there were the first records of chiffchaff and willow warbler but we had to wait until April 25th for grasshopper warbler and the 27th for reed warblers. There have been no recordings of sedge warblers or blackcap, but I have heard blackcaps singing in the wood s adjacent to the hide.

An osprey was recorded on the 4th and again on the 11th. Ospreys often stop off in the Yare valley on their way from Africa to their breeding sites further north, but they never stay long in the spring, although they may stay longer on their passage back in the Autumn.

The first cuckoo was recorded on the 11th and then again on the 27th and is now calling regularly in May. The first swallows were recorded on the 5th and regularly since that date and house martins were recorded on the 29th

A buzzard was recorded flying over the woods on the 3rd . Buzzards have been seen much more frequently in this area in recent years and a pair were reported to have nested nearby last year. Marsh harriers were recorded regularly from the hide and this reflects the fact that several pairs nest in the Yare valley , especially at Strumpshaw, and have they nested on Rockland Island in the past.

Short eared owls were reported frequently throughout April and there have been several short eared owls in the valley all winter. They are large, light brown owls with dark patches on the underside of their long wings, and can be seen hunting low over the marshes during the day. Short eared owls come here in the winter from areas further north, including Scotland and Northern Europe and leave in the Spring. This is the best year for short eared owls I have ever known in the 23 years I have lived in this area, and one can still be seen on the Rockland / Claxton marshes as I write this on 4th May. Barn owls have also been seen regularly and they have been seen entering and leaving the nest box in the woods just to the south of the Broad.

Other recordings were; cetti’s warbler , greylag goose, Canada goose, shelduck, mallard, gadwall, pochard, coot, egret, great crested grebe, heron, reed bunting, blue tit, black head gull, cormorant, mute swans, kestrel and kingfisher.

Rockland Broad is always worth a visit, and although sometimes there seems to be little to see on the Broad, there is always something of interest on the surrounding marshes. In May there will be final influx of spring migrants and the nesting season will be at its height. A special sighting to look out for in spring is the passage of black terns that usually fly over Rockland Broad on their way to their breeding grounds. Peter Armitage

 

March 2012 Sightings

With some warm days in late February, spring can definitely be felt round the corner. With winter visitors leaving and summer migrants coming in there is a chance to see some unusual sights, such as one commenter on this site seeing a Crane opposite the Beauchamp Arms. More familiar species are also starting to emerge with the warmer weather, and I was excited on 26th February to see queens of 5 different species of bumblebee including this Garden Bumblebee Bombus hortorum, normally not on the wing until later in the year.
What are you seeing?

BTO Talk

On February 21st there was a fantastic turn out for a talk by Mike Toms from the British Trust for Ornithology organised by the South Yare Wildlife Group. Over 70 people turned out on a chilly February evening to hear Mike talk about the work of the BTO, particularly the huge data collection of their Garden Birdwatch which yields real insights into the ways in which the habitats of our gardens (and how we use them) impacts on various species across time and geography. Thanks to Mike for his time and effort and thanks to all who came along.

January 2012

The year has started with changeable weather, as high winds and mild temperatures disrupt normal patterns. As per Penny and Kaarin’s comments, there are quite large gatherings of starlings, lapwings and plovers to be seen at the moment. This large group of lapwings was over fields in Carleton St Peter – several hundred birds which is the largest flock I’ve seen. So what have you seen?

December Sightings

The month has started with a chill. High winds and lower temperatures is starting to bring in winter migrants from the North. Short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) have been seen roosting at Rockland and Surlingham Marsh and Bean Geese (Anser fabalis) over the Yare. Other birds to look out for locally include waxwings, bitterns and marsh harriers. The Buckenham Corvid Roost which can be seen from the south side of the Yare has seen upwards of 50,000 birds and is a seasonal spectacle worth watching out for. Anyone out there got anything to share?

November Sightings

November is very much a month of change; the first really cold weather, and the bite of winter brings some species in, and drives others out. Bats are increasingly torpid and are starting to hibernate, pollinating insects will be entering dormant phases whilst deciduous trees are shedding leaves by the bucketload.. But there is still plenty to see  – Bramblings, fieldfare, redwings, ducks and geese all come in in increasing numbers, and there are few places better to see migrating birds than our patch of Norfolk. So what have you seen recently?

October sightings

With unseasonably warm temperatures it doesn’t feel quite like October, but as the month starts, autumnal colours indicate the changing of the seasonal guard. Birds are starting to aggregate again, fungi are in full flood and the hedgerow larders are providing abundant foraging opportunities. So what have you seen? Leave a comment below!