To the Brecks

Marcus Nash

Today we had the pleasure of the company of a local - Marcus Nash. Marcus runs his own birding company - The Bird ID Company. His website is at http://www.birdtour.co.uk/

He describes his company thus;
The Bird ID Company offers a variety of birdwatching tours and holidays throughout the year to well-known reserves and other sites across Norfolk and Suffolk. All of these provide fantastic opportunities to see a wide range of different birds and other wildlife.

He escorted us to an area of southern Norfolk and northern Suffolk known as the Brecks.

The Brecks or Breckland is the name for the area around Thetford, on the borders of Norfolk and Suffolk. Traditionally poor quality heathland, some of which still persists today, the area was extensively planted with trees in the 1920s and 1930s and Thetford Forest still today comprises the largest lowland pine forest in Britain. This combination of specialist habitats contains some highly sought after species.

The first key target species that we sought and found was Stone Curlew.

a long distance admittedly crap picture of a great bird - Stone Curlew

From the RSPB website - The stone-curlew population in western Europe began to decline in the latter 19th century, and accelerated after the Second World War, coinciding with acceleration in the loss of lowland dry grassland and heath. 

Numbers fell practically all across Europe during 1970-1990, including the large populations of Spain, Portugal and France. The Dutch population vanished altogether. The Russian population is considered stable, but the population size and trends are not fully known.

In the UK, stone-curlews have suffered from a long term decline in population size and distribution. It disappeared from the northern part of its range in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in the first half of the 20th century, and the contraction of range has continued until recent years. 

Numbers of stone-curlews fell by over 85% between 1940 and 1985, when the numbers hit a low of 150-160 pairs. The reasons for the decline include reduction in area of semi-natural short grassland and changes in farming practices, which affect the suitability of the land for stone-curlews and the productivity of the birds.

Much of the close grazed chalk grassland has either been converted to arable farmland or forestry, or has become unsuitable due to reduced of grazing pressure by both sheep and rabbits. As a result, more than two-thirds of the population nested on arable farmland among spring-sown crops such as sugar beet, barley and carrots by the late 1980s.

Population density on arable land rarely exceeds one tenth of those on ideal habitat. Birds on arable land are also in danger from farming operations, although effective nest protection and marking schemes have successfully reduced this source of mortality.

Despite an increase in numbers since 1985, the status of the UK population is still critical, particularly in the peripheral areas. In the core areas population decline has been halted and it is now increasing. The current increase is due to the extensive efforts put into nest protection on arable land, without which the population would be declining at 3-4% per year.

Coal Tit

Following this success we moved on to an arboretum where we were frustrated intitially by Goldcrest and Firecrest. Goldcrest ultimately showed itself quite well however Firecrest led us on a merry dance. I managed a brief view however no one else got onto it. At the arboretum we also got [pretty] good views of Bullfinch. Song Thrush showed well as did the expected Robin and Tits [Blue, Great, Coal and Marsh]. The expected Garden Warbler remained quiet however Blackcap showed well and Chiff Chaff sounded off. A family of Nuthatches also were a pleasant diversion.

Next site was a famous RSPB reserve - Lakenheath Fen. From the RSPB - At Lakenheath Fen, the RSPB has converted an area of arable farmland into a large wetland, consisting mainly of reedbeds and grazing marshes. The new reedbeds have attracted hundreds of pairs of reed warblers and sedge warblers, as well as bearded tits and marsh harriers. 

Bitterns have been seen increasingly in all seasons of the year. In early summer, hobbies catch insects high over the marshes. Golden orioles breed in the remnant poplar woods on the reserve, along with blackcaps, garden warblers and woodpeckers. Barn owls and kingfishers are regularly seen during the winter months. 

Now we certainly saw Reed and Sedge Warblers, and Reed Buntings. Many Hobbies were soaring over the reserve - at least 10 and it was certainly a joy to see them in such numbers and to observe their hunting skills as they plucked aerial insects as they circled the reserve. Marsh Harriers, too, were conspicuous and their behaviour was interesting as well; we saw the food exchange - a mid air exchange of prey from the 'huntering and gathering' male to the nesting female. 

Reed Warbler

Reed Bunting

The Golden Orioles have sadly gone and the fluty notes of this bird have now been confined to history. Hopefully the Poplars will one day again host this bird.

A great bonus for us here was a distant view of a pair of Common Crane, who in the last few years have introduced themselves to the UK. Another lifer!  

Bitterns are an attraction  at Lakenheath Fen. There was a twitch in progress while were there; about a dozen or so hoping for a view of a Little Bittern. I had hoped we could stroll up and have the bird appear on cue for us but it was not to be. We did hear the bird though. We also heard the booming of the Bittern [the big guy] and actually saw it briefly fly across the reeds and land.

  

Peacock