Late February 2014

February 28th. A moderate north easterly wind, mostly cloudy.
Around were 73 Corn Buntings, 2 Tawny Owls, 200 Fieldfares, a Grey Wagtail, 10 Chaffinches, a Brambling, 2 Rooks and 48 Redwings. On Jackson's Marsh were 2 Pink-footed Geese and 3 Goldeneyes. An adult male Hen Harrier was hunting over the saltmarsh near the Visitor Centre in the evening.

February 27th. A moderate westerly wind, heavy rain to start then mostly sunny.
Around were a Barn Owl, 2 Goldcrests, a Green Woodpecker, 2 Siskins, 2 Yellowhammers, 67 Corn Buntings and 2 Tawny Owls. On Jackson's Marsh was a Great Crested Grebe.

February 26th. Force 2 south-westerly wind increasing to Force 4/5 by mid morning. Sunny. 
Sea watch 0650 to 0750hrs produced 11 Pink-footed Geese north, whilst southbound were 8 Eiders, 28 Red-throated Divers, 4 Wigeons, 114 Common Scoters, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 2 Goldeneyes, 2 GREAT NORTHERN DIVERS and 6 Red-breasted Mergansers.
10 Ringed Plovers were on Greenshanks Creek. Visible migration from Mill Hill 0815 to 0915hrs saw 23 Rooks, 84 Woodpigeons, 5 Greenfinches, 2 Linnets and 11 Chaffinches flying south. On Tennyson Sands were 7 Avocets, 8 Black-tailed Godwits, a Goldeneye and a drake Pintail. A Green Woodpecker was in the East Dunes.

February 25th. A fairly strong south-westerly wind. Heavy showers in the morning, brighter afternoon.
Combined totals for Jackson's Marsh and Tennyson Sands today were 8 Avocets, 10 Black-tailed Godwits, a Little Egret, 3 Goldeneyes, 46 Gadwalls, 59 Shovelers, 9 Tufted Ducks, a drake Pochard, 4 Little Grebes, 6 Mute Swans, 600 Brent Geese (which dropped in mid afternoon with 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese), 38 Curlews and 150 Lapwings. Also around were a male Hen Harrier, a sub adult Marsh Harrier, a Goldcrest, a Siskin, 4 Pintail, 2 Mistle Thrushes, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Sparrowhawk.

February 24th. A fairly strong southerly wind. A sunny morning, cloudy afternoon.
The GLAUCOUS GULL was still present early morning, was viewed briefly from Jackson's Hide, then flew off towards The Wash. Also around were 38 Ringed Plovers, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 5 Snipes, 4 Pochards, 2 Goldeneyes, a drake Pintail, a Short-eared Owl, a Tawny Owl, a Barn Owl, a Corn Bunting, a Green Woodpecker and 3 Avocets.

February 23rd. Strong south-south westerly wind, mostly cloudy.
A GLAUCOUS GULL was viewed from Tennyson Sands and later from Jackson's Marsh scrape. Also around were 5 Avocets (the first of the year), 6 Ringed Plovers, 6 Black-tailed Godwits, a Merlin, a drake Pintail, 2 Tawny Owls, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Brambling, 600 Brent Geese including 3 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 30 Golden Plovers and 500 Lapwings. 6 Eiders and a Red-throated Diver were offshore.

Adult Glaucous Gull
Photo - Matthew Heaver

February 22nd. A breezy southerly wind. Bright sunshine for most of the day.
Around were a Tawny Owl, 2 Siskins, a Green Woopecker, a Treecreeper, a Chiffchaff and 2 Goldcrests. On Millenium Ridge were 10 Ringed Plovers and on Croftmarsh were a Black Brant hybrid, 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 500+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese.
  A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue by Mike Polling and Jenni Godber resulted in 19 new birds and 8 retraps. The new birds were 11 Greenfinches, 2 Long-tailed Tits, 2 Great Tits, 2 Blue Tits and singles of Chaffinch and Goldfinch. The retraps were 4 Greenfinches, 2 Long-tailed Tits and singles of Great Tit and Goldfinch.

February 21st. Force 3 South-south westerly wind increasing to Force 5 mid morning with clear skies and an early ground frost in places. 
Sea watch 0700 to 0820hrs.
Moving south over the sea were 16 Red-throated Divers, 211 Common Scoters, 3 Eiders, 3 Brent Geese, a Great Crested Grebe and a Red-breasted Merganser. 21 Pink-footed Geese and a Harbour Porpoise went north. 580 Herring Gulls and 28 Great Black-backed Gulls were on the beach. Also seen were a Barn Owl, a Merlin, 4 Yellowhammers and a Goldcrest.
Moving south over Mill Hill were 13 Chaffinches, 6 Goldfinches, 2 Linnets, 4 Greenfinches, 9 Skylarks, 3 Rooks, 80 Woodpigeons and 70 Golden Plovers. A LAPLAND BUNTING went south over Sykes Farm. Tennyson Sands held 2 Goldeneyes, 13 Shelducks, 33 Gadwalls, 51 Shovelers, 9 Tufted Ducks, 30 Teals, 14 Mallards, a drake Pochard, a Little Grebe, 7 Black-tailed Godwits, 2 Oystercatchers, 47 Curlews, 12 Coots and 3 Moorhens. 60 Fieldfares were around the East Dunes. 750 Lapwings and 100 Golden Plovers were over Croftmarsh.
Recent Moths recorded so far on the reserve are Pale Brindled Beauty, March Moth, Chestnut, Dotted Border and Pine Beauty.

Mid February 2014

February 20th. Force 3/4 Southerly wind, cloudy and very mild, 9 degrees overnight.
 Over the sea were 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 4 Great Crested Grebes, 68 Common Scoters and 4 Red-throated Divers. 78 Wigeons and an adult Kittiwake went south. 65 Pink-footed Geese went north. Around were 4 Yellowhammers, a Chiffchaff, 4 Stock Doves, a Barn Owl, 4 Song Thrushes, a Redwing, 120+ Fieldfares and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. 800 Lapwings were over Croftmarsh.

February 19th. Moderate west-south-west wind, cloudy start with sunny spells later.
On the reserve today were a Common Buzzard, a Sparrowhawk, a Green Woodpecker, 2 Barn Owls, 2 Tawny Owls, a Short-eared Owl, 7 Black-tailed Godwits and 1420 Woodpigeons.
  A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue by David and Liv Vincent resulted in 12 new birds and 12 retraps. The new birds were 8 Greenfinches, 3 Chaffinches and a Long-tailed Tit. The retraps were 3 Blue Tits, 3 Great Tits, 2 Chaffinches, 2 Greenfinches, a Goldfinch and a Long-tailed Tit.

February 18th. Moderate south-south-westerly wind, cloudy morning with sunny spells later.
Around were 2 Tawny Owls, 30 Skylarks, 4 Pochards, 3 Goldeneyes and 2 Snipes.

February 17th. Moderate southerly wind, foggy start then cloudy. 2 degrees with ground frost in places.
  Sea watch census from 0700 to 0800.
The best bird was a southbound Fulmar. Also seen flying south were 12 Red-throated Divers, a Red-breasted Merganser, 80 Eiders and 262 Common Scoters. 120 Common Scoters were also seen flying north.
Around the West Dunes were 2 Barn Owls, 80 Fieldfares, 4 Redwings and 4 Song Thrushes. A Chiffchaff was near Mill Hill and a male Hen Harrier was on Croftmarsh for most of the morning, visible from Harvey's Hide. The water bodies were similar reports to February 16th.

February 16th. Moderate south-westerly wind, sunny.
  Sea watch census 0750 to 1015.
South went 32 Red-throated Divers, 10 Brent Geese, 75 Common Scoters, 18 and then 24 Red-breasted Mergansers, 62 Eiders, 2 Teals, a Pintail, a Guillemot and an Auk sp. North went 5 Brent Geese, 4 Eiders, a Guillemot and 2 Snow Buntings along the beach. 1 Porpoise sp south and 2 north.
On Croftmarsh were 800 Lapwings and 40 Golden Plovers. On Jackson's Marsh were 2 Little Grebes, 2 Goldeneye and 21 Black-tailed Godwits. On Tennyson's Sands were 550 Brent Geese and 2 Goldeneye. Also around were a Common Buzzard, a Peregrine, a Barn Owl, a Tawny Owl, 48 Fieldfares, 3 Mistle Thrushes, a Song Thrush, a Green Woodpecker, 60 Corn Buntings, 3 Woodcocks, a Chiffchaff, a Pale-bellied Brent Goose and a probable Black Brant, though a hybrid was not eliminated.
  A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue by David and Liv Vincent resulted in just 5 new birds and 12 retraps. The new birds were 3 Greenfinches, a Chaffinch and a Blue Tit. The retraps were 3 Great Tits, 3 Greenfinches, 3 Goldfinches, 2 Blue Tits and a Dunnock.
Although ringing was quite slow we were treated to a sizeable flock of Starlings and Fieldfares flying around the back of Aylmer Avenue and off in the direction of measures, hotly pursued by a hungry Sparrowhawk!

February 15th. Very strong south-south-westerly wind gusting from Force 6 to Force 8, a mild 6 degrees overnight but feeling cold in the strong wind.
  Sea Watch 0650 to 0920 and 1500 to 1700.

On the sea were 180 Eiders, 15 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Great Crested Grebes, 24 Common Scoters and a drake SCAUP. Flying south at sea were 20 Red-throated Divers, 65 Red-breasted Mergansers, 422 Eiders, 5 Teals, 38 Wigeons, 4 Pintails, 2 Shovelers, 10 Brent Geese, 1 Shelduck, 3 SCAUP, 3 Great Crested Grebes, 12 Kittiwakes, 1 GREAT SKUA, 31 Cormorants, 2 Guillemots, 2 Auks sp and 3 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 60 Fieldfares and 4 Redwings were around and 3 Goldeneyes were on Jackson's Marsh. 

February 14th. 
Little coverage and no records received.

February 13th. 
A Little Owl was north of Aylmer Avenue late in the day.

February 12th. 
Little coverage and no records received.

February 11th: Strong southerly wind, mostly rainy.
At sea 10 Shovelers and 395 Common Scoters flew south. On Croftmarsh was a Pale-bellied Brant Goose.

Early February 2014

February 10th: Light southerly wind, partly cloudy.

 Present, including birds trapped, were 2 Coal Tits, a Green Woodpecker and 60 Fieldfares. Flying around were 260 Pink-footed Geese. South went 1365 Common Scoters and a Slavonian Grebe.

 A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue was quite good. The new birds were a Chaffinch, 2 Goldfinches, a Great Tit and 19 Greenfinches. The retraps were 2 Blue Tits, 10 Greenfinches, a Wren, 2 Goldfinches, a Chaffinch and a Coal Tit.

February 9th: Strong south-westerly wind, cloudy.
Birds around included 2000 Golden Plovers, 2000 Lapwings and 90 Fieldfares.
A 4 hour sea watch from first light produced the following, with the first hour being very busy.

Eider 758South and 22 on sea. Total 780

Common Scoter 174South and 35 on sea. Total 209
Velvet Scoter 3South
Scaup 1South
RB Merg 75South and 12 on sea. Total 87
Goosander 2South.
Shelduck 4South
RT Diver 30South and 2 on sea. Total 32
GC Grebe 13South and 2 on sea. Total 15
SLAV GREBE 1 giving prolonged, good views close in on sea out from Mill Hill
BONXIE 1South
Cormorant 4South
Little Gull 4 adults south
Kittiwake 1 adult south
Shoveler 1South
Gadwall 1South
Wigeon 11South
Teal 8South
Single Avocet went south along the tideline as did 3 Rooks

February 8th: Strong south-westerly wind, partly cloudy.
 On or over Croftmarsh were a Tundra Bean Goose, 3 Pink-footed Geese, 2000 Lapwings and 2000 Golden Plovers.

February 7th: Strong westerly wind, partly cloudy, afternoon rain.
Flying south were a Siskin and a Stock Dove, and north an Alba Wagtail. Around were 2 Woodcocks. Offshore were 60 Common Scoters, 2 Great Skuas and a small Grebe Spp.

February 6th: Fairly strong south-westerly wind, partly cloudy.
 Around were 100 Fieldfares, 1100 Lapwings, 2000 Golden Plovers and a Merlin. At sea 4 Little Gulls and 8 Pintails flew south, and a Slavonian Grebe and 2 small Grebes Spp were offshore.

February 5th: Strong southerly wind, partly cloudy, occasional rain.
 Offshore were a Slavonian Grebe and 3 Little Gulls. On Jackson's Marsh was a Goldeneye. Other birds present included 2 Fieldfares, a Green Woodpecker and 4 Song Thrushes.

February 4th: Fairly strong south-westerly wind, partly cloudy.
 Birds around included a Merlin, a Hen Harrier, a Green Woodpecker and 3000 Golden Plovers. South over land went 21 Stock Doves and 2 Rooks. At sea 129 Red-throated Divers, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 10 Great Crested Grebes, 29 Common Scoters, 2 Wigeons, 2 Eiders, 7 Little Gulls and a Slavonian Grebe headed south, and 4 Common Scoters north, while on the sea were a Great Northern Diver and 38 Common Scoters.
 A morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue was reasonable. New birds were 3 Chaffinches, 2 Great Tits, a Goldfinch, a Blue Tit, 10 Greenfinches and a Blackbird; and the retraps 5 Blue Tits, 3 Chaffinches, 4 Great Tits, 3 Goldfinches, a Long-tailed Tit, 7 Greenfinches and a Dunnock.

February 3rd: Fairly strong south-easterly wind, partly cloudy.
 Notables included 25 Fieldfares and 6 Woodcocks. Flying south at sea were 5 Eiders, 2 Goldeneyes, 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 45 Red-throated Divers, 3 Great Crested Grebes, a Slavonian Grebe, a Little Gull, a Guillemot and a Razorbill; and north 7 Common Scoters and 4 Red-throated Divers. A Great Northern Diver and an Iceland Gull were offshore.

February 2nd: Fairly strong south-westerly wind, partly cloudy.
 Around were 2 Hen Harriers, a Woodcock and 25 Fieldfares. On or over Croftmarsh were 650 Lapwings.

February 1st: Increasing south-westerly wind, partly cloudy.
 Birds around included 3 Woodcocks and a Siskin. On Croftmarsh were 700 Lapwings.
 A restricted morning ringing session at Aylmer Avenue was reasonably productive. The new birds were a Chaffinch, 2 Goldfinches, a Great Tit, 14 Greenfinches and a Blackbird, while the retraps were 3 Chaffinches, 10 Greenfinches, 5 Blue Tits, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and 4 Goldfinches.