Tuesday 6 June 2017

Reserve Spotlight : Marsh Harriers, Bearded Tits, Common Cranes - Norfolk perhaps ? ... No, Loch of Strathbeg !

Two recent visits to this reserve, one in late April and again in late May both produced interesting birds ... species not usually associated with northern Scotland ...

We dropped in to the reserve just briefly in April and were treated to calling Common Cranes which flew right over us before alighting briefly in a ploughed field ...


... a male Garganey and a male Green-winged Teal showed on the pools and from the visitor centre the pair of Little Gulls that bred here last year were resting among some Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns ... frustratingly, the visitor centre closed before further views of the Little Gulls were possible ... so another visit was essential ...

Towards the end of May I was back at the reserve for a more comprehensive visit ... a drake Garganey was again present ...


... but resting ...

Sadly there was no sign of Little Gulls and in conversation with a local birder I learned that a Peregrine had taken one of the pair and the other had subsequently departed ...

The reserve covers a large area with pools and a larger water body - the Loch of Strathbeg itself ... from the visitor centre the view covers a swathe of wet meadow grazed by Koniks and close by is an island protected for breeding terns ...




... Common Terns were flying in carrying fish ...

...

... a walk of around a mile towards the coast goes through some lovely habitat ...


... and becomes a boardwalk through wet woodland ...


... before coming to the Fen Hide with views out across the reedbed to the loch ...


... Bearded Tits flew across every few minutes, perching occasionally to give unexpectedly good views ... an Osprey appeared, immediately attracting the attention of a defensive group of terns ...

... further towards the coast the Bay Hide looks out over open water where a lone Whooper Swan fed languidly ...


... and a group of four Pinkfeet dropped in before moving north onto farmland ...


... the edges of the loch had Shoveler and a few Pintail bobbed around in the middle ...

... between the hides the route passed through a succession of Sedge Warbler territories with a smaller number of Common Whitethroats singing from the hedgerows ...


... heading back inland to the Tower pool Hide and Marsh Harriers showed intermittently , low over the reeds ... and then in the middle of the complex of pools a Great White Egret strolled out as if from nowhere ...


... and eventually showed very nicely ...


... the Garganey became more animated but was always cryptic as it fed ...


... the reserve reminded me of Leighton Moss ... but on a much larger scale ... and with far fewer human visitors ... quite an appealing combination !






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