A celebration of birding and natural history, generally within a 10 mile radius of Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, UK.
It would be great if you wanted to share your Ely 10 birding news, experiences, photos, art and video through this blog. Please contact hairyfolkster@gmail.com with your post or to join the authorship, I'll get you on the list quicker than a fly over Alpine Swift.
A lovely bright blue sky led me to Fordham Woods, I love this little reserve - it's flooded umderstorey and gnarly tangles of timber makes me think of Dagoba, the planet Luke Skywalker finds Yoda on in Empire Strikes Back. Today I kept finding little Christmas painted stones around the boardwalk, I enjoyed them. I enjoyed even more seeing Marsh Tits, I thought they may have been lost in this wood with only a pair or two ever having established themselves. I haven't seen any here for over a year so it was a pleasure to watch a couple of birds feeding and seeming thoroughly at home.
Amongst the Goldfinches feeding on the Elders a few Siskins, twisting around amongst the few leaves remaining on the trees.
On the way back from the Dusky Warbler last week I stopped off at Stretham to look for a pack of White-fronted Geese that had loosely joined a herd of wild swans. I counted 12 but there had been 13 reported , part of an influx that I thought would have brought many more onto the Washes. For the first year in many there haven't been any Tundra Been Geese on the Washes either. Hopefully one for the New Year.
Distraction from painting this evening - as something terrible was playing out at the level crossing in the village, two male Bullfinches casually nibbled away at hte remains of hte season's blackberries.
No need to rush. Saturday was for the eager beavers. sunday - a complete misery of a day. So with more placid weather on the forecast, Monday seemed a reasonable bet. Overnight downpours should surely have kept the diminuitive visitor tucked away in the undergrowth, and the prospect of some early morning Sunshine would prompt some activity. A Red Kite sagged low across the silver dawn, chased over the Stretham roundabout by a mob of crows, unseen by the rush hour just metres below.
The Sun was still struggling to rise above the hedgeline as I arrived and took position on the bank side. A brief chat with the two other birders present, and then the telltale 'tuck-tuck' coming from below a large Crack Willow at the far end of the carr. A fleeting movement, and the bird dashed across the ditch, and hid among the fallen litter of the last strong wind.
The Sun broke through and cast colour and warmth, and before long, the bird was back in the brambles on the narrow strip of bank seperating the ditch from the dench pond, and then - up into the sunlit branches, orange feet clinging to the lichen covered spray. Working its way up the ditch, constantly calling out its position, we followed it as it soaked up the morning air, as if trying to absorb the very colour of the day.
Dropping down into the shadow again, its washed out body was transformed. It seemed more solid. The subtle contrast was heightened now - bold straw supercilium blazed above sepia eyeline, pale edged wing feathers and rich olive brown tail. Its face had such strong features, with such limited palette - quite different to the blended cheeks of the Chiffchaff, and dark - shadow dark. In its element.
Having struggled in hte past to see Dusky warblers - a two second glimpse of one, and a silhouette flying past after a day freezing at a coastal sewage farm - this encounter could not have been more surprising. For an hour and a half, the tucking fiddler sewed a course up and down the bank, catching small insects and spiders amongst the tangle.
It sprang up into the drooping branches of the great willow, and preened - stitching the sunlight into its pale breast, before dropping back down, out of sight. Mark arrived soon after, and after a catchup, I left him waiting for the next flurry of movement. The swans across the field clarioned and the fieldfares whined in the breeze. This was the Summer Taiga drawn to the December fen.
A visit to the Brecks led to the discovery of a huge Goshawk nest - although the mist and greyness made for a pretty dull day out.
It has been really lovely to visit Welney the last few weekends, bittersweet as the lack of visitors which has made the visits so enjoyable, also being a very real threat to the revenue and jobs of those that work on the reserve. There wasn't a breath of wind as Ben and I started our afternoon checking wildfowl from Pymoor northwards. There was a hybrid Lesser Scaup type amongst the diving duck but nothing of more note.
At Welney a Glossy Ibis flew in as we signed in at reception and it shared a field with Cattle Egrets.
The sunset in a blaze on many thousands of wildfowl, it was special.
The discovery of a Dusky Warbler in the Ely10 made for some excitement. A vocal bird but really skulking, affording brief flight views and a few views of all salient features as it moved through gamble tangles and nettle patches. Fortunately it was pretty vocal allowing it's whereabouts to be followed. Hopefully there'll be more chances to see this bird over the coming weeks.
