Garganey
We are once again offering two breaks during the peak spring migration period, and while the April tour is longer and offers a huge range of species with numbers of common migrants, the May tour brings the greater possibility of rarities and interesting waders. We do not offer a fixed daily itinerary as the weather patterns and arrivals of migrant birds will dictate where we go each day, and obviously the presence of any rarities, which is likely at this time, will also influence our daily movements! The World famous reserve at Cley will be top of our list of destinations and the whole area is fantastic in spring with the network of pools, scrapes and reedbeds between Blakeney and Salthouse attracting the lions share of the migrants. Of course resident Bearded Tit, Pied Avocet and Marsh Harrier always feature and waders at this time include Whimbrel, Common Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff and Common, Green and Wood Sandpipers as well as more usual fayre. Terns are just starting to arrive and Arnold’s Marsh is a great spot to see flocks of Sandwich Terns and pick out the tiny Little Tern and more regular Common. Scrub at Kelling and Walsey Hills will be checked for incoming warblers such as Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Common Whitethroat while Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler are possible here and on Salthouse Heath where the first Common Nightingale will be singing. The water meadows at Kelling often produces a drake Garganey or Little Gull while the open areas are favoured by Whinchat and Ring Ouzel. Wells and Holkham will also attract our attention during the week and we will do a circular walk here. Again warblers often feature strongly and the first Eurasian Reed and Sedge Warbler might be heard in the ditches, while Little Egrets feed on the marsh which is a favourite haunt of spring parties of Eurasian Spoonbill. Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler occasionally pause on passage here though Ring Ouzel and Grasshopper Warbler are more likely, with birds often reeling loudly from areas of bramble scrub. Wells woods can hold migrant birds longer than many other sites and arrivals in south-easterly winds can mean the birches are alive with migrant warblers. Titchwell as ever is brimming with birds at this time and the sea can still be good here even now. Large flocks of Common Scoter hold one or two Velvet while Common Eider still linger and the beach holds Sanderling coming into rusty summer plumage. Common Cuckoo or Eurasian Hobby may pass through here and Montagu’s Harrier is regular in spring, though we may well be watching these superb raptors on their breeding grounds on the May breaks, magnificent as they quarter the spring cornfields and indulge in tumbling display. All this, and who knows what rarities might arrive during your time here?
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Introduction
