Reports 2008-2009

Twenty three members booked to attend the weekend.

The majority of us met for lunch at Moores Arms, Frampton before heading on down the lane to Frampton Marsh RSPB Reserve. A lot of work is being done on this reserve with a visitor centre, hides and scrapes under construction. Probably for this reason the reserve was ornithologically bare and so we headed straight on to Freiston Shore RSPB Reserve. This site was also quiet although we did see a party of RSPB staff with the Culture Secretary, Chris Smith MP.

After an hour we proceeded to Gibraltar Point, where we had the usual health and safety talk followed by a buffet dinner.

An early start by many of us on the Saturday morning produced 45 species, including barn owl. After a good breakfast we again set off around the reserve, picking up many species that we had not previously seen including Mediterranean Gull.

Two members had a close encounter with a barn owl, when it flew out of its nest site and flew within inches of the unsuspecting birders. Having given its nest site away, we found a few owl pellets immediately below the window of the nest site building.

During the lunch break, much discussion was going on about a raptor sitting in a bush on the far side of the reserve. The conclusion was that it was a merlin.

We spent the Saturday evening (before retiring to a local inn) dissecting an owl pellet and found that the owl had been feeding on meadow pipit.

Sunday was much the same, i.e. an early start, breakfast, followed by our last session of birding prior to lunch and then travelling home.

We were delighted to watch a merlin chase a small bird out to sea before the raptor brought its unfortunate victim back to the beach to feed just in front of us.

We saw over 80 species with notable birds being barn owl on all three days and a short-eared owl. Raptors were marsh harrier, sparrowhawk and merlin.

On the sea were eider, red-breasted merganser, red-throated diver and great crested grebe. Waders seen were avocet, black-tailed godwit, lapwing, redshank, knot, dunlin, oystercatcher, turnstone and Sanderling.

We were perhaps a week or so too early to enjoy migration in full flow, the migrating birds represented by one swallow and one chiffchaff.

This was a great weekend with blue skies and sunshine the whole time and great company. The food served by Peter and Barbara Pound was terrific. It really is worth booking a weekend at the visitor centre just to enjoy the home cooking and the local produce.    

 

Dave Jones

Footnote on the visit of Chris Smith to Freiston Shore from Annie Sadler of the RSPB

“He came over to Freiston to look at the flood defences/managed realignment/partnership work there between EA and RSPB. His main reason for visiting was to attend the £8m new Boston Sluice Launch earlier in the day (an important part of the Fens Waterways project - which just in case you didn't know is Europe's largest ever waterway regeneration project linking Ely, Lincoln, Peterborough, Boston etc). I met him along with several senior regional EA staff (eg. Paul Woodcock regional director) and showed them around. They seemed impressed with what was going on. I stressed our commitment to partnership working with EA, which has had big benefits at Freiston, Frampton & Snape to mention just a few sites.”

This was a great week-end with blue skies and sunshine the whole time and great company. The food served by Peter and Barbara Pound was terrific. It really is worth booking a weekend at the visitor centre just to enjoy the home cooking and the local produce.    

 

Dave Jones

 

Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve March 20th - 22nd 2009

Redshank above and Avocets below on Tennyson’s pool

Visitor centre and field station

Owl pellet dissection

Sunday was much the same, i.e. an early start, breakfast, followed by our last session of birding prior to lunch and then travelling home.

We were delighted to watch a merlin chase a small bird out to sea before the raptor brought its unfortunate victim back to the beach to feed just in front of us.

We saw over 80 species with notable birds being barn owl on all three days and a short-eared owl. Raptors were marsh harrier, sparrowhawk and merlin.

On the sea were eider, red-breasted merganser, red-throated diver and great crested grebe. Waders seen were avocet, black-tailed godwit, lapwing, redshank, knot, dunlin, oystercatcher, turnstone and Sanderling.

We were perhaps a week or so too early to enjoy migration in full flow, the migrating birds represented by one swallow and one chiffchaff.

This was a great weekend with blue skies and sunshine the whole time and great company. The food served by Peter and Barbara Pound was terrific. It really is worth booking a weekend at the visitor centre just to enjoy the home cooking and the local produce.    

Dave Jones (photographs: Stuart Harrison)

Footnote on the visit of Chris Smith to Freiston Shore from John Badley, site manager at Freiston Shore.

“He came over to Freiston to look at the flood defences/managed realignment/partnership work there between EA and RSPB. His main reason for visiting was to attend the £8m new Boston Sluice Launch earlier in the day (an important part of the Fens Waterways project - which just in case you didn't know is Europe's largest ever waterway regeneration project linking Ely, Lincoln, Peterborough, Boston etc). I met him along with several senior regional EA staff (eg. Paul Woodcock regional director) and showed them around. They seemed impressed with what was going on. I stressed our commitment to partnership working with EA, which has had big benefits at Freiston, Frampton & Snape to mention just a few sites.”

Dawn on Sunday

Brent Geese on Tennyson’s pool

Violets and daffodils at the edge of the plantation