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Beginning the New 12 months by attempting to see as many species as potential is one thing of a birding custom. One in every of my extra memorable New 12 months’s days was within the Falkland Islands, again in 1989. My diary notes that the New 12 months dawned gray and windy, however I rose early, walked six miles earlier than breakfast and famous a modest 26 species of birds. Like many offshore archipelagos, birds are few in selection on the Falklands, although many particular person species are nice in numbers. I used to be on Pebble Island, which, thanks, to quite a lot of freshwater ponds and lakes, is a superb place for wildfowl. My pre-breakfast checklist was wildfowl dominated, the ten species I noticed starting from Black-necked Swans to the endemic Falkland Islands Flightless Steamer Duck. The latter are nice bruisers of geese, constructed like a small battle ship. With bulk like that, it’s no surprise that they gave up flying way back.
The ocean isn’t distant wherever you might be within the Falklands: my diary data “a relentless passage of Black-browed Albatrosses, lots of of birds so far as the horizon, their white undersides catching the solar [the weather must have cheered up!] as they sheered into the wind. Amongst them have been a number of Sooty Shearwaters, however attempt as I did, I failed to search out any petrels aside from Southern Giants, nor another Albatrosses.” Re-reading my diary all these years later, it sounds fairly good. My last complete for the day was 39 species – not dangerous contemplating my mixed checklist for my two-week Falkland journey was simply 55 species. You don’t go to the Falklands to knock up a giant checklist, although it’s one of the best place within the wold to see a Striated Caracara (above).
In distinction, I managed 63 species final Monday (1 January 2024) once I tried to see what number of species I might discover inside a modest distance of dwelling. (The farthest I traveled was 9 miles). The key of an excellent rating is visiting as many various habitats as potential, so I began with a pre-breakfast stroll alongside the close by Little Ouse river at Knettishall Heath, a nature reserve. A serious bonus was a shiny sunny morning, however there wasn’t quite a lot of fowl exercise. I discovered many of the birds I used to be anticipating, from Robin to Wren, whereas I loved the Siskins within the riverside alders. A pair of Mute Swans flew over on creaking wings (they’re noisy fliers), whereas a bonus was listening to a Woodlark singing away on the heath itself. I had been hoping that the Barn Owl I’d seen right here a few days earlier than would seem, nevertheless it was clearly again at its roost.
Breakfast at dwelling gave me the prospect to tick Home Sparrow – the best place to search out sparrows lately is in my backyard. Greenfinches and Dunnocks joined the whole which was now over 30.
I used to be quickly out once more, this time driving to an area property the place the farmer, James, is a wonderful conservationist: his headlands planted with wildbird seed mixes appeal to rising numbers of finches and buntings as the times begin to lengthen and provides of pure meals diminish. A small flock of Fieldfares was the primary new tick, rapidly adopted by Linnet (a flock of over 200), Chaffinch (a flock of about 50, staying near the hedge), Skylark (a dozen birds with a pair singing) and Meadow Pipit (only one). A number of Widespread Gulls have been patrolling the fields. Regardless of their identify, they aren’t widespread right here, however this farm is all the time an excellent website for them in January and February.
Subsequent cease was Knettishall Heath once more, however this time an space of mature woodland. Marsh and Lengthy-tailed Tit joined the checklist, rapidly adopted by Nuthatch (heard however not seen), Nice Noticed Woodpecker and Jay. Treecreeper would have been a bonus, however none have been to be seen.
A close-by farm reservoir is usually productive, nevertheless it upset in the present day, with simply three additions to the checklist: Little Grebe, Mallard and Cormorant. Three Buzzards and a few Purple Kites soared over, however they have been repeat sightings of species I’d seen earlier.
I drove on to a bridge spanning the Black Bourn, a small, shallow river that may be a favoured hang-out of Kingfishers. Connecting with a Kingfisher is all the time a matter of luck, so I wasn’t stunned to not see one, however a Gray Wagtail was a delightful addition, whereas I additionally noticed my first Moorhen – I’d solely heard one earlier.
Micklemere is a wetland reserve belonging to the Suffolk Wildlife Belief, and was my subsequent location. I loved a nice half hour watching from a conceal, however solely added the birds I used to be anticipating – Greylag and Canada Geese, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Shoveler and Teal – with none bonus birds corresponding to Little Egret and even Gray Heron. Nonetheless, I loved my half hour within the conceal, as the numerous wildfowl appeared splendid within the low winter solar. I famous from the log that I ought to have been there on Christmas Day, when a White-tailed Eagle had been seen.
My subsequent website was one other wetland – Nice Livermere lake. Precisely a yr earlier than it had produced a Pintail and a wintering Chiffchaff, however neither was to be seen in the present day. Coot – not essentially the most thrilling of birds – joined the checklist, whereas on distant arable fields there was an enormous congregation of Lapwings. My estimate was over 1500 birds. They made a high quality website after they all took to the air – had they been disturbed by a passing Peregrine? If that they had I failed to identify it, however I did see a flock of round 50 Golden Plovers combined in with them, a fowl I hoped to search out right here.
The sunshine was starting to fade now, as cloud had slipped throughout the sky, eclipsing the solar, so it was time to move homewards, with only a couple extra websites to take a look at. The primary was a stake-out for Raven, a fowl that has solely just lately began nesting in Suffolk once more after an interval of round 150 years. The Raven will need to have been ready for me, as I quickly positioned it, sitting on high of the tower of St Genevieve’s Church. It was my sixtieth species of the day. My {photograph} (beneath) of this fowl is hardly a terrific image, nevertheless it does seize the raven’s attribute heavy beak and massive head.
Another website remained to be checked on the six-mile drive dwelling. It produced my greatest view of the day of a Mistle Thrush, an surprising Gray Heron, and a trio of Herring Gulls flying over. That introduced an pleasurable day’s birding to an acceptable conclusion. My complete of 63 was hardy spectacular, however I hadn’t missed a lot (Music Thrush being essentially the most notable absentee from my checklist), and I’ve no less than received 2024 off to an affordable begin.
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