Lakenheath 3 June 2000
by Gordon Hamlett
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PBC Trip Report Lakenheath 3 June 2000 by Gordon Hamlett |
What a cracking day! After we all met at Lakenheath - the directions were perfect, it's just that the hole in the hedge to the car park was less than clear - we set off along the bank towards the wood where the Golden Orioles nest. There is only one path you can take so anyone visiting the reserve can't get lost.
The path follows a river with a large flooded area beyond that so there were plenty of ducks around including a late Wigeon. A Garganey had been reported earlier in the day. A couple of Common Terns flew past and while we were watching them, Jane found a Hobby. Unfortunately, she assumed that that was what we were all watching so she was the only one to see it.
There were plenty of warblers about including a Whitethroat in the car park - they seem to be having a bumper year - and superb views of a pair of Reed Warblers at the nest.
A small knot of people had gathered on the path opposite a ride through the wood and reported that the Golden Orioles were occasionally seen flying over. We didn't need this information as it happened as Bob soon found a stunning male sitting right out in the open. We also heard this or another bird giving snatches of its rich, flutey song.
On to Weeting, just round the corner where the birds were surprisingly obliging. Three Stone Curlews were running round for us and a Woodlark was so close that you couldn't focus the 'scopes on it.
With half the group heading on towards the bird fair at Blickling, we decided to lunch at the Swanton Novers raptor watchpoint where the Honey Buzzards had been showing well. The journey was enlivened when Trevor, the navigator of the lead car missed the normal road, giving the pathetic excuse that he was asleep at the time. We arrived by a series of ever decreasing circles to find that we had missed a bird by less than ten minutes.
Yellowhammers and Skylarks were singing all over the place, plus a ubiquitous Whitethroat as we waited until 2pm when the birds often seemed #to appear. Bang on cue, a buzzard sp. was picked up and this led to one of those heart-stopping moments when everyone else was on the bird but I couldn't see it for love nor money. Everyone stuck in their two pennorth with comments like 'see that cloud that's shaped like Southern England, well its just off Sandwich' It didn't help.
Eventually I picked it up as it flew over our heads. The diagnostics looked right for a Honey Buzzard - cuckoo-like head, long tail and pinched wings - and this was soon confirmed when it started displaying for us - a sort of butterfly flight including clapping its wings together above its head. All very impressive and a reminder that you don't have to visit the Norfolk coast for an excellent day's birding.
