Shingle Street Birds (and updated 2014 bird list)

Shingle Street is an extraordinary and windswept stretch of the Suffolk coast. It is a a good place for unusual plants, and the Sea Kale is no exception. The plant displays vibrant purple shades early in the season before turning green. 

The photo above gives a fair impression of the landscape. The beach is very unstable or vulnerable, and these banks of shingle shift in the storms. The building on the extreme right is a martello tower. 

I looked down at one point and saw this strange cup. It was dry and a bit like paper or parchment, similar in texture to a wasp's nest, but I think it was just a dried-out puffball.  

There were several pipits about, soaring up above and diving down into the grass. I think this is a Meadow Pipit, but - as ever - please feel free to put me straight! The birds were very active in the undergrowth and were hard to photograph. 

The first bird I saw on arrival was a Wheatear, another 'first' for 2014. I have seen these at Minsmere, further up the coast, but had not seen them at Shingle Street before.

Wheatear

We also saw a Reed Bunting at Shingle Street yesterday - although the photo below (better than yesterday's) was taken last year at WWT Welney.  

Reed Bunting

And finally, a Little Egret soared past as the sky began to turn from blue to grey.

A year ago Suffolk was under snow. This year the sun is shining although we had one of the few frosts of the winter this morning. The garden is looking spring-like, and the blossom round and about is a joy to behold.


Bird List 2014, updated 24 March 2014

Blue indicates that the bird was seen somewhere other than on my home patch or at Minsmere.
Yellow indicates my home patch.
Purple indicates Minsmere. 

If you click on the bird names in the list immediately below, you will be taken to the RSPB site about the species mentioned.

1. Bar-tailed Godwit (1 bird, 9 January, Pin Mill) 
2. Barn Owl (1 bird, 12 January, Minsmere) 
3. Blackbird (1 bird, male, leucistic stripe, 8 January, home patch)
4. Black-headed Gull (about 25, 3 January, Woodbridge)
5. Blue tit (2 birds, 2 January, home patch) 
6. Buzzard (1 bird, 11 January, near Eyke)
7. Canada Goose (small flock, 9 January, Wherstead)
8. Carrion Crow (about 20, 5 January, field near Leiston)
9. Chaffinch (2 birds, 5 January, Minsmere)
10. Collared Dove (1 bird, 5 January, up the lane from Minsmere reserve)
11. Common Crane (1 bird, probably juvenile, 1 February, RSPB Lakenheath Fen)
12. Common Scoter (1 bird, 12 January, Minsmere) - red conservation status
13. Cormorant (several, 4 and 5 January, Minsmere and Ipswich Waterfront)
14. Curlew (2 birds, 19 January, Minsmere)
15. Dunnock (1 bird, 5 January, Minsmere) 
16. Egyptian Goose (4 birds, 1 February, near Lackford Lakes)
17. Goldfinch (1 bird, 22 January, home patch)
18. Great Northern Diver (1 bird, 16 January, Alton Water, Shotley Peninsula) 
19. Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 bird, 27 January, home patch) 
20. Great tit (2 birds, 4 January, home patch)
21. Green Woodpecker (1 bird, 12 January, Minsmere)
22. Greenfinch (7 birds, 5 January, Minsmere) 
23. Grey Heron (1 bird flying over, 4 February, home patch) 
24. Greylag Goose (small flock, 16 January, Wherstead)  
25. House Sparrow (4 birds, 12 January, Minsmere)
26. Herring Gull (1 bird, 3 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
27. Jackdaw (4 birds, 1 February, Ickworth)
28. Kestrel (2 birds, 5 January, Rendlesham)
29. Lapwing (9 birds, 4 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
30. Little Egret (1 bird, 27 January, home patch) 
31. Long-tailed tit (3 birds, 2 January, home patch)
32. Magpie (2 birds, 2 January, home patch) 
33. Mallard (1 bird, 5 January, Minsmere) 
34. Mandarin (pair, 9 February, Wilderness Pond, Ipswich)
35. Marsh Harrier (2 birds, 12 January, Minsmere) 
36. Meadow Pipit (small flock, 24 March, Shingle Street)
37. Moorhen (1 bird, 5 January, Minsmere)
38. Mute Swan (2 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge) 
39. Oystercatcher (1 bird, 16 January, Wherstead)
40. Pheasant (1 female bird, 5 January, Minsmere)
41. Pied Wagtail (1 bird, 15 January, Waterfront, Ipswich) 
42. Redshank (2 birds, 9 January, Pin Mill) 
43. Redwing (about 9 birds, 26 January, local hospital) - red conservation status
44. Reed Bunting (2 birds, 19 January, Minsmere)
45. Robin (1 bird, 1 January, home patch) 
46. Rook (flying in roost, 1 February, RSPB Lakenheath Fen)
47. Shelduck (8 birds, 19 January, Minsmere) 
48. Shoveler (2 birds. 19 Januray, Minsmere)
49. Song Thrush (1 bird, ringed, 17 January, home patch) - red conservation status
50. Tawny Owl ('Mabel', Christchurch Park, 13 February)
51. Teal (about 20 birds, 19 January, Minsmere) 
52. Turnstone (15 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge)
53. Wheatear (1 bird, 24 March, Shingle Street)
54. Wigeon (about 10 birds) 16 January, Wherstead)
55. Wood Pigeon (11 birds, 4 January, home patch)
56. Wren (1 bird, 8 January, home patch) 

Home Patch list for first sightings ...

1. Blackbird (1 bird, male, leucistic stripe, 8 January)
2. Blue tit (2 birds, 2 January)
3. Chaffinch (1 bird, 8 January)
4. Dunnock (1 bird, 8 January) 
5. Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 bird, 27 January)
6. Great tit (2 birds, 4 January)
7. Greenfinch (1 bird, 8 January) 
8. Grey Heron (1 bird flying over, 4 February)
9. Little Egret (1 bird flying over, 27 January) 
10. Long-tailed tit (3 birds, 2 January)
11. Magpie (2 birds, 2 January)
12. Robin (1 bird, 1 January) 
13. Song Thrush (1 bird, 17 January, home patch, ringed) - red conservation status
14. Starling (1 bird, 10 January)
15. Wood Pigeon (11 birds, 4 January)
16. Wren (1 bird, 8 January)

First wild mammals of 2014 ...

1. Grey Squirrel (1, 12 January, Minsmere) 1st squirrel in home patch seen on 13 Jan.
2. Fox (1, 1 February 2014, Lakenheath) 
3. Hare (2, 1 April 2014, near Bury St Edmunds)
4. Muntjac Deer (1 doe, 11 January, Rendlesham Forest) 
5. Otter (2, 12 January, Minsmere)  
6. Rabbit (several, 5 January, Minsmere)  
7. Rat (2, 9 February, Wilderness Pond, Ipswich)
8. Red Deer (2 does, 12 January, Minsmere)
9. Stoat (1 fleetingly, 12 January, Minsmere)

First amphibians of 2014 ...

1. Common Frog and spawn (73 frogs, 10 March, Felixstowe)
   

First Ladybirds of 2014 ...

1. 7-spot (3, 10 March, home patch)

First Lepidoptera of 2014 ...

1. Unidentified moths on window (home patch)
2. Small Tortoiseshell (5 March, home patch)
3. Brimstone butterfly (2 April, home patch)
   

First gastropods of 2014 ... 

1. Brown-lipped Snail (7 March, home patch)
   

First arachnids of 2014 ...

1. Unidentified spider (8 January, home patch)  

First insects (other than lepidoptera, odonata and ladybirds) of 2014 ...

1. Unidentified flies, ?Blue bottles (25 January, home patch)   
2. Buff-tailed Bumblebee (5 March, home patch)
3. Ant (20 March, home patch) 
4. Early Bumblebee (20 March, home patch) 
5. Unidentified Hoverfly (24 March, home patch)