Showing posts with label Common Crane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Common Crane. Show all posts

Wednesday, 5 February 2014

Update on 2014 Species Lists

The Common Crane (these two seen in 2013, one seen in 2014 ... thus far!)

I have now passed my first fifty species of bird for 2014, so it seemed the moment to post my updated lists. I am (at present) only listing my first sighting of the year. Wild flowers are just beginning to appear, so I must decide soon whether or not to log these, too. 

Bird List

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. Moorhen (1 bird, 5 January, Minsmere)
  37. Mute Swan (2 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge) 
  38. Oystercatcher (1 bird, 16 January, Wherstead)
  39. Pheasant (1 female bird, 5 January, Minsmere)
  40. Pied Wagtail (1 bird, 15 January, Waterfront, Ipswich) 
  41. Redshank (2 birds, 9 January, Pin Mill) 
  42. Redwing (about 9 birds, 26 January, local hospital) - red conservation status
  43. Reed Bunting (2 birds, 19 January, Minsmere)
  44. Robin (1 bird, 1 January, home patch) 
  45. Rook (flying in roost, 1 February, RSPB Lakenheath Fen)
  46. Shelduck (8 birds, 19 January, Minsmere) 
  47. Shoveler (2 birds. 19 Januray, Minsmere)
  48. Song Thrush (1 bird, ringed, 17 January, home patch) - red conservation status
  49. Tawny Owl ('Mabel', Christchurch Park, 13 February)
  50. Teal (about 20 birds, 19 January, Minsmere) 
  51. Turnstone (15 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge)
  52. Wigeon (about 10 birds) 16 January, Wherstead)
  53. Wood Pigeon (11 birds, 4 January, home patch)
  54. 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. Muntjac Deer (1 doe, 11 January, Rendlesham Forest) 
  4. Otter (2, 12 January, Minsmere)  
  5. Rabbit (several, 5 January, Minsmere)  
  6. Rat (2, 9 February, Wilderness Pond, Ipswich)
  7. Red Deer (2 does, 12 January, Minsmere)
  8. Stoat (1 fleetingly, 12 January, Minsmere)

First arachnids of 2014 ...
  1. Unidentified spider (8 January, home patch)  

First flies of 2014 ...
  1. Unidentified flies, ?Blue bottles (25 January, home patch)  

Saturday, 1 February 2014

RSPB Lakenheath Fen - Crane Sighting


We visited RSPB Lakenheath Fen for the first time on Saturday ...

... and enjoyed exploring the wetland landscape.

This Little Egret caught me off-guard, but it's always good to have a record shot!

There was a new boardwalk ...

... leading to the new Mere Hide.

I loved the textures and patterns of the reeds in the dyke.

Apparently you can occasionally see the Golden Oriole in the poplar woods in the summer.

The reserve runs along the railway - there were plenty of trains!

We always enjoy seeing Greylag geese overhead ...

... and listening to the wind in the reedbeds.

This murmuration began at dusk, and continued for about forty minutes.

This is a close-up of the silhouettes.
We were about to make tracks when I noticed this fine bird ...

... flapping gently away from us.

It was the first time we had seen a Crane in Suffolk (though the Norfolk border was almost in sight!)

The light was fading fast, so my photos are very grainy ...

... but at least we could make out the shape of the Crane ...

...as it floated off ...

... into the sunset.

The warden said he thought the Crane was probably a juvenile from last year's brood since most cranes fly in pairs. The only other Common Cranes I have seen in the UK were in Norfolk.

Other highlights of our visit included this verdant patch of star-shaped moss ...

... plus a Coot ...
... or two ...
... and a few pairs of Mute Swans.

Happy World Wetlands Day everybody!


Postscript: The Rook and Jackdaw roost at Lakenheath Fen involves about 3,000 birds.
The Rook and Jackdaw roost at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk involves around 3,000 birds but is still an impressive sight. - See more at: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/2012/december/ps-a-waxwing-winter.aspx#sthash.ZqPPZR19.dpuf
The Rook and Jackdaw roost at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk involves around 3,000 birds but is still an impressive sight. - See more at: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/2012/december/ps-a-waxwing-winter.aspx#sthash.ZqPPZR19.dpuf
The Rook and Jackdaw roost at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk involves around 3,000 birds but is still an impressive sight. - See more at: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/2012/december/ps-a-waxwing-winter.aspx#sthash.ZqPPZR19.dpuf
The Rook and Jackdaw roost at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk involves around 3,000 birds but is still an impressive sight. - See more at: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/2012/december/ps-a-waxwing-winter.aspx#sthash.ZqPPZR19.dpuf
The Rook and Jackdaw roost at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk involves around 3,000 birds but is still an impressive sight. - See more at: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/2012/december/ps-a-waxwing-winter.aspx#sthash.ZqPPZR19.dpuf
The Rook and Jackdaw roost at Lakenheath Fen in Suffolk involves around 3,000 birds but is still an impressive sight. - See more at: http://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-do/blogs/2012/december/ps-a-waxwing-winter.aspx#sthash.ZqPPZR19.dpuf

Wednesday, 1 May 2013

Beautiful Birds: The Common Crane


We have just returned from a few days away on the east coast of England. I will post about Puffins soon, but I thought these Common Cranes deserved an initial mention since it was my first sighting of these birds in the wild.

We knew that the Cranes were about, but we really were not at all sure that they would put in an appearance. However, we had not been sitting quietly for very long when we heard a very distinctive sound. It was unmistakeable, and you can listen to a short (if somewhat muted) recording on the RSPB site here. We find Homer in the Iliad comparing the sonorous call to the noise made by advancing armies. We read that ...

"the Trojans advanced as a flight of wild fowl or cranes that scream overhead when rain and winter drive them over the flowing waters of Ocean."

We watched the birds in a mesmerised state, not sure whether to use the camera or binoculars.



It was fascinating to see the coordination between the wings and the feet. With the help of binoculars, we could just about make out the red patch above the eye.


The Common Crane is very large: in flight it reminded me of a Flamingo. The Crane was once a regular part of the East Anglian landscape, but ceased to breed here way back in about 1600. Place names like Cranfield and Cranmere reflect the presence of these birds in former days.



During our time away, we visited the extensive secondhand bookshop at Blickling Hall, where I bought a copy of Nature in Norfolk: a Heritage in Trust (Jarrold), a symposium volume published in 1976 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Norfolk Naturalists Trust. Eric Fowler's introduction includes a quotation by the seventeenth century diarist, John Evelyn, mentioning cranes' eggs from 'that country (especially the promontory of Norfolk.' Scientific knowledge was increasing rapidly, but concepts of 'conservation' were still two hundred years away.



You can read more about Cranes in the UK here at the Great Crane Project, supported by WWT, RSPB and Pensthorpe Conservation Trust. The Norfolk Wildlife Trust supports the Common Crane along with many other species in its patch. We joined the Trust while we were away, and greatly enjoyed the NWT reserves at Cley, Ranworth and Hickling. 




So why was I keen to see the Common Crane in the wild? Well, it is always exciting to see a new bird, to tick off a 'lifer', but Cranes came to my attention thanks to the wonderful blogging work of Vickie Henderson in the USA. You can see some of Vickie's Sandhill Crane photos here. Samples of her artwork of the rare Whooping Crane can be seen and purchased here.

Oh, and ... if you go down on the marsh today, look out for a big surprise!