Beautiful Birds ~ Home Patch and the Shotley Peninsula

This Blackbird has a leucistic stripe on his wing - it isn't just the light in the photo.

We usually have a couple of Dunnocks in the garden ...

... and the Wren has reappeared ...

... such a delightful little bird ...

... to have popping up in unexpected corners.

Yesterday afternoon I drove along the River Orwell ...

... to the Shotley Peninsula ...

... passing this flock of Canada Geese.

I took a short detour to visit Pin Mill ...

... where the sun was shining on the water ...

... and I could hear a Curlew in the distance.

There were a couple of Redshanks ...

... wading about in the mud.

I'm puzzled by this bird ... is it Red-, Green- or other?

Such a lovely place ...

... to be ...

... on a sunny afternoon in winter.

Bird List 2014 ~ New Birds Added

I mentioned in my last post that the Great Spotted Woodpecker was the last to hop on to my home patch list for 2013. I forgot to add that a Dartford Warbler was the last bird of 2013 to take a perch in my list for birds seen elsewhere ... in this case at Dunwich Heath.

I have a few birds to add to my 2014 list as a result of a bracing walk at Minsmere ...

Cormorant, RSPB Minsmere, 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 Scoter (1 bird, 12 January, Minsmere) - red conservation status
12. Cormorant (several, 4 and 5 January, Minsmere and Ipswich Waterfront)
13. Curlew (2 birds, 19 January, Minsmere)
14. Dunnock (1 bird, 5 January, Minsmere) 
15. Great Northern Diver (1 bird, 16 January, Alton Water, Shotley Peninsula)
16. Great tit (2 birds, 4 January, home patch)
17. Green Woodpecker (1 bird, 12 January, Minsmere)
18. Greenfinch (7 birds, 5 January, Minsmere) 
19. Greylag Goose (small flock, 16 January, Wherstead)  
20. House Sparrow (4 birds, 12 January, Minsmere)
21. Herring Gull (1 bird, 3 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
22. Kestrel (2 birds, 5 January, Rendlesham)
23. Lapwing (9 birds, 4 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
24. Long-tailed tit (3 birds, 2 January, home patch)
25. Magpie (2 birds, 2 January, home patch) 
26. Mallard (1 bird, 5 January, Minsmere) 
27. Marsh Harrier (2 birds, 12 January, Minsmere)
28. Moorhen (1 bird, 5 January, Minsmere)
29. Mute Swan (2 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge) 
30. Oystercatcher (1 bird, 16 January, Wherstead)
31. Pheasant (1 female bird, 5 January, Minsmere)
32. Redshank (2 birds, 9 January, Pin Mill)
33. Robin (1 bird, 1 January, home patch) 
34. Shelduck (8 birds, 19 January, Minsmere) 
35. Shoveler (2 birds. 19 Januray, Minsmere)
36. Song Thrush (1 bird, 17 January, home patch) - red conservation status
37. Teal (about 20 birds, 19 January, Minsmere) 
38. Turnstone (15 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge)
39. Wigeon (about 10 birds) 16 January, Wherstead)
40. Wood Pigeon (11 birds, 4 January, home patch)
41. Wren (1 bird, 8 January, home patch) 

Greenfinch, RSPB Minsmere, 2014

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 tit (2 birds, 4 January)
6. Greenfinch (1 bird, 8 January) 
7. Long-tailed tit (3 birds, 2 January)
8. Magpie (2 birds, 2 January)
9. Robin (1 bird, 1 January) 
10. Song Thrush (1 bird, 17 January, home patch) - red conservation status
11. Starling (1 bird, 10 January)
12. Wood Pigeon (11 birds, 4 January)
13. Wren (1 bird, 8 January)

First wild mammals of 2014 ...

1. Grey Squirrel (1, 12 January, Minsmere)
2. Muntjac Deer (1 doe, 11 January, Rendlesham Forest) 
3. Otter (2, 12 January, Minsmere)  
4. Rabbit (several, 5 January, Minsmere) 
5. Red Deer (2 does, 12 January, Minsmere)
6. Stoat (1 fleetingly, 12 January, Minsmere)

First arachnids of 2014 ...

1. Unidentified spider (8 January, home patch)  

... and finally, these were my sightings for almost exactly a year ago. 

Bird Count ~ 2013 and 2014

I was very impressed with fellow-blogger, Juliet Wilson's bird list total for 2013. Do take a look here.

I began logging ...

• the birds in my garden 
• the wildlife at RSPB Minsmere 
• the wildlife on our Scottish holiday

... but I failed to keep a total. So no prizes for guessing the nature of one of my New Year Resolutions! 

A beautiful Great Spotted Woodpecker graced our feeder for the first time on 23 December. I failed to get a picture then, but will post an old photo for those of you who may not know these birds. I have not seen it since, but we keep hoping it will come back for more coconut. And if it does, it will be added to the 2014 list!

My aim is to keep things simple in the hope that my goals remain relatively easy to achieve. I plan to keep an ongoing alphabetical list, which I will re-post every so often once it has been updated. I hope to log dates and locations ...

My bird list for 2014 looks like this:

1. Black-headed Gull (about 25, 3 January, Woodbridge)
2. Blue tit (two birds, 2 January, home patch) 
3. Great tit (2 birds, 4 January, home patch)
4. Herring Gull (1 bird, 3 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
5. Lapwing (9 birds, 4 January, Woodbridge) - red conservation status
6. Long-tailed tit (3 birds, 2 January, home patch)
7. Magpie (2 birds, 2 January, home patch) 
8. Mute Swan (2 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge) 
9. Robin (1 bird, 1 January, home patch) 
10. Turnstone (15 birds, 3 January, Woodbridge)
11. Wood Pigeon (11 birds, 4 January, home patch)

First Turnstones of 2013 ...

... in Woodbridge, near the Tide Mill

First Lapwing of 2013

First Mute Swan of 2013 ...

... more Turnstones.

And don't forget the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which takes place on 25 and 26 January!

Beside the Sea ~ Roman Oysters at Felixstowe?

We took a walk along the front at Felixstowe some days ago during a lull in the weather. It is strange to think that a Roman fortification called Walton Castle, probably a part of the defences of the 'Saxon Shore', used to be about here.  

The Romans were fond of oysters, and these piled up in midden mounds.

We spotted a couple of mermaids' purse egg cases (probably from Skate, Dogfish or Ray) along the strandline. 

The Roman invasions are over, but fishing continues on this coast ...

... and there are still plenty of oyster shells to be seen.

Seasonal Splash ~ Happy Christmas from Suffolk

Happy Christmas from Suffolk, UK

The Shepherd's Hut, Sutton Hoo

Seasonal First ~ Earthstar at Dunwich Heath

I have read about Earthstars and seen photos, but I had never seen an actual one until Friday when we came across a little cluster (?constellation) on Dunwich Heath, up above RSPB Minsmere. What surreal things they are! These examples may be Collared Earthstars ...

Seasonal Splash ~ RSPB Minsmere

Wintry Reflections

The devastating storm was the focus of my last Minsmere post, and I promised to post something more cheerful this time. We returned to the reserve a few days ago to find glorious winter sunshine and a glowing sunset. 

Sunset comes to the Reedbeds

Swan at sunset, Island Mere

My favourite trees, bordering the reserve

Reedmace (right) among the reeds

Sunset glow

Deer ... and signs of mole!

A final glow

Marsh Harrier at dusk

Swans again

Sunset 1

Sunset 2 (birds, but not the murmuration I read about ...)

Frost in the dells

Ice patterns on a leaf

Jay, looking for acorns

A rabbit turns tail

Who will get the acorns ... the Grey Squirrel or the Jay?