There was plenty of sunshine with temperatures around 9°C. The wind was coming in from a north easterly direction, with speeds of around 11-12mph.
Wheatear x 1 - Moving around the edge of the pool of water in Eye Field, at the end of Beach Road. Golden Plover x 1 - At the end of Beach Road. It appeared to have an injured leg.
Skylark x 4 Kestrel x 1 - Hunting alongside the car park by Cley beach. Marsh Harrier x 2 - The pair were seen circling the reserve throughout the day. Canada Goose x 2 Little Egret x 1 - On the edge of Simmond's Scrape. Avocet x 49 - They were scattered across Simmond's Scrape and Pat's Pool.
Along with my 4 year old son, we decided to go on a minibeast hunt in Scarning Water Meadows.
We managed to find the following over a two hour period in the afternoon: Brimstone x 1 Small Tortoiseshell x 6 7-Spot Ladybird x 2 Dark-edged Bee-fly x 1
Despite temperatures of around 8°C with plenty of sunshine, it felt considerably colder because of the strong winds from the east (between 16-19mph). It was because of this that we decided to cut short our walk along the East Bank.
Marsh Harrier x 2 - A pair were continually flying above the reeds alongside Pat's Pool. At one point the male appeared to be carrying nesting material. Golden Plover x 40 - They were seen flying together above the The Serpentine. Redshank x 6 Oystercatcher x 3 Avocet x 83 - They were counted together as they were seen scattered across Pat's Pool. Others were seen later but it was difficult to tell if they were indeed different individuals.
Curlew x 11 Black-Tailed Godwit x 36 - All counted together on Pat's Pool. The majority were in transition to breeding plumage. Grey Heron x 1 Gadwall x 14
There appears to be an ongoing concern that British authorities are not doing enough to prevent the illegal trapping of birds in Cyprus.
According to the BBC, over 800,000 birds were killed on British military territory, which extends for around 100 sq miles. However, what is more alarming is that around 1.7 million were killed in total across Cyprus during the autumn migration season in 2016.
The study was carried out by the BBC and Birdlife Cyprus, which also revealed that the birds are then being sold by criminal gangs on the black market to be eaten in secrecy as a local delicacy. Apparently some restaurants are even selling a 'meal' of 12 birds for at least £60.
Chris Packham has also recently been highlighting the issue and has released his own trailer, documenting his attempts to stop the actions of these poachers:
The sophisticated operation includes the use of mist nets, strung between acacia bushes, with birdsong being played from MP3 players to attract the birds towards the net. A single net can trap around 400 birds in total.
With several reports claiming that the British military base has become the number one hotspot on the whole of the Cyprus, it has forced Mike Penning from the Ministry of Defence to release a statement: "We remain committed to tackling illegal trapping and poaching of birds in the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA).
Over the last twelve months we have arrested 55 poachers and conducted 39 police-led operations, seizing 3,031 items of netting equipment. Since November 2014, we have removed 61 acres of acacia at a cost of over €400,000.
The Sovereign Base Areas Administration will continue to work with the RSPB, BirdLife Cyprus and other Non-Government Organisations to do all they can to further reduce bird trapping within the SBA."
The fact remains that whilst some poachers have been hit with fines of up to 17,000 euros, only two or three have ever ended up in prison. Martin Hellicar, Director of BirdLife Cyprus, stated that more must to be done by the Cypriot authorities to combat this problem: "While our latest findings clearly show that the worst bird killing hotspot in Cyprus remains on MoD land, we cannot ignore the distasteful fact that the restaurants serving trapped birds operate within the Cyprus Republic. Enforcement against these law-breaking restaurants has been limited - at best - in recent years, and the Cypriot authorities must change this."
Decided to take a break from Cley Marshes, and visited Sculthorpe Moor (just outside Fakenham) instead. The weather was mild and it was excellent to see such a variety of birds.
Barn Owl - It was seen disappearing into a box, just outside the Jarvis Hide, at 11.10am. A really enjoyable sight for my 4 year old son and quite a surprising sight considering the time of day.
Goldcrest
Redpoll x 3 - They were frequently visiting the feeders just outside the Tower Hide window.
Siskin x 2 - Also frequenting the feeders close to the Tower Hide.
Goldfinch x 5
Little Grebe x 2
Little Egret x 2
Nuthatch
Brambling x 12 - They are quite a common sight around the reserve. However, the majority were seen from the Tower and Whitley Hides.
Muntjac Deer - A close encounter just outside the Jarvis Hide. It continued to feed for several minutes and then casually walked away.
