Sightings at Sculthorpe Moor (24th March 2018)

The weather at Sculthorpe was considerably more pleasant than it was a week ago. With plenty of activity across the reserve, it was readily apparent that the majority of birds were busy preparing for the breeding season.

This included an adult Tawny Owl, which could be seen on the reserve cameras, occupying the nest box near the forest school. It was incubating 2-3 eggs and it was unclear if this bird was related to the brood that was near the Whitley Hide, from the previous spring.

The following was seen since 12.00pm:
Bullfinch x 2
Marsh Tit x 3
Greenfinch x 2
Coal Tit x 2
Long-tailed Tit x 4
Water Rail x 2 - The usual bird was seen in front of the Whitley Hide, whilst a second was moving through the reeds alongside the River Wensum.
Little Egret x 1
Reed Bunting x 9 - There was a noticeable increase in numbers this week, especially among the reeds near the Johnson Hide.
Little Grebe x 2
Mute Swan x 3 - A pair were building a nest in the reeds on the approach to the Johnson Hide, on the right-hand side of the boardwalk.
Barn Owl x 1 - A single bird perched in the tree, close to the shelter. It didn't appear to be as active as last Sunday afternoon but did fly close to the River Wensum on at least one occasion.
Brambling x 4 - A surprisingly high number of sightings, given that they had not been seen on our previous two visits.
Mistle Thrush x 1 - A single bird moving around the grass area, in front of the shelter, close to Victor's Hide.
Lesser Redpoll x 7 - All seen on the niger feeders by the Volunteers' Hide. There was no sign of the Mealy Redpoll, but they had been reported by other visitors.
Siskin x 1
Goldfinch x 2
Nuthatch x 1
Lapwing x 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker x 1
Oystercatcher x 2

Sightings at Sculthorpe Moor (18th March 2018)

After the heavy snowfall on the Saturday night, I decided to spend a couple of hours at Sculthorpe Moor. The temperatures were very low, dropping down to -2°C, and with the strong winds it felt considerably colder.

View from Whitley Hide

View from boardwalk towards to Dry Wood

The birds were obviously struggling with the cold and there was an abundance of them using the feeders across the reserve, especially near the Volunteers' Hide.

Despite waiting for around 45 minutes at Victor's Hide, there was no sign of the Bittern at the back of the Scrape. It had been seen on both the Thursday and Friday, catching frogs on the small pond in front of the trees.

The following was seen since 10.30am:
Long-tailed Tit x 4
Water Rail x 2 - The usual sighting in front of the Whitley Hide, whilst a second was seen along the dyke near Oak Fen.
Kingfisher x 1
Goldfinch x 20
Lesser Redpoll x 4 - All seen on the niger seed feeders outside the Volunteers' Hide.
Mealy Repdoll x 5 - Some were seen with the Goldfinch flock, whilst the rest were seen on the same feeders, outside the Volunteers' Hide.
Siskin x 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker x 1
Coal Tit x 1
Bullfinch x 7
Buzzard x 2
Grey Heron x 2
Barn Owl x 2 - The pair that have taken up residence in the shelter, were actively hunting across the Scrape and over Oak Fen. This went on for a prolonged period of time and they appeared unperturbed by the public watching them close-by. 
Snipe x 5 - Four birds were flushed out on Oak Fen by one of the Barn Owls and they proceeded to fly north.
Reed Bunting x 3
Song Thrush x 1

Sightings at Sculthorpe Moor (10th March 2018)

I expected the reserve to be quieter, given the news of the appearance of a Snowy Owl at Titchwell Marsh. However, there were at least sixty visitors to Sculthorpe throughout the day.

Snowdrops near the Forest School.

The weather was mild, with temperatures between 12-14°C and the occasional bit of light rain in the afternoon. The following was seen since 12.30pm:

Bullfinch x 7

Great Spotted Woodpecker x 1

Marsh Tit x 2

Long-tailed Tit x 5

Nuthatch x 1

Reed Bunting x 4 - All seen on the feeding table in front of the Whitley Hide. Unexpectedly, one male was being particularly aggressive towards other birds that were attempting to land on the table. 

Little Egret x 1

Mute Swan x 2

Water Rail x 1 - Appeared several times throughout the afternoon, in front of the Whitley Hide. It was interesting to see that other birds were very wary of its presence, as it continued to chase them away from under the feeding table. This would make sense given that it attacked and killed a Long-tailed Tit, some weeks earlier.

Siskin x 3 - All seen on the niger seed feeders in front of the Volunteers' Hide. One was a significantly more vibrant yellow colour than the others.

Coal Tit x 1

Greylag Goose x 10

Lapwing x 1

Mealy Redpoll x 2 - They were both seen on the niger seed feeders, near the sightings board, close to the entrance of the reserve. 

Lesser Redpoll x 3 - Seen on the same niger seed feeders and on the feeders in front of the Volunteers' Hide. 

Wren x 1

Grey Heron x 1

Little Grebe x 2

Also, there were reports of a female Marsh Harrier and a Chinese Water Deer seen across the reserve during the day.

River Wensum, near Sculthorpe (4th March 2018)

With the excessive amount of snow this week, followed by 40mph winds causing snowdrifts, it was unsurprising that Sculthorpe Moor had to close for a few days. The boardwalk was unsuitable to walk on and it was only this afternoon that the snow began to thaw, with temperatures rising to around 8°C.

River Wensum, with Volunteer Hide on the left.

River Wensum

It was because of the above, that I finally decided to walk along the River Wensum, which runs along the southern edge of the reserve. My walk started at the A1065 and I made my way towards Shereford, before heading back in the same direction later that afternoon.

The following was seen since around 1.30pm:
Barn Owl x 1 - It was seen flying along the River Wensum, close to the Volunteer Hide. This was very near to the 'shelter', where it had been reported recently that a pair had taken up residence. The shelter contains a nest box and the pair had been observed preening each other, in recent days. There is the possibility that this bird was one of the individuals that had previously been rescued, and coincidentally, released from the same shelter.
Kestrel x 2 - A pair both seen hunting in lose proximity to The Scrape, on the reserve.
Brambling x 1
Buzzard x 1
Woodcock x 1
Goldfinch x 2
Little Egret x 1
Jay x 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker x 1 - A single female perched high in the trees in Dry Wood, near Oak Fen. A possible Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was heard calling and drumming, but despite an extensive search it could not be found. At least one bird had been seen on the reserve in recent weeks.

Muntjac Deer x 3 - They number of sightings have increased in recent weeks and they have been observed at several locations around the local area.