Buckenham

 Wednesday August 27

A most enjoyable week with my daughter Sara and her husband Mike kept us away from birding last week, that and the lack of birds around. Wader migration is on its way and passerines are leaving for the winter, most of them beyond car birding. We decided that Biuckenham was worth a look. 

No birds at all in the woods on the approach road and only about a hundred Canada Geese, a few Greylag and a smattering of Mute Swans. I only saw one Chinse Water Deer too, usually there are many more.As we neared the pull off from which we can scope the distant pool, a car pulled into it, the passengers got out and walked to the hide. There was plenty of room in the nearby car park. We were chuntering about this when Pam turned and pulled in just beyond the hide where we can view part of the distant pool. One of the birders came up to my window to tell us that there was a Spotted Redshank in front of the hide, not viwable from where we were. Helpful really. Pam asked them if they owned the car pulled in and he immediately said, ' would you like me to move it?'. And did so. Excellent. We never did see the Spot Sand but we did see two Wood Sandpipers, several juvenile/female Ruff and a juvenile Little Ringed Plover. 

 


 When discussing the latter with friend Pauline, I said that I wasn't sure that I knew the difference between Little and Great juveniles. I hadn't yet looked it up, but P said that the pale eye ring should still be obvious. And it was, so the bird was re-identified as a year tick. We'd also missed the Wood Sandpipers when they went through in the spring - we were in Scotland.

All birds were very distant, Pam was telling me when they were in view and I was taking photos of the area. My scope gave me very reasonable views but even then, the young Ruff had me puzzled for a while. Lovely, dainty little bird,  unlike the male adult in winter plumage.


 Groups of eclipse plumaged ducks were swimming about, appearing from and disappearing into, hidden creeks in the reed bed. I looked carefully, hoping for a Garganey. I didn't find any but there were  a few Teal amongst the Mallard. 



 

 

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