Beginning the New Yr by way of looking to see as many species as imaginable is one thing of a birding custom. Certainly one of my extra memorable New Yr’s days was once within the Falkland Islands, again in 1989. My diary notes that the New Yr dawned gray and windy, however I rose early, walked six miles prior to breakfast and famous a modest 26 species of birds. Like many offshore archipelagos, birds are few in selection at the Falklands, despite the fact that many person species are nice in numbers. I used to be on Pebble Island, which, thank you, to a lot of freshwater ponds and lakes, is a brilliant position for wildfowl. My pre-breakfast listing was once wildfowl ruled, the ten species I noticed starting from Black-necked Swans to the endemic Falkland Islands Flightless Steamer Duck. The latter are nice bruisers of geese, constructed like a small combat send. With bulk like that, it’s no surprise that they gave up flying way back.
The ocean is rarely a long way away anyplace you might be within the Falklands: my diary information “a relentless passage of Black-browed Albatrosses, masses of birds so far as the horizon, their white undersides catching the solar [the weather must have cheered up!] as they sheered into the wind. Amongst them have been a couple of Sooty Shearwaters, however check out as I did, I failed to search out any petrels rather than Southern Giants, nor every other Albatrosses.” Re-reading my diary most of these years later, it sounds beautiful excellent. My ultimate overall for the day was once 39 species – no longer dangerous bearing in mind my mixed listing for my two-week Falkland travel was once simply 55 species. You don’t cross to the Falklands to knock up a large listing, despite the fact that it’s the most efficient position within the wold to look a Striated Caracara (above).
Against this, I controlled 63 species ultimate Monday (1 January 2024) after I attempted to look what number of species I may to find inside of a modest distance of house. (The farthest I traveled was once 9 miles). The name of the game of a excellent rating is visiting as many various habitats as imaginable, so I began with a pre-breakfast stroll alongside the within sight Little Ouse river at Knettishall Heath, a nature reserve. A big bonus was once a vibrant sunny morning, however there wasn’t quite a lot of fowl task. I discovered many of the birds I used to be anticipating, from Robin to Wren, whilst I loved the Siskins within the riverside alders. A couple of Mute Swans flew over on creaking wings (they’re noisy fliers), whilst an advantage was once listening to a Woodlark making a song away at the heath itself. I have been hoping that the Barn Owl I’d observed right here a few days prior to would seem, nevertheless it was once obviously again at its roost.
Breakfast at house gave me the danger to tick Space Sparrow – the very best position to search out sparrows at the present time is in my lawn. Greenfinches and Dunnocks joined the whole which was once now over 30.
I used to be quickly out once more, this time using to a neighborhood property the place the farmer, James, is a superb conservationist: his headlands planted with wildbird seed mixes draw in expanding numbers of finches and buntings as the times begin to extend and provides of herbal meals diminish. A small flock of Fieldfares was once the primary new tick, briefly adopted by way of Linnet (a flock of over 200), Chaffinch (a flock of about 50, staying on the subject of the hedge), Skylark (a dozen birds with a pair making a song) and Meadow Pipit (only one). A number of Not unusual Gulls have been patrolling the fields. Regardless of their title, they aren’t commonplace right here, however this farm is at all times a excellent web site for them in January and February.
Subsequent forestall was once Knettishall Heath once more, however this time a space of mature forest. Marsh and Lengthy-tailed Tit joined the listing, briefly adopted by way of Nuthatch (heard however no longer observed), Nice Noticed Woodpecker and Jay. Treecreeper would were an advantage, however none have been to be observed.
A close-by farm reservoir is incessantly productive, nevertheless it dissatisfied lately, with simply 3 additions to the listing: Little Grebe, Mallard and Cormorant. 3 Buzzards and a few Pink Kites soared over, however they have been repeat sightings of species I’d observed previous.
I drove directly to a bridge spanning the Black Bourn, a small, shallow river that could be a favoured hang-out of Kingfishers. Connecting with a Kingfisher is at all times an issue of good fortune, so I wasn’t stunned to not see one, however a Gray Wagtail was once a delightful addition, whilst I additionally noticed my first Moorhen – I’d handiest heard one previous.
Micklemere is a wetland reserve belonging to the Suffolk Flora and fauna Believe, and was once my subsequent location. I loved a nice part hour observing from a conceal, however handiest added the birds I used to be anticipating – Greylag and Canada Ducks, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Shoveler and Teal – with none bonus birds corresponding to Little Egret and even Gray Heron. Nonetheless, I loved my part hour within the conceal, as the varied wildfowl regarded best within the low iciness solar. I famous from the log that I will have to were there on Christmas Day, when a White-tailed Eagle have been observed.
My subsequent web site was once any other wetland – Nice Livermere lake. Precisely a 12 months prior to it had produced a Pintail and a wintering Chiffchaff, however neither was once to be observed lately. Coot – no longer essentially the most thrilling of birds – joined the listing, whilst on far away arable fields there was once an enormous congregation of Lapwings. My estimate was once over 1500 birds. They made a effective web site after they all took to the air – had they been disturbed by way of a passing Peregrine? If they’d I failed to identify it, however I did see a flock of round 50 Golden Plovers jumbled in with them, a fowl I used to be hoping to search out right here.
The sunshine was once starting to fade now, as cloud had slipped around the sky, eclipsing the solar, so it was once time to go homewards, with only a couple extra websites to take a look at. The primary was once a stake-out for Raven, a fowl that has handiest just lately began nesting in Suffolk once more after an period of round 150 years. The Raven will have to were looking forward to me, as I quickly situated it, sitting on best of the tower of St Genevieve’s Church. It was once my sixtieth species of the day. My {photograph} (under) of this fowl is infrequently a super image, nevertheless it does seize the raven’s function heavy beak and massive head.
Yet another web site remained to be checked at the six-mile power house. It produced my very best view of the day of a Mistle Thrush, an surprising Gray Heron, and a trio of Herring Gulls flying over. That introduced an relaxing day’s birding to an acceptable conclusion. My overall of 63 was once hardy spectacular, however I hadn’t overlooked a lot (Music Thrush being essentially the most notable absentee from my listing), and I’ve a minimum of were given 2024 off to a cheap get started.