Another visit to RSPB Strumpshaw Fen today. Kez heard a splash as we were walking by the sluice and we hurried round the corner to find this otter catching fish, certainly the closest we've got to an otter so far!
Norwich Wildlife
Monday, 11 February 2013
Otter
Another visit to RSPB Strumpshaw Fen today. Kez heard a splash as we were walking by the sluice and we hurried round the corner to find this otter catching fish, certainly the closest we've got to an otter so far!
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Bowthorpe Marshes
Set to the West of the city, Bowthorpe Marshes lies alongside the River Wensum just upstream from Earlham Park, the Hospital and the UEA. About mid-afternoon, with plenty of snow on the ground still, I thought it a good spot for finding mammal footprints, geese and ducks. I accessed the site from the Northern end (Bowthorpe Park), parking in the carpark just off the roundabout along Three Score Road.
The bushes by the carpark were ringing with Blue and Great Tits, and Blackbirds and Robins flitting from branch to branch. Goldfinch and a couple of Greenfinch in the very top of the trees were very active, and a few Fieldfares were present in the paddock close to the houses. Walking through the horse field, most of the pools were frozen with just a few gulls, both Common and Black-headed, stood around them. A Heron and Little Egret stood on the far bank of the river.
The larger pool by the dead trees (showing evidence of woodpecker) had around a dozen Canada Geese, which were joined by four Barnacle Geese that flew in from upstream, along with five Mute Swan, Wigeon, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen.
Further along towards the roadbridge a few Jackdaws and Carrion Crows were probing through the snow, and Wrens were calling from the far bank.
On the other side of the roadbridge the marshes open out towards the housing estate to your left and farmland to the right. Teal, Mallard and Moorhen dabbled along the winding curves of the river, whilst a Grey Heron stood hunched not far away. I found two sets of tracks which I think are Otter that cut across two of the bends, tightly spaced and with a groove of a tail. I didn't manage to see any mammals (I was hoping for Weasel or Stoat). I walked as far as the pylons and then headed back as the light was fading fast.
Today I made another visit, now the snow has gone, but hadn't counted on the flooding! The path was very boggy and muddy in places, and the path was completely underwater from the roadbridge, so I decided to have a walk around the broad at the UEA. I parked in what I call the 'dogwalkers' carpark along Colney Lane near the estate.
A good smattering of Siskin were calling from the pine trees as I made my way down to the bridge, where again I found the river swollen but the broad not much higher than normal. Black-headed Gulls and Great Crested Grebes being churned about a bit on the main broad in the strong winds, and this combined with the amount of dogs around meant the Otters were nowhere to be seen again. Lots of Magpies and Carrion Crows along the boardwalk by the river, but no Water Voles.
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Winter Mousehold at night
Heavy snow has made it bit difficult to get to some good nature spots, so we had a night walk around Mousehold Heath to look for nocturnal wildlife. We couldn't hear or see any Tawny Owls, but we might investigate another couple of sites when the weather's better, especially as February is a good month to find the Owls exploring new territory and looking for mates.
What we did find was a lot of Fox tracks, similar to dog in shape but narrow, and Foxes tend to travel along lines (fences, tree lines ditches). We followed one set that seemed quite fresh along the tree line by one of the fields, and could definitely smell Fox by one corner tree. It wasn't until we started heading back that I spotted a large Fox dash across the footpath, sadly I wasn't quick enough to get a picture!
What we did find was a lot of Fox tracks, similar to dog in shape but narrow, and Foxes tend to travel along lines (fences, tree lines ditches). We followed one set that seemed quite fresh along the tree line by one of the fields, and could definitely smell Fox by one corner tree. It wasn't until we started heading back that I spotted a large Fox dash across the footpath, sadly I wasn't quick enough to get a picture!
Labels:
east anglia,
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fox,
foxes,
mousehold heath,
nature,
norwich,
uk,
wildlife
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Goldcrest
A bit of a different post today, but one I wanted to share, just to show off! At work in Thetford Forest today, I noticed a few Goldcrest bobbing around in the bushes right next to me. They are so quick and acrobatic it's hard to get a good picture (and I also didn't have a better camera than my little phone's). Anyway I patiently held out my hand with a few breadcrumbs in it and after only a couple of minutes managed to attract the attention of one fluffed-up individual, who obligingly hopped down to spend a couple of seconds in my palm to snatch a crumb. This is the smallest bird in Britain, and often found high in the canopy of trees, along with it's similar sized cousin, the Firecrest. The call is a single high pitched 'siiiiip', which first alerted me to their presence nearby. This might help with trying to find them in Norwich now too, and I've heard already that there's some in the trees along Riverside that visit window feeders on top floor flats.
The photo above I took at Cley Marshes on a foggy October morning last year, where again I found them to be quite easy to get close to with a little patience, and maybe because like today it was freezing and the birds were so desperate for food that they didn't care about me!
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Cow Tower
Cow Tower sits just to the North East of Norwich Cathedral and is best accessed from the carpark by the Adam and Eve pub near the courthouse. The old stone tower makes a good home for the feral pigeons but little else. However if you step around to the back of the tower and face toward the Zaks restaurant you might just catch the flash of blue or orange feathers of a Kingfisher. I've watched them emerging from the overhanging branches and shooting off along the river almost everytime I've visited the tower, and I think they use the bend in the river as a fishing perch. It's also a good site to see Cormorant, Mute Swan, Mallard, Moorhen and Egyptian Goose.
Next to the tower is a small pond with a wooden boardwalk, where I've seen Wren and Dunnock flitting amongst the reeds. My fiancee has been lucky to see Water Vole in this pond in summer, getting several photos of it to confirm it wasn't a big rat! Between the tower and the carpark is a small gate with a swan shaped symbol on it, this is the old swan pool and is also apparently a good place to watch Otters from, but I've not seen evidence to confirm it yet.
By far the biggest draw to the area is to watch the Peregrines. A pair have been inhabiting the Cathedral spire for a couple of years, and raised a brood of 3 there last year (see Hawk and Owl Trust site for details and webcams). The adult pair are present throughout the year, and are quite easy to see when perching on the spire as they're quite large birds, but in summer when they were feeding the chicks they were a lot more active and spent more time around the Cathedral. When the chicks fledged we'd go down to the Adam and Eve and watch the adults calling from the spire as the young returned to the nest site, and occasionally you could see them go into a stoop to chase away any gulls that got too close.
Hoping they return to nest again this year, especially as I can see the spire from my house now!
Otters and Foxes
The Otter and the Fox are the two mammals that I've had very little success in seeing in my home county of Lincolnshire, but Norwich seems to have a wealth of both (I hear). I've heard a lot of stories from different people about good sites to see both in the City, but with little success so far.
The Otter has caused a great deal of frustration due to how elusive it seems to be. The UEA has a nice little group that seem photogenic if you're there at the right time and place, everytime we've been they've been absent. I've heard stories of them along the river by Cow Tower, and even in people's gardens in Hellesdon! The photo above was taken at the RSPB's Strumpshaw Fen nature reserve near Brundall, and only the third time I've seen a wild Otter. The first time was also at Strumpshaw, when an Otter came to within a metre of me, hissing, in summer last year, and I watched one in the distance on Lake Windermere in the Lake District being mobbed by gulls. Hopefully this year I'll find a regular spot inside the City to watch them.
Foxes, by all accounts, are everywhere in Norwich. Last year I was living in Sprowston and was woken at 3am by a pair of them barking on the pavement in front of the house. I've seen them crossing roads near the UEA, Mousehold Heath and Thorpe St Andrew. Up where I'm from in Lincolnshire, the gamekeepers have practically wiped out the 'country fox' so I'd never seen one properly until moving to Norwich. The photo above was taken on my way home from Suffolk a couple of years back, when I stopped the car next to what I thought on first glance was a stray dog. I was amazed to see one so close, it actually walked over and sniffed the camera lens! More recently I was working at an event in Colchester's Castle Park and had a vixen circling around us, tempted by the hot food on offer!
I found evidence of Foxes in Mousehold Heath last week so will keep checking to see if I can get some good photos.
Waterloo Park in the snow
Not the best day to start a blog about wildlife, but it didn't turn out too bad! The park is just down the road from where I've just moved to and is a lot bigger than what I was expecting. A beautiful tree lined path leads from Angel Road toward the pavillion and bandstand area, and these trees were full of Blue Tit, Siskin and Goldfinch chirping merrily away in the sunshine. Pied Wagtails bobbed around the frozen fountains and Mistle Thrushes and Blackbirds were feeding from the few remaining berries around the edges of the courtyard.
Long Tailed Tits and Chaffinches were in the trees just south of the pavillion, along with a few Robins and Magpies, and Collared Doves and Wood Pigeons sat amongst the far trees near the tennis courts. A few Starlings flew over, perhaps to join a larger roost which I've yet to find.
Last but not least, the bird that I've failed miserably to attract into the garden, the House Sparrow. They call loudly from the bushes in the carpark and I've seen them before bathing in puddles along Angel Road.
The park doesn't look a bad location to find Foxes, but as the park gates are locked at night it might be difficult to see them.
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