Getting the timing right

Birdwatching is all about timing. Sometimes you get it right, but sometimes you don’t. Last week my companion Andrew and I set off for the Suffolk coast in the hope of finding White-fronted Geese. They are scarce but regular winter visitors to Suffolk, their numbers here depending on the weather in Holland, which is a major wintering ground for this arctic-nesting bird. If the weather is cold in Holland, then flocks are liable to cross the North Sea to eastern England. Frustratingly, Aldeburgh Marsh held hundreds of Greylag Geese, a 100 or so Barnacles, but not a single White-front. Two days later a flock 86 was reported there. Never mind: there are still plenty more weeks of winter left to see them, while Barnacle was new for my 2025 list. 

A family of Barnacle geese

Just north of the Aldeburgh Marshes is the curious village of Thorpeness, built a century ago as an exclusive seaside holiday resort by Glencairn Stuart Ogilvie, a Scottish barrister whose family had made a fortune constructing railways around the world. The village is clustered around the Meare, an extensive, shallow artificial lake that Ogilvie had dug for boating. On a freezing day in January there wasn’t a boat to be seen, while much of the mere was ice-covered, so all the ducks were clustered around a few patches of open water. 

Goosanders on Thorpeness Meare

There were two species that we were looking for here. One was a North American Ring-necked Duck that has been reported regularly from the Meare for a second consecutive winter, the other was a Goosander. Frustratingly, we failed to find the former, but did eventually find three Goosanders, two ducks and a lovely drake, his white body blushed with pink. They were swimming in company with Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler and Teal, plus a Mute Swan, on a small stretch of open water surrounded by ice.

A Bittern, into the light (but at least you can see it!)

As we watched there was a sudden panic, and we looked up to see the cause of the alarm, a low-flying Bittern. Here in Suffolk we have a good breeding population of bitterns, but they are shy birds that are difficult to see, so this sighting was a real bonus, especially as the bird landed in full view, though frustratingly into the light. Not long after seeing the Bittern we added two more unexpected ducks: a couple of drake Mandarins, and a trio of Wood Ducks. 

Drake Mandarin

A pair of Wood Ducks – not a bird on the British list

Mandarins became established in southern England in the early 1930s, but these exotic Chinese ducks have now spread throughout the country, though they remain scarce in Suffolk, with just a few breeding pairs. The North American Wood Ducks were, we gathered, the result of a local release. The three birds we saw were full-winged, and had been hatched in the wild. They may not have been tickable, but they were a pleasure to see, for a drake Wood Duck is one of the most handsome of birds. Incidentally, Wood Ducks are invariably called Carolinas by keepers of ornamental waterfowl, and they are very popular in collections here. 

The Scrape at Minsmere

From Thorpeness it was just a short drive north to Minsmere, the RSPB’s flagship reserve on the Suffolk coast. Minsmere is at its best in spring, but on a cold January day it can still offer a good variety of birds, with wildfowl the easiest to see. The attraction of Minsmere to both birds and birdwatchers is the rich variety of habitats, from the coastal Scrape (an artificial shallow wetland) to extensive reedbeds, oak woodland and heaths. 

Ducks loafing on the ice on the Scrape

The Scrape was the brainchild of Bert Axell, who was warden of the reserve from the 1950s through to the mid 1970s. Using a bulldozer, he transformed the wet coastal meadows into an extensive marsh, with mud, permanent water and islands for nesting. Our visit was on a brilliantly sunny day, so the crowds of wildfowl – Shelduck, Wigeon, Pintail, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall and Mallard – looked magnificent. With the surface-feeding ducks were a few Goosanders, plus a trio of Whooper Swans. 

A trio of Goosanders over the dunes

The Scrape is usually a great place to see waders, but on this January day they were noticeably scarce, just Lapwings and a few Avocets. A bit of work with the scope added a single Turnstone to the list, feeding in company with a Purple Sandpiper. The latter is a bird of rocky seashores and as such is an unusual visitor to the Scrape: this was the first one I’d ever seen there. It had been present for a few days.

Snipe on ice

From the Scrape we walked inland, our path taking us through a belt of woodland edging the reedbed. Here we were pleased to find three Chiffchaffs. These warblers are chiefly spring and summer visitors to Suffolk, but increasing numbers now overwinter.

Our final destination was Island Mere, overlooked by an elevated hide that gives fine views over the mere and surrounding reedbeds. Here we heard but failed to see Bearded Tits, watched quartering Marsh Harriers, and were entertained by a trio of Snipe, feeding in front of the hide. Few birds are as cryptically plumaged as Snipe, and it took a while to spot them. They were feeding actively, probing the mud with their ridiculously long beaks. 

How many? Counting huge flocks of birds, such as these Starlings, is a challenge

Our day finished at another nature reserve, Hen Reedbeds. We arrived at dusk, hopefully of being entertained by a Starling murmuration, for the reedbeds are a favoured roosting site. We hand’t been waiting long when a huge flock of starling appeared, high in the sky. It was difficult to estimate how many there were, but we estimated about 10,000. Frustratingly, we weren’t treated to the sight of them weaving patterns in the sky, as they flew resolutely east towards the coast, soon disappearing from view, never to be seen again. It wasn’t the conclusion to the day we were hoping for, but with 10 new species for the year in the bag, our year lists both now topped the 100, a pleasing total for so early in the year.