Bird Race 2008
10th May 2008, and the most important date in the birding calendar, the reason? It is the date of the now annual ‘150 challenge’ Bird Race. Now bird races are extremely hard-work, and 150 species has always been an optimistic challenge, with recent years producing ‘just’ totals of 132, 140 and 141 species respectively. This year we were to do things ‘right’, and after some serious consideration about best possible routes and a good recce (which produced 139 species), I felt somewhat hopeful that the target could fall. With an excellent day (weather-wise) forecast, and with the easterly airflow producing a glut of difficult-species, it seemed that the 10th May could well be the day to hit the target…So to the day…
Midnight. After a couple of hour’s restless sleep (or more technically a couple of hour’s lying awake whilst trying to sleep!), I was up and waiting for Mike, who arrived a few minutes after the clock had struck twelve, and within minutes we had set off into the night. Our first stop was at just down the road at Audley End. Now no Bird Race is without it’s moments of madness, so I felt justified in getting one out of the way early on ours as we pitched up to scan the flood-lit lake for the Barnacle Goose that is currently residing here. Needless to say, it wasn’t viewable at stupid-a-clock at night, and neither was anything else! So with the list still on the big fat zero, and with my sanity in severe question, we moved on…
Wicken Fen: This was the first time that we had included Wicken on a bird-race, and I was hoping that it might come up trumps with some of the more nocturnal reed-bed and marshland species. Scurrying down the Lode Bank towards Baker’s Fen, it was remarkably silent! Questioning the move, it was a relief after a hundred yards or so to pick up the first of many (many!) singing Sedge Warblers at the side of the path. The day had begun! Shortly after the Sedgies started, we were tuning in to a singing Grasshopper Warbler - a real bonus bird. Round to the back of Baker’s Fen, a number of Lapwings were displaying, as a Redshank called in the distance. Things were looking good! Better was still to come as we approached the first pool and a Greenshank called several times, another major bonus, especially for so early in the day. Walking further along the path, the din of Sedge Warblers made searching for other birds difficult, though Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Greylag Goose and Pheasant were all predictably scribbled down. The hoped-for targets of Bittern, Water Rail and Snipe were proving elusive, and we finally had to admit that these were not going to happen here. Still, things were not over just yet, as we walked back to the car and had a calling Golden Plover, a mega bird for a May bird race! A couple of calling Shoveler and a singing male Cetti’s Warbler finished off a good start to the day, and we arrived back at the car with perfect timing on the itinerary front.
Fox Hole Heath. A male Tawny Owl called on arrival. Straining our ears produced nothing sounding Stoner-like. Impatiently I tried imitating the call, and immediately a wail responded back: Stone Curlew! In-the-bag!
Lackford: Driving along the entrance track, we had a serious debate about whether we could add Mammals to the ‘150’ list as a Badger charged along the road in front of us, and then a Hedgehog did likewise! Opening the window to be blasted away by a singing Nightingale was enough to stop such delirious lack-of-sleep-induced thoughts, and we quickly jumped out the car and scurried down the footpath by the sailing lake. With a little help, we quickly latched onto a very vocal Water Rail that squealed from the small reed-bed. A distinct bonus! Tufted Duck and a honking Canada Goose were also formally added to the list at this point.
Olly’s Farm: A swift walk along the track from the A11 into prime woodland habitat failed to net us any calling Nightjar or Woodlark. Somewhat worrying, although we felt we still had several failsafe sites for these, so were not too disconcerted at this point. A couple of Woodpigeons ‘exploding’ from the treetops insured that we at least managed to keep up a new bird at each new site!
East Wretham Heath: Stomping across the heath in the predawn proved an excellent decision, as we instantly picked-up a calling Red-legged Partridge, several ‘bubbling’ Curlews, Oystercatcher and the distant trilling of a Little Grebe. A sudden whistle drew our attention to a Whimbrel on Langmere - another proper bonus bird, and one that we would not see again all day! A pair of Egyptian Geese called as we entered the woods and flushed numerous Rooks and Jackdaws from their roost. An odd call coming from there Mere had us staring blankly for a short while until we fixed the culprit as a Black Tern! Given the numbers passing through currently it was not hugely unexpected, though very helpful none-the-less! A Gadwall flew over calling, at which point I could hear the first tuning-up of a singing male Redstart and very soon we had both heard our major target for this site. With the Redstart sorted and a couple of distinct bonuses, we raced back across the heath to the car, notching up the first singing Skylarks of the day.
Santon Warren: Parking up by the railway bridge, the dawn chorus was just getting going as several Blackbirds kicked off into song. A Cuckoo called across the heath, before the sharp ‘clicks’ of a roding Woodcock drew our attention skyward! The lack of Nightjars on the Warren was unfortunate, as it meant that we had dipped that species for the first part of the day. Trying to cover that disappointment we stomped up to one of our ‘stake-outs’, noting Robin and Yellowhammer, and eventually latching onto the very distant singing male Tree Pipit. This was the only site we had for this single bird, and we were not to hear another all day. Birds were starting to sing all around, and as we wandered off the heath, we quickly added Song Thrush, Blackcap, Wren and Coal Tit in quick succession, as a Grey Heron flew over calling.
Santon Downham: Initially very hard work as birds were reluctant to start singing and calling! A Garden Warbler by the car was predictable enough, as were Great Tit, Chaffinch and Carrion Crow. Walking south long the river, we had to reach the first plantation before the next species were added with a pair of Mute Swans on the river itself, with singing Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting and Blue Tit in the scrub adjacent. Into the first section of trees and a calling Treecreeper was a relief, but was overshadowed by two excellent strokes of luck in quick succession with a singing Willow Tit, and then a drumming male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker! Bonus, bonus and bonus! Thinking about what other woodland birds we still needed, we mentioned Great Spotted Woodpecker at exactly the same moment that one called into the trees above us! A Nuthatch called in the distance, but with our major targets from here knocked-off, we headed back to the village area, scoring singing Willow Warbler, Linnet, Whitethroat, Dunnock and Goldfinch en-route. The female Grey Wagtail was handily sat on her nest at the road-bridge, whilst the village area produced flyover Swallow, Starling, Greenfinch and Long-tailed Tit. Back along the road and a simultaneous shout of Siskin as a single bird bounced overhead, before a concerted search of the scrub along the road towards Helen’s Well produced a calling Bullfinch. Still missing Woodlark, we crossed the Level Crossing yet again, and two Magpies flew over, followed by two Jays. A brief walk back out onto the Warren and finally two Woodlarks were ‘kicked’ up from the heath, whilst a solitary bird could be heard singing in the background. Back to the car via a pair of Marsh Tits by the railway line, and a bonus Lesser Redpoll buzzing overhead.
Lynford Arboretum: Clocking up the first Collared Dove of the day near the Mundford round-about, we ambled round to Lynford, but a thorough search of the usual areas failed to bring us any joy with Firecrest or Spotted Flycatcher, both costly misses. A singing Mistle Thrush, flyover Lesser Black-backed Gull and finally, the first singing Chiffchaff of the day were hardly compensation but kept the score kicking over, as did the Swift and a single Pied Wagtail seen along the entrance track as we sped away from the site.
Brandon: Several House Sparrows could be heard from the car as we drove through.
Lakenheath Washes: A Turtle Dove flashed across the road as we drove into the (incredibly busy!) car-park. Heading straight for the washes, we did a quick initial scan and noted Great Crested Grebe, a pair of Shelduck, two Common Terns and a number of Sand Martins. Further along the footpath, Mike latched onto the male Stonechat across the river, whilst I fortuitously picked up a distant drake Garganey (which had increased to two by the time we returned!). Heading further down the footpath, a couple of Bearded Tits flashed across the reeds. Reaching the second poplar plantation, the first of several Marsh Harriers was located, just shortly before our first burst of Golden Oriole song pierced the air around us. Somehow finding the energy, we set our sights on the Crane viewpoint, and made the trek down to it. Unfortunately due to the limited time that we had, no Cranes appeared, perhaps unsurprisingly. A flyover Cormorant and two Black-headed Gulls were little compensation, though a ‘booming’ Bittern in the reed-bed behind us certainly was! Back along the river, a flyover Yellow Wagtail gave just a single call, as a pair of Kestrels lurked around the plantations. Lots of time was spent searching for Hobby, and finally a distant bird was noted hurtling away from us over the far poplars - another bird we were not to see again all day! Sticking with formalities, we noted down the first Herring Gull of the day as it crossed our path on the way back to the car, not realising until some time later that due to undercounting that this was our 100th species of the day!
Swaffham: No stop was made, although we did drive very slowly through the centre of town (not through choice admittedly!), and thus enabling our first Feral Rock Doves of the day to be notched up (Feral Rock Dove making them sound more like real birds than Feral Pigeons!).
South Raynham: A speculative search for Buzzard and Grey Partridge failed miserably(!), though we salvaged something with several House Martins were over the village nearby, a species we worryingly saw in only very small numbers all day.
West Barsham: Technically we didn’t need to leave the car for this one, as our reliable Tree Sparrow was sat on the house roof as we pulled up! This bird is by far the best bowl-up and tick-it-off bird that Norfolk has to offer!
North Creake: We needed to find two species here, and within two minutes our bins were full with a superb adult male Montagu’s Harrier, a male Marsh Harrier and a Common Buzzard all circling lazily around over the oilseed rape fields together. The male Monty’s was particularly smart, and gave some excellent views, whilst a further female Monty’s and several more Buzzards were also seen during a brief and vain search for a distant Sparrowhawk over the Abbey area.
Holkham Freshmarsh: This was supposed to be just a ‘quick scan’ to see if the drake Pochard I had seen during the week was still present, but it turned out to be a very profitable stop! An initial scan revealed lots of Avocets (typically!), whilst a few smaller waders could be seen. Scope up, and two fine Wood Sandpipers were soon notched up, alongside several Black-tailed Godwits. Mike scored the drake Pochard, which was somewhat bizarrely dabbling in one of the pools, as a Little Egret flew over. Turning attention back to the pools, and a large group of Ruff were located, along with three Barnacle Geese and a female Teal. Switching positions, and scanning out to the west, another quality ‘stake-out’ bird was found in the guise of the injured adult White-fronted Goose that has been present at the west end of the pines for several years! More authentic, was a first-summer Common Gull over the floods.
Stiffkey Fen: Fighting for room to park on the coast road, we first made our way down to the flashes by the A149 and found a tardy Pink-footed Goose for our troubles, whilst a couple of Common Sandpipers pottered around the edges. Back along the coastal footpath and down to the Fen proper, a male Lesser Whitethroat rattled at us from the hedgerow. The Fen proved to be very good, and in a quick scan we soon came back with a pair of Little Ringed Plovers, adult Ringed Plover, two first-summer Little Gulls, adult Mediterranean Gull, a single Temminck’s Stint and a flyover Sandwich Tern. A couple of Greenshanks, two smart Wood Sandpipers and a gorgeous Black Tern were also noted. Jumping up onto the sea-wall, we clocked a party of c.50 Dark-bellied Brent Geese out in the harbour, whilst several Meadow Pipits sang from the saltings.
Cley: Deciding that we deserved a rest, we moved to the Coastguards at Cley (well, the former Coastguards at Cley!), and for the privilege of one whole English Pound, we were able to sit on the beach and rest for five minutes. The plan to jam-in a Gannet worked, as a couple of adults went past distantly. As we were in the area, we ambled down to North Scrape to see the three Temminck’s Stints at mega-distance, and then Mike found a fourth closer to the hide. More appreciated in terms of the day were a party of Dunlin, two Turnstones and a pair of dozy Wigeon. The big 130 thus passing at 13:40.
Salthouse Duck Pond: After a quick look at Snipe’s Marsh (no Ruddy Ducks!), we stopped to have a look through the gulls resting in the field behind the duck pond, and a number of Great Black-backed Gulls were belatedly added to the list. Following this, a quick lap of Kelling Heath was disappointing, with no sign of the Dartford Warblers in the usual area, and just another Stonechat of note.
Friary Hills: Using up the last of any energy we may have had, we ascended the Hills. Having made the effort, it would have been rude not to have cast a glance at the drake Baikal Teal (not counted!)as it fed with a drake Garganey in the distant pools.
Burnham Norton: Courtesy of information from our informants, we popped into Burnham Norton and had brief and distant views of the Cattle Egret as it flipped over the sea-wall on a couple of occasions.
Titchwell: Make or break time. We raced up the West Bank, and immediately located both the pair of Pintail and the pair of Red-crested Pochards that I had staked out earlier in the week on the Freshmarsh. The Brackish Marsh pulled back several Grey Plovers, whilst our first two Little Terns of the day were finally noted. Out to the beach and a huge raft of Common Scoters were offshore, from which Mike managed to pull out the two drake Velvet Scoters. A few Sanderling were on the beach, as was a single Bar-tailed Godwit and a large flock of Knot. The latter species represented the 141st species of the day, and equalled my previous highest-day total.
Choseley Drying Barns - The record was broken within seconds as c.35 Corn Buntings were very easily located along the road. Not being able to resist them any longer, we dropped down to the fields south of the drying barns and watched seven absolutely stunning Dotterel feeding in the sparsely vegetated pea field. Our luck kept coming as a Wheatear flashed through my ‘scope view, before an unsuccessful look for a reported Quail brought dividends with a Little Owl in the dead trees by the road. Back to the Drying Barns and a long search for Grey Partridge lead us to another major piece of luck as an unidentified bird in a distant hedge eventually dropped out and revealed itself as a Fieldfare! A crazy bird for a May day! Finally, after much searching a Grey Partridge called for us, putting us to within three species of the magic total…
Hunstanton Cliffs: The Fulmars proved more difficult than normal, and we had to walk quite a way before several were eventually found sat on the sea. Typically, they started to show above the cliffs once we had seen a couple! The walk however proved rather fortuitous as a scan of the sea above the car-park revealed a distant pair of female Eider, another unexpected species!
Dersingham Bog: A quick stroll up and down the Wolferton triangle failed to connect us with a Golden Pheasant, although we flushed a Tawny Owl and a Greenshank called overhead. Making our way down to the bog, we stopped at the bench overlooking the board-walk. Absolutely knackered, we decided on the casual approach, and it paid off timely with a churring Nightjar around the board-walk below us. Gripped back from the jaws of defeat in the morning and the 150th species of the day, superb! Shortly afterwards, the brief shriek of a Golden Pheasant came from the direction of the road, and was the 151st and final species we were to record during the day.
So, with nearly 23hours in the field, we had not only smashed the record into oblivion, but had also finally achieved the long-awaited ambition of breaking the 150-species-in-a-day barrier. For the first time it was migrants that really saved us, with numerous breeding species - Sparrowhawk, Crane, Snipe, Kingfisher, Firecrest and Spotted Flycatcher to name the most obvious - missing from the final day’s tally. An awesome day - thanks to Mike for the company and for surviving 23hours of sarcastic humour and to Mark and Dave for the news updates!! Now who's for 160...