News from Titchwell – Winter 2007/08

The major issue of the last few months has involved the weather. Following the surge tides that hit the East Coast in November, we were fortunate enough to escape without any flooding but the stormy conditions did damage the beach boardwalk enough to warrant a complete re-built. Once we had removed the damaged boards from the top, the supporting posts were so old and rotten we were left with no choice but to replace it. This task was made easier by an early Christmas present in the form of a battery-powered handcart. This allowed us to transport all the heavy timber and tools to the beach but for the future it will also allow us to move materials, tools and equipment around the site easier and will allow us to carry out some of the habitat management tasks more effectively.
New safety glass has been installed to all the windows in Parrinder hide although having to re-build many of the frames made the job slower but an excellent job was carried out by the volunteer team. Willow coppicing in the reedbed was finished and a stack of new routed signs arrived to go up around the reserve.

Our Big Garden Birdwatch event was well attended. Volunteers manned the marquee overlooking the feeders and recruited 3 members including a life member. Dale visited the local Brancaster primary school as part of Big Schools Birdwatch and provided them with a big bird breakfast (seed and fruit not a robin on toast!)
The new summerhouse was delivered to the carpark and decorated with reserve information. The idea it to allow us to increase our recruitment opportunities during the winter months especially when there is good weather. Dale has been busy helping the group produce some interpretation at a local information centre to encourage local people to visit their local nature reserves in the area.

November highlights included a late seabird passage involving a sooty shearwater (6th), storm petrel (11th), 7 juvenile Sabine’s gulls (4th), 3 grey phalaropes (4th, 6th, and 9th) and a flyby female surf scoter (10th).  Adult black brant, a waxwing in the carpark for 4 days and a willow tit provided further interest although common scoter numbers remain very low with a peak of only 500.
December was a quiet with a shag (a scarce bird around here), 4 white-fronted geese east over the reserve (22nd), female red-crested pochard still present in the reedbed, female goosander on the fresh marsh (31st), 2 yellow-legged gulls and a tree sparrow on the feeders (13th).

January highlights included red-necked grebe, 7 white fronted geese east (5th), a reserve record 1420 brent geese (6th), adult black brant, roosting female hen harrier, 5000 golden plover, purple sandpiper all month, 2 Pomerine skuas (26th), up to 4 adult med gull during the month, 2 yellow legged gulls, water pipit, 2 Mealy redpoll, lapland bunting (26th) and 50 snow bunting (18th).
February produced regular bittern sightings, 112 pintail on the 12th, purple sandpiper, 2-3 woodcocks showing well in the willow scrub, 10 spotted redshank, yellow legged gull, water pipit, 2 twite, 2 Mealy redpoll still present and a peak of 64 snow bunting.

Paul Eele
Warden
Titchwell Marsh Reserve

The reserve team at RSPB Titchwell Marsh and Snettisham nature reserves