The Kingfisher Returns
Today, 29th July, we visited Pickering’s hide for
the high tide roost. We expected the water to be low in the scrape pool but
were pleasantly surprised as the rain had added a significant amount of water
to it. The high tides this weekend should remedy the situation by filling it up
completely. Obviously the low water levels in the pool had concentrated the
shrimps, any small fish and insect-life into a confined area.
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We immediately noticed a little egret on the pool, which was
joined a short while later by two more. All three continued to feed while we
were there. The great-white egret was roosting below the bank on the far side
of Hale Marsh and we hoped it would join the little egrets when the tide rose
but this was not to be.
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Meanwhile, moving further along the hide we noticed the
kingfisher on the dam: sitting quietly. It eventually hovered over the pool and
back to one of its posts on the dam, with a shrimp, before starting feeding more
intensely. A good number of people were delighted to see it again, especially
some children on their school holidays. It was while showing the bird to a girl
that I noticed a kingfisher fly across the pool but then realised the other one
was still there. Annoyingly the second kingfisher had disappeared and after
half an hour doubt was beginning to set in. Eventually we found the two
together on the dam. They continued to stay side-by-side in different parts of
the pool until we left.
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Our interest was further increased by a stoat that made its
way around the pond from the far side. It disappeared from time to time: only
to reappear somewhere else. Eventually it vanished into the reeds. A redshank and
several black-headed gulls were feeding on the pools and at least two common
sandpipers fed alongside them. A flock of lapwings were roosting out the tide
along the edge of the bank and several pied wagtails and a young yellow wagtail
fed around the edges. Three sand martins on migration briefly flew across the
pool.
Of course, we had really gone down for the high tide roost -
not expecting the pool to be so good! That didn’t disappoint either. The usual
high numbers of Canada geese were scattered over the marsh and dotted amongst
them were at least five curlews and several grey herons. At the roost itself
there were 125 redshanks, 250 lapwings and 17 oystercatchers. A greenshank is a
good bird to find at Pickerings Pasture. As the tide rose a party of 25 dunlins flew in
and settled along the edge of the bank to be joined a short time later by a another
flock of twenty. Three turnstones, another good find at the roost, flew across
and joined the other roosting birds. One last look around before we left and,
low and behold, a female marsh harrier was hunting the fields on the far side.
It was definitely our lucky day…
C A Cockbain