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Wednesday 20 April 2011

Four at Felbrigg

After a fairly uneventful check of the golf course and around East Runton, I decided to head inland to Felbrigg Lake to check whether any Reed Warblers had made it to the reedbed yet, however although I was greeted by the song of a warbler it was a Sedge Warbler instead which I was equally pleased with anyway being the first one on the patch this year.

A walk round the lake edge looking for damselflies drew a blank but a very showy Orange-tip provided excellent photo opportunities.



The first Cuckoo of the year was then heard calling north of the lake and whilst scanning for it a large raptor was picked up which I quickly realised was a Marsh Harrier. To my amazement it dropped down and started to quarter the reedbed and also perched up in a dead tree on the side of the lake, although the local Crows weren't too happy and were repeatedly mobbing it until it eventually headed off south.



As I walked round the lake to try to locate the Cuckoo, I picked up another raptor high in the sky which quickly materialised into a Hobby which was busily feeding on insects high up before eventually flying overhead across the lake and off east.

A second Cuckoo then started to call in the wood behind the lake and with some patient stalking I eventually caught a brief view of it flying between the trees, so what at first had appeared to be a quiet day had gone on to produce four new birds for the patch this year.

Also of note were two drake Mandarins asleep amongst the trees and a second Mute Swan had arrived from somewhere so hopefully it will hit it off with the resident bird which spent most of last year on its own.