Migrant Happy! September 2-3 2023

Autumn is the time of plenty. Lots of birds, adults that have finished breeding and the juveniles that they've produced, head south to spend the winter in warmer climes where food will still available. Many of those northern breeding birds pass through Britain and in times of easterly airflows numbers of them can be high. Some of those passage migrants are expected every year and for the year lister must be seen to bolster the total. A few of the birds heading south may stopover in inland counties and some of those may be found in Oxfordshire. But to really increase the chances of seeing them, a trip to the east coast, or to a lesser extent the south, is in order. It's ironic that the two main subjects of this blog are birds that I've seen plenty of, but have yet to see either in my home county!

Saturday 2 September

There had been reports of at least three Wrynecks from the Suffolk coast on the Friday. Making a pilgrimage to see a Wryneck is an almost must do annual event for the Old Caley's. They are not particularly rare birds but are scarce migrants inland. We have seen many over the years, indeed I've even found a couple myself while birding in Cornwall during past Octobers, but they are one of the most charismatic of birds so I for one will never tire of seeing them. We thought that at least one or two would remain in Suffolk overnight but rather than head straight to Minsmere or Kessingland where they'd been discovered the day before, we decided to hedge our bets and drop into a site in Breckland where Stone Curlews are known to congregate. We had already seen Stone Curlews this year but I was keen to check out the site where, in the past, apparently a hundred of the birds had joined together in a post-breeding flock.

We parked up in the obvious carpark, not realising that we could have driven much further along the single track lane and parked much closer to the heathland section of the reserve. Still it was a beautiful morning and we enjoyed the walk through woodland although apart from Jays we didn't see a lot. To our right as we walked, was an open area of rank grassland, a habitat that Stone Curlews are fond of but I could only find a multitude of Rooks and Jackdaws plus around a million Rabbits (they were everywhere). Emerging into the open heath we checked both sides of the sandy track but couldn't find anything different to what we'd already seen except for flocks of Goldfinch and Linnet. We reached the river and still hadn't seen a Stone Curlew, and I was beginning to think that I'd come to the wrong place. I asked a local if they knew where the Stone Curlews were but predictably I was met with a blank face, "What's one of them?"

After sitting a while by the delightful bubbling and shallow river stream which was packed with Chub and Dace, fish that are good pointers to a healthy watercourse, we retraced our steps along the track. This time I stopped more frequently to scan the heath, and paid more attention to a flat grassy strip that bordered trees further away because by now it was obvious that they were no Stone Curlews close to the track (which is of course what I was hoping for). We spoke to another couple of birders who did have some info for us. Unfortunately though they told us that they hadn't seen any Stoney's this year on the heath. This wasn't going as planned at all. At least news had come in via the airwaves that the Wryneck at Kessingland was still there so we'd have our afternoon target to go for. Then almost as we left the heath, and of course on the part of it closest to where we'd parked, I scanned a small fenced enclosure and hit upon a Stone Curlew. Only the one, and it was the usual half a mile away, but it was the bird we'd come to see so it meant that it hadn't been a completely wasted trip.

Stone Curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

Coffee and a tasty pasty were taken at a farm shop-cum-cafe just on the edge of the reserve. We had no need to rush, it wasn't yet midday and the Wryneck would be sure to be on offer all day. As we enjoyed a rare moment of calm while we ate and drank a further report told us that at least one of the two Wrynecks that were seen at Minsmere the previous day was still present as well. So now we had a choice of target birds. After deliberation, we decided to go to Minsmere since parking is easy and we know the reserve well having spent many holidays in the area in the past. The travelling time was a little under two hours and we found the carpark relatively empty which meant we could get a pole position parking place. The walk out to the sluice and the famous bushes took us around twenty minutes. The Wryneck had been reported from the dunes and gorse around a hundred metres south from the sluice itself.

In the past we had found Black Redstarts, Firecrests and a Snow Bunting in the vicinity of the sluice. Last year we had spent what turned into a miserable couple of hours at the Dunwich end of the Minsmere foreshore looking for another Wryneck which didn't materialise in some awful wet weather. This time they'd be no chance of getting drenched since the sky was set fair with barely any clouds visible at all. We walked along the flat grassy path and spotted a small line of birders all intently staring at something between some gorse bushes. A chap going the other way had already told us that the Wryneck was showing well so we assumed that within seconds we'd be adding it to our year list. We joined the other birders and studied the area that they were watching, but only saw a Whinchat and a couple of Wheatears. I asked them where was the Wryneck but once again my query was met with blank faces, 'Oh, we didn't know there was one of those here', and incredibly, 'What's a Wryneck?' I explained that a Wryneck had been seen in the area but I didn't get any further with my inquiries. I gazed around and saw a photographer sat on another path slightly higher up the slope and on the edge of the marram grass dunes. He must have been watching the Wryneck so we quietly joined him in his vigil and asked where the bird was. Thankfully this time we got the answers that we wanted. The bird was favouring the grassy path between two gorse bushes and had been showing really well until a couple had walked straight through the gap five minutes before we arrived.

It didn't take long before the Wryneck fluttered out of the right hand bush into which it had flown when disturbed and onto the short grass. We were sat around fifteen metres away and I was surprised, as I always am, at how small Wrynecks are, being barely Skylark sized albeit with a sleeker build. The Wryneck was alert and checked its surroundings carefully before resuming feeding. Wrynecks are renowned ant eaters and it was soon picking away with gusto at the grass.

Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)

Wrynecks are one of my favourite of birds, I have a penchant for cryptically plumaged birds and the Wryneck is one of our most camouflaged species. They can be extremely elusive and I've dipped many before including every single one that I've tried to see in my home county of Oxfordshire so I still need one for my county list. With patience though a Wryneck will usually show itself, either by sitting up on a visible perch like a fence post or prominent tree branch, from where it will survey its adopted temporary territory, or by scuttling out into the open to feed as this one had. Away from the concealment of a bush they are obviously easy to see against grass as green as it is next to Minsmere beach. On a sandy patch they become harder to see.

Various people walking along the path ventured close to where the bird feeding but most realised that the three of us were watching something interesting so veered away to the lower footpath and thus didn't disturb the Wryneck. Unfortunately a couple of the walkers weren't so observant and walked straight through the bushes which caused the Wryneck to take cover. Generally though the bird would hop surreptitiously back out to resume its hunt of ants after just a few minutes.

Ridiculously it seemed, just as we were finally joined by a few other birders, a chap wearing an RSPB volunteers badge, blasted straight through the gorse bushes, loudly asking as he stumbled through, 'Has anybody seen the Wryneck?' I couldn't believe how unaware the chap had been and how he hadn't seen us gathered on the path ahead of him, and all looking in his direction as well. I thought that if he couldn't see us then he wouldn't have much chance of seeing the Wryneck. It was too much for the bird which didn't show again for the next ten minutes. I decided to climb up the bank to the edge of the long grass of the  shore side dunes and edge along so that I could get another view of the bushes. As I suspected the Wryneck was perched up concealed within the gorse bush. A minute or so later it flew northwards and landed at another gorse thicket about a hundred metres away. I collected Mrs Caley and led her to the where the Wryneck had relocated. We found a place just off the path and with the famous sluice bushes at our backs viewed the gorse about ten metres away.

We didn't have to wait long before I saw the Wryneck creep along the lowest branches of the nearest gorse before dropping into a sandy hollow. Once in amongst the brown patch of sandy soil and leaf debris the camouflage of the bird really came into its own since it virtually disappeared. If I hadn't known it was there then I would never had spotted it.

The Wryneck was now almost right on the main path which was far busier with frequent walkers passing by. When a group of four managed to stop almost on top of the Wryneck's chosen feeding spot, the bird disappeared deep into the bushes. I feared that that would be it for the day but soon after the area had been vacated again, I spotted it perched near the top of the nearest bush. I've had some amazing views of Wrynecks before, particularly of one in South Wales a few years ago (see the photos here). These views weren't quite up to that mark but it was pretty close. The Wryneck stayed stationary for a couple of minutes before another approaching walker sent it scuttling away again.

I looked back to where we'd seen the Wryneck originally and realised that the other birders had remained there so I waved to them to indicate that we had the bird at our spot. Their number had swelled by a few so when the bird reappeared out on the grass again, there were quite a few that were very happy to see it. Unfortunately one of the followers was a little too eager and soon sent the Wryneck packing by encroaching too closely. I decided it was time to move on and head for home.

As we walked away I turned and scanned the bushes and sure enough found the Wryneck again perched up in the gorse but on the blind side of the watchers. This time I left it as it was and didn't alert the others. We noted a Great Egret and some Bearded Tits on the way back to cap a good day out.

Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)

Year List addition;

284) Wryneck

Sunday 3 September

We wouldn't normally go for another longish trip out the day after a full day away from home but the lure of a really showy Red-backed Shrike in Sussex had us leaving our driveway early the next morning. The juvenile bird had been wowing admirers for over a week at a small nature reserve on the top of a hill overlooking Shoreham-on-Sea. The roads are usually quiet on a Sunday morning and we made it to the destination in less than two hours.

There hadn't been any reports of the bird that morning so we thought that we'd have to find it for ourselves if was still present. However, that wasn't to be the case at all and when we walked through a gate on a path leading away from the carpark, we immediately noticed about a handful of other birders stood in front of a scrubby area of bushes and trees. I followed the line of sight and spotted the Shrike straight away. I do like ten-second twitches!

Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio)

Lit up as it was by the intense early morning sunshine, the Red-backed Shrike looked positively radiant, a blend of barring, chevrons and crescents adorning a grey and brown mix of colours. The bird was also perched in amongst a hawthorn hedge so was framed by clusters of red berries. The photographic opportunities were endless. We chose to sit next to a bush next to a path cut through long grasses that were festooned by lovely late summer wildflowers and, as the sun warmed the air, a myriad of butterflies. The Shrike was also biding its time, waiting for the insects to become more active.

Most Shrikes are predominately insectivores, with beetles, bees and other flying bugs their chief source of food. The larger species such as Great Grey Shrikes are also adept at catching and dispatching larger prey such as Lizards, small rodents and even some birds. We watched a Great Grey Shrike catch a Stonechat in the Forest of Dean once which it impaled on a thorny branch in true "Butcher Bird" fashion. This Red-backed Shrike was interested in insects though and it soon caught a bee. The photos below were one of the best sequences of any Shrike I've ever photographed. Still not good enough for BirdGuides to notice though. The pile of Old Caley photos on their cutting room floor must be a foot deep.

We continued to watch the Shrike. It proved how just diverse its own diet was by snacking on elder berries for a while as well as snaring many more bees and the like. Shrikes choose many lofty and exposed perches to use as lookout posts, a habit which makes them extremely popular to all birders and especially to photographers. I always think of them as being "easy" birds to see although that is not always the case since they can be very mobile, covering large ranges in their pursuit of food and territory.

I tried, unsuccessfully as usual, to capture the Red-backed Shrike in flight as it dropped down to the ground and then leapt back up again when hunting. They're quick, a blur of wings and always seem to pounce forward out of the trees which defeats the cameras ability to focus. Nevertheless I was happy to add another sought after migrant to the year list. Just need one in Oxfordshire now, hopefully along with a Wryneck!

Year List addition;

285) Red-backed Shrike