Psilos Bird Journal
Thursday October 1st 2009
     
"Suddenly"
 
 

The first day of October and great expectation is in the air. Whooper swans have been seen in Scotland and it can only be a matter of days before the first Whoopers arrive at Martinmere. The day dawned fresh and bright with very little wind and so with rumours around that some Whoopers might be in the area I took myself off.

Walking closer to the mere I could hear the excited calls of many Pink footed geese. In the last few weeks these had come down to Martinmere in their thousands and they were clearly audible everywhere. I was also hoping to get in to the hide and look out upon some Whooper swans no matter how distant they may be. Approaching ever closer I grew more and more excited. It was still early in the morning and entering the hide I was glad to see almost noone there. Looking out onto the mere my excitement was very quickly quashed. There was not a Whooper swan to be seen.
I gave it half an hour and still there were no swans. I was bitterly disappointed. I got on the phone and began to change my plans for the day. So engrossed was I in the conversation that my look out skills went to pot. It almost proved to be a costly mistake. Looking left suddenly my view was filled with Whooper swans. Two dozen tightly grouped, low flying birds, whooping softly and coming straight towards the mere. My telephone conversation abruptly ended and I took up my camera as the birds kept on coming.
Rather surprisingly the birds came in towards the front of the mere (first birds are usually quite wary and keep to the back) They looked like they were going to land but at the last moment they banked and did a circuit of the mere. Although the skies in the photos here look very different the shots show all the same flight. They cover quite a large area and the sky can be very changeable.
 
 
 
 
Once down the birds where very quiet. There were two dozen in all and all non breeding birds. Families with cygnets are not expected to arrive until the thrid week in October. They fed and preened alittle but very soon afterwards they went to sleep. I felt so priveledged to have seen them as in all the years I have been watching them I have never seen the very first birds arrive.
In the back fields the Pink footed geese number their thousands and make a wonderful noise. Like great flying batallions they arrive wave upon wave landing like parachutists into the fields.

 
There are few ducks on the mere. The male Teal and Pintail are all still in eclipse plumage. I am still trying to get a close flight shot of a Teal. Hopefully this winter I will get one. Happily the Pintails are more obliging.
 
 
There are quite high numbers of grey heron around. The geese are very wary of them and readily take flight in their thousands when a heron flies across. The heron below flew right over the hide in which I was sitting.
There was also a juvenile Marsh harrier hunting low over the back of the mere. Hopefully this winter will see many more raptors giving great views.