Herons Hanging On

Down to Didlington on Monday this week to count the cormorant nests as part of a nationwide BTO survey. Numbers have certainly increased since they first bred here about eight years ago, and we counted 35 nests in total, concentrated at the southern end of the island and spreading round the corner now as more nesting sites are required. No sign of any herons as we walked along the river - seeing my first speckled wood and willow warbler of the year - but from the other side of the lake we spotted four occupied heron nests in an ivy-infested tree, discreetly tucked away from the cormorants. It seems the herons have been pushed out of their former nesting trees, but this new location looks good for them for a while at least. Didlington's heronry has been mentioned in books for many years and at its peak included 60-65 nests. It was even illustrated in the Illustrated London News in 1868 - see below.

"The Heronry at Didlington Park in Norfolk"

Dwindling herons aside, Didlington was looking as fine as ever. The history of this intriguing place is worth reading - see here for a summary. Meanwhile, photographs of the hall continue to turn up, I bought this one (posted in 1909) last week for a fiver on eBay!

Went from Didlington to the goshawk watchpoint - not a peep of one, naturally, but curlews calling and at least one woodlark singing nearby and watched parachuting down from a roadside tree. Then off to Northwold Fen, a new site for me and rather confusingly at Stoke Ferry and not at Northwold. It's real fen country and Telescope-land to boot, as the flooded area is some way off from the path and not easy to cover with bins alone. Even so, we managed to pick up some shoveler, a few wigeon, teal and several oystercatchers, plus four buzzards sailing around and a large falcon high above - almost certainly a peregrine. The showstopper came, bizarrely, in the form of a sacred ibis, which flew in and started feeding at the edge of the washes. Clive even managed a pic, bravo! Apparently this bird has been seen recently at Welney. It's unringed, so anyone's guess as to provenance... Somehow appropriate though that Thoth should put in an appearance on the same day as we'd been at Didlington, Howard Carter would have had a smile on his face!

The sickle-billed god comes into land.... captured thanks to Clive Sheppard's steady hand!