8. Trip to Titchwell

 RSPB Titchwell Marsh

The field trip to Titchwell was a blustery drab day, grey skies and 15-20 mph cold winds bending the reeds and rippling the waters in occasional mini squalls.

When we arrived at the viewing hide many of the birds were hunkered down on islands in a large freshwater lagoon.

The first thing I noticed was the birds were all facing the same way, 10 or so different species all facing into the wind. I was wondering why, the reason for this became apparent a few minutes later when a duck landed and shovelled around a bit before settling down to face the wind with its neighbours. When the duck was settling down and wandered between its flock to find a good spot, it occasionally waddled about with its back to the wind, all its feathers ruffled up in the breeze, like stroking a chicken or cat the wrong way. 

I assume this is all to do with heat loss, if all the birds faced the other away - with the wind up their backs - they would cool quickly and waste huge amounts of energy just trying to stay warm.

This is a guess, and I don't know this, and this blog is about what I have seen and observed, I don't think we are expected to research everything we say and back it up with articles and a huge bibliography, otherwise these blogs would be a bit dull.

The site is owned and run by the RSPB and is a site of special scientific interest SSSI and an area of outstanding natural beauty AONB, it is a protected site. The RSPB bought the site in the early 1970s, curiously for two rare birds that were there and didn't come back. 

Between 1970 and '72 a pair of Montagues harriers were spotted nesting at Titchwell, the following year the RSPB bought the site for these rarest of birds of prey in the UK, although the birds promptly disappeared, it mattered not because other birds came. Marsh harriers and avocets, residents and migrants, to become the huge list of over 200 bird species there now, and other flora and fauna including endangered water voles.

The site has gone through transformations and expansions over the decades, has excellent facilities, an range of habitats and is the most visited RSPB site, with nearly 100,000 annual visits by bird watchers, locals and tourists. It is now over 170 hectares and protected by Natura 2000, SPA and Ramsar listings.

The Marsh itself was farmland, then it was left to be reclaimed by the sea, and has become saltmarsh reed beds, brackish lagoons and fresh water lagoons, this gives the place three distinct habitats with a wide selection of birds with different diets, different feeding habits too, such as the depth of water they feed in. Short legged ducks like teal to long legged waders, avocets and redshank, small birds in the reed beds like bearded tits, large birds like bitterns and herons and birds of prey too, like Marsh harriers and kestrels, both of which we saw on our day there.

Above is a list of birds from their RSPB website that can be seen at Titchwell 218 species!

I don't know how many species we saw that day, at least 30, but then I know nothing about birds, I can tell a mute swan from a godwit, but I was struggling to identify what I was seeing and relying heavily on the twitchers around me to distinguish at distance, one gull from another. 

At one point I was outside the hide, looking out across reeds toward the open countryside, I spent a good few minutes squinting at an almost stationary large bird of prey hanging in the air, way off in the distance, over a field. I pointed it out to a member of our party who's extremely good on birds, "It's over there..." I said "...as big as a marsh harrier or a buzzard, but hovering like a kestrel"  

He brought up his binoculars to view it and replied "Yeah, I see it, that's a Kite" ! 

I was astonished, "A red Kite?" I asked excitedly, "No, a kite made of nylon, like farmers use to scare birds off a crop, you need better binoculars mate." 

When I looked through his binoculars, yes it was true, I had spotted a diamond shaped nylon kite, with big googly eyes painted on, and a tail made of plastic bows. "feel the shame" as they say.

I really enjoyed this trip,  it did however make me realise how woeful my birds ident' skills are, and how rubbish my binoculars were, which was a bit depressing.

RSPB (2020) Titchwell Marsh. Available at: https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/titchwell-marsh/?channel=paidsearch (accessed on: 09/03/2020)