Gary Howard's birds and wildlife

 Jenny and I took the boys on a four-hour circular walk around Stodmarsh this afternoon. We started soon after mid-day and walked along the Lampen Wall, alongside the Stour and down towards Grove Ferry before turning right and coming back via the marsh hide and then spent half an hour after sunset in the bittern hide. Blue skies, cold but dry and rather beautiful. We saw just a handful of people and the boys were happy in the ice covered puddles and made it round without too many moans.

All of the smaller bodies of water were frozen and the edges of the main lake on which we had around 500 Teal.

We'd only been walking a short while when we were rewarded with great views of a Bittern as it flew towards us from the main reedbed area and then just as it looked as if it might fly over the Lampen Wall it turned and dropped back down.

There were at least 6 Marsh Harrier's in the area and just before we walked off the bank of the Stour at the Grove end we had a superb adult male Hen Harrier.

I heard around 15 Cetti's Warblers which was encouraging - I wonder how they will survive if this cold snap goes on much longer.

The marsh was very quiet and there was little to see from the hide.

 Towards dusk the gathering roost of thrushes, largely Fieldfare, was spectacular. As we walked from the marsh hide they were all around us in the air, pitching into bushes and calling constantly. Once in the marsh hide I tried to make an effort to count them and estimated that at least 2,500 Fieldfare were involved, more than likely more. A few Bearded Tit's called as dusk came and then Water Rails became quite noisy. As the mercury fell below zero we trudged back to the car and finally drove out in the dark.  

  River Stour.

Flooded meadows between Stodmarsh and Grove Ferry

Bittern   

 Dusk at Stodmarsh