Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire

Thursday 15 August 2013

Back in Stamford for a week so that I can attend the twenty-fifth British Bird Fair at Rutland Water; my local patch being a mere ten miles to the west.  So, with jobs done and time to spare before Friday's visit, I decided to carry on to Frampton Marshes on the outskirts of Boston once was doctor's appointment had bee satisfactorily concluded, arriving  a few minutes before 11 am.  Had it not been for long delays on the A16 due to road repairs I would have been on site thirty minutes earlier.  Clear, warm weather and a slight wind with a little more coming in off the Wash on arrival.  In addition, i was once again able to use my old Panasonic FZ50 camera and experiment with RAW images.

Little Ringed Plover  Charadrius dubius

Driving down the lane I was greeted by Collared Does and an odd Chaffinch and then, with the car parked up, I was able to take in the good numbers of waders and water birds about.  Immediately in front of me good numbers of Little Ringed Plovers and plenty of Lapwings but the predominate waders were Black-tailed Godwits and Ruffs.  Both of these were an absolute delight with many still in their breeding plumage, so lots of red to be sen everywhere.  Indeed, the Ruffs seemed to range on colour from a deep mustard colour to almost pure white such was the range of moult.  The other wader that could be seen n good numbers was the Golden Plover and, again, it was lovely to see the, almost, summer plumage.

One of very many Ruff  Philomachus pugnax

Out on the water in front of the Visitors' Centre I could count a small number of Little Egret along with a few Mallards.  A small number of Moorehen were busy feeding nearby and a Water Rail had been spotted a few minutes before my arrival.  House Sparrows were scavenging around the Centre and a good number of Swallows could be seen feeding over the nearby waters and fields.  Leaving a pair of Common Sandpipers to continue feeding I made my way down to the high bank to look out over the marsh.  Plenty of Mute Swans to be seen along with a large flock of Canada Geese and the odd Greylag Goose.  A small family of Coots was in the ditch as I arrived at the steps.  Over the marsh the occasional Black-headed Gull was observed and as I made my way back I was able to watch a lone Meadow Pipit feeding on the grassy edges and came across a small family of Goldfinches including many juveniles without the recognisable red face.

Avocet  Recurvirostra avosetta

Out on the pools I then had a number of Avocet and small flocks of Common Starlings along with a considerable number of resting Cormorants.  Spending time at the 360 Hide and its near neighbour I took great delight in watching the large numbers of Golden Plover, Black-tailed Godwits, Ruffs and Lapwings. At least a dozen Little Egrets were at this site and then the pleasure of both an overflying Curlew and a single Knot.  Nearer the hide a pair of female juvenile Yellow Wagtails (M.f.flavisima) and a flock of approximately twenty Linnets, many still showing much summer colouring.  Also in the water was a small flock of plain Teal and then a trio of Greenshanks.  Whilst at the 360 Hide I had a single Snipe feeding in front of me along with many more Little ringed Plovers and many, many butterflies immediately in front of me, mainly Peacocks but also some Large Whites.  The neighbouring hide also added a pair of Dunlin to the morning's list.  My final bird was a female Tufted Duck along with a quintet of small ducklings.

Lovely to see so many Peacock Butterflies Inachis io

As I left Frampton marsh o take the relatively short drive over to Frieston I had first  a female Marsh Harrier fly low over the field to my left and then across the road immediately in front of me which certainly get the local Rock Doves up into the air from the corn field where they had been feeding.  There were a couple of Wood Pigeons followed by a male Blackbird, Carrion Crows and Rooks before leaving the village itself.

Frieston itself was very disappointing with just a small number of House Sparrows and Starlings plus the occasional Black-headed Gull.  A walk down the track towards the marshes then revealed a pair of Moorhen and a small group of ten Black-tailed Godwits.  From the hide I was also able to find a pair of Oystercatchers and a couple of Shovelers and the return walk produced both female Blackbird and Chaffinch along with a single Magpie.

Part of the flock of Canada Geese Branta canadensis heading towards the hide like a squadron of WWII Wellingtons 

 

So, with a final count of 41 species I made my way home via Spalding.

Birds seen:
Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Shoveler, Teal, Tufted Duck, Cormorant, Little Egret, Marsh Harrier, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Knot, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Snipe, Ruff, Black-headed Gull, Rock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Barn Swallow, Meadow Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Blackbird, Magpie, Crow, Rook, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet.