I've been meaning to go to this place for a long time, as it is on the way to uni, but for some reason i only visited for the first time today. It is known for local rarities popping up there, as well as national rarities too. Species of note recently have been Little Egrets, Great Northern Diver and a host of Waders.
I only managed to get round the railway lake today, although it is massive, and took 3 hours to walk around, including stops!
The first thing i saw was a Kestrel hunting over Thurgarton railway station, and i got some cracking views before it flew off towards the village. I then made my way into the reservem where there were Willow Warblers singing loudly, along with other passerines. There was a small wet-meadow with cuckooflower growing in abundance.
At the lake, i got the scope out and scanned the water and the banks, not much happening, except a couple of Great Crested Grebes displaying to each other, and some Tufted Ducks sitting around as usual. A wander round to the next bank however produced a better view and there were a lot of Common Terns calling and feeding over the lakes, as well as plenty of other waterfowl. I also spotted an Oystercatcher, restlessly probing around on the far bank, as well as spooking a couple of herons, which scared the shit out of me by flying out of the reeds honking as they went. There were also plenty of Reed Warblers singing in the.... REEDS!
Further around the lake there were a few islands which looked promising, along with some muddy banks. There were a lot of Swallows feeding over the water, and the islands were mainly in use by Canada and Greylag Geese and Grebes, some of which were nesting. A sweep around with my scope revealed a Common Sandpiper, as well as 4 more oystercatchers, 2 of which looked like they were getting readu for nesting. There were also plenty of Pied Wagtails feeding on the banks.
In the middle of the railway path, there is a patch of woodland which was nice to walk through, where there were plenty of wildflowers as well as a sighting of a Whitethroat. Another Oystercatcher was seen through the trees. Past the woodland was more islands and banks which looked promising once again, but surprisingly there wasn't anything apart from a Little Ringed Plover, which was a nice - and tricky to spot - sighting!
Everthing quietened down as i walked round to the other side of the lake, but as i walked along the southern path, i saw a displaying Lapwing, making a lot of noise. Another lot of noise was a group of about 15 swifts, screaming as they went. More Swallows were seen over a field on the way back to the road, and there was a very loud chaffinch making its one-note call repeatedly. I also saw some spring mushrooms which was a surprise - which have been confirmed by the very knowledgeable Chris Yeates as Agrocybe praecox.
i saw around 40 species here today which was good, and its worth keeping an eye on due to its rarities. it was good to see LR plovers and common sandpipers again too.
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