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Daydream believer

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I have just noticed a new thread posted "Chilly in Ipswich this morning" . This not only shows an exciting picture of some sheds 🫣 But also some birds & what looks like ice on the water.
This reminded me of when I was sent to live in Berwick upon Tweed 70 years ago as a young lad. A small section of the river Tweed was frozen over. Unusual, as it is where the fresh water meets the sea. A swan decided to do a landing, but obviously did not realise that the landing strip was ice. It seemed to skid for miles & was so funny as wings, legs & neck flew out everywhere. Poor thing took some time to recover. The local bird watch people were on hand & checked it out, along with a few that they took to a sanctory to recover from the cold.
They did care about there swans in Berwick
 
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Egret

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Wren / Dunnock - I have both! Birds with grey head and body probably wrens but I also have three round brown Dunnocks - now I can identify them - more th[s afternoon. Can see them better with the frost on the ground.
 
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Puffin10032

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But wouldn't such small mammals be hibernating in these conditions? Hard frost here - fen skating for the first time in years.

No. Our bats hibernate as do Hedgehogs and Dormice but no other British mammals do. There's a fallacy that Badgers hibernate. They don't. In extreme conditions they can enter a state of torpor and lower they body temperature by about 8 degrees for a while but that's not hibernation.
 

ianc1200

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Notice from the 1st post John Alison didn't mention egrets. On the opposite bank in the Twizzle to the marina early October there were hundreds of egrets, I just finished building a pram dinghy and was close to that Horsey Island bank, trying new oars etc & just amazed how many there were. Perhaps all gone now?
 

Snowgoose-1

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Notice from the 1st post John Alison didn't mention egrets. On the opposite bank in the Twizzle to the marina early October there were hundreds of egrets, I just finished building a pram dinghy and was close to that Horsey Island bank, trying new oars etc & just amazed how many there were. Perhaps all gone now?
I think that there are more Egrets around now than I can remember. Purely by self observation rather than any published data. Good things are still happening in our society despite.......................... :)
 

johnalison

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I think that there are more Egrets around now than I can remember. Purely by self observation rather than any published data. Good things are still happening in our society despite.......................... :)
Egrets are beautiful birds, but as a barometer of global warming perhaps we shouldn’t be so pleased to see them. I remember the first time I saw one it was in the Pyefleet. I had heard that they were known to have reached the South Coast but was surprised to see one nearby. I was so excited that I sent a text to a friend. Since we only got a mobile phone in 1999 it must have been then or later, which makes the explosion in their numbers even more remarkable. I saw a lot roosting on East Mersea a few years ago and heard that seventy were known to roost there, but I’ve only seen sporadic ones up at Walton.

I have seen Great White Egrets many times at Abberton and once in northern Netherlands, and one recently inland in Wivenhoe. They are truly impressive birds, as are spoonbills, also occasional visitors. I have seen the odd cattle egret too, and in India the intermediate egret that must have been put there just to confuse me.
 

Egret

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Amazed so many Egrets seen at Walton as I only see a few at my mooring and a few Avocets but no Spoonbills yet - Must have been Egrets on the Colne though since the 1930's as one of the BOD's is called Egret and dad had a boat called Egret,in the1950's. Also currently a few on the River Brett at Kersey Mill upstream of Hadleigh Suffolk..

EDIT - Also weever fish on Cromer beach so they are travelling North as well.
 
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AntarcticPilot

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Amazed so many Egrets seen at Walton as I only see a few at my mooring - first saw them in the quiet bits of Flag creek but now near the moorings and on the Cindery, but only a few. Don't seem to worry about boats or people now. Mine come quite close. Must have been Egrets though since the 1930's as one of the BOD's is called Egret and dad had a boat called Egret, converted lifeboat, in the1950's. A few Avocets but havn't seen a Spoonbill yet.
Egrets are beautiful birds, but as a barometer of global warming perhaps we shouldn’t be so pleased to see them. I remember the first time I saw one it was in the Pyefleet. I had heard that they were known to have reached the South Coast but was surprised to see one nearby. I was so excited that I sent a text to a friend. Since we only got a mobile phone in 1999 it must have been then or later, which makes the explosion in their numbers even more remarkable. I saw a lot roosting on East Mersea a few years ago and heard that seventy were known to roost there, but I’ve only seen sporadic ones up at Walton.

I have seen Great White Egrets many times at Abberton and once in northern Netherlands, and one recently inland in Wivenhoe. They are truly impressive birds, as are spoonbills, also occasional visitors. I have seen the odd cattle egret too, and in India the intermediate egret that must have been put there just to confuse me.
I associate egrets with my stays in Hong Kong, where they are more common than grey herons are here. I think I agree with @johnalison that their increasing prevalence here (I've seen them at Welney, and they had a pair of great egrets a year or so ago) is worrying as a sign of things to come!
 

johnalison

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Amazed so many Egrets seen at Walton as I only see a few at my mooring - first saw them in the quiet bits of Flag creek but now near the moorings and on the Cindery, but only a few. Don't seem to worry about boats or people now. Mine come quite close. Must have been Egrets though since the 1930's as one of the BOD's is called Egret and dad had a boat called Egret, converted lifeboat, in the1950's. A few Avocets but havn't seen a Spoonbill yet, lots of Turnstones.
I doubt if you'll see spoonbills on the shore. I think they prefer quieter inland water, but of course they might fly over. Abberton is a good place to see them, and for anyone interested joining Essex Wildlife is worth it as you get free access to Abberton, Fingringhoe and a number of other sites.

There was a spot at the western end of Texel which became famous for hosting a colony of spoonbills, and I got a distant view of them there on one occasion, and also on Norderney. They seem to be occasional visitors to Abberton, where it is usually a matter of pot luck what you will see, along with layer Breton causeway nearby, but you'd be unlucky to come away without seeing something interesting, such as smew or a red-necked grebe. Anywhere up the Colne can be good for various species. I sometimes go to the mouth of Alresford Creek for a good view.
 

Snowgoose-1

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I associate egrets with my stays in Hong Kong, where they are more common than grey herons are here. I think I agree with @johnalison that their increasing prevalence here (I've seen them at Welney, and they had a pair of great egrets a year or so ago) is worrying as a sign of things to come!
I'm Interested.
What data do you have.
 

Puffin10032

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I doubt if you'll see spoonbills on the shore. I think they prefer quieter inland water, but of course they might fly over. Abberton is a good place to see them, and for anyone interested joining Essex Wildlife is worth it as you get free access to Abberton, Fingringhoe and a number of other sites.

There was a spot at the western end of Texel which became famous for hosting a colony of spoonbills, and I got a distant view of them there on one occasion, and also on Norderney. They seem to be occasional visitors to Abberton, where it is usually a matter of pot luck what you will see, along with layer Breton causeway nearby, but you'd be unlucky to come away without seeing something interesting, such as smew or a red-necked grebe. Anywhere up the Colne can be good for various species. I sometimes go to the mouth of Alresford Creek for a good view.

The North Coast of Norfolk is good for Spoonbills. You've got the lagoons on the nature reserves which they love but I've also seen them out on the salt marsh. I've read that they're also seen at RSPB Cliffe Pools on the Hooe peninsular. We even had a small group of them stay for a few days at some pits not far from me here in the Midlands. I'm sure how far North they range but they are seen on the Dee estuary.
 

WoodyP

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Notice from the 1st post John Alison didn't mention egrets. On the opposite bank in the Twizzle to the marina early October there were hundreds of egrets, I just finished building a pram dinghy and was close to that Horsey Island bank, trying new oars etc & just amazed how many there were. Perhaps all gone now?
Little, Cattle or Great?
 

Bouba

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Today I saw a lot of flamingos....unfortunately my phone camera isn’t really up to the job. One of the truly great sights of nature are flamingos in flight....their size when fully extended....their grace when in formation...but mostly, when their huge wings beat and there is that flash of pink in the sky
 

Frayed Knot

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Something unusual today on the Deben near the Tidemill. A Black Swan, it was only there for an about 5 minutes so I was lucky to see it.
It was at Waldringfield first thing yesterday morning. Probably a recent escapee as it was hanging about in front of the houses, I imagine hoping to be fed.
We’ve seen two or three here over the years but I believe there were always a few amongst the numerous mutes at Ipswich when the granaries were operating.
 
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