Back in September, I visited the RSPB reserve at Frampton Marsh, with the hope of seeing a wader called a Lesser Yellowlegs which had just arrived, but sadly missed it. Now over 100 days later, this bird is still at the site, recently showing well in the flooded area adjacent to the visitor car park and even occasionally in the pools in the car park itself. Frampton Marsh is a reserve I have visited during spring and summer, but not winter months so with a few days planned staying with my sister in nearby Cambridgeshire, I expressed a wish to visit, with a the added attraction of possibly seeing the lesser yellowlegs if still present.
After a slightly longer journey than expected due to heavy traffic, we arrived at the reserve at around nine thirty. With the car park quickly filling, we were pleased to find a suitable parking spot before joining the several other visitors scanning the floods with their scopes. We saw good numbers of ducks, lapwings and even a couple of snipe before someone pointed out the lesser yellow legs making its away along the 'shoreline' where a grass ridge met the water not too far from the carpark boundary. It was an elegant bird, its long yellow legs very apparent as it probed for food and we spent some time watching it as it made its way left to right giving good views to all observers,
Having ticked it off mentally on our year lists, we went to the visitor centre, and after checking out the lunch menu with a view to eating in the café later on, found our way out to the reserve. It was bright sunshine, quite chilly but with little wind and the reedbeds looked golden yellow against the blue sky and water. We were glad we had worn wellies, as the wardens warned us that some of the paths were partly or totally flooded!
As we made out way around the hides, we noted the usual range of duck species on the reserve which included good numbers of wigeon and a few pintail, although we missed out on the goldeneyes, not realising they were there. Hoping to see some wintering brent geese, we climbed the steps to the sea wall and started to walk along it but then noticed a large flock of dark bodied geese flying in from the Wash which we identified as brent geese. The high tide had obviously caused them to relocate and whilst some settled in a distant field field, others flew overhead and stopped off on the reserve itself. I would like to have seen whooper swans but they tend to fly in at dusk and off at dawn, not remaining on site during the day and we were unable to spot any during our visit.
Along the perimeter of the reserve, goldfinches could be seen enjoying the seeds from the sunflower plot and at one time a large mixed finch flock flew in and perched on a hawthorn bush. We scanned with binoculars and found that the flock included several bramblings as well as greenfinches, chaffinches and goldfinches. Whilst we stood watching, a kestrel landed in a nearby tree, giving excellent views as it sat there almost motionless, seemingly unconcerned by the visitors photographing it.
With time moving on, we then made our way back to the cafe, stopping for a snack lunch before returning home.
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