Turtle Doves at Titchwell Marsh RSPB 9th May 2019
From Holmes Dunes we drove back past Thornham and on to RSPB Titchwell for our last visit of the holiday. The weather was a bit better today so we were hoping for one last chance of Turtle Dove that are known to purr near the car park. And that is exactly what we found.
As we arrived at the car park we immediately heard the purring of a Turtle Dove. We were not in time to see it but we were told at the reception that that often showed in the car park and that the car park actually backed on to the small copse of woods that has the tank road on the other side of it. This tank road is where they actually feed the birds and the trees they roost in here are the same trees as the car park ones from a different perspective. This is not that obvious until you look at the map and then you see just how close these two areas are (see below)
At first we saw a pair up in a tree and you could actually see them with the naked eye so scoped views were brilliant. We stood here for a while enjoying such rare close views – better than ever before – and then, when they flew off, we headed off for the blind that looks over Patsy’s Pool where we got six Red-crested Pochards and four Common Pochards as well as some more usual ducks.
On our way back from Patsy’s Pool we stopped again at the tank road and looking in the other direction we saw a single Turtle Dove only about forty to fifty feet away eating seed that had been laid down for them. They looked very petit when compared to the other Woodpigeons and Feral Pigeons – and incredibly more attractive. We could had stayed there all day but we wanted to see what else we could get.
Just as we turned the corner at the Fen Hide my attention was drawn to a bird walking down the thin trunk of a rather bare bush only about a couple of feet from me. This gave me good, long views of another bird that is rarely seen well – a Cetti’s Warbler. So, not only had I had the best views ever of Turtle Dove and Grasshopper Warbler but I could now add the best views ever of a Cetti’s Warbler. Wow!
We decided to take our last walk down the west bank path to the Parrinder Hides and on the way we could hear two distinct Cuckoos calling.
All the birds we had seen before were here again but in much greater numbers. Brent Geese numbers were up to 20 and there were generally more ducks than previously.
Remarkably, I counted sixty Mediterranean Gulls. I do not know if I just could not see them on previous visits because they were so hunkered down but I was really surprised. I do not think I have ever seen so many in the same place.
Oddly I could not see any Common Tens but there were still good numbers of Sandwich Terns. There were several Marsh Harriers patrolling the site looking for lunch.
There were some waders on the scrape but the best of them were actually down at the edge of the sea and from atop the dunes again we got some good birds including Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderling, Turnstone, Redshank and Dunlin.
In all, by the time we had left we had seen forty-eight species including the stars of the show – year tick Turtle Doves. What a splendid way to end our last day in Norfolk.
Teal track is from car park to reception
Blue track is from reception to Fen Hide and Patsy’s Reedbed
X marks where the Turtle Doves are fed on the ground
Y marks where they are often seen
Bird Sightings Titchwell Marsh RSPB 9th May 2019
| Greylag Goose | 30 |
| Brent Goose | 20 |
| Canada Goose | 4 |
| Mute Swan | 1 |
| Egyptian Goose | 1 |
| Common Shelduck | 14 |
| Gadwall | 12 |
| Mallard | 10 |
| Northern Shoveler | 4 |
| Common Teal | 4 |
| Red-crested Pochard | 6 |
| Common Pochard | 4 |
| Tufted Duck | 4 |
| Grey Heron | 1 |
| Little Egret | 2 |
| Eurasian Marsh Harrier | 4 |
| Common Moorhen | 3 |
| Common Coot | 5 |
| Pied Avocet | 30 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 3 |
| Common Redshank | 1 |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 |
| Ruddy Turnstone | 2 |
| Sanderling | 4 |
| Dunlin | 5 |
| Black-headed Gull | 200 |
| Mediterranean Gull | 60 |
| Herring Gull | 1 |
| Sandwich Tern | 10 |
| Common Wood Pigeon | 8 |
| European Turtle Dove | 3 |
| Common Cuckoo | 2 |
| Common Swift | 4 |
| Sky Lark | 3 |
| Barn Swallow | 4 |
| Common House Martin | 6 |
| Great Tit | 2 |
| Eurasian Blue Tit | 4 |
| Long-tailed Tit | 1 |
| Eurasian Wren | 1 |
| Cetti’s Warbler | 2 |
| European Robin | 4 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 4 |
| Dunnock | 2 |
| Pied Wagtail | 1 |
| Common Chaffinch | 3 |
| European Greenfinch | 1 |
| European Goldfinch | 10 |