Valencia diaries: Tuesday, day 1

Tuesday 10 March - arrival in Valencia.

It was a routine flight from Gatwick, arriving in Valencia at the same time as Karin and Brennan arrived from Germany. Meeting as the airport were local leader Pau and Jillian, who had travelled from her part of Spain and was picked up by Pau a little earlier. Most of us found our way out of the car park in our Europcar minibus then followed Pau's vehicle, with the remainder of the group, south-east towards Valencia's marshes. The paddy fields were poor for birds: draining ahead of rice being planted had started early. Nonetheless, Brian estimated we passed about 300 little egrets, mostly standing around in dry fields.

We parked at the Albufera's visitor centre and climbed the stairs to the elevated viewing area. Lakes with islands held black-winged stilts and shelducks. Turning through 90 degrees, out on the open water were red-crested pochards and Mediterranean gulls mingling with black-headed gulls.

Black-winged stilt tucked in behind a shelduck.

We descended and followed the route that a school group had taken to a large hide, past helpfully labelled trees, such as Aleppo pines, and shrubby vegetation that included phillyrea, sometimes known as false olive though here with the English name of mock privet. We found a chiffchaff and heard several Sardinian warblers. From the hide we were close to the stilts: there was also a little ringed plover and Jill found a ruff. A pale phase booted eagle flew around a few times.

Lunch, a Valencian treat.

Lunch at Restaurant Mateu was a very large Fideuà (a Valencian dish similar to paella but with pasta rather than rice) and a paella, plus salad and puddings.

There was a brief stop to look at water pipits on a muddy field followed by an unsuccessful attempt to see a usually reliable day time roost of night herons. Wren and blackcap in song and a couple of house martins flying over were the best we could do.

Time was moving on, so we set off on the hour's journey to Villalonga. This was the first Honeyguide group at Hotel Casa Babel, so it was good have time to settle in and begin to work out the lie of the land. Pau joined us for a sumptuous dinner: shared starters, quite a choice for main course then a selection of desserts. It was soon time to catch on sleep after early starts.

Flying squirrels and ringed seals in Estonia

Estonia is already a good country for seeing mammals, often so tricky in Europe. The usual Honeyguide holiday in Estonia includes our partner NaTourEst’s bear hide, where as well as brown bears there are usually racoon dogs and red squirrels.

Estonia also has two unusual species of mammal, ringed seals and flying squirrels. Could it be good idea to adapt our itinerary to try to see then on a Honeyguide holiday? Honeyguide’s Chris Durdin asked NaTourEst’s Peep Rooks about these mammals.

Ringed seal in Hiiumaa, Estonia (Simo Kikkas)

Ringed seals are generally a species of the High Arctic and Chris suggested that Estonian ringed seals would be some of the most southerly in Europe.

Peep says: “Yes, the ringed seals in Estonian waters are the most southern population in the world. They ‘got stuck’ in the Baltic Sea after the last ice age, when the land started to rise. We integrate the ringed seals usually to our itineraries as a ’day-tour’, which means we drive to the port – 20 minutes from Matsalu NP – then the ferry crosses for 1h15 minutes and then it's maybe another 15-30 minutes, depending on the port we depart from.

“If the trip is made in the first part of May or autumn, already the ferry ride is great for birdwatching. In June, Hiiumaa is besides bird also great for plants. A lot of alvars, and similar to the island of Saaremaa [visited on Honeyguide’s recce visit] in that sense. The haul out area of the seals is between small islets south east of Hiiumaa and we sometimes also go on land on some of the islets, such as Saarnaki. We have a picnic there and then go back ... the islets themselves are beautiful, but nothing spectacular in terms of plants or birds in my opinion – some orchids and white-tailed eagles are quite certain, but these you would also see in Matsalu or Hiiumaa.

“I'll also add that ringed seals are more shy than grey seals. I know in many countries you can watch grey seals from a short distance, but that's not the case with the ringed seals. Though every time there are some individuals who come to check who is coming with the boat!”

Flying squirrels are rare this far west and said to be mostly nocturnal, asked Chris, so how easy is it to see them? Peep strikes an optimistic note.

Flying Squirrel  (Martin Absalon)

“Flying squirrel is a difficult species to see, but it's also really rare...almost the most western population (Finnish squirrels are a bit more western). The locations our specialist usually finds are in Alutaguse National Park and last time they were about 20 minutes by car from our brown bear hides. The tour usually consists of two parts - visiting the habitat during midday, when the expert describes the habitat, shows videos etc. and there's a chance to see them already during daytime (for example if there's a pregnant female, who has to leave the tree cavity also during midday).

“Then we go out of the forest, do something else and have dinner or lunch and return in the evening, when there's the highest chance to see them. In the beginning of June, the days are so long and the nights are so bright that the squirrel just can't wait until it's pitch black. So the chances are quite good.”

This blog is partly a little insight into two unusual mammals from the perspective of a British naturalist. It’s also to ask if trying to see either of these would attract Honeyguiders to visit or return to Estonia. Please tell us what you think!

A secret revealed

Crane artwork by Mike Langham.

It’s 40 years since cranes returned to the Broads in Norfolk having been absent as breeding bird from the UK for some 400 years. Chris Durdin, co-author of The Norfolk Cranes’ Story, tells their story.

This is the 4^th and final blog of four blogs. The full story is in The Norfolk Cranes’ Story book, which recently came out in paperback. See www.norfolkcranes.co.uk for how to buy a copy.

A secret revealed

When the cranes first returned to Horsey, secrecy was an important part of protecting them. It helped that cranes have a knack of disappearing from view during the breeding season. There were rumours that the birds were ‘escapes’, which discouraged some birdwatchers from wanting to see them. 

But it would be easy to be unrealistic about how secret the Horsey cranes were: they are large and sometimes noisy birds and word of their presence spread. As the veil lifted somewhat, information was published in bird reports and books. But we remain cautious about saying where cranes nest.

After the turn of the century, with crane numbers increasing and pairs nesting away from Horsey, their guardian John Buxton became happy to talk about his part in the cranes’ story at Horsey. 

John kept detailed diaries of his observations. These contemporary records were vital when he worked with me to write The Norfolk Cranes’ Story book, first published in 2011, now also in paperback. 

Crane with a potato (John Buxton).

Watching cranes
With up to 50 cranes in the Broads, plus a growing number in the Fens, chance encounters are getting easier. They are secretive when nesting, so autumn and winter are the best time to see them. The biggest group is in the Hickling-Horsey area, and they sometimes feed close to the coast road between West Somerton and Waxham.

The best place to watch for cranes is the raptor viewpoint at Stubb Mill, Hickling. Late afternoon is a favourite time, and cranes are often seen here along with barn owls and both marsh and hen harriers coming to their overnight roost, plus bittern and merlin with a little luck. Park at NWT Hickling nature reserve centre and walk ¾ mile to the raised viewpoint.

Outside the UK, the sight of large numbers of migrating cranes can be enjoyed in several counties, including southern Sweden, Germany’s coast, Hungary and parts of France. The biggest winter flocks are in Spain, especially in Extremadura where between November and February there are more than 100,000 cranes.

Crane with juvenile at Horsey (John Buxton).

This concludes the 4-part blog about the return of cranes to the UK.

Cranes in the UK – a brief history

It’s 40 years since cranes returned to the Broads in Norfolk having been absent as breeding bird from the UK for some 400 years. Chris Durdin, co-author of The Norfolk Cranes’ Story, tells their story.

This is part 3 of four blogs. The full story is in The Norfolk Cranes’ Story book, which recently came out in paperback. See www.norfolkcranes.co.uk for how to buy a copy.

Cranes in the UK – a brief history

The return of cranes to Norfolk is a recolonisation – a distinction worth making in view of the reintroduction project in the West Country. But exactly how many cranes used to breed in Britain and Ireland is far from clear – hardly surprising as they may not have bred since the 17^th century.

The only proof of breeding in the literature is an account of a payment for a ‘young Pyper crane’ at Hickling in 1543.

Nearly 300 place names start with Cran, Carn or Tran, from the Old Norse or Anglo-Saxon names for crane. That suggests cranes were common and widespread, though some of these place names might be linked to grey herons, still confused with cranes (like the ‘biggest bloody herons’) today. Or they may have been gathering places for non-breeding flocks of cranes.

Illustrations in manuscripts and records of cranes served at feasts provide further evidence, and draw distinctions between cranes and herons. References to cranes on Christmas menus and those shot on the Le Strange Estate at Hunstanton point to winter flocks or migrants.

There can be little doubt that shooting combined with large-scale drainage in the Fens and elsewhere drove the cranes to extinction in the British Isles.

A crane at Horsey, Norfolk, is harassed by an avocet (John Buxton). Header: crane silhouettes (Nick Upton).

To be continued.

Why did cranes come to Horsey in Norfolk?

It’s 40 years since cranes returned to the Broads in Norfolk having been absent as breeding bird from the UK for some 400 years. Chris Durdin, co-author of The Norfolk Cranes’ Story, tells their story. 

This is part 2 of four blogs. The full story is in The Norfolk Cranes’ Story book, which recently came out in paperback. See www.norfolkcranes.co.uk for how to buy a copy.

Why did cranes come to Horsey in Norfolk?

What we didn’t know in the 1980s is that cranes in eastern and northern Europe were increasing in numbers and their range was spreading westwards. With hindsight, that first colonisation more than three decades ago looks almost inevitable. At the time, it felt like the cranes had a very tentative and vulnerable toehold in Britain.

Cranes at Horsey (Nick Upton): black bustles on this pair.

Why choose Horsey? The coastal location plays a part, for a migrant bird. It’s a relatively quiet part of the Broads, with large and undisturbed reed and sedge beds suitable for nesting. These are close to open grazing marshes and arable where the cranes feed for much of the year.

An additional lucky element for these colonising cranes was to be on John Buxton’s local patch. He became the cranes’ guardian. Helping John was a team: for several years both the RSPB and Horsey Estate employed crane wardens who did guard duties, as we were worried by the risks of disturbance and egg-collectors.

Numbers grew slowly but steadily during the 1980s, helped by additional migrants joining the group at Horsey. There was a worrying lean period with no new young from 1989 to 1996, but then at least two young were fledged in 1997.

It wasn’t until the new millennium – in 2001 – that cranes nested away from Horsey and two years later, in 2003, they nested at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Hickling nature reserve for the first time.

A bigger step was the first breeding cranes away from the Broads. That was in 2007, when a pair nested at the RSPB’s Lakenheath Fen nature reserve in Suffolk, following a big influx of migrant cranes into the UK. These birds are part of a scattered group in the Fens.

Hundreds of people every year enjoy the sight of flying cranes or hear their evocative bugling calls in Norfolk and beyond. John Buxton died in 2014, but he leaves a remarkable legacy. Cranes may never be common, but John’s determined, patient work in those early days has paid off and their future looks assured.

To be continued.

Horsey Mill (John Buxton)

'The biggest bloody herons'

It’s 40 years since cranes returned to the Broads in Norfolk having been absent as breeding bird from the UK for some 400 years. Chris Durdin, co-author of The Norfolk Cranes’ Story, tells their story. 

This is part 1 of four blogs. The full story is in The Norfolk Cranes’ Story book, which recently came out in paperback. See www.norfolkcranes.co.uk for how to buy a copy.

“The biggest bloody herons.” That was the farmer’s description of two birds on the marshes at Horsey in September 1979. At the other end of the phone was John Buxton from Horsey Hall, who the excited farmer had phoned.

John guessed they were cranes, not least as it wasn’t the first time they’d been seen, as migrants, in the Horsey area. But this time it was different; these birds decided to stay.

The first three cranes - a scan from a slide by John Buxton. Note how here they are feeding on arable.

The two cranes were seen in the Hickling-Horsey area from 13^th September 1979 and a third bird joined them during October. They stayed all winter, sometimes feeding in potato fields. In early April they left, but returned two and half weeks later, perhaps deterred by the long flight across the North Sea to Scandinavia.  

Two cranes, acting as a pair, then stayed all summer but didn’t breed. The first nesting attempt was in 1981 when two eggs were laid and one chick hatched but didn’t survive.

The first successful nesting came in the following year, 1982, when the first crane fledged in the UK for some 400 hundred years.

The original pair of cranes at Horsey (John Buxton)

Fast forward to 2020, and there are around 10 pairs of cranes in the Broads and more than 30 pairs in the UK, including the reintroduced birds at the ‘Great Crane Project’ in Somerset and separate recolonisations in the Fens and in Scotland.

To be continued.

Three swans a-swimming … on the path!

Blog post from NWT Thorpe Marshes by Chris Durdin on 16 December, 2019. Written with NWT blog in mind, published here in case it helps anyone coming to the guided walk on 17 December.

Mute swans on the flooded path at Thorpe Marshes.

“Streets full of water. Please advise.” It’s a famous telegram about Venice’s canals, certainly tongue-in-cheek, and though the wording and origin is disputed, the spirit of the quip came to mind as I walked around NWT Thorpe Marshes. 

The path through the marshes was under water after recent high tides. Three mute swans were surprised to see me as I waded along the path while I took the usual circuit around the reserve. It was that way round – the swans being surprised, not me. When the reserve is flooded the swans seem to choose the flooded paths over the ditches and water-filled marshes. There was a half-hearted hiss as I went past the trio, as if to say, “This is our kind of place today, what are you doing here?”

NWT Thorpe Marshes gets inundated by the tidal River Yare at some point in most winters. It’s usually when there’s a combination of high river flows after rain and high tides. It may be inconvenient for a few days for visitors and dog walkers, but I certainly don’t mind. It underlines that a wetland nature reserve is the ideal use for the area.

The Yare here retains some elements of a naturally functioning river system: in other words, it should flood. On these occasions, the marshes act as a temporary water storage area, a kind of safety valve that contributes to protecting people and property elsewhere.

Anyone reading this ahead of the next guided walk at Thorpe Marshes on 17 December may be wondering if the walk will be affected. It depends on the next few days, of course, but from experience the water drains away quickly. If paths across the marshes are under water, then the walk will simply stick to the higher riverside footpath that leads to the viewpoint over St Andrews Broad. But do wear wellies!

 Floods in a gateway at Thorpe Marshes.