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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Norfolk birding (13 Viewers)

BTW, it's quite a long time since I have posted something not of a bird, as the temperature has not been conducive to the appearance of many insects- always seen whilst ‘birding in Norfolk’ !

If I posted some of the things I came across while 'Birding in Norfolk', I would definitely be banned, although I'm sure I could find somewhere where people would be interested in them!!
 
Thanks for posting the Eagle information David, certainly sounds interesting.

Super day in The Brecks included Goshawk, Golden Pheasant, Hawfinch and a Harris Hawk! The latter was seen perched by the the A134. Does anyone have any experience of this species in Norfolk? It certainly behaved as it if were a wild bird accustomed to the habitat, and wary of humans.
Details, within reason (sorry!) on me blog.

Cheers,
Jim.
 
A quick walk round gave first cuckoo of the year, calling and brief fly past.
Male Marsh Harrier carrying sticks off into the distance.
Grasshopper warbler reeling rather weakly from the marshes and several blackcaps, willow warblers, chiffchaffs and sedge warblers seen and heard.
Two house martins overhead, the peewits typically flying up to attack every corvid that dares fly over. No sign of green sandpiper.

Good close views of Chinese water deer.

A good morning.

Nice to know someone else goes there Tim! And it sounds like I will have some patch ticks to mop up when I next get down. Thanks for posting.
Jim.
 
Thanks for posting the Eagle information David, certainly sounds interesting.

Super day in The Brecks included Goshawk, Golden Pheasant, Hawfinch and a Harris Hawk! The latter was seen perched by the the A134. Does anyone have any experience of this species in Norfolk? It certainly behaved as it if were a wild bird accustomed to the habitat, and wary of humans.
Details, within reason (sorry!) on me blog.

Cheers,
Jim.

There was a Harris Hawk in that area about this time last year. I saw it at Lakenheath fen in May 2011 but not on several visits since then. Your bird could be the same one although more than one escapee is not unlikely.
cheers, Kieren
 
...and a Harris Hawk! The latter was seen perched by the the A134. Does anyone have any experience of this species in Norfolk? It certainly behaved as it if were a wild bird accustomed to the habitat, and wary of humans.
Details, within reason (sorry!) on me blog.

Cheers,
Jim.

Hi Jim,

Yes, escaped Harris's Hawks are recorded quite regularly. There was one in the Guist area for a long time which, whenever I saw it, behaved as if it were a wild bird (but I'm sure it wasn't). Last weekend I saw one at Strumpshaw Fen, which apparently came from Kelling, and a different bird was also seen in NE Norfolk around the same time. The Strumpshaw one was obviously an escapee as it had bells and jesses, but they don't all. I think it's a highly unlikely vagrant - their normal range only just reaches into North America. On the other hand they're very popular with falconry people.

I did wonder if the "Eagle" might be a Harris's Hawk, perhaps a juvenile which wouldn't be quite as distinctive as adults, but I don't think they usually hover so probably not.
 
Dave the Guist Harris Hawk did have jesses when it first apeared about 5-6 years ago , but they had disapeared within a year. I have not had the time to look for it recently , but it was still present up to October last year.

It obviously was well able to fend for itself in the wild and was sometimes seen having a serious disagreement with local marsh harriers. I am surprised they do so well in the wild as in their native America they are noted as a pack hunting hawk with one bird chasing a rabbit and when it tires a second and then a third or fourth bird taking on the hunt.
 
Yes, this IS the right channel !

Harris Hawk! Does anyone have any experience of this species in Norfolk?

http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2366009&postcount=15228

Jim: above is the link to my relevant post, from February. Whatever their origins, they are dramatically handsome birds in flight.

Cracking bird! Shame it wasn't put out to the wider world.

As for the ‘blue headed wagtail’, please note the qualification (in brackets) for this bird and my earlier post yesterday. Flava wagtails have been passing through in small numbers along the coast, for the last few days, unfortunately without staying put for very long, wherever I've seen them. This bird, apparently, put down for a minute and was reported to the VC, as I said- albeit more than an hour after it had gone. Vainly did I search, immediately I saw the pic. Pat will testify how fast I progressed along the boardwalk and many know my predilection for the wag fraternity- and sorority.

A recent and very similar bird is on this Fair Isle site: http://fibowarden.blogspot.co.uk/

“A wag with blue bonce had a loiter,
Near Bish Hide- I did reconnoitre.
It stayed for a minute,
I’ll just bear and grin- it
Was def’nit'ly not an all-nighter.”


If I posted some of the things I came across while 'Birding in Norfolk', I would definitely be banned, although I'm sure I could find somewhere where people would be interested in them!!

Yes, Dave: come to think of it, a quick (?) walk to Holkham, on a sunny day, would enable photographic product of this nature.
 

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Dave the Guist Harris Hawk did have jesses when it first apeared about 5-6 years ago , but they had disapeared within a year. I have not had the time to look for it recently , but it was still present up to October last year.

It obviously was well able to fend for itself in the wild and was sometimes seen having a serious disagreement with local marsh harriers. I am surprised they do so well in the wild as in their native America they are noted as a pack hunting hawk with one bird chasing a rabbit and when it tires a second and then a third or fourth bird taking on the hunt.

Yes, I've not seen the Guist bird since last year either, though I don't visit the site often enough to draw firm conclusions over its departure or demise.

The Strumpshaw bird was also receiving a great deal of hassle from local corvids and Marsh Harriers.
 
Unfortunately the Harris Hawk seems to have found Strumpshaw to its liking and can be seen mostly around the scrub in the middle of the reserve usually being mobbed. I fear that having a bird like that on the reserve during the breeding season will not help things at all! Hopefully one of the falconers from Kelling Heath will come and collect their property soon.
 
As for the ‘blue headed wagtail’, please note the qualification (in brackets) for this bird and my earlier post yesterday. Flava wagtails have been passing through in small numbers along the coast, for the last few days, unfortunately without staying put for very long, wherever I've seen them. This bird, apparently, put down for a minute and was reported to the VC, as I said- albeit more than an hour after it had gone. Vainly did I search, immediately I saw the pic. Pat will testify how fast I progressed along the boardwalk and many know my predilection for the wag fraternity- and sorority.

Apologies, I hadn't read the earlier post so the amount of time which the bird was present was unknown to me.
Perhaps it will be relocated.
 
Unfortunately the Harris Hawk seems to have found Strumpshaw to its liking and can be seen mostly around the scrub in the middle of the reserve usually being mobbed. I fear that having a bird like that on the reserve during the breeding season will not help things at all! Hopefully one of the falconers from Kelling Heath will come and collect their property soon.

??????????? what falconers on Kelling Heath, I think you are a good few years out of date Ben.

John
 
The Harris hawk problem

...I fear that having a bird like that on the reserve during the breeding season will not help things at all!...

Correct Ben. The Guist bird (still present earlier this month) is held responsible locally for recent breeding failures in other species.

...Hopefully one of the falconers from Kelling Heath will come and collect their property soon.

Unfortunately I think that is extremely unlikely.

There is at least one documented record of a pair of Harris hawks trying to breed 'up north', and another of successful breeding by a mixed pairing with common buzzard
 
a pair of Harris hawks trying to breed 'up north', and another of successful breeding by a mixed pairing with common buzzard

Depends how far ‘up north’ you mean, but might the progeny then be Harris Tweed ?

Apologies

“I wasn’t requesting a ‘sorry’,
From ‘tony’, or even ‘our Orrie’.
I just wanted to show
How those thought ‘in the know’
Cannot always succeed with their quarry.”

As for birds today, rain stopped play. We need about another three months of this to avoid a drought, according to an expert. (I wonder if that chap’s forecast about the coldest ever May [80%!] has any legs.)

It was useful to meet Mike (thanks) at the VC, who was able to provide some assistance for my next jaunt. I do not intend to remain here at Whitsun, but Romania at Whitsun; and not go too hungry on holiday, but . . .
 
??????????? what falconers on Kelling Heath, I think you are a good few years out of date Ben.

John

I don't know what falconry activity continues in the Kelling Heath area but one of the staff (volunteer?) at Strumpshaw seemed to think that someone from Kelling had been there the day before in order to recapture it, but without success. No doubt Ben will be better informed about this.
 
I had no idea you were 'into' religious architecture, Dave.

Please find below a diagram of an early apse.
 

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??????????? what falconers on Kelling Heath, I think you are a good few years out of date Ben.

John

The bird was being flown/shown in the Kelling area and just flew away, it ended up at Strumpy. (fact)

Someone did come and try to get the bird but it was not the birds owner so did not come to his calls, hopefully the real owner will come soon.
 
The bird was being flown/shown in the Kelling area and just flew away, it ended up at Strumpy. (fact)

Someone did come and try to get the bird but it was not the birds owner so did not come to his calls, hopefully the real owner will come soon.

Fair enough, I presumed you were refering to the falconary centre that was next to the heath some 10+ years ago. Was up there today and speaking to the lads who cover it every day, nobody has heard of any recent falconary activity. But somebody must be flying birds up here, would be interested to find out where.

Garden feeders are getting expensive to run recently!!
 

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