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

Norfolk birding (11 Viewers)

Slight disappointment here too...... Got in the dunes at 18:30 with my scope and in 1 hour logged 18 Sooty Shearwater west, some at a decent range, 2 Fulmar, 2 Arctic Skua east, 4 Pintail west (then west then west again! They had to be the same ones), 6 Gannet east and 28+ Little Gulls (ads & 1W's) with the odd Kittiwake also west. No sign of a Great Shearwater though...

Would like to read a first hand account of the day at Sheringham Tanks...

James

Edit:Happisburgh seawatch ~ 06:45- 08:00 8th September. Bonxie E3, Arctic Skua E6 & W7, Sooty Shearwater W2, Gannet E165, Teal W35, R-t Diver E2...
 
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Please ignore my rants if you are not interested in Norfolk listing!

I have heard the name of one person present who saw two birds this evening and another who presumably got a tip off and saw the last bird - I believe around 7ish. Sour grapes from me - you bet!
(Second hand news says that 'all the top Norfolk birders have now seen Great Shearwater in Norfolk')
 
Wow, am I naffed off? I know people on this forum are not very pro twitcher, but as a Norfolk lister who works, it would have been nice to know that there had been an all day passage of Great Shearwaters off Sheringham. One off Blakeney and Cley did not inspire me to make an after work dash to the coast, but 15 - a different story! Yes, I know they had no 'requirement to share the news etc, etc. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and again no option to people like me was given (yes, I know I am sad!)

Hi Ruralchill,
I am a Norfolk BIRDER who also has to work unfortunately, but my take on the matter was that as there have been good numbers of G.S/waters to our north for several days now there was a good chance of at least 1 today. Does it really matter that there were 15, if 1 or 2 dont inspire you to go seawatching (along with all the other stuff that was coming out on the pager)then what will ? There hadnt been a Norfolk record since 1997. Yes, a once in a lifetime opportunity it may have been but you have to be there to be able to seize that opportuity in the first place. Personally I could only manage 40 mins at Cromer after work, my reward, 2 Sabines + Sooty & a few Manxies & plenty of Little Gulls. I will be out at first light tommorrow, irrispective of weather/pager reports, who knows, I may even see a Great S/water but i doubt it. Moral: seize the day.
 
Hi Rob, nice to hear from you, in case you do not know I am David Norgate and living in Dereham, working in Swaffham it is not as easy to 'seize the day' as you put it - mine is not the type of work where I can take the 'odd' day off. I expected a reply like yours, but am intrigued that some people seem to have 'twitched' the Shearwaters today. This just seems to smack people like myself in the face who do not have the same flexibility as others and rely on people's good nature to see some birds.

PS I hope you get to see Great Shearwater, if not something even better tomorrow, unfortunately I will be dropping my 3 year old off at Nursery then heading off to work until 3.30pm!
 
As Connor said in post #1887 of this thread, Great Shearwater was definitely on the cards for Norfolk today. For anyone keen enough, and with the opportunity to go birding today, then Sheringham was the obvious location to head for, but any vantage point along the north coast would have put them in with the chance of seeing Great Shear and much more. It sounds like today gave one of the best days sea-watching for a very long time for some fortunate souls. Seize the day... yes Rob, but in these times of information exchange I'm sure the updates could have been a bit more regular. It would have made no difference to me personally though, I could only go this evening...

James
 
Moral: seize the day.

Fair point Rob - I spoke to a couple of people yesterday and predicted a Great Shear or two off the Norfolk coast, and I'm sure that plenty of other people did as well. So yes, you could potentially 'seize the day' - congrats to those that did.

Having said that, though... don't you think a couple of calls from whoever was at Sheringham to RBA could've made quite a few more people really happy this afternoon? Why not put out that news, even if it's possible to read between the lines and recognise that the conditions are good without a pager telling you?
 
Just found out from a friend with a pager (just come on at 9.47pm) that 3 Great Shearwaters had gone through Holme today between 6am and 6pm, along with 6 Sabines Gulls!!!!!!!!! - again late news. Would not have made any difference to me, as was at work all day and could only get out for short time this evening, but some people would have liked to have the chance to see these!!! Ok we don't have to share our news, but if you are going to put it on the pagers, then why not have the curtesy to inform people earlier!
 
Having said that, though... don't you think a couple of calls from whoever was at Sheringham to RBA could've made quite a few more people really happy this afternoon?

I haven't sea watched at Sheringham very oftern unfortunately but I do know I have no mobile phone signal there unless it has changed recently.

Joan
 
Fair point Rob - I spoke to a couple of people yesterday and predicted a Great Shear or two off the Norfolk coast, and I'm sure that plenty of other people did as well. So yes, you could potentially 'seize the day' - congrats to those that did.

Having said that, though... don't you think a couple of calls from whoever was at Sheringham to RBA could've made quite a few more people really happy this afternoon? Why not put out that news, even if it's possible to read between the lines and recognise that the conditions are good without a pager telling you?

Was at Cley today and saw b*gger all (cept a few Gannet and two Arctics)

There was a slight build up of seawatchers around the shelter at Cley Coastguards mid afternoon so I guess the word had been put around, very favourable wind conditions and also bloody cold!

Will pay more attention next time...

Matt
 
Dave, the real villain of the piece is the Norfolk Education Authority who force you (and me) to have six weeks off work in July and August. I suggest we start a campaign for this holiday to be moved to Sept/ oct!

I was hacked off yesterday, could have gone to coast after work but had previously arranged for someone to come around to sort out my errant TV aerial, waited in but he didn't show. Perhaps he'd gone to Sheringham.
 
Wow, am I naffed off? I know people on this forum are not very pro twitcher, but as a Norfolk lister who works, it would have been nice to know that there had been an all day passage of Great Shearwaters off Sheringham. One off Blakeney and Cley did not inspire me to make an after work dash to the coast, but 15 - a different story! Yes, I know they had no 'requirement to share the news etc, etc. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and again no option to people like me was given (yes, I know I am sad!)

I'm massively annoyed by it too. But not for the same reasons - I was sure that yesterday would be a good seawatching day with the chance of great shear, but I could not get out to do any seawatching. It was bad enough yesterday, but it's made worse hearing about just how many great shears I missed. :C
 
I haven't sea watched at Sheringham very oftern unfortunately but I do know I have no mobile phone signal there unless it has changed recently.

Joan

Yes, that's right Joan... which is why I said in my previous post that it only takes 30 seconds to get onto the prom where the signal is fine! ;)
 
For anyone who doesn't know - Great Shears are still passing N Norfolk...

2 past Sheringham (also 2 Sabs and a Stormy)
1 past Overstrand
probable past Cley
 
For anyone who doesn't know - Great Shears are still passing N Norfolk...

2 past Sheringham (also 2 Sabs and a Stormy)
1 past Overstrand
probable past Cley

damn it... it seems that there is no way I can get there today either! I think I need to avoid the Norfolk thread and Birdguides for a few days before my blood pressure rockets.
 
was out at first light, sea right up to the sea defences, Kitties on the last inches of sand etc...

pretty good with some excellent close views but no Great Shears - got excited at one point but lost the bird...

will be leaving for home on the dot today...

there's also been a Cory's and WWB Tern in east Norfolk recently. Don't sweat it (half the Greats will be Gannets and half the Sabs will be Kitties. But most will be gen...Get out there...

edit: Greats now round to Overstrand... and a fair smattering of Sabs too...
 
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Was so pre-occupied with Great Shearwaters last night that I forgot to mention a couple of raptor sightings I had yesterday, both while travelling north along the A1151/A149. First was a Common Buzzard just north of Beeston St. Lawrence church, soaring SE on the tailwind, quite low over the road at 14:25; second was a Hobby heading south at Wayford at 16:50. Both nice...

James
 
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