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

Norfolk birding (9 Viewers)

Does no one sea watch at Hunstanton any more? Used to be popular years back and I still call in there but am usually alone.

Hugh
 
I don't belieeeeeeeeve it !

Having traipsed around WRunton, Gramboro', Friary Hills, all the way out to Stiffkey Meals, Walsey Hills and Gramboro' again today, seeing a few Chiffchaffs and a Wheatear, I really find it demoralising that all this stuff is in other places.

Now there's an RBFly at Walsey. I can only think that birds are flying in, as the Wheatear at Gramboro' seemed to do. I went around Walsey TWICE, for crying out loud.
 
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Having traipsed around WRunton, Gramboro', Friary Hills, all the way out to Stiffkey Meals, Walsey Hills and Gramboro' again today, seeing a few Chiffchaffs and a Wheatear, I really find it demoralising that all this stuff is in other places.

Now there's an RBFly at Walsey. I can only think that birds are flying in, as the Wheatear at Gramboro; seemed to do. I went around Walsey TWICE, for crying out loud.

Sorry to make your evening worse John but after you drove past I had an Icterine Warbler in the quarry at the house on the hill @ 6pm (just West of Blakeney). B :)

you have had the lions share this year though, need to give the mere mortals a chance.

Could some person put this on RBA as i currently have no access to mobile or landline. :eek!:

Havent got Birds of Blakeney Point to hand at the minute but remember a quote saying sometimes when the weather conditions are marginal they produce very few common migrants and very few birds in general but the ones that do turn up are scarce or rare. Maybe when the weather chart looks perfect next week we are going to get lots of common but not much scarce therefore fill yer boots time this weekend!

I too missed the RBfly at Walsey or maybe it was misIDed or strung ; - )
 
Thats proper bad luck John, does anyone think the point will hold any birds until tomorrow ? It's such a long walk and I've got tiling to do !!

I reakon that although the wind is going round in a more westerly direction that could be just what we need and act as holding weather. All the stuff from today may well stick + more stuff should come in + new stuff should be found that arrived today because of weekend coverage.
 
Small consolation

A few of the images I managed to capture on my pilgrimage around birdless spots of Norfolk- at least they were when I was there.

Meadow Pipit at Gramboro'.

Red Admiral and male Migrant Hawker at Walsey. I was on my knees for the last- and not because I was praying for some birds.

Re #7072: I'd rather the pillars remained. They support the roof of the shelter ! This is yet another place I can go to see nothing.
 

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Saturday

Hi all.

It would be interesting to hear peoples predictions for tomorrow. Is it gonna be a good day for rarities? Seawatching? C'mon, let hear your verdicts?

Cheers.
Billy.
 
Cley/Blakeney v Sheringham

Having been a regular seawatcher off Sheringham last year but now having moved to Blakeney its interesting to compare the two sites. Most people would argue that Sheringham is a better site because of the number of good observers and that fact the shelters are quite raised enabling viewers to see further out. Additional more contentious points are that perhaps seabirds, incoming passerines + Owls are able to see the landmarks of Sheringham, building and lights from the town and Beeston Bump from further out. There is also the theory (well my theory!) that some birds such as LTS use certain points of the coast to navigate and that experienced adults remember certain places from previous years.

However i think there are many disadvantages to Sheringham, not wanting to be too crude but the shelters do smell of pee, it can be hard work in the summer with all the bucket and spaders and at times even the local plod start questioning you as to what you are doing. The biggest thing though for me is the 'naturalness' that is missing at Sheringham and present at places further along the coast. The shelters with the solid concrete pillars blocking part of the view give quite an austere feel to the place as well as hampering viewing, I once had a LEO disappear behind a pillar which i then missed as it flew over the shelter. Compare this to Cley and the seawatching hide at Blakeney which always feels more wild, you need to find any protection you can on the wind and rainblown shingle ridge and the fact the viewing is more difficult adds to the excitement and challenge. Although you can see less birds you can certainly get closer views with birds sometimes flying over the beach or even behind you. Also there usually seems to be more on the sea than Sheringham possibly because the sea gets a lot deeper just off shore.

I do miss Sheringham but for atmosphere, challenge you can't beat places where you're more exposed to the elements.
Oh for the enthusiasm of youth! For those of us of a certain age, who can forget seawatching from Cley in a howling NW with squally showers trying to find some shelter behind an upturned boat on the beach or huddling behind one of the tractors usually sitting on top of the ridge. Agree that sometimes the birds were either in the breakers or over your head but cleaning bins and scope every two minutes got a bit tiring after an eight hour session (and never did see the great shearwater that went past there in 1997).
My advice would still be forget the smell, the concrete pillars and the holidaymakers and enjoy the five star (relatively!) comfort of Sheringham shelter!

Mick
 
Evening Everyone, was just wondering whether the birds that are now starting to appear this afternoon and later in the day in Norfolk are just a result of how the birds on this day in time are migrating ? Birds wake up this a.m in Scandanavia (or wherever they are) and decide to push on as the weather is good and a gentle North Easterly pushes the birds across the North Sea into the bulge of East Anglia where they make landfall. I am no expert in the mechanics of migration just a witness of how brilliant it is and a lucky recipient of good birds (and insects !!) to see.

I seem to remember some photographs of common migrants e.g willow warbler/chifchaff at Gramborough Hill on Cleybirds that had clearly arrived that afternoon as the bushes were empty in the morning in 'favourable conditions' but birds were present in the p.m

Nothing i can draw from this apart from check everywhere, check again and then check once more for luck !!!!!!

Good luck to any any Ladies and Gents out and about tomorrow and may your force be with you. ;)

Steve

p.s can anyone recommend a good/thorough/easy to understand book on migration i can have a read of ?
 
Hi all.

It would be interesting to hear peoples predictions for tomorrow. Is it gonna be a good day for rarities? Seawatching? C'mon, let hear your verdicts?

Cheers.
Billy.

Having just had to cancel my drive up to Norfolk for a full day tomorrow, I predict something very nice turning up mid-morning :C
 
My brother has a decent book on migration "Time to Fly" by Jim Flegg. I haven't read it but he recommends it. It is an easy read but has lots of decent information.
 
Sorry to make your evening worse John but after you drove past I had an Icterine Warbler in the quarry at the house on the hill @ 6pm (just West of Blakeney). B :)

you have had the lions share this year though, need to give the mere mortals a chance.

Could some person put this on RBA as i currently have no access to mobile or landline. :eek!:

Havent got Birds of Blakeney Point to hand at the minute but remember a quote saying sometimes when the weather conditions are marginal they produce very few common migrants and very few birds in general but the ones that do turn up are scarce or rare. Maybe when the weather chart looks perfect next week we are going to get lots of common but not much scarce therefore fill yer boots time this weekend!

I too missed the RBfly at Walsey or maybe it was misIDed or strung ; - )

Congratulations Josh on your Icterine:t: in MY house on the hill spot (RBS!).

RBfly at Walsey is 100% reliable!!!!!!!!!! Pete Snook found this and he IS a top birder and very good friend. He found it in the willows at the back of Walsey. The 2nd one he has found he told me this evening.... the 1st one on Bardsey Island. Well done Pete:t:;) (early birthday present!)

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
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What makes an observer 100% reliable.....? I love it when people try to defend such records. For example no one is 100% reliable and mistakes do happen and if the same two people saw the Little Auks or any other scarce sea birds all the time then I would be willing to question exactly how reliable they are!!!! Unless of course they really do have a dimensional canon net and are dragging them in from the atlantic or something. Your average joe goes to Holme and would see very little yet some consistently bring in the goods even in semi conditions when even Sherringham isn't delivering, and considering Holme is living in the shaddow of Scolt Head that is remarkable. Many a time I have been at Titchwell and something good has been reported off Holme and seawatchers have gone "Huh?".

This hobby attracts all walks of life and I'm afraid to say pathological liars are among them; I'm not saying that pathological liars are at work at Holme or owt but just that just because you know someone doesn't make them reliable. They may be perfectly nice people but just think back, what evidence have you actually got to back up "100% reliable"???

Will

Hi Will

I agree there are many people who are not 100% reliable and mistakes do happen - BUT the two birders who observed the Great Shearwater quite simply ARE! These two observers were not the same people that saw little auks. Please do not presume that questionable birds at Holme are seen by the same people/group. In fact all the recent interesting birds were seen by totally different unconnected people - but I am not going to get involved in the others species seen recently - and to be quite honest don't really give a hoot!

When I told father someone had seen little auks he replied 'rubbish';) We can all make our own opinions!;)

How do you know that only 'Your average joe' goes to Holme????!!!!!! There are top birders/good birders/not so good birders and stringers, strung (excuse pun!) all the way along the coast/inland - do not presume they are all at Holme! Sheringham and east end of the coast is mega for birding but WHY if 'Sheringham isn't delivering' should Holme end of the coast not be delivering!!!!!!?????????

Re: Scolt Head - havn't got a clue what goes on there as everything is supressed!!!!! Bet there's a good number of MEGA's each year!

Have a good weekend!

Penny:girl:
 
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The best book for weather and migration patterns in my experience is the outstanding "Birds and Weather" by Stephen Moss (Hamlyn 1995). It goes into great detail with spring and autumn fall charts and associated birds. There is also an excellent article by Andy Stodart in "The birds of Norfolk" and "The Birds of Blakeney Point"

As for the weekends action, I suggest with lighter winds on Sat and far more observers looking some choice lingering passerines will be located. Sunday sees stronger northerly winds coming down the sea from the top so a nice seawatch could be had. Mon will start with a better seawatch, then the first new passerines will drift in. Tues will see more and more passerines arriving. If rain hits on Wed the place will be dripping with scarce passerines and good numbers of migrants. By Thursday more and more will have been found. Friday..you will in hospital with exhaustion....

Yep im an optimist, good luck to all.
 
Evening Everyone, was just wondering whether the birds that are now starting to appear this afternoon and later in the day in Norfolk are just a result of how the birds on this day in time are migrating ? Birds wake up this a.m in Scandanavia (or wherever they are) and decide to push on as the weather is good and a gentle North Easterly pushes the birds across the North Sea into the bulge of East Anglia where they make landfall. I am no expert in the mechanics of migration just a witness of how brilliant it is and a lucky recipient of good birds (and insects !!) to see.

I seem to remember some photographs of common migrants e.g willow warbler/chifchaff at Gramborough Hill on Cleybirds that had clearly arrived that afternoon as the bushes were empty in the morning in 'favourable conditions' but birds were present in the p.m

Nothing i can draw from this apart from check everywhere, check again and then check once more for luck !!!!!!

Good luck to any any Ladies and Gents out and about tomorrow and may your force be with you. ;)

Steve

p.s can anyone recommend a good/thorough/easy to understand book on migration i can have a read of ?

Most of what you've said is correct Steve, the theory is that migrants will get some sleep in the early part of the night then set off when the night sky is the clearest (a few hours before dawn) they then take about ten hours and if the condtions are right make landfall early afternoon on the East. When i lived in Sussex the situation was completely different. Migrants where usually birds that had been blown across from the continent so would only take a couple of hours to cross the channel. Therefore very early morning is best on the South coast and if you look at somewhere like Portland they get masses of migrant early morning that quite often feed up then move on by late morning.

This is meant to be very good although i havent read it yet
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weather-Bir...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252708183&sr=8-2

thanks Penny, the RBfly comment was more a tongue in cheek based on my previous seawatching post, good on Pete, always good to hear people scoring on their own patch :t:
 
Flew over to Cley after work hoping to add Pec. Sand and Scaup to my surfbirds county list BUT only managed one out of two!

Left King's Lynn at 6.10pm arriving East Bank carpark at 6.55pm. Most definately a North East wind blowing this evening!!! On the far side of Arnold's Marsh two drake Scaup were swimming about (just after 7pm) in the evening sunshine on the far right side of the water. Continued walking up to scan sea - freezing cold, no seabirds at all in the 10 minutes I stood there. Walked back to join Eddie M. and another birder (who I always see about and works in Cleyspy but don't know his name) to watch the scaup again - this time on far left side just beyond a fenced area 7.30pm. Walked back along East Bank with plenty of entertaining banter from Eddie!;)

Left here for a very quick moonlit walk around Walsey - 1 robin. Crazy really as everything had gone to roost but you never know!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

P.S. DOES ANYONE KNOW THE SURFBIRDS ADMIN TEAM AS I HAVE EMAILED THEM TWICE NOW TO INFORM THEM THAT I CANNOT UPDATE MY COUNTY YEAR LIST AND NO ONE HAD REPLIED - 2ND EMAIL SENT TODAY?


So to remind myself - will update on here NORFOLK 234 - 9/9 - Scaup

So was that you who asked me about the scaups as I stood (gormlessly) watching the starlings etc as the sun set? I had a green hat on, looking daft.
 

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