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Norfolk birding (11 Viewers)

Warder said:
Been pretty much grounded due to work and home chores. Hopefully the Poms will still be passing and the Richards pipit's still there on Wednesday. How do I go about seeing this Long eared owl? If anyone as checked my earlier posts you will read that it is my bogey bird. Several times I have tried and several times I have failed. Do I just stand on the beach sea watching and hope someone sidles up to me in a long mack and dark glasses. Then whispers " Do ya wanna see a Long eared Owl"
Happy birding
Click to expand...

Hi Warder. I'm sure the poms will still be passing on Wednesday - strongish NW winds today. Long-eared owls just require luck. In 20-years of birding I've never seen them fly in off the sea and only seen them at coastal locations on a handful of times, usually in late October after calm conditions.

Your best bet would either be twitching one, or waiting until either March (when the adults call) or June/July when family parties with young can be be heard calling. The call carries a couple of miles on a still night. They breed in Thetford Forest, I'd imagine the Sandringham estate too. I know a couple of more precise locations where they've bred in the past and tend to find them every year. I won't give these out on a public forum, but if you pm me nearer the time I can give you a few hints...

Ilya

Edit: p.s. anyone intersted in seawatching - I found this site recently: http://magicseaweed.com/. The wind charts can be very useful, although I do suspect the tend to over-estimate the strength of the wind. Anything between NW and NE is good in Norfolk - often NW is actually better. If the magic seaweed forcast is right, next weekend Norfolk will be littered with Little Auks
 
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some big happenings at Sheringham - just popped in the library to warm myself up

so far
85 Poms - most juvs now compared with weekend
1 White-billed Diver - i picked it up fairly close, and numerous decent Norfolk birders got on it, huge everything - body,feet,head,very pale with a whitish/yellow bill, its probably nt enough to get it accepted but everyone who saw it swaying towards White-Billed.
the other half of the people were watching British Storm Petrel!
4-5 Great Northern Diver
2-3 Black Throated Diver
2 Grey Phalarope
1 Sooty Shearwater
1 Manx Shearwater
Scaup
Arctic Tern
a few Bonxies and loads of the usual stuff.

going back out there as soon as i stop shivering - hopefully all the Poms will reorientate, bunch up and go back the other way and hoping for a few Owls.
 
Warder said:
Been pretty much grounded due to work and home chores. Hopefully the Poms will still be passing and the Richards pipit's still there on Wednesday. How do I go about seeing this Long eared owl? If anyone as checked my earlier posts you will read that it is my bogey bird. Several times I have tried and several times I have failed. Do I just stand on the beach sea watching and hope someone sidles up to me in a long mack and dark glasses. Then whispers " Do ya wanna see a Long eared Owl"
Happy birding
Click to expand...

judging from today Poms should still be going past tmo as the wind i believe is still coming from NW.
Don't know anything about the Holme LEO but i have had a bit of success with LEO (and more often SEO's) flying in off the best time for me is always in the afternoon and quite often just ahead of squally showers - most people only seawatch in the morning but i find afternoon can be just and good and sometimes offer more variety .
 
Tim Allwood said:
watcha mate

sounds like you had a good weekend

the eastern race is dauricus (and another called sinensis) and therse are the ones that make Blyth's id very difficult. Per Alstrom, as referred to in a recent Forktail short note, considers them to be only variants of richardi though.

They are generally smaller and shorter tailed than richardi and there is no doubt overlap with some Blyth's. Calls are the best pointers - Richard's is always explosive and the much rarer, softer 'chup' call, (a bit like a Blyth's) is 'always' given with the explosive call - unlike Blyth's.
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Hi Tim, thanks for that i couldn't find any pics on any books or internet on dauricus, they weren't too vocal - but definitely heard the classic richard's call. a few people were saying that dauricus turn up later but just emphasises how tricky blythe's can be.
 
pomskua said:
1 White-billed Diver - i picked it up fairly close, and numerous decent Norfolk birders got on it, huge everything - body,feet,head,very pale with a whitish/yellow bill, its probably nt enough to get it accepted but everyone who saw it swaying towards White-Billed.
the other half of the people were watching British Storm Petrel!
.
Click to expand...

I presume next time you're over here you wont be whinging about putting in the effort for no decent finds then? ;)

well done :t:

anyway, how come you've got the bloody time?. I can see the sea from here but it's very frustrating. I'll be tanking it back to Sea Palling for the final hour later on though...

Tim
 
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Pom passage

It might have been good for Poms (and everything else by the sound of it) today at Sheringham but it was comparitively slow at Titchwell.

Between 745am and 1045am today I had just 1 Pom, 3 Bonxies, 450+ Kitts, 1 Sooty and not a lot else.

It's strange how sea birds move along the coast in Norfolk e.g. on Saturday and Sunday in lightwinds, Holme and Titchwell scored really well with Poms e.g. I had 96 in maybe 8 hours, with the total for the whole 2 days certainly being nearer 150. Sheringham to Cley scored relatively low by comparison.

Today, in slightly stronger winds the reverse.....anyway I'll be out on the Titchwell boardwalk again tomorrow but wish I did not have to work on Friday/Saturday...forecast on www.xcweather.co.uk looks tasty with north westerlies in northern North Sea at 50mph and not far short in our neck of the woods over Thursday night/Friday morning, winds hopefully continuing into Sunday!

Dave
 
Had a really good day in the garden in Warham today. Spent four hours putting a fence up to keep the dog in. Whilst doing it managed to see plenty of jays, four Gt Spotted Woodpeckersand oneGreen Woodpecker. Hundreds of Pinks havejust flown over. Also saw a flock of around 30 Redwing heading south. Little Owl has spent most of the day in the orchard. Around 2:30 was ecstatic to see a beautiful male Hen Harrier drifting low over my head and then gliding over the field for about ten minutes. The pigeons thankfully disappeared for half an hour as a sparrowhawk sat on the corner of the barn watching the action for 10 minutes.

After a celebratory cup of tea i was greeted with a roving tit flock of c40 Long-tailed tits, 5 blue tits, 1 great tit and a goldcrest.

Plus i managed to get the fence up!!

All in all a good days birding in my garden!!
 
Tim Allwood said:
I presume next time you're over here you wont be whinging about putting in the effort for no decent finds then? ;)

well done :t:

anyway, how come you've got the bloody time?. I can see the sea from here but it's very frustrating. I'll be tanking it back to Sea Palling for the final hour later on though...

Tim
Click to expand...

thanks, did a couple more hours , a precious 1/2 hr where there was no-one else in the shelter had 2 Grey phals on the sea, another 18 poms, 2 lil auks, GND, 2BTD.

Got the time through stockpiling holiday and where im at the moment can take day off at short notice, start at cley in two weeks,, so hopefully be able to get pom etc from the 'office' window while i'm serving lord and lady muck:eat: anyway couldn't you fit a marine wildlife theme to your science lessons in order to fit in some seawatching!

Reakon tomorrow there may be a bit of '2nd day syndrome', when the wind blows from the same direction for the 2nd day it tends to be really good early on then gets quiet so recommend anyone seawwatching tmo gets there first light. Next really good day looks like fri.
 
Oh....by the way, i'm off to Tunisia on Saturday, staying on the med coast. Anyone have any ideas of what'll be about and what i should be looking for?? Because i'll be going in blind and ignorant!!!!!!

thanks
 
Saw my first Little Auks today. Horray, they do exist! 2 in total between 7:10 and 8:45. Also had 8 Poms past, 2 Velvet Scoters, 1 Arctic Tern, 1 Purple Sandpiper, 1 Drake Goosander and the usual Gannets, Guillemots, Red Throated Divers, etc. Then off cutting back trees in Morston for the NT. Lunch break between 12:30 and 1:45 (longer than it should have been, but the work is voluntary...) produced a brilliant pale adult Pomarine Skua, spoons and all. It came in very close, had a squabble with some Kittiwakes and then landed on the sea. Quality bird. Also had another Purple Sand and 100+ Kittiwakes (big passage compared with earlier)

Top day again. Will be out tomorrow morning.

Jason
 
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Dave Hawkins said:
It might have been good for Poms (and everything else by the sound of it) today at Sheringham but it was comparitively slow at Titchwell.

Between 745am and 1045am today I had just 1 Pom, 3 Bonxies, 450+ Kitts, 1 Sooty and not a lot else.

It's strange how sea birds move along the coast in Norfolk e.g. on Saturday and Sunday in lightwinds, Holme and Titchwell scored really well with Poms e.g. I had 96 in maybe 8 hours, with the total for the whole 2 days certainly being nearer 150. Sheringham to Cley scored relatively low by comparison.

Today, in slightly stronger winds the reverse.....anyway I'll be out on the Titchwell boardwalk again tomorrow but wish I did not have to work on Friday/Saturday...forecast on www.xcweather.co.uk looks tasty with north westerlies in northern North Sea at 50mph and not far short in our neck of the woods over Thursday night/Friday morning, winds hopefully continuing into Sunday!

Dave
Click to expand...

Was thinking about this as well, how Holme and Titchwell had majority of Poms on saturday and sunday and Cley and Sheringham having most today-very interesting.

Hope that the predicted winds remain true for Saturday. A long sea-watch from dawn me thinks...

Cheers,

Connor
 
Warder said:
Been pretty much grounded due to work and home chores. Hopefully the Poms will still be passing and the Richards pipit's still there on Wednesday. How do I go about seeing this Long eared owl? If anyone as checked my earlier posts you will read that it is my bogey bird. Several times I have tried and several times I have failed. Do I just stand on the beach sea watching and hope someone sidles up to me in a long mack and dark glasses. Then whispers " Do ya wanna see a Long eared Owl"
Happy birding
Click to expand...

Hi John

I sent you a PM re: LEO, did you get it?

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Arrived Salthouse Beach Carpark 12pm

Stunning, sunny, but very cold day!

First of all I made my way over west to where the Lapland Buntings were, what an awesome sight - on the other side of the the dyke, turnstones, starlings, teal and Lapland Buntings all feeding together in the sunshine. Every now and again the Lapland buntings would perch on the fence wire (see pic below), absolutely fantastic. Jamie Macallum was sitting drawing nearby and he called out 'Pom' as he was looking directly up - high in the blue sky was a Pomarine Skua sailing over! (12.20pm).

I walked back to carpark and stood on single ridge and seawatched until 2pm - 3 Little Auks flew by seperately, west at 12.50pm, 1 adult gannet going east, 13 common scooter, 1 Kittiwake, 2 immature gannets going west really close in soaring over the waves, 2 Black Throated Divers going west, another Little Auk going east, 10 more Kittiwakes, 2 Shelducks going west, 4 more Pom Skuas, west at 1.45pm. My friend Pete and his father now joined me and we saw 1 Red Throated Diver, 11 Brent Geese, 4 more common scooter, 12 curlews, west, 9 more Brent geese.

I went to have late lunch by car, did not dare sit in the car, as I would not have got out again, it was freezing! While I was munching on sandwiches Pete called me to say there were 4 Purple Sandpipers that had just landed by the Lapland buntings and turnstones, so I hurridly finished my tea and walked toward them, it was a wasted walk because seconds before I got there, the P. Sands got up and flew west!!!!! I stayed awhile and tried to digiscope the lapland buntings in the wind, not very easy! Tons of linnets here too.

I then walked back to carpark and onto Granborough Hill to re-join Pete and his father - we saw another Little Auk at 3.40pm, another 8 Brent Geese. Pete then left for home and I carried on towards Kelling Quags in hope of finding the Richard's Pipit, but no sign, just lots of meadow pipits, 1 little egret, 3 redshank, a stonechat on fence at the end by the Quags and a heron. Walked back along shingle ridge in semi darkness with the sun going down over Cley marshes - it was absolutely beautiful. So I saw 5 Little Auks and 5 Pom Skuas altogether.

On the way back via Holt, finished day with a barn owl.

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

A few pictures to capture the spirit of the day - not very good pics, due to wind!
 

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I had 96 in maybe 8 hours, with the total for the whole 2 days certainly being nearer 150. Sheringham to Cley scored relatively low by comparison.

Dave[/QUOTE]

Hi Dave
I think that maybe the Poms were hitting the coast on the N.W. corner of the county & by the time they had reached Cley /Sheringham they were getting further offshore as the coast begins to turn here & that others may have already turned back again. I cant comment on Saturday but certainly on Sunday i saw birds hitting the coast at Sheringham & gaining height trying to suss which way to go, indeed one bird heading east suddenly turned round & gained height to join 2 others circling above the sea before all 3 eventually headed off west ! Like i said others were certainly further off shore. Between 6.30 & 10.30 i saw 32 birds at Sheringham the majority being distant. Walking with the family at Salthouse i asked about Poms to one seawatcher who said he hadnt seen 1 for about an hour, however when i sat with him for c30 mins we saw 9 birds going east along the horizon. Returning to Cromer i watched from the pier between 15.30-16.00 & had a further 22 birds, thats 62 birds in 5 hours of watching, i`m sure more would have been recorded if people had been looking further out, but then it was hard to ignore all the Brents & Scoter as well .
Rob
 
Thanks Pomskua and Illya for you replies. It sounds like the Poms may well be still a possability. As always the blinkin LEO seems to be another story. Thanks Penny for your PM. Yes I did get it and I have replied.
best wishes
Happy birding
Alan
 
Titchwell sea watch 8am to 930am Weds 7/11:
2 Poms
2 Little Auks
60'ish Kitts
On sea Velvet scoter, RTD and BTD (still virtually full summer), Med Gull (ad w)
Waxwing still in car park. Redpoll around Meadow trail, Bittern seen in flight.
Winds still looking good for Friday/Saturday!
Dave
 
Connor Rand said:
Was thinking about this as well, how Holme and Titchwell had majority of Poms on saturday and sunday and Cley and Sheringham having most today-very interesting.

Cheers,

Connor
Click to expand...

my theory is that during the light winds on sat and sun, majority of birds in morning going east then birds bunching into groups and heading west in afternoon. They were finding it quite easy to follow the coast because of light winds, thats why more seemed to go past Holme / Titchwell than sher/cley. - presumably most birds at holme were heading east?

During the strong winds yesterday birds were tracking down Lincs coast but then the strong north wests were pushing them away from the Wash thus missing Holme, they were then hitting coast at Scolt head / Blakeney then being channelled down until as Rob says they started heading out again where the coast curves round past Sheringham

But can someone explain - do all these birds then carry on down past Kent, through English channel then along North French coast (as evidenced at Cap Griz Nez - has a good website - www.leclipon.com then go to CGN link) If this is so why were birds then heading West on sat/sun afternoon when they were reorientating?
 
More on Pom Skua movements

Pomskua and Rob's replies are interesting.

On Saturday and Sunday all the birds I saw at Titchwell were heading west. I did not see any birds heading east. The passage was steady all the time I was there 10.00am to 3.00pm. The paucity of birds at Sheringham implies that the Holme/Titchwell birds moved close enough inshore to be observed, somewhere?? in between the two locations.

Yesterday, the very few Titchwell birds were heading west. The number of birds at both locations was reversed but with the same implication behind it i.e.the birds were moving close inshore somewhere?? between the two locations.

Can anybody say which direction the Sheringham birds were moving Saturday,Sunday, Monday?|:S|
 
Dave Hawkins said:
Pomskua and Rob's replies are interesting.

On Saturday and Sunday all the birds I saw at Titchwell were heading west. I did not see any birds heading east. The passage was steady all the time I was there 10.00am to 3.00pm. The paucity of birds at Sheringham implies that the Holme/Titchwell birds moved close enough inshore to be observed, somewhere?? in between the two locations.

Yesterday, the very few Titchwell birds were heading west. The number of birds at both locations was reversed but with the same implication behind it i.e.the birds were moving close inshore somewhere?? between the two locations.

Can anybody say which direction the Sheringham birds were moving Saturday,Sunday, Monday?|:S|
Click to expand...

All the forty-five Pomarine Skuas me and my dad observed at Holme this weekend were also going west. The winds are still looking good. Hoorah!

Cheers,

Connor
 
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