Norfolk birding (19 Viewers)

I popped out locally today and was pleased to see 15 stone curlews together, though having spoken to some others it seems that there have been a lot more around in the last week. I was lucky to manage a single shot of one, taken through a hedge while holding up the cars behind me... http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/273117/limit/recent

In addition to those seabirds already mentioned by others, from Cromer I had a drake Velvet Scoter past and a Shag on the sea by the Pier both new for the patch this year, and an imm drake Eider past.

Strangely all but a couple of the skuas I had, and pretty much everything else, was heading east past here.

If the forecast is to be trusted, looks like a good seawatch could be on for next Thursday.

Other highlight of today was a Snow Bunting feeding along the high-tide line on the beach at West Runton along with a Wheatear and a Dunlin.

Simon

Hi, heading up to Norfolk for some birding this weekend. Hope the seawatching is still good by saturday morning! If its still worthwhile, I intend to seawatch from Holme. Have seawatched at the beach by the firs before, but early morning if the gate before the NWT carpark is closed where do people seawatch?
Thanks!

Max Levy said:

Hi, heading up to Norfolk for some birding this weekend. Hope the seawatching is still good by saturday morning! If its still worthwhile, I intend to seawatch from Holme. Have seawatched at the beach by the firs before, but early morning if the gate before the NWT carpark is closed where do people seawatch?
Thanks!

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Hi Max

If you are an NOA member you can access all their reserves from dawn until dusk, which means you have the right to drive down the Firs Road (through the gate, but make sure you close it after) and park on NOA carpark (on right) and go and seawatch from Holme Bird Observatory area.

Or you can seawatch from Gore Point - park just before the 5-bar gate on left and follow coastal footpath east until you reach the forestry area and there will be a information board on left which is tells you this is Gore Point.

High tide for Saturday at Holme is 6.30am. Sunday looks better than Saturday! http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ee/fakenham_forecast_weather.html

Enjoy your day.:t:

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

STILL sorting car out - not looking good - write off - but I refuse to have it crushed! so am in midst of getting a quote for repairs - then I will have to have a vic test and another MOT bla bla bla!!! will be looking for a new insurance company after the CR*P week I have been having with Sheila's Wheels!

I have Monday off on holiday - lets see how far I can't get on the coastliner bus - certainly can't get anywhere early - WANT my car back!!!:-C

Thanks a lot Penny! I'm not an NOA member so I'l go for Gore point. Probably choose sunday morning instead though as you advise, but will keep an eye on the forcast.
Max

Nottingham Panther said:

Evening, always fascinating to read the accounts of a sea watch and the direction/time of movements of birds. The birds that are heading west today, are they reorienteering to head out of the North sea to the North over Scotland? Or does anybody think some maybe looking for a way to cross over land following river courses perhaps through the Wash area ? I seem to remember some of the Peterborough birders picked up Skuas following the river last year at Guyhirn after winds from a Northerly direction. Perhaps more birds than we realise use this method and do fly up the Great Ouse/Nene/Welland and maybe at night ? Also as a possible explanation as to why certain birds are seen at one watch point and not at others is down to where a bird makes landfall/reference points it may be using i.e heading south down the North sea and Beeston Bump is an obvious point to see to the East but then so is the high point to the West of Sheringham where the coast guard lookout is. The birds maybe using this as a ref point too ? Also!! Due to the parasitic nature of Skuas are they perhaps following other birds - Kittiwakes mentioned in a previous post, to use them as a food source and they just go where the flocks go ? Hope i haven't bored anyone these are just the musings of a landlocked birder with a glass of wine in his hand !! I think someone should take the plunge and organise an Autumn pelagic out of Sheringham in one of the crab boats and see what else is lurking out there 2-3 miles out to sea !!!!


Steve

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Hi Steve, had a few of the olde this eveing myself so i'm on your wavelength, Olsen in 'Skuas and Jaegers' says that Long -tailed being the most pelagic species generally heads straight out into The North Alatantic and goers directly towards the wintering grounds. Lts do perform post breeding dispersal though, filtering out into the North Sea, were there is a rich supply of food before the big migration that presumably involved few stops. This either involves them flying back over Scotland or carrying on down into the channel http://www.trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=148&site=0&land=3&taal=2&datum=20091001
I think you are bang on with the theory that birds use the Bump as a migration post. Has anyone looked at the Bump from Cley, its doesn't just look like a reverence point but like a headland. If you are a Skua out to sea and you see a landmark that looks like a headland but you don't want to fly in a Southerly direction past that headland you probably would not want to fly in that direction (you need to look towards Sheringham from Salthouse or Cley to see what I mean). This ties in with the fact that birds east of the Bump were flying East today nd all the birds West were going West. Possibly this explains why there is a paucity of LTs sighting on the East coast, there is a bigger area of land West of the Bump. A couple of years ago I had a day were about 15 Poms came in off on a line just to the West of Sheringham then moved West - surely they were using the bump as a landmark.

I'm basing this all on the wind direction today which was not particularly strong, it actually got stronger directly after the Skua passage - did they know! Different wind strengths and conditions will pose completely different questions.

Regarding parasiticism, there weren't too many Kittis moving with the Skuas but I'm beginning to feel that Skuas migration involves team-work possibly in relation to all four Skua species. All the Skuas came through together today but i reckon there is also a hierachy in place. The Arctics were following the flock of Poms and you can generally find Lts at the back of a flock of Arctics - maybe tagging on rather having direction themselves.

Nottingham Panther said:

Or does anybody think some maybe looking for a way to cross over land following river courses perhaps through the Wash area ? I seem to remember some of the Peterborough birders picked up Skuas following the river last year at Guyhirn after winds from a Northerly direction. Perhaps more birds than we realise use this method and do fly up the Great Ouse/Nene/Welland and maybe at night ?

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I wonder how much the 'southern' Wash is covered, in that case, to keep an eye out for stuff like this funnelling inland? I know I'm as guilty as everyone -when the winds are good for seawatching, I head for the north coast rather than somewhere closer to home that might or might not produce anything. Must try harder....!

Irene Boston said:

I wonder how much the 'southern' Wash is covered, in that case, to keep an eye out for stuff like this funnelling inland? I know I'm as guilty as everyone -when the winds are good for seawatching, I head for the north coast rather than somewhere closer to home that might or might not produce anything. Must try harder....!

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I'm led to believe that they do indeed head overland after entering the Wash - skuas have been seen heading over Cambridgeshire, Berkshire (per C.D.R. Heard) and then exiting out from the Bristol (Severn) estuary. A clear example of shortcutting - possibly following river channels or series of gravel pits - across the uk.

Thanks for the photos David. I'll have a look at them.

Dawn

Nottingham Panther said:

Evening, always fascinating to read the accounts of a sea watch and the direction/time of movements of birds. The birds that are heading west today, are they reorienteering to head out of the North sea to the North over Scotland? Or does anybody think some maybe looking for a way to cross over land following river courses perhaps through the Wash area ? I seem to remember some of the Peterborough birders picked up Skuas following the river last year at Guyhirn after winds from a Northerly direction.

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We certainly did; Greats and Arctic. On the same day all four species were seen from Foul Anchor - the Cambs 'seawatching' spot, although this is much closer to the sea and birds are also seen heading back north around here, e.g. Gannet and Arctic Skua recently I think. If they have got as far as us I reckon they are going to keep going.

The weather seems to be critical. On the day in question last year conditions in the north sea were northerlies sustained for a few days. This combined with some poor visibility and low cloud at times.

I like 'the Bump' theory. It makes sense to me that birds encountering the Norfolk coast, having probably not seen land since the coast of Norway, are going to have to decide which way to go around. Those that head west find the coast turns south only to end up in the 'dead-end' of the Wash. Here is where they can take a punt at an overland option. This is much more likely if the visibilty is poor and they can't see that it is land for a long way. It is also more likely if sustained N or NE winds make it more of an effort to leave the wash eastwards.

I personally doubt the overland route is used as a matter of course - more in response to particular weather conditions. This year the northerlies were short-lived and combined with good visibility so few were detected - and there was at least one hardy soul posted out there looking yesterday!

Irene Boston said:

I wonder how much the 'southern' Wash is covered, in that case, to keep an eye out for stuff like this funnelling inland? I know I'm as guilty as everyone -when the winds are good for seawatching, I head for the north coast rather than somewhere closer to home that might or might not produce anything. Must try harder....!

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In previous years I have watched Manx Shearwaters from the top of Hunstanton Clifftop, Leach's Petrels on Great Ouse at King's Lynn and my son (who was a keen birder) has seen Little Auk on the River Welland in Spalding. As you sat Irene, you just need to be brave and seawatch from this end of the county from time to time!

Sue

Hi everyone, really enjoying the Skua chat, all good stuff. Just wanted to throw a couple of things into the mix r.e the Wash and overland route theory. Have a look at the Lincs Bird Club forum and the two sea watches from Cut End which is where the Welland and Nene open into the Wash. The two dates were 13th and 14th September 09 and just look at the species seen in that bottom corner of the Wash. Shearwaters/Pom Skuas in good numbers/Petrels. BUT none were seen to head inland. However yesterday at 18.35 two Arctic Skuas headed west over Lagoon 4 at Rutland Water. Where did they come from ? The nearest of the rivers i think would be the Welland at Stamford which then runs west south of Eyebrook (i think) If someone much cleverer than me could post the links for the lros web/lincs bird club website that would be great. The timing is interesting too as it would be getting towards dusk. Did they stop for the night somewhere or keep going ?

So when there is a strong Northerly Blow, prefrebly a sustained one, a trip to Lynn point could be productive ?? Throw in a high tide and the odd returning fishing boat or two things could be interesting ?

Steve

There is a strong link between birds birds seen on the Welland and at Rutland.

Not sure where Cut End is exactly but the Nene and Welland mouths are a good 15km apart.

If anyone's passing by Snettisham you might want to check out a very unconfirmed report of a possible Hoopoe. The wife of a colleague (not a birder) saw a bird in a recent evening (Wednesday I think) close to the roundabout at the top end of Snettisham bypass, looking towards Ken Hill Wood. Sounds like she saw it whilst driving past and the nearest thing she could think of is Hoopoe, which she's seen abroad. The next nearest thing she could think of was Jay which she is familiar with, but apparently it wasn't one. No idea what she saw on it that made her think of Hoopoe.

I was just asked if one had been reported in the area, not told because she was in any way sure enough to think that it warranted a visit. Nevertheless, I imagine it's an area that's not often watched and where a Hoopoe could feasibly occur, so worth checking out if anyone's in the area.

Saw the albino/leucistic Grey Heron again this afternoon in fields with cattle between Costessey and Drayton. Still made me go back to double check - it really is pretty convincing for GWE with naked eye....

Hi Brian, sorry i'm getting my rivers mixed up !! Its at the point where the Witham and the Welland meet not the Nene in the corner of the Wash about four miles from Boston. Its the area where the King Eider was found very recently. You are quite right in the Nene being further along the Wash.

Steve

It really is a bit dead out there at the moment!
Today i walked up to Blakeney Point, around Wells and Stiffkey and all that for 1 chiffchaff !
The highlight was 2 Grey Partridge in the dunes behind the plantation on Blakeney Point. Really wasn't expecting that there!. One was calling quite loudly and both showed well. Its the first ones I have seen all year too.
Also : 26 Snow buntings on beach west of Cley a Peregrine and 1 Bonxie.
On the whole very quiet

sacha said:

The highlight was 2 Grey Partridge in the dunes behind the plantation on Blakeney Point. Really wasn't expecting that there!. One was calling quite loudly and both showed well. Its the first ones I have seen all year too.

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Although they seem very incongruous out there, I think I recall seeing GPs on the point at least a couple of times previously (and I'm nothing like a regular out amongst the suaeda!) - perhaps not as unusual as you'd think?

Nottingham Panther said:

Hi everyone, really enjoying the Skua chat, all good stuff. Just wanted to throw a couple of things into the mix r.e the Wash and overland route theory. Have a look at the Lincs Bird Club forum and the two sea watches from Cut End which is where the Welland and Nene open into the Wash. The two dates were 13th and 14th September 09 and just look at the species seen in that bottom corner of the Wash. Shearwaters/Pom Skuas in good numbers/Petrels. BUT none were seen to head inland. However yesterday at 18.35 two Arctic Skuas headed west over Lagoon 4 at Rutland Water. Where did they come from ? The nearest of the rivers i think would be the Welland at Stamford which then runs west south of Eyebrook (i think) If someone much cleverer than me could post the links for the lros web/lincs bird club website that would be great. The timing is interesting too as it would be getting towards dusk. Did they stop for the night somewhere or keep going ?

So when there is a strong Northerly Blow, prefrebly a sustained one, a trip to Lynn point could be productive ?? Throw in a high tide and the odd returning fishing boat or two things could be interesting ?

Steve

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Hi Steve
Paul and I regularly birdwatch at Lynn Point. The only trouble is you cannot access this area easily as most of it is Sandringham land and only wildfowlers with the relevant permits are allowed here. It is possible to access the river up to where the Babingley River joins the Great Ouse. Leach's Petrels have come down the river on good northerly blows in the past.

Out of interest I remember a Manx Shearwater being reported flying around Notts County Football ground many years ago now, giving more credence to the theory of a Wash flyway then down the rivers to..............Bristol Channel maybe?????????

Sue

The Yellow Browed Warbler is still in Holkham pines if anyone is interested ? Pretty tricky now as its in full flow with the tit flock, saw it close to washington hide around 11am.