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

Norfolk birding (22 Viewers)

Thanks again for the tips James. I'll be at Salthouse; dont reckon there'll be space at Sheringham. The tides meant to be a biggy tomorrow morning, so I think salthouse will be sort of out of the spray. I know what you mean about the 'experts'. I've experience with them before, and I'm a firm believer in coming to my own conclusions with these things. Any help doesn't go unheeded though. I'm not a stubborn man :p

Thanks

Jason
 
Thanks again for the tips James. I'll be at Salthouse; dont reckon there'll be space at Sheringham. The tides meant to be a biggy tomorrow morning, so I think salthouse will be sort of out of the spray. I know what you mean about the 'experts'. I've experience with them before, and I'm a firm believer in coming to my own conclusions with these things. Any help doesn't go unheeded though. I'm not a stubborn man :p

Thanks

Jason

I will also be at Salthouse in the morning, see you there!!!

High Tide 6.30am.

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Can't predict much past the weekend, as weather forcasts don't stretch that far, but I'll have a bash fro the rest of this week, even though I'm away:-(


Starting to look very very interesting from this afternoon onwards onwards (ahhrrrr). Tomorrow early morning should be really good for seawatching, with overnight rain and strong NW rain. Couldn't recommend seawatching from Cley too highly. Bound to be a few long-tailed skuas still. The winds then switch from NW to NE, with high pressure over eastern Scandinavia / Russia, which should (fingers crossed) bring in a really decent fall of eastern stuff. Yellow-browed at Holkham should be bread and butter birding as should Wrynecks and Barred warblers. Dusky or Radde's likely (Wells Woods??) or an RB Fly at East Hills maybe, but the obvious prize is Lancy, PG tips or Sprosser on Blakeney Point. Might be worth scanning the pipits too!

Thanks Ilya - I will look forward to seeing all these wonderful birds while you are away;) - Will be starting off with seawatching tomorrow at Coastguards, Cley and Salthouse. Holkham/Gunhill Thursday and Blakeney Point maybe Friday.

Cheers Penny:girl:
 
Good luck. Some of us will be stuck at school :C no doubt getting several text messages during the course of the day about how brilliant the sea-watching is :eek!: Shame its to late for an after school run now... Some passerine at Holme on Saturday would be nice :t:

Suppose its ok for some, those who have the week of anyway ;)

bird pics gallery updated on my website, with pics of rare birds from this year

cheers

Hi Connor - will keep you posted;) - picked a good week I think!!!???;)

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Started off at Abbey Farm at Flitcham, where I saw very little, water was very high, few greylags, jackdaws. I could hear blackbirds, robin ticking furiously and a mistle thrush making a hell of a racket in trees behind but even with psssshhhing and various noises I couldn't shift what ever was in there!!!!

On the road just before Choosely I watched meadow pipits, greenfinches and yellow hammers bathing in puddles in a farm track near some setaside in the rain. Also 2 swallows skimming low over a stubble field. At Choosely - NOTHING, probably because several tractors were in the yard area.

Went on to Titchwell - carpark was packed out - which I was surprised at in the week - Long Billed Dowitcher still there and I saw it again in the sunshine but still very distant views. Surprise in the Island hide - in walked Norman Sills!!!!! Was going to go to Thornham Point, but a non birding friend who had come along too and had not listened to me, when I said they needed a warm/waterproof coat etc etc, turned up in a silly town coat - anyway after having lunch in the cafe in the pouring rain, the sun magically came out to give a glorious afternoon of usual waders etc, including, spotted redshanks, curlew sandpipers, knot, wigeon, avocets, herons, bearded tits, sparrow hawk, long tailed tits - 3 marsh harriers paraded in the sun. Loads of gannets, both adult and juvs gliding in the choppy sea, 3 eiders, terns and usual selection of waders on shore including ringed plover, sanderling scampering along the tide line, knot, oystercatcher etc etc. Very, very cold. Mind you its going to be colder early tomorrow morning!!!! and on that note - goodnight!!!

Best Wishes Penny:girl::gn:
 
nice Buff-breast at Happisburgh. Managed to be
first on the scene with another local and we managed to relocate the bird in the huge field after a few mins, the finder being on his way back frfom a phone box i think,with three Ringed Plover. A great bird in a very picturesque setting. Was almost flushed early on by an over eager type but a loud shout or two saved the day.

seawatching good this morning but had to leave for work before the really good stuff - a Leach's and a Sabs have been past the patch... hope there's still some stuff moving after work.
 
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Home already from seawatch cos I couldn't see through the salt anymore, lol. Between 7:30 and 11:30 saw:

4 Manx Shearwaters
6+ Bonxies
2 Arctic Skuas
1 Black Throated Diver
1 Red " "
1 Little Gull
1 Kittiwake
1 Arctic Tern
1 Red Breasted Merganser

Also 1 Sooty Shearwater, 2 Arctic Skuas and 4 Little Gulls whilst I was having a piss. Sods law!

I'm happy with that haul. Not quite the 1000+ groups I read about, but that day will come, I'm sure.

Jason
 
Look out for Puffin amongst the auks

I did not know you could see Puffin on the East Coast are they rare
or there all the time............
 
Look out for Puffin amongst the auks

I did not know you could see Puffin on the East Coast are they rare
or there all the time............


Puffins are scarce but regular autumn/winter visitors to Norfolk.

Couldn’t get to the sea until 09:40 and spent a fairly fruitless 50 mins watching it. 6 Little Gulls and 2 Red-breasted Mergansers being the highlights. Saw more with casual seaward glances later on; 3 Brents (my 1st this autumn), 2 Arctic Skua, Manx Shearwater and superb views of a Leach’s Petrel slowly heading west. I was about to get back in my car when news of one passing just south of here came on the pager; less than 10 mins later I was watching it!

Was very blustery on the lighthouse field but the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was eventually located (good spot Aylsham birder!) and gave good views, still with 3 Ringed Plovers; very pleasing to see in the home parish. Also 1-2 Wheatears and lots of Meadow Pipits on this field.

Walking the dog earlier there were 6 Chiffchaffs in sheltered sections along the lane so it seems that small stuff is dropping in. Should make for good birding when the wind decreases, there ought to be some good birds to be found. Get out there if you can...

James
 
Was very blustery on the lighthouse field but the Buff-breasted Sandpiper was eventually located (good spot Aylsham birder!) and gave good views, still with 3 Ringed Plovers; very pleasing to see in the home parish. Also 1-2 Wheatears and lots of Meadow Pipits on this field.

Is this site easy to locate and get to, I may be going tomorrow with my two youngest in tow, so would need to be able to get to the bird with a pushchair!
 
On pager 10 Sabines Gulls past Holme NWT + 7 Long-tailed Skuas, 2 Grey Phalaropes, 1 Leach's Petrel as well as several Sooty Shearwaters and Manx Shearwaters, Bonxies (76) and Arctic Skuas. Similar stuff including 10 Sabs on pager for Titchwell.

Grey Phal rptd on Simmonds scrape at Cley NWT
 
See that that on the NOA website that have thanked you Paul for letting them know about approaching Sabine's. Were they in one group?

Cheers
 
Managed to knock of work early and get down to Cley North carpark for some seawatching. Not as busy in terms of shearwaters as expecting, but still some stonking birds:

Between 16:45 and 18:20:

2 Sabine's gulls (1 ad + 1 juv) - great views! + possibly 2 more further out that I couldn't quite clinch
1 juv long-tailed skua
1 GN diver
1 sooty shearwater
1 probable grey phalarope flying W - kept disappearing behind waves:-(
20+ Bonxies
3 Arctic Skuas
c. 35 Little gulls
10+ Manxies
10+ red-throated divers
2 snow buntings (flew past on the beach)

Also 1 beach cafe in imminent danger of flooding, with waves occasionally breaking over the top of the now almost non-existant seawall!
 
Hi Connor

Paul will be busy working out the day's totals on his dictaphone from a mega sea watch so I'll be cheeky and reply about the Sab's for him.

The Sab's were pretty well spread out between roughly 1030 and 1430. Though there was one mad 2 minute period when we had four!!

Best days sea watching I've had in a long time:D...I knew it was going to be a good day when I got out of the car at 7.15, looked up to see 3 Arctic skuas heading straight inland over my head!

Just wish I wasn't at work tomorrow....good luck to all you guys out there!!

Dave
 
Thanks to the predictions from Ilya, I spent 6.5hrs staring at the sea with Dave Hawkins at Titchwell today and what a fantastic day we had. B :)

Highlights included
Sabs gull 10 (all juvs)
Long tailed skua 3 juvs (including 1 over the platform and inland over the lagoons!!)
Bonxie 113 (including small flocks 3-5 birds over the platform)
Arctic skua 22
Kittiwake 153
manx shearwater 9
Sooty shear 5
Leach's petrel 2
Arctic tern 4
Fulmar 1
Pintail 24
Teal 64
Wigeon 45
Red throated diver 2

Unfortunatly no time to seawatch until next week but today should keep me going for a while.
Goood luck to anyone going out over the next few days

Paul
 

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