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

Norfolk birding (39 Viewers)

Green-winged Teal at Hickling still this afternoon
female Hen Harrier through
and a Bittern over
80 Fieldfare
2 cranes
and a few Siskin in the woods behind the broad

Desert wheatear still at Horsey today
 
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Are people still seeing Firecrest in Wells/Holkham pines?

Now the Yellow Broweds have filtered out there doesn't seem to be so many eyes open/reports from this area?

Matt
 
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Quality Day's Birding

Have not been out for last 2 weeks and today certainly made up for things.

Left King's Lynn 9.15am arriving Horsey Corner at 10.45am (72 miles each way) and managed to get my little coupe right down the end of the rollercoaster track into carpark, it would have been a different story had there been a 2nd person in the car! (Had 2 Whooper swans fly over at Horsey Mill)

Stunning, sunny day. Had a quick cup of tea and jam sarnie and then made my way along the path towards the blue portaloo to see the Desert Wheatear 11.20am it was showing amazingly well, in fact I have some really close up shots, will post later or tomorrow, too tired now to unload them off the camera. It sat on a small post and filled my screen on camera!!!
After spending a long time here, taking loads of shots I then made my way over the beach and also spent a long time here, photographing seal pups with their black appealing eyes glittering in the sunshine. They were wonderful to watch playing and rolling in the sand. There were a couple of volunteers to keep on eye on people not getting too close, which was good I thought, especially as children wanted to up and stroke them!!! which of course would have resulted in mummy seal coming to wack inquisitive children!!! A single snowbunting was on the dune edge (1pm). I eventually tore myself away from here and walked towards the portaloo area and saw 1 stonechat sitting on the fence wire, bumped into Eddie M. along route. Along the path on the way back to carpark I saw another 2 stonechats, a greenwoodpecker bounded across the path and 12 long tailed tits.

Had lunch and cup of tea, I don't where the time had gone but it was now 2.30pm!!! I was going to see the iceland gull near Holt, but knew I wouldn't really make it with the light going, so I decided to go to Stubb Mill for the 1st time. Parked car at Hickling (3.45pm) and walked back along the track (much further than I thought) and managed to get a space on the high bank. Loads of marsh harriers, 2 hen harriers, 30 curlew, 2 chaffinches, thousands and thousands of pinkfeet filling the skies and the prize end to the day, 25 cranes came into roost!!!!! Walked back along the road to carpark in almost darkness with other people and on route home to King's Lynn, a barn owl and a tawny owl!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
D. Wheatear still showing well this morning at 08.30 before the rain got heavy and I beat a hasty retreat. It seemed in good form chasing wagtails and pipits off his patch by the portaloo.
 
Twites have been more or less guaranteed near the camp at Stiffkey for the last few weeks, normally in good flocks.

the sparrowhawk at wells normally hunts from the gable on the 'pop in amusements' on the quay. Seen him eating a starling and a turnstone on the bank in the last week from the comfort of the Golden Fleece!!!
 
Hi All

Will probably be on the north coast on Friday and i have a couple of questions.

Do the Hen Harriers at Warham show much during the day, or are they only really seen coming into roost? Are there any reliable Merlin in the area?

Are the 3 Shorelarks that were at Cley & the ones at Holme different groups and are either group still around? Are there any at Holkham or Snettisham this year? (I have terrible bad luck with Shorelarks - i've lost count the amount of times i've dipped the Snettisham birds over the last couple of years, so any help would be most gratefully recieved!)

Are the Snow Bunts & Laps still coming to seed at Salthouse? (saw a couple of Laps at Salthouse in October, but you can never see too many Lapland Longspurs (!) or Snow Bunitngs)

Where's the best site for White-fronts?

I hope you dont mind me asking all these questions - this is likely to be the last time this year i visit, so i'd like to catch up with as many of the specialities as possible. Please PM me if you dont want to disclose info publicly.

Thanks in advance - i'll post a report of the day if we see anything of interest.

Cheers.

Mike
 
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- Hen Harrier and Merlin are pretty unreliable throughout the day, I think - they roam around the coast and widely over the fields inland.

- Not sure about Shore Larks - haven't heard for a couple of days

- Buntings are still good at Salthouse, perhaps best to get there early before people start blundering around through the middle of them (or maybe I've just been unlucky!)

- White-fronts should be about at Holkham by now, with a bit of effort, or they're dead easy with the Bean Geese down at Cantley if you make it down that far.

Happy to field questions, so no need for a PM - there's always a chance this might help others as well...
 
Thanks David

It's unlikey we'll make it down to Cantley this time round (or over to the North East for that matter) - the days are short and we'll have to get back to the midlands by about eightish. Could possibly stop off at Eldernell on the way home for Hen Harrier / Merlin if light allows (though i understand that there have't been many sightings there recently (wrong county i know!)).

Mike
 
Do the Hen Harriers at Warham show much during the day, or are they only really seen coming into roost?
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I live in Warham and there's been a male Hen Harrier floating around the Iron Age Camp regularly. I walk my dog there each day and he's pretty reliable. Take the hilly road opposite the three horseshoes pub and go to the top of the hill after about 2/3 mile and there's a metal gate on your right (next to a beware of car thieves poster). Walk down the track and the camp is at the end. There's a resident pair of Marsh Harriers there too.
 
hilightsfrmlast couple of weeks hen harrier between waxham and c palling last week and good day at titchwell last friday - called a juv iceland gull as it shot through and also pom, GND and RNG on the c then a grine over the freshmarsh

nice raptor roost on sun with 2 ringtails and a henry, merlin and grine

, c was v quite on mon even with nws
last post b4 crimbo as no access 2 puter at the min - want to say think it has been a suberp yrs birding in norfolk highlight sfor me the influx stuff- greenish, great shear, sabs (ultimate high) and john travoltas (rousels) in the spring, low light osprey flying over my head while taking 40 winks on east bank

what were other peoples hi/lowlights

now off to c some canarieswho will probably end up moribund by th end of the evening
o
happy christmas everyone and gd birding 4 the new year

also richard millington now has an exhibition of new impressionistic work at pinkfoot gallery at cley
 
pomskua said:
what were other peoples hi/lowlights

now off to c some canarieswho will probably end up moribund by th end of the evening
o
happy christmas everyone and gd birding 4 the new year
Click to expand...

Would just like to echo these sentiments hope everyone has a good Christmas!

On to personal highlights and patch review of the year... Just so many but in terms of the patch the first winter period was ace with the Black-eared Kite seen and the obliging Lesser Yellowlegs, as well as occasional Lapland Bunings and two Waxwings.

It was a very good spring with hatfuls of migrants such as 20+ Ring Ouzels on some days, 10+ Tree Pipits, several Whinchats and Redstarts, 2 Spotted Flycatchers, 4 Firecrests, 3 Manx Shearwaters and the real highlights being good patch birds in the form of Spoonbill, Red Kite and Red-backed Shrike, as well as the first spring Pied Flycatcher for three years...

Summer was as always quiet but produced another Spoonbill, while autumn began in earnest at the end of August right throughout September, with highlights for me being Greenish Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Barred Warbler, Sabine's Gull, 10+ Yellow-browed Warblers and a smattering of other migrants including Spotted Flycatchers, Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers. The sea was productive at times with Sooty Shearwater and Puffin amongst others...

Just off the patch both Greenish Warbler and Red-backed Shrike were seen at Thornham Point.

The second winter period has been excellent for seawatching with at least 55+ Little Auks and 65+ Pomarine Skuas seen, as well as a self-found Grey Phalarope, as well as both Artic Skuas and Bonxies, and Goosanders and Red-necked Grebes. Lapland Buntings have featured heavily with up to 11 on one day and a Waxwing has been seen.

Greenish Warbler influx and associated migrant arrival was undoubtedly my outstanding highlight off the year! Little Bittern, Alpine Swift, Dark-eyed Junco and Lesser Grey Shrike amongst others were rather good too!

Hopefully a few more goodies to root up yet...

Cheers,

Connor
 
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pomskua said:
what were other peoples hi/lowlights
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Probably been the best autumn yet, red Backed Shrike at Palling, Lesser and Great Greys at Wells and in off at Southwold.

Short Eared Owl flying over my head while sea watching in the dunes at Horsey Gap, Cranes at Horsey Mere and something called a Pallas's Warbler.

Also ticked (not literally) Richards Pipit, Lapland Bunts at salthouse + a few other odds and ends!

Glad to hear you're now settled at Sheringham btwB :)

Matt
 
matt green said:
Glad to hear you're now settled at Sheringham btwB :)

Matt
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cheers mate, see you in the new yr,

with three of us we should get some quality finds

finally worked outwhat btw means- by the way - right

up til now i thought it meant in between (drinking guinesses in sheringham) - i aint got time 4 that3:)
 
andyrew said:
I live in Warham and there's been a male Hen Harrier floating around the Iron Age Camp regularly. I walk my dog there each day and he's pretty reliable. Take the hilly road opposite the three horseshoes pub and go to the top of the hill after about 2/3 mile and there's a metal gate on your right (next to a beware of car thieves poster). Walk down the track and the camp is at the end. There's a resident pair of Marsh Harriers there too.
Click to expand...

Andyrew - cheers for this info, will hopefully try to catch up with it.

Mike
 
pomskua said:
up til now i thought it meant in between (drinking guinesses in sheringham) - i aint got time 4 that3:)
Click to expand...

Pah! ..call yourself a local;)

Last birding jaunt this sunday at Thetford Forest before Steve hangs up bins for his annual winter break;)

Will nodoubt be looking forward to get going again after the crimbo madness!!

Matt
 
Highs & Lows

What a brilliant year!

Did some fantastic birding in Valencia and Tunisia this year.

But at home highlights have to be Lesser Grey at Holkham and Little Bittern at Titchwell. Also watching the pair of Montague's Harriers at blahblah mobbing a Red Kite was pretty spectacular. Watching the high tide at sunrise on a freezing february morning in Snettisham was magnificent. Getting a phonecall from the man who runs my village shop at six in the morning and telling me there was the (Morston) Bee-Eater sitting on the wires outside my house gave me half an hour of spectacular views as well.

But the best has to be my biggest stroke of luck ever....going to work on a sunday morning and forgetting my wallet, a dash home to Warham to get it and seeing an Egyptian Vulture circling my house at about 50 feet up for five minutes before drifting south. On returning to work at the Red Lion in Stiffkey there were five birders outside the pub watching a Red Kite and five Cranes in the field opposite the pub. They soon disappeared when i told them about the Vulture mind you! That was my best morning ever and I can't ever see myself beating that!!

At home I've had brilliant joys with a pair of Little Owls nesting in one of my Apple Trees and watching Hen and Marsh Harriers and Sparrowhawks while trying to do some gardening.

Not too many lows this year, because every time i've missed a bird there's always been something else, however common, to enjoy.

Merry Christmas everyone, and here's to 2008 !! Another top year hopefully
 
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highs & lows

Hi all.

My high must be watching a young golden orial being fed at lakenheath.
And low is not being able to get out as much as possable and not knowing the best places or time to see birds.

Hopefully i will be out more next year and meet up with some of you kind experienced birders.

Still look forward to reading your reports Penny & Conner. Have a merry Christmas & new year.

Forgot to say hurry up and get on here Philip
Barry.
 
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lomond said:
Hi all.

Still look forward to reading your reports Penny & Conner. Have a merry Christmas & new year.

Forgot to say hurry up and get on here Philip
Barry.
Click to expand...

Thanks Barry;):t: Merry Christmas

Unusually for me, have several social do's on, which doesn't always allow one to get up very early to go birding! But hopefully will be out and about this Saturday. My last day next Wednesday in my current job (of 7 years), start a new one on 17th Dec, so its all a bit busy/stressful etc and what with christmas aswell...... Looking forward to the new year, especially new year's day when I will be dashing about ticking birds again!

Highlights for me this year, is just simply being in Norfolk.

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 

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