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Still chasing the Stone Curlew (1 Viewer)

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I was passing the field before Weeting Heath when I noticed a deer grazing in the distance. I stopped to look at it through my bins and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as the ground seemed to be moving all around the animal, it looked very odd. I reached for my scope and trained it onto the area and came face to face with what seemed like thousands of feeding Fieldfare spread all over this large field. I have never witnessed so many of these birds before and I estimated that there must have been at least 4,000 of them there.

I arrived at Weeting Heath at 07:00. I immediately searched the area across the road from the reserve but Stone Curlew was not in evidence. There was a birder coming away from the reserve and he announced that he hadn’t found any Stone Curlews in the 30 minutes he had been there. He was off to Mayday Farm after the Goshawk so I bade my farewell to him and made for the West Hide. The walk to the West Hide was full of bird song. Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blue & Great Tits, a Green Woodpecker yaffling in the distance were all belting out their songs. Over in the fields were many Lapwing doing their tumbling flights as they were continually calling. Rabbits seemed to be all over the place and it seemed like any bird there would be competing for space in some places. They were constantly chasing each other then from time to time would leap, inexplicitly, up in the air and perform gambols, backward somersaults and all manner of silly things. It was whilst watching one of these manic Rabbits that I came across a movement in amongst a tuft of grass. I zoomed in and my first Stone Curlew of the year entered my logbook, then a 2nd one strode by and seemed to dip its head and accelerate forward towards the other bird. The first bird flapped its wings and partially took off before landing back on terra firma. This was repeated a few more times before the first bird seemed to have had enough and took flight and disappeared over the far ridge, followed by its stalker mate. As I panned back down the slope I came across three others that were sleeping. Soon they seemed to wake up and one, after stretching its wings, soon took off and flew back over the reserve, possibly going to the other side of the road. One other took flight towards the east Hide leaving just the one bird prancing around the far ridge. I have managed one or two very inferior shots of this bird but it was too far away, plus it was misty and the sun wasn’t in a good position. I have put one of these photos in the gallery. I watched this bird for a while before it to took flight and disappeared over the ridge. As I was leaving in my car the warden arrived and asked if I had seen any Stone Curlews. When I told him I had seen five he was pleasantly surprised as there had been only two there the day before. We exchanged pleasantries and I offered him one of the birdforum leaflets I had printed out which he promised he would put up on his notice board in the visitors centre. Hopefully we may get the odd visitor there that gives the leaflet a good read and decide to give us a look over.

It was time to go to Wayland Wood, which is near to Watton.
 
Good stuff John. Have never seen Stone Curlew but am off to central Spain in three weeks and I should have a decent chance there.

I've got a confession to make though. Norfolk is one of three English counties I've never set foot in, Suffolk and the Isle of Wight being the other two. Is this a sacrilegious confession from a "British" birder???
 
Edward

Norfolk & Suffolk are, arguably, two of the better areas you can bird in. If ever you get back across here you must make time to visit a few sites within those counties.

I have only been to the Isle of Wight once but it looked full of potential. I'm sure that there are other members who know this island well.
 
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Edward,
The Isle of Wight is very underwatched, except by resident birders - I'm sure you'd find a lot there to interest you. Norfolk, of course, is Heaven with added Angels.

Tony
 
I went to the Isle of Wight once but it was not a birding trip. It was in the days when I used to fly aeroplanes and I flew down with 3 other people for the day from Gloucestershire Airport (Staverton as it used to be called). I was buying an ice cream in Ventnor and the ice cream man asked if I lived in Cheltenham when he saw a Cheltenham motif on my cycling club shirt. I said that I lived just outside Cheltenham. He then asked how long it had taken for me to get here. I replied that it was about an hour. He then asked what sort of car I had. I replied that it was a Ford Escort. By this time he had given my the ice cream and I had paid and so said cheerio and walked off leaving him looking very puzzled. How had I driven about 120 miles to the south coast, caught a ferry which takes some time to cross to the island and then driven across the island all in about an a hour? I had answered all of his questions truthfully, it was just that he had not asked the right ones.

But I agree, it is underwatched. It must throw up rarities just like Portland with which it has similar geographical features in that it sticks out into the channel. (BTW, 'sticks out' is a technical phrase)

Colin
 
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