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Norfolk birding (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Edward woodwood
- Start date
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Hi Dave
Thank you for your concern.:t:
Car was taken to garage yesterday, car was assessed today and now waiting for insurance company to ring me, which apparently could still be a couple of days! I do have a bike, but I would rather walk twice the distance than bike - probably something to do with the fact that I used to HAVE to bike 14 miles round trip to a job for many years before I passed my test, so I grew to hate biking! Also it would be too far to bike to get to all the good spots in Norfolk. Its rubbish around my immediate area for birding (generally) I would have to bike 20 miles just to get Holme!!!
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
Dave Kennedy
Well-known member
Point taken!
In that case, the best I can suggest is moving house to Titchwell or Cley or some such place. Then you could crash your car with impunity and still go birding.
Hope you don't have to wait too long,
Dave
An excellent VisMig watch at Sheringham this morning. A change in the weather & an advancing cold front had obviously induced many birds to move & from first light up until 12 there was a near constant stream of mostly Ducks & Waders heading west, with a few other species thrown in for good measure too ; R.T.Diver 40e 12w
Sooty Shearwater 1w (no sign of the Balearic that was reported at the same time
)
Manx Shearwater 3e 2w
Brent Goose 111w (1st 3 figure count of the autumn)
Mallard 6w
Pintail 104 w
Shoveler 8w
Wigeon 852w
Teal 1220w
Scaup 3w
Tufted Duck 7w
Common Scoter 670w
Goldeneye 1w (first of autumn)
R.B.Merganser 12w
Kestrel 1 in off
Ringed Plover 3w
Grey Plover 2w
Knot 37+w
Purple Sandpiper 1w
Turnstone 4w
Dunlin 54+w
Bar-T-Godwit 2w
Curlew 7w
Snipe 63w (never seen so many over the sea before)
+ many Calidrids too distant to be i.d`d with certainty
Bonxie 20e 12w
Pom Skua 2e
Arctic Skua 3e
Meadow Pipit 50+ in/west
Sorry if the list is a bit too exhaustive for the more rarity orientated amongst us but its days like these that i thrive on. Scolt Head usually scores big on days like these, anybody else with observations from further west ?
Sooty Shearwater 1w (no sign of the Balearic that was reported at the same time
) Manx Shearwater 3e 2w
Brent Goose 111w (1st 3 figure count of the autumn)
Mallard 6w
Pintail 104 w
Shoveler 8w
Wigeon 852w
Teal 1220w
Scaup 3w
Tufted Duck 7w
Common Scoter 670w
Goldeneye 1w (first of autumn)
R.B.Merganser 12w
Kestrel 1 in off
Ringed Plover 3w
Grey Plover 2w
Knot 37+w
Purple Sandpiper 1w
Turnstone 4w
Dunlin 54+w
Bar-T-Godwit 2w
Curlew 7w
Snipe 63w (never seen so many over the sea before)
+ many Calidrids too distant to be i.d`d with certainty
Bonxie 20e 12w
Pom Skua 2e
Arctic Skua 3e
Meadow Pipit 50+ in/west
Sorry if the list is a bit too exhaustive for the more rarity orientated amongst us but its days like these that i thrive on. Scolt Head usually scores big on days like these, anybody else with observations from further west ?
Brian Stone
A Stone chatting
Don't apologise. This is interesting even for those of us in landlocked areas not too far away. It's in conditions like these that we get interesting stuff turning up inland and it's good to know what's on the move. E.g. looks like a chance of Common Scoter pitching up around here. Winds going a little more northerly tomorrow by the look of it, though rather short-lived.
SueBryan
Well-known member
Hi Rob
It may have been good for ducks and waders at Sheringham but at Holkham this morning it was extremely quiet for passerines (except for the tit flocks). Roll on some easterly winds and a few showers!
Sue
stuart white
Well-known member
Holkham / Burnham Overy Marsh
Apparently the yellow browed was very vocal yesterday near the cross tracks along with 2 firecrests. No sign today but two large tit flocks seen.
Burnham overy marsh pool had the most interesting species. Wood Sandpiper topping the bill with 2 Green Sandpipers, Water Rail, 3+ Bearded tits feeding on the mud, Ruff, Greenshank, Ruddy Duck and 20+ Snipe. The water level is perfect
Apparently the yellow browed was very vocal yesterday near the cross tracks along with 2 firecrests. No sign today but two large tit flocks seen.
Burnham overy marsh pool had the most interesting species. Wood Sandpiper topping the bill with 2 Green Sandpipers, Water Rail, 3+ Bearded tits feeding on the mud, Ruff, Greenshank, Ruddy Duck and 20+ Snipe. The water level is perfect
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Had a trek around Outney Common this afternoon, nothing mega but did turn up an unexpected Little Egret, Water Rail and a Cettis Warbler down by the river. The Little Egret was seen from the ''Roaring Arch Bridge'' between Earsham and Bungay. The Hards by the waverney valley golf club looks like it could produce some good spring and autumn birding as it's a mixture of high, well wooded sandy heath that leads down to the lows by the riverside...the place is a bit bigger than it looks on the map so unfortunately didn't have time to walk the bath hills road that loops the entire area.
Quick walk around the town antique shops produced a very nice pair of vintage Bushnall 10x50's for £20...sweet!!!
Just about had time to look in on a gravel workings on the outskirts of Earsham, scanning over a partially dried up pit produced 11 Common Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 pos Green Sandpiper and two Ruddy Shellduck (nodoubt escapees from the nearby otter trust site and wildfowl collection)
Matt
Quick walk around the town antique shops produced a very nice pair of vintage Bushnall 10x50's for £20...sweet!!!
Just about had time to look in on a gravel workings on the outskirts of Earsham, scanning over a partially dried up pit produced 11 Common Snipe, 1 Common Sandpiper, 1 pos Green Sandpiper and two Ruddy Shellduck (nodoubt escapees from the nearby otter trust site and wildfowl collection)
Matt
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matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Songkhran
Well-known member
Just Skuas
at Cley this morning, so if you're into Skua you was quids in baby.
Kicked off around 7.15 with 2 Arctics, followed by two more juv Arctics with a nice pale bellied juv Long-tail for comparison.
Steady stream of Bonxies, 2 more distant Long-tails, later 2 ad Poms with the first juv Poms of the Autumn then the piece de resistance a truly unforgettable flock of 6 Adult Poms all with full spoons almost over the surf(now i realise why Cley is good) followed by two Arctics followed by a dallying Long-tail with a Bonxie about half a minute later, Ive had 4 Skua days before, but four Skua minutes is something else.
Possibly a bit later a Bonxie kleptoing a Long-tail. Awesomely good.
at Cley this morning, so if you're into Skua you was quids in baby.
Kicked off around 7.15 with 2 Arctics, followed by two more juv Arctics with a nice pale bellied juv Long-tail for comparison.
Steady stream of Bonxies, 2 more distant Long-tails, later 2 ad Poms with the first juv Poms of the Autumn then the piece de resistance a truly unforgettable flock of 6 Adult Poms all with full spoons almost over the surf(now i realise why Cley is good) followed by two Arctics followed by a dallying Long-tail with a Bonxie about half a minute later, Ive had 4 Skua days before, but four Skua minutes is something else.
Possibly a bit later a Bonxie kleptoing a Long-tail. Awesomely good.
Brian Stone
A Stone chatting
What direction are they heading this morning?
Dawn Balmer
Well-known member
Does anyone have photos or sound recordings of the Red-breasted Flycatcher at Winterton around 20 September? I've found a few on the web but would be interested to look at a few more.
dbradnum
Well-known member
I've got a few more photos in addition to the one posted further up this thread... will downsize them tonight and post here.
Dawn Balmer
Well-known member
Thanks David. Look forward to seeing them.
Songkhran
Well-known member
all West slightly surprisingly and most of the action was between 7.30 - 8, I'm not a great stander when birding and don't think the position of the Beach Hotel is particularly good so i was sat a little way East of the crowds. On reflection the three LTs on the pager is about right, the palish one and two together were good enough to do a description (which by the sounds of things may be on the cards next year). The Skua getting harrassed by the Bonxie was tiny in comparison, and never seen an Arctic getting done like this, but was too distant to be sure.
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Interesting to note the differences in Skua numbers at a site less than 7 miles to the east & on a seemingly even stretch of coastline (you know i`m not questioning your obs Josh). At Sheringham from 7:00-10:00 we had only 40 Bonxies,7 Arctics, 3 juv Poms & no Long-tails unfortunately, although when i left there was a promising looking candidate sat on the sea. Perhaps the fact that the Skuas were mostly heading west meant that they were closer to shore by the time they reached Cley. It certainly sounds like the adult Poms were ! In contrast to yesterday wildfowl & waders were virtually absent. Other highlights were : R.T.Diver 110e 12w, M.Shearwater 15e 5w, Sooty Shearwater 3e 1w & Arctic Tern 3+.
Songkhran
Well-known member
yes ive been thinking about that as well, a possible theory - do Skuas migrate at night, I don't think they do I reckon they sit on the sea and move in the morning and the best time seems to be 7- 9 when there has been an overnight blow. There generally seems to be a quiet period at the beginning of virtually all seawatches - the period before it all gets going. All 4 species of Skuas seemed to move together today, they virtually all went through between 7.30 and 8 with a few juv Pom stragglers afterwards - your three? They could have been waiting to move together - why this big flock had accumulated together and was on that part of the coast and there werent any other further along the coast i don't know. But the flocking together may have taken place the evening before. Skuas must be able to see each other even if they are relatively spaced and flocks must meet and disperse the whole time. The other theory is that the time it takes a Skua to fly between Sheringham and Cley (around 25 minutes) - because its only getting light around 6.50ish - could have gone through while it was still dark - certainly if they had gone through Sheringham it would have been in that 'before things get going' period which would be unusual.
This discrepancy between Sheringham and Cley happens time and time again!
more questions than answers?
stuart white
Well-known member
We witnessed some interesting behaviour around 10.30 at Cley today. While seawatching from the coastguards a Peregrine appeared a fair way out and started dive bombing a kittiwake. It did this continually almost like a skua for the next 5 minutes, often nearly touching the surface of the sea! Then a bonxie got in on the action but the peregrine chased him off several times. Quite a spectacle
Nottingham Panther
Active member
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
Steve
dbradnum
Well-known member
Here we go then... these won't win any prizes for sure, but they may be of interest.
I'm assuming that people are interested in the possibility of Taiga (which I admit I didn't really consider while watching the bird, shame on me
). The backlighting wasn't doing me any favours (and nor was my inability to get the right exposure!), so the colour rendition isn't consistent across all shots, but the following can be determined from at least some of them:- the bill does have a pale base to the lower mandible
- the breast and flanks do show the typical warm buff wash as expected
Sadly no shot shows any more of the uppertail though.
Also worth commenting that the bird was calling fairly frequently, and I never heard it give anything other than the classic RBFly (i.e. a relatively slow-paced somewhat 'wooden' rattle, not the much faster Taiga version).
Compare all of the above to Hugh Harrop's excellent pics and recording of the Fetlar bird >here<
Interested to hear other comments (since much of what I know about Taiga Fly has been learned in the last 24 hours!), but basically I'm happy that I've not thrown a mega away!
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