Mark Batten
Well-known member
Oliver well worth a read.BB = British Birds. A magazine about birds - been going for a while now
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Norfolk birding (20 Viewers)
- Thread starter Edward woodwood
- Start date
petehasset
Well-known member
Flitcham had a lot to offer today , big flocks of Yellowhammer , Linnets , Chaffinch's a few Reed Buntings , Tree Sparrow's , Grey Partridge & 1 Little Owl
Archie Opteryx
Well-known member
Additional numbers to previous wintery posts -
Sunday - 3 Goldeneye flying across the coast road in Bacton, Bullfinches by the road from Kelling to Salthouse Heath (much slippy!), of note - only four cars at Cley Beach
Tuesday - 2 drake Goosander and a Grey Plover past Yarmouth (was hoping for a Smew tbh)
Sunday - 3 Goldeneye flying across the coast road in Bacton, Bullfinches by the road from Kelling to Salthouse Heath (much slippy!), of note - only four cars at Cley Beach
Tuesday - 2 drake Goosander and a Grey Plover past Yarmouth (was hoping for a Smew tbh)
Caught site of the Water Rail at Thorpe Marshes today. It's shreiking call alerted me to it's presence. I managed to get into a position at the head of the dyke where I could look long it's length and there it was. Got a good view of it before it skulked off into the reeds and disapeared.
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Happisbirder
Always looking, seldom finding...
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Dave Appleton
Well-known member
I've recorded about 1200 bird/days for Green Woodpecker over the last 25 years and the largest count I've had in that time was 6 - and that was over a largish site with several territories. So yes, I'd say this was a pretty amazing record!
Smews all over the place today - on days like this I really wish I didn't have to work for a living! I've never seen a Smew on any local patch I've ever had, despite these including reservoirs, gravel pits and a coastal seawatch site. Today would have been a good day to break that run!
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
I posted this reply before but then deleted it. You could consider contacting Chris Skinner, the owner of High Ash Farm. He is very interested in the wildlife on his farm and would probably be very interested in this sighting. He might also be able to add some further information on the numbers of Green Woodpeckers at the site. You might even get a mention on his radio broadcast.
http://www.highashfarm.com/index.htm
Ron
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Dave Appleton
Well-known member
More on Green Woodpecker flocks, having just checked BWPi...
According to BWP Green Woodpeckers are, "Normally solitary outside breeding season" but one study located 8-11 birds roosting in an area 16 km2 and another located up to 10 roosting in a church wall. I agree with John: an observation that's worthy of a note to BB!
According to BWP Green Woodpeckers are, "Normally solitary outside breeding season" but one study located 8-11 birds roosting in an area 16 km2 and another located up to 10 roosting in a church wall. I agree with John: an observation that's worthy of a note to BB!
firstreesjohn
Well-known member
Well-proportioned movie stars, all that drill and the Church ?
I am in danger of straying in to scientific territory, since I have not done a biological/zoological/ecological/environmental degree, but wouldn’t that first figure
More seriously, HBW mentions their susceptibility to ‘harsh winter weather’, in terms of ‘major mortality’, which can result in population numbers dropping ‘for years’. With the much greater severity of conditions on the Continent, the European population may well decrease markedly.
When I was your age, ‘BB’ was used as an abbreviation for both Brigitte Bardot and British Birds, with the majority of the public being much more aware of the former- and her format. Samantha Fox would be a more recent comparison- but even she dates me. (Would that were the case, the little vixen!) The homonym (bardeau), of ‘Bardot’, her father's name, interestingly, means ‘clapboard’ which, of course, is movie related.
I am in danger of straying in to scientific territory, since I have not done a biological/zoological/ecological/environmental degree, but wouldn’t that first figure
refer to population density, Dave ? The 2nd would seem more applicable, in this context- although I’d not thought of them as having a particularly religious bent, especially with all that drilling !
More seriously, HBW mentions their susceptibility to ‘harsh winter weather’, in terms of ‘major mortality’, which can result in population numbers dropping ‘for years’. With the much greater severity of conditions on the Continent, the European population may well decrease markedly.
When I was your age, ‘BB’ was used as an abbreviation for both Brigitte Bardot and British Birds, with the majority of the public being much more aware of the former- and her format. Samantha Fox would be a more recent comparison- but even she dates me. (Would that were the case, the little vixen!) The homonym (bardeau), of ‘Bardot’, her father's name, interestingly, means ‘clapboard’ which, of course, is movie related.
robinchittenden
Award winning wildlife photographer, writer, tour
Woodcock garden Norwich
Flushed a Woodcock from our suburban garden in Norwich day before yesterday!! Would have preferred it, if it had sat tight for its photo though.
I would be very very happy to hear of any others in gardens around here...that could potentially be photographed.
Thanks
Robin
Flushed a Woodcock from our suburban garden in Norwich day before yesterday!! Would have preferred it, if it had sat tight for its photo though.
I would be very very happy to hear of any others in gardens around here...that could potentially be photographed.
Thanks
Robin
guernsey_dave
Registered User... registered user sounds like som
Anyone know how frozen whitlingham CP is at the moment?
RonMac
Well-known member
The large broad is open, there is a red head smew there at the western end and a report of red brested merganser but not seen on my walk around the broad also a few more goldeneye today.
guernsey_dave
Registered User... registered user sounds like som
If you want the news of less rare things to go out, submit it via birdguides - as they aren't called Rare Bird Alert they dont have the same kind of filters. I submit news of rare birds to RBA as the news tends to get out much faster, however news of things such as Goosander at UEA or a good count of green sands at Cantley I would submit to Birdguides (this way it is also submitted into the bto Birdtrack data (i think). Anyway at least the less rare news then gets out to interested parties.
Titchwell February 8th
Today's highlights
Coues arctic redpoll- 1 along main path
smew - 3 redheads on grazing marsh then flew towards Holme
Bittern - 3 on grazing marsh pool, 1 in main reedbed
Long tailed duck - 4 offshore
Velvet scoter - 2 drakes offshore
Spoonbill - 2 east
Water pipit - 4 on fresh marsh
Avocet - 1 on brackish marsh
I am now swaning off to India until the end of the month so there won't be
any updates from here for a few weeks. Enjoy the snow!
Paul
Today's highlights
Coues arctic redpoll- 1 along main path
smew - 3 redheads on grazing marsh then flew towards Holme
Bittern - 3 on grazing marsh pool, 1 in main reedbed
Long tailed duck - 4 offshore
Velvet scoter - 2 drakes offshore
Spoonbill - 2 east
Water pipit - 4 on fresh marsh
Avocet - 1 on brackish marsh
I am now swaning off to India until the end of the month so there won't be
any updates from here for a few weeks. Enjoy the snow!
Paul
Surprised to hear Goosanders not considered newsworthy. Surely this was what the local Norfolk/Suffolk channel was for. Smew are considered newsworthy so why not add plus 20 Goosanders (a noteworthy number) in brackets after, this doesn't require an extra message. I'm sure quite a few birders would go to see that number.
Interesting..but it doesn't really solve the problem as the news still doesn't get to my pager in the field... because although the pager people may well 'scavenge' the news from Birdguides, they still won't put it out. I have to say that I would have thought a close flock of 20 Goosander was more noteworthy ( at least in a local context) than the umpteenth fly-over Waxwing in a Waxwing year.
ben_lewis
Well-known member
While maintaining the sluices at Strumpshaw I had 14 Goosander fly East, 1 male Scaup on the river (annoyingly briefly) and 24+ Whooper swans flying South, in 2 groups. If only there was some water on the reserve then we may have a Smew or two.
Edit: it appears there are some on the reserve after all- at Rockland
Edit: it appears there are some on the reserve after all- at Rockland
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firstreesjohn
Well-known member
Goose news noose- no excoose for this looseness
If you look at ‘News for a single species’, on the RBA website and then select ‘Norfolk’, you will see that Goosander has been mentioned in 2 reports since 2010. In 2009 and previously, there were DOZENS of reports.
It is obvious there has been a change of policy, in some way, and the flow of news about this species has been choked.
Someone has had something against the poor, handsome creature since the beginning of last year, as there is also a dearth of records in 2011 for the whole of the UK.
These are mergy waters indeed. Should the SIS be involved ? Should someone, even now, be red-faced, rather than a redhead ? !
Watch this space, for the next installment of this cliff-hanger; OK, I know they nest in holes in trees.
If you look at ‘News for a single species’, on the RBA website and then select ‘Norfolk’, you will see that Goosander has been mentioned in 2 reports since 2010. In 2009 and previously, there were DOZENS of reports.
It is obvious there has been a change of policy, in some way, and the flow of news about this species has been choked.
Someone has had something against the poor, handsome creature since the beginning of last year, as there is also a dearth of records in 2011 for the whole of the UK.
These are mergy waters indeed. Should the SIS be involved ? Should someone, even now, be red-faced, rather than a redhead ? !
Watch this space, for the next installment of this cliff-hanger; OK, I know they nest in holes in trees.
Dave Appleton
Well-known member
Yes, agreed.
