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Norfolk birding (16 Viewers)

Titchwell June 10th

Today's highlights

Black winged pratincole - 1 feeding over grazing meadow pool throughout the day showing well
Little gull - 8 1st summers on fresh marsh
Spoonbill - 3 west over reserve @ 1pm
Bittern - 1 in flight over reedbed
Red crested pochard - female with 5 young on grazing meadow pool
Hobby - 1 over Fen Hide

Paul
 
Great post Irene. Personally I couldn't agree more. Now I haven't been able to devote as much time to birding as I would normally like (exam pressure) but yet I am still out about - if I'm not doing Holme then I will be doing another underwatched bit, like the north end of Thornham or Heacham north beach and I only ever see a couple of locals, who tend to put out all the news from such areas. I accept not everyone has that much time, but it is worrying how little people can be bothered. When the Pratincole dissapeared on the first day their were equal numbers of people muttering 'I think it has gone' as their were saying 'I should really go down to the coast this evening to do my bit' - I did Titchwell and Holme marshes that evening and saw only one other birder! When ever I walk the point or Burnham Overy Dunes their are 1-2 birders max, and I would say these are hotspots! One guy at Holme recently looking for Turtle Doves was complaining about having to walk down 100 metres of boardwalk to see one as 'he had been told he could see them from the car' and the followed it up with it's quiet isn't it, 'I haven't really looked aroud so far but I don't think it's worth it as their is nothing on the pager'!!!!! It is this sort of attitude, the consistent bird 'hopping' or 'not being bothered' - which yes we are all guilty of once every so often - but regularly doing it means that the people who are out finding birds are now 'not being bothered' to report them because of they enjoy the peace and quiet and are fed-up with the behaviour of those present, especially when 30 people from all across the county turn up for a Ring Ouzel or Whinchat that then gets chased all over the dunes on a day of SE in spring when they are all along the coast. If we all did our bit when possible then we would all see more birds! The coverage of the Norfolk coast, as others have said, really isn't brilliant considering how much gets found.

On the theory about not all areas of the coast being productive and some areas being blocked by others, the road by the reservoir that leads down to the main coast road and then through some paddocks towards Thornham has now produced Black-winged Pratincole and Black-throated Thrush, yet it is set slightly inland and directly inland of Thornham point and is hardly ever watched.

As for the wood at the north end of the Thornham with the massive house, darn! I thought I was the only person watching that area. At least it is just 3 of us. Nobody is looking are they ;)

Also, I'm not going to Scotland just to escape from the feedback of this discussion ;)
 
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I think a lot of the coast IS watched but just by a few people rather than the masses. For example I too walk the Hunstanton-Holme coastal path nearly every sunday but have very rarely seen a birder and I also look in on the house with the wood when conditions are good so I guess they are not that underwatched. However Norfolk's East coast in spring even with Easterlies yielded very very few birders out looking apart from the patchers.

I do agree with many of the above comments and have little to add apart from the fact that these sites are what birding is all about, peace quiet and finding your own birds (or trying to). So lets not put up a list of all the quiet spots in our area, people can and will find their own 'new' areas to bird if they want to, if people want to go 'pagering' and not do any 'real' birding thats up to them. We all like seeing the migrants but twitching a ring ouzel, whinchat or turtle dove in Norfolk is a bit pathetic in my eyes.
 
I am rapidly getting a vision of the owners of the 'house with the wood' viewing with some alarm the steady stream of birders passing their property completely unaware of each other's presence. ;)

Ron
 
I still don't entirely agree with what everyone has said. First of all, non-local birder (ie. from other counties) may not know Norfolk nearly as well as some of us locals do. They have a look on the pager and see that areas like Titchwell and Cley are coming up very regularly. So when they plan their trip to Norfolk, even if nothing has recently been reported from Titchwell/Cley they will often go there anyway, because they know it turns up some decent birds. They often have no idea about any secluded sites such as the ones already mentioned, because they don't appear on the pager etc.
Most non-local birders dont think "Hmmm, I'll go to this churchyard, and walk along this footpath, and wander around this campsite etc" they think along the lines of "Titchwell and Cley get reported often...".
Also, a site may appear underwatched, but thats only whilst you're there! They may already have visited this site or be about to visit it after you etc.
Finally, it depends what you're term of "underwatched" means. Compared to somewhere inland like Oxfordshire, I'd say Norfolk is pretty well covered! Norfolk is a pretty big county, but if somehow you could count the number of birders birding in it each day I reckon it would rank pretty highly on a list compared to others.
I do agree with a lot of what you are saying though - just trying to make this thread interesting again!
 
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......................
As for the wood at the north end of the Thornham with the massive house, darn! I thought I was the only person watching that area. At least it is just 3 of us. Nobody is looking are they ;)...........

I look here fairly regularly too Connor - No. 4!!!!;)

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

2 days off from work!!!!!!!
 
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I still don't entirely agree with what everyone has said. First of all, non-local birder (ie. from other counties) may not know Norfolk nearly as well as some of us locals do. They have a look on the pager and see that areas like Titchwell and Cley are coming up very regularly. So when they plan their trip to Norfolk, even if nothing has recently been reported from Titchwell/Cley they will often go there anyway, because they know it turns up some decent birds. They often have no idea about any secluded sites such as the ones already mentioned, because they don't appear on the pager etc.
Most non-local birders dont think "Hmmm, I'll go to this churchyard, and walk along this footpath, and wander around this campsite etc" they think along the lines of "Titchwell and Cley get reported often...".


I must admit that I am one of these people|:$| - I look on the rare bird map - note a few birds around and then travel up to norfolk to see them, drop into Titchwell or Cley whilst there and then travel back. By the time you take out the traveling (5 hours total ) it leaves you little time to do 'real' birding - but how else would I get to see different species so that when I / if I ever spot one by myself I would then feel confident to call it in?

I have noticed that since taking on a few bird atlas tetrads in my own local area it has opened my eyes to finding birds on my own and I really do enjoy it - However - I know my local area, know the people and feel comfortable in it. As a single female I would feel a little nervous about wandering off the normal track by myself - even in Norfolk!:eek!:
Tina
 
A prime example of other good birds being found during a twitch, last years black lark at winterton, the following day produced, wryneck, hoopoe and a sub-alpine warbler, not sure what happened to the last record ? I wonder if they would have all been found if there hadn't been 50 birders combing the dunes. I did the point back in may when we'd had easterly winds for days and forecast rain in the afternoon. I saw 2-3 other birders, I thought we'd be fighting past people. Another example was the ST lark, so few birders looking and only a couple of 100yds walk ! I guess the point is quite an undertaking.
 
You would be surprised how under-watched a well visited site like Titchwell actually is. Although the reserve is busy during 'opening hours' from early evening there can be very few people around and I have found that things can drop in in the evenings especially waders. As far as I can see there are only a handful of people who have the reserve as a local patch.

Yesterday, 40-50 people on site during the day to look for the pratincole and very few records in the sightings book. There were plenty of birds on the reserve it just seems that people don't record what is around unless it is rare these days.

Make it 5 people looking at the big house garden! Although I don't go there often I did find 2 yellow browed warblers a couple of autumns ago.

Paul
 
I still don't entirely agree with what everyone has said. First of all, non-local birder (ie. from other counties) may not know Norfolk nearly as well as some of us locals do. They have a look on the pager and see that areas like Titchwell and Cley are coming up very regularly. So when they plan their trip to Norfolk, even if nothing has recently been reported from Titchwell/Cley they will often go there anyway, because they know it turns up some decent birds. They often have no idea about any secluded sites such as the ones already mentioned, because they don't appear on the pager etc.
Most non-local birders dont think "Hmmm, I'll go to this churchyard, and walk along this footpath, and wander around this campsite etc" they think along the lines of "Titchwell and Cley get reported often...".
Also, a site may appear underwatched, but thats only whilst you're there! They may already have visited this site or be about to visit it after you etc.
Finally, it depends what you're term of "underwatched" means. Compared to somewhere inland like Oxfordshire, I'd say Norfolk is pretty well covered! Norfolk is a pretty big county, but if somehow you could count the number of birders birding in it each day I reckon it would rank pretty highly on a list compared to others.
I do agree with a lot of what you are saying though - just trying to make this thread interesting again!

I would tend to agree with you. Anyone travelling from outside Norfolk will understandably go to the key sites.

I don't go to Titchwell, Holme or Cley. They are far enough way from me that it requires a trip at the weekend and I just don't have the time so most of my watching is local, inland where I am invariably the only birder. I am insufficiently dedicated to be able to identify lots of the LBJ's, especially warblers, and so I tend to see usual common stuff. Unusual birds will probably pass me by unless easily identified. I guess that there are a lot of Norfolk birders like me, and I would think (although happy to be proved wrong) most dedicated Norfolk birders head for the coast.

Anyway, to summarise this rambling, I reckon there are a heck of a lot of unusual inland birds that don't get seen.
 
I reckon there are a heck of a lot of unusual inland birds that don't get seen.

My patch is Denver Sluice which is quite inland. Over the past 2-3 years I've had Great Grey Shrike, 2 records of Bittern, Red-Necked Grebe, Ring Ouzel etc. Other locals who I share the patch with have also turned up Red Kite, Black Tern, White-Winged Black Tern, Guillemot, Kittiwake, Little Gull, White-Tailed Eagle, Osprey etc. in the past.
Just goes to show that if an area is watched enough, it does turn up decent birds from time to time...
 
Titchwell June 12th

Today's highlights

Black winged pratincole - 1 feeding over grazing marsh
Spoonbill - 2 on fresh marsh
Wood sandpiper - 2 on fresh marsh
Little gull - 4 on fresh marsh
Red crested pochard - female with 5 young on grazing marsh pool
Bittern - male booming on grazing marsh pool
Red kite - 2 west late morning

Paul
 
Does anyone know if the black winged pratincole has been seen since this mornings report? I was hoping to dash up for it this evening so any gen would be very helpful.
 
Does anyone know if the black winged pratincole has been seen since this mornings report? I was hoping to dash up for it this evening so any gen would be very helpful.

It's just come on the pager again: at Titchwell at 6.45pm briefly over pines towards Brancaster. Not sure I can picture where that would be, but good luck if you go!
 
As for the wood at the north end of the Thornham with the massive house, darn! I thought I was the only person watching that area. At least it is just 3 of us. Nobody is looking are they ;)



Make that four of us!!!! I love that place.

I had a Red-backed Shrike there a long time ago. There were at least five Redstarts there that day.

A Greenish was seen there once , on the caravan site. I understand that news was not broadcast because of disturbance to the Caravanners.
 
At Strumpshaw Fen last Sunday the weather was awful but this little tree in the middle of the reedbed was full of resting Swallows, some of which are pictured here. It really brightened up a rainy day.

Ron
 

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11th June - Thursday, Pensthorpe - last day of Springwatch

I had not been to Pensthorpe for a long time, maybe a year or two, so decided to spend the day here for a change and also joined, as begrudged spending £8.50 for the day! so even though I have paid alot more, at least I can go when ever I want now for a whole year!

Brilliant views of bullfinches at the feeders by the woodland hide along with several marsh tits and it was alive with other birds: great spotted woodpecker, blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, pheasants, greenfinchs, long tailed its etc, squirrels, muntjac. Chatted to a lovely elderly couple in the hide, reminiscing about the old days - they left and then 2 incredibly noisy women came in the hide, talking in very loud voices and hands pointing out of the hide etc etc - the shyest birds departed and so did I!!!!! The Wader Scrape did not produce anything special.

Saw bullfinches again by the lily pond within the Millenium garden. They have extended this reserve alot since I last came - it was fun photographing smew and flamingoes etc even though they are all ringed!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tried to get Kate Humble's signature in vain, by leaving my Springwatch book (have Bill's and Simon's sig. in it already) in the office for the day - never mind!

12th June - Friday

Evening walk at Titchwell produced 2 Spoonbills.

13th June - Saturday

Spent the the day at Strumpshaw, Hickling area - on route had a stunning view of a Red Kite over my head and photographed (9.45am) (in sensitive area, which I why I couldn't put it on the pager)!!!

Beautiful views of Swallowtails on the Meadow Trail and Norfolk Hawkers were also showing. Lots of Banded Demoiselles fluttering magestically in the sunshine.No birds of any note really, but stunning day. Oh just remembered 2 lovely grey wagtails (pm) flitting about by a water tank along the lane to the pretty garden where people watch the swallowtails and also bumped into BF Reader (John).

Walked to Rushhill Scrape via Weavers Way, but no sign of any Great White Egret!!!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
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