Yeah .... that's more like it. (Horsey, Norfolk) (1 Viewer)

After the grisly wet days recently, what a welcome change today was. Took a ride up to Horsey before anyone else got there this morning. An excellent morning out, plenty of sunshine and several firsts.

Made my way past the Nelson Head pub and onto the dunes with the Skylark singing away merrrily .... hadn't been there long and Bingo !! .... a Swallow came flitting past, shortly followed by a ringtail Hen Harrier slowly making it's way north behind the dunes and over Waxham holiday camp. Shortly after taking a sit down for a spot of seawatching (6 Scoter & 2 Cormorant) i heard a commotion and looked up ... 11 Common Crane circled above a couple of times before making off out to sea. What a sight that was.

In the bushes near the pillbox / car park area a couple of Stonechat clung handsomely to the grass stalks followed by 3 more year firsts ... actually saw a singing Chiffchaff, a singing Yellowhammer and several Peacock butterfly.

At Horsey All Saints church a Song Thrush was on the roof & a Green Woodpecker yapped away but i couldn't find it anywhere, down by Martham Broad a harrier put up a group of 12 Snipe and on the broad itself were several Tufted Duck, 3 Little Grebe, couple of Goldeneye, some Lapwing etc and a singing Cettis' Warbler.

Marsh Harriers everywhere, 7 in flight at one point. Food passes, display over the reedbeds .... fabbo

Great report Carlos, well worth getting up for. And what a sight those harrier's must have been, the display flight's and food passes alone are worth the early rise. lovely part off the country you live.
bert.

Thanks for that Carlos - hope the Cranes will be there later this week!

Probably the visiting birds from the continentreturning Pete. The other birds actually arrive from the continent to spend the summer here.

Colin, Are these Cranes easy to find in the summer?

We went there on Monday last week, kinda just popped in on our way home. We'd heard that there were Shorelarks there so we stopped to have a look.
On our way back from the beach, when the light was fading, we heard a bird singing. We looked up and there was a bird just landing a few feet from us, once I put the bins on it I was delighted that it was a lovely male Shorelark! A good end to a really good day.

Hopefully be ok pete, they didn't all fly off to the continent. Later on there were 2 more flying low above the tree line from midway up the main road.