Edward
Umimmak
On the last day of my week long trip to Britain I decided to “go for it” and spend a very long day in Norfolk, before flying out to Iceland from Stansted in the evening. Having dipped on Nightjar earlier in the week at Cannock Chase I was more determined than ever to see this species (which I have virtually no chance of connecting with in Iceland) After a long conversation on the phone with BF member Reader I decided that my best bet was to arrive in Sandringham at dawn. Reader and a couple of other people told me that I shouldn’t really arrive any later than 3:30 a.m. which meant a very early start from my parents’ house in Stockport. So just after midnight on Sunday morning I headed off in my hire car driving through Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, passing King’s Lynn in the dark (which one Norfolk wag told me is the best way to see this town), arriving at the site precisely described by Reader near Sandringham at around 3:30, setting foot in Norfolk for the very first time. When I arrived at the site (disturbing a courting, possibly mating pair of Homo sapiens in the process) I straight away heard several Nightjars calling in the immediate vicinity. It is the first time I’ve heard this “in the flesh” and it is a truly amazing sound, so incredibly intense and relentless. I walked a few metres away from the car park and then heard a roding Woodcock and a second or two later saw its pot-bellied figure circle the tree tops. A minute later two slender, elegant long-tailed and large headed birds flew over the clearing. Success! I then remembered that at least three different people had recommended waving white hankies around to attract Nightjars. In the absence of hankies I found a pair of light grey socks in my luggage and feeling like a fool I began flapping my arms with a sock on each hand. Within seconds a Nightjar appeared and began to swoop and circle me, wing clapping in display right above my head and then landed on a nearby power line giving superb views. I was ecstatic and this wing clapping display was one of the most exciting things I’ve seen whilst birding, ranking alongside the Great Bustard foam bath and breeding Grey Phalaropes. At 4:00 the Nightjars stopped churring and I retreated to the car, bitten to death by flies but elated to say the least.
After dozing for about 90 mins in my car I left Sandringham, but only after seeing a couple of Turtle Doves and hearing several more at the Nightjar site. My next target was Golden Oriole and arriving at Lakenheath early (Suffolk was another “county tick” for me), convinced there would be no-one there at that time, I was rather pleased to see three figures with telescopes pointed at the poplar plantation. The helpful local birders showed me the Golden Oriole nest and a female sitting tight. Every so often the female would stand up and fly off, returning shortly afterwards. All the while the male could be heard singing, again a first for me, and just before I left a male was seen darting through the treetops, hotly pursued by another male. One of the birders at the site then kindly offered to show me Weeting and we went there. On arriving the warden said we had “virtually no chance” of seeing the Stone Curlews and he was right. We heard them a couple of times but an hour of scanning the heath was fruitless but I did see a Woodlark, a species I’d only seen once before. I’ve seen lots of Stone Curlews in Spain but it would have been good to see one in England. Never mind.
My third and final target was Honey Buzzard and after a couple of wrong turns in the Norfolk lanes I finally made it to the Great Ryburgh watch point where about 20 people had already set up their scopes. Apparently the bird had been showing well earlier in the morning but hadn’t been seen for over an hour when I got there. It proved to be a long wait but Hobbies, a Sparrowhawk and a hare running straight through the assembled birders provided ample entertainment in the pleasant sunshine. After a couple of false alarms, i.e. Common Buzzards, a dark bird emerged from the trees at just after 2:00, spiralling upwards, wings drooping and tail twisting and then suddenly it began to display, gaining height rapidly and then quivering its wings above its body five or six times. This fantastic butterfly display was repeated seven or eight times to the delight of the assembled birders and eventually the Honey Buzzard drifted out of sight to the north. A few minutes later a distant speck was picked up and the bird was on its way back. It indulged in some more wing clapping and disappeared this time to the south. I know I could visit a migration hot spot and see hundreds if not thousands of Honey Buzzards in a day but to see my first Honey Buzzard doing this display was so special for me.
It was then time to head home, arriving back in Iceland in bright summer sunshine at 10:00 in the evening, tired but delighted to have seen three much wanted lifers, Nightjar, Golden Oriole and Honey Buzzard on my day trip to East Anglia. I look forward to visiting at a more leisurely pace next time to take in some more of the many famous sites in the region. Thanks for all the info, Reader.
E
After dozing for about 90 mins in my car I left Sandringham, but only after seeing a couple of Turtle Doves and hearing several more at the Nightjar site. My next target was Golden Oriole and arriving at Lakenheath early (Suffolk was another “county tick” for me), convinced there would be no-one there at that time, I was rather pleased to see three figures with telescopes pointed at the poplar plantation. The helpful local birders showed me the Golden Oriole nest and a female sitting tight. Every so often the female would stand up and fly off, returning shortly afterwards. All the while the male could be heard singing, again a first for me, and just before I left a male was seen darting through the treetops, hotly pursued by another male. One of the birders at the site then kindly offered to show me Weeting and we went there. On arriving the warden said we had “virtually no chance” of seeing the Stone Curlews and he was right. We heard them a couple of times but an hour of scanning the heath was fruitless but I did see a Woodlark, a species I’d only seen once before. I’ve seen lots of Stone Curlews in Spain but it would have been good to see one in England. Never mind.
My third and final target was Honey Buzzard and after a couple of wrong turns in the Norfolk lanes I finally made it to the Great Ryburgh watch point where about 20 people had already set up their scopes. Apparently the bird had been showing well earlier in the morning but hadn’t been seen for over an hour when I got there. It proved to be a long wait but Hobbies, a Sparrowhawk and a hare running straight through the assembled birders provided ample entertainment in the pleasant sunshine. After a couple of false alarms, i.e. Common Buzzards, a dark bird emerged from the trees at just after 2:00, spiralling upwards, wings drooping and tail twisting and then suddenly it began to display, gaining height rapidly and then quivering its wings above its body five or six times. This fantastic butterfly display was repeated seven or eight times to the delight of the assembled birders and eventually the Honey Buzzard drifted out of sight to the north. A few minutes later a distant speck was picked up and the bird was on its way back. It indulged in some more wing clapping and disappeared this time to the south. I know I could visit a migration hot spot and see hundreds if not thousands of Honey Buzzards in a day but to see my first Honey Buzzard doing this display was so special for me.
It was then time to head home, arriving back in Iceland in bright summer sunshine at 10:00 in the evening, tired but delighted to have seen three much wanted lifers, Nightjar, Golden Oriole and Honey Buzzard on my day trip to East Anglia. I look forward to visiting at a more leisurely pace next time to take in some more of the many famous sites in the region. Thanks for all the info, Reader.
E
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