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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Norfolk birding (10 Viewers)

It was very cold this morning but despite this we caught more than 40 Blackbirds in a morning session at Bates Wood. Also caught 2 Green Woodpeckers (!), a lovely Mistle Thrush and a flock of 13 Long-tailed Tits. A Water Rail was along the tiny stream running though the wood but it never walked into any of the nets annoyingly! Recently I've had 2 Snipe along that stream - its surprising considering its location and size!
Picture of the Mistle Thrush should be below...
 

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fearing that world championship darts and chicken soup was about to finally tip me over the edge, i decided that the only way of kicking the lurgy was to
go' on a bracing North Norfolk walk.
Started at Morston, No Twite, but good no's of Duck, 14 RB Mergs, 6 Goldeneye, 7 Eider, 5 Little Grebe also Kingfisher, a few Snipe. Flushed a Woodcock just before Warham Greens but the light was pretty awful for seeing Harriers, Male Hen and at last 1 Ringtail eventually emerged out of the gloom as well as a single Barn Owl. Spoke to a local who said there were 5 Ringtails and 2 males before Christmas - a good count from this site. Was getting seriously cold I.e hands freezing to optics cold and as i was walking back I was wondering If anyone else would be daft enough to be out in this weather when I bumped into Penny and her homies who had also just had another male Hen.
 
FREEZING COLD DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Left King's Lynn at 7.15am and arrived at Felbrigg Hall at 8.15am.

It was the coldest morning I can ever remember. I had every layer on that I could possible wear - there was no sun out and the frost was so hard, the blades of grass hardly crunched when we walked over the grass!!!!!! It was too cold to even take my gloves off to have a coffee to warm up!!!!!! We stood on the path by the yew tree and waited for an hour (very, very silly). Some birders had already been down to the lake which was completely frozen over with no sign of manderins or smew! only a few mallard. A few birders now waited with us to see the hawfinches when suddenly we saw a lone hawfinch sitting in a tall tree next to the yew where he happily sat preening himself for a good half an hour (9.30am). My feet and hands were in so much pain with the cold:eek!: We also saw a nuthatch, a few chaffinches, 2 green finches, lots of redwings turning over crispy white leaves and 2 donkeys! We then walked across the carpark and through a field to view the little owl (thank you Irene for your directions:t:) which alas we did not see. We then walked round past the hall to find the lake, but got a bit lost and then went back to carpark and walked via the little owl tree again to the church and eventually got to the lake - absolutely beautiful here, sun was now out and everywhere looked so glitteringly beautiful. The lake was indeed frozen over, but looked magical with at least 100 black headed gulls, a few moorhen and about 30 mallard all sitting on the ice in the sunshine! Also a stonechat flitting about around the base of an oak tree. Walked around the lake and back to the carpark seeing several redwings and 1 song thrush on route. My friend Pete S. phoned with his 2 friends Graham and Glyn (my Lesvos holiday crew) to say they were in the carpark, so Paul and I joined them for a banter. I decided to have one last look through my scope at the tree in the field and got very excited when I realised a cute little owl was looking out from his hole in the tree - it was really girly cute;):gh: The hawfinch had not been seen for a while (early bird catches the worm!) Saw a pied wagtail here too.

We left here and went to Sheringham and after last years failed attempts at purple sandpiper I was extremely pleased to find 2 (yes!) purple sandpipers working their way round the big rocks 200 yards east of the Leas shelters along with 1 knot. Also loads of turnstone scurrying about and a big flock of black headed, herring gulls and 1 black backed gull on the shore, also 1 ringed plover.

Moved onto Walsey Hills NOA, but did not seen anything other than a party of long tailed tits here. Oh and BF John Firs;)

Moved onto Salthouse and saw about 5 snowbuntings amongst the turnstone west of the carpark.

Moved onto Stiffkey campsite carpark and watched 1 woodcock go over and walked 200 yards west to join Pete, Graham and Glyn to watch (in my case) nothing! but the others had seen male and ringtail hen harriers and a barn owl. Another silly person out in the cold stopped to say hello - BF pomskua.

It is sooooooo lovely to be back in the warm!!!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
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Are they the same flock that have been around Dussindale Drive in Thorpe St Andrew? James Emerson posted about them when I enquired. I've not seen them but they have been around for a while although quite mobile. James mentioned that most days they have been seen around the junction between Dussindale Drive and Commonwealth Way, sometimes moving to trees near Newbury Way.
 
I was wondering about these too - does anyone know how reliable/showy they are?

Hi Peter

A fellow birder told me yesterday that he had been watching the waxwings at Dussindale Drive in Thorpe St Andrew and they were yards away, so sounds like they are sticking around and quite close to view!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Titchwell Highlights 11th Jan

2 Whooper swans still on grazing meadow
32 snow buntings on East Beach
Water pipit on fresh marsh islands briefly
Bittern flew over reedbed briefly
24 Goldeneye offshore
21 Eider offshore
103 Pintail on lagoons
Woodcock seen from meadow trail

Cheers,
Ben
 
Sooooooooo frustrating when I live in King's Lynn:C:-C - missed it by 20 mins (ish)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Connor, thanks for ringing me and if I had not been asleep (cursing:C) I would have seen the pager and possibly had a chance!!!!

Oh well never mind, BUT did have lovely views of 2 smew, 1 goosander, couple of goldeneye from another bridge and then back at the Killdeer site a green sandpiper along with a couple of snipe and lots of well known MEGA twitchers/birders!!!!!!!!!

I stayed until 4.35pm (last one there) and no further sign.

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

P.S. Connor - you really are JAMMIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:t:
 
female/immature black redstart hopped across the road at West Newton this am, in hedge by two barns beyond Victorian water tower. Checked the barns but couldn't relocate it

Abbey Farm Flitcham had good numbers of bramblings, chaffinches and yellowhammers in a flock in hedgerows on opposite side of road from car park. Also two barn owls, buzzard, sparrowhawk plus tree sparrow in village.

Two golden pheasants at Wolferton

A couple of velvet scoters in with many common scoters at Hunny

Six grey partridges at Choseley Barns. Most of the small birds there seemed to be in the hedgerows along the minor road from Choseley to Burnham market including a few corn buntings and a cracking flock of 50+ yellowhammers.

Gordon Hamlett
 
Are they the same flock that have been around Dussindale Drive in Thorpe St Andrew? James Emerson posted about them when I enquired. I've not seen them but they have been around for a while although quite mobile. James mentioned that most days they have been seen around the junction between Dussindale Drive and Commonwealth Way, sometimes moving to trees near Newbury Way.

Just to second this, the Dussindale flock has numbered up to 35ish according to reports, although there were only 22 when I had a look last week. They were flying across the road, regularly perching in peoples' gardens and on TV aerials.
 

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Sooooooooo frustrating when I liv
e in King's Lynn:C:-C - missed it by 20 mins (ish)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Connor, thanks for ringing me and if I had not been asleep (cursing:C) I would have seen the pager and possibly had a chance!!!!

Oh well never mind, BUT did have lovely views of 2 smew, 1 goosander, couple of goldeneye from another bridge and then back at the []Killdeer[/B] site a green sandpiper along with a couple of snipe and lots of well known MEGA twitchers/birders!!!!!!!!!

I stayed until 4.35pm (last one there) and no further sign.

Biest Wishes Penny:girl:

P.S. Connor - you really are JAMMIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:t:

THis may sound weird but was a real laugh dipping the Killdeer, it will surely go down as the bird ive dipped by the shortest amount of time, around a minute Connor? It was very funny. Anyway saw a Tawny in broad daylight on the way, An Otter crossing the channel behind all the ducks then three stunning male Hens and 1 Ringtail at Roydon Common, probably against the most stunning backdrop in Norfolk.
 
Killdeer finder

Was it Connor that found today's Killdeer? Great record and a surprising location? Did many get to actually see it and any photos?
Cheers
Richard
 
The Killdeer was found by the county recorders! who were out looking for the smew. About 15 people saw the bird (including Connor and Irene - well done you two, I am very jealous!)
 

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