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

Norfolk birding (12 Viewers)

Buckenham marshes today

2 Turnstone flew east, calling, over the fisherman's car park, don't recall ever having seen them there before. Also 4 Short-eared Owls hunting over claxton marshes
 
Holme daylist effort today with Rob Smith produced a total of 88 species including Lapland Bunting, Snow Buntings, Greenshank, Kittiwake and Woodcock. Worst misses included Coot, Red-breasted Merganser, Grey Partridge and Pochard.
 
My mate Steve and I walked west along the beach from Titchwell to Thornham Point today looking for the reported Twite just as they were spooked by a Sparrowhawk. The birds escaped over the sand dunes where Steve headed to see if he could spot them again.

I decided to stay on the beach and was glad I did as I picked up Red Throated Diver, a large flock of Common Scoter near the wind farm, a Red Breasted Merganser and the highlight a Great Skua flying purposely to the west ignoring everything in its path.

Cheers
Nick
 
A chap at work today described seeing what sounds to have been a great grey shrike, seen Jan1 in a tree on the side of the Ludham/Horning road just before Horning.
 
Hi does anyone know where in Wymondham the flock of waxwings are being spotted. will be out that way this weekend and would love to see them. thanks
 
eco said:
Hi does anyone know where in Wymondham the flock of waxwings are being spotted. will be out that way this weekend and would love to see them. thanks
Click to expand...

They are on the old A11 between Hethersett & Wymondham , park in layby on the right with an oak tree with a railing round it & they are in that area
 
Knot a lot about- & fork with an ‘sp’

For the first time since before Christmas Day, I was able to walk out (very slowly and gingerly) to my belovèd Gramborough. Not that there was anything in the bushes, mind you.

A Knot fed with the Turnstones at the west end of the Salthouse Beach car park.

Daringly, I then tried Wells-lite. Some very noisy people went down to the Woods, today.

However, the highlight was a bumblebee, by the beach café, which buzzed off too quickly for me to be sure of its ID. (I saw a hoverfly in Holt, yesterday.)

Pictured is also the ‘new’ Spork (RH utensil), which incorporates a knife. It can be seen that the spoon end is now larger; with my gape, this is not a problem. (The lime green one is the ‘normal’ Spork, for comparison.)

I bought the two on the left (by Guyot Designs) in the US and find the spatula most useful when on holiday, for spreading, e.g., pâté.

As all these are plastic, they do not fall foul of airport security.
 

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Cley today- nice ring-tailed Hen Harrier flew through, later seen in Blakeney Hbr. 10+ Snow Buntings in a flock with Goldfinches but mobile along beach.
Plenty of year ticks like Razorbill, Bearded Tits, Peregrine etc

Kelling - V Quiet

Could not find any Purple Sands, Small Canada or Ibis around Salthouse
 
Nice one on spotting that Merlin Sacha, an unlikely city tick!

The Short-eared Owls at Claxton are showing well, I had 2/3 so it is great to hear of Stuart's 4 birds now present.
I have continued to rack up the patch ticks over the last few days, best of all a male Hen Harrier at roost in Wheatfen. Said reserve is also proving excellent for Lesser Redpoll. It always surprises me how they feed so quietly, easily going unnoticed. I was praising myself for counting a group of 5 at the top of an Alder, and upon taking out my camera the flock scattered noisily, revealing 20+ birds!
The Magpie roost at Church Marsh held 45 birds, and the mixed Thrush roost contained at least 3 Mistle and many more Redwing and Fieldfare.

Cheers,
Jim.
 
jimbob said:
Nice one on spotting that Merlin Sacha, an unlikely city tick!
Jim.
Click to expand...

Cheers Jim ,
I thought that too! I did see one on the outskirts last year while driving into the city (near Hellesden).. So I guess they must pass over occasionally. I have never seen one chasing Pigeons, I normally see them catching Mipits on the Point. I have seen Male Sparrowhawks take Woodpigeons , so I guess they could catch one if they tried?
Sacha
 
I don’t suppose I was all that surprised when, on my second walk out to Gramboro’ in two days, I saw a Peacock butterfly flutter from the furthest bushes- and immediately disappear. Another observer told me they had what they thought was a Small Tortoiseshell, somewhere along the coast.

The exceptionally mild conditions also provoked the spider activity seen below.

A Snow Bunting flew west over the car park, calling.

A walk around the ‘back’ of Walsey Hills, often a good spot later in the year, could not provide any more butterflies, but there was the fungal array below by the side of the main path. I’m sure James will be able to help with their ID.

Several honking calls (wild swans!) had me hastening, as much as I could, to gain a sight of the sky. In the distance, 15 (another observer thought 16) Bewick’s Swans were flying west over Cley Marshes and quickly out of view behind the North Foreland.
 

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firstreesjohn said:
The exceptionally mild conditions also provoked the spider activity seen below.

A Snow Bunting flew west over the car park, calling.

A walk around the ‘back’ of Walsey Hills, often a good spot later in the year, could not provide any more butterflies, but there was the fungal array below by the side of the main path. I’m sure James will be able to help with their ID.
Click to expand...

It looks like some rather old Stereum hirsutum (sometimes called Hairy Curtain Crust).
 
It's been an odd few days in North Norfolk. On Thursday 4 Jan at Sculthorpe, I watched two male Marsh Tits displaying to a bemused female; they called, wing-flicked, darted hither and thither, but to no avail.

Yesterday 5 Jan, in Holkham Hall grounds, Mistle Thrushes singing strongly, partaking in display flights, seemed everywhere, but no winter thrushes were on stage.

On the lake at least 70 Gadwall had gathered, some males calling and head-bobbing vigorously. They ignored a very nondescript Buzzard cruising the length of the lake about 100m above; from its head movements, this raptor clearly was scanning both banks. Although the underwing had dark mottling, the ground colour was pale and the carpal patches were indistinct. The undertail was pretty dark.

Today 6 Jan, I've seen several individual Black-headed Gulls actively pursuing insects at altitudes I estimate at 30 to 150 metres.

Later, two Purple Sandpipers ignored the nearby observers at Sea Pool behind the old shingle sea defences between Cley and Salthouse and fed non-stop in brackish water amid a small group of stones that broke the surface - couldn't really dignify the stones with the name 'island'. About five minutes later the fog rolled in.
MJB
 
40 Snow Buntings again today off of Holme golf course on the single ridge, Greenshank still in Thornham Harbour and two cracking showy Waxwings near the Fen Hide, Titchwell.

Cheers,

Robert
 
Walcott had loads of gulls (no Med though) and 40 Turnstones this afternoon (a site high for me) also a Purple Sandpiper kept close to the Turnstones. It did come to the sea wall right by the car window, of course this was while the camera was not ready. Record shot on groyne...
 

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sculthorpe sunday

Some sightings from Sculthorpe on Sunday 6/1 Varying amounts of fog for most of the morning, breaking at 11 am but quickly closing in again

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker calling, on RHS, 30 yards before river platform
100+ bramblings
7 bullfinches
2 water rails
2 buzzards
6+ marsh tits including some very vocal birds (willow tit reported)
3-4 nuthatches
2 reed buntings
2 buzzards
2 goldcrests
mixed flock of 30 redpolls and siskins
great spotted woodpecker
Jays
Sparrowhawk
2 treecreepers
500 woodpigeons

Also stoat in nearly full ermine seen from Whitley hide

Bittern, red kite, hen harrier and goshawk have all been reported in last week

Gordon
 

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