Another Bus Expedition!!!
Walked in the dark for 30 minutes, caught normal service bus from Lynn and arrived in
Hunstanton with 45 minutes to kill before first Coastliner bus at 8.15am. Walked via the bakers and bought 2 hot cheese scones
, one of which I shared with gulls on the seafront while watching
22 Shelduck and 12 Common Scoters all flying west. Freezing cold first thing this morning! Several house sparrows flitting about around the cliff top garden.
Snooze on the bus, felt really tired! Had intended to start at Sheringham seawatching, but the bus would not have got there until 9.40am!! (found out later that 2 puffins had been seen early morning:-C) Anyway on route to Sheringham the Pager bleeps up with 'Barred Warbler at
West Runton around disused farm buildings'...... Ok right lets give Sheringham a miss for now!
the bus driver dropped me right at the farm buildings:t: on site were Dave A., Brenda and myself. Dave spotted John F and I phoned John to ask him exactly where he had seen the
Barred Warbler. John came back and helped us find it, and we saw it in flight and sitting on a bush at
10am- (
Thankyou John:t
Felt really pleased that I had managed to see this via bus! Sue B. then joined us along with others and we watched it again in an large elder by one of the buildings. Several people that arrived after that weren't so lucky. Several robins, hedge sparrows, meadow pipits about and a sparrowhawk flew into a bush.
Sue very kindly offered me a left to
Sheringham (
Thanks Sue:t
and we joined Phil V. and Mick and another couple for a seawatch.
Totals between 11.30am and 12.45pm that I saw: 1 Arctic Tern west, 2 Red Throated Divers east, 5 Gannets (inc 2 juvs), 120 Brent Geese, 2 Red Breasted Mergansers, 62 Wigeon, 2 Turnstones west, 40 Common Scoter, 1 Rock Pipit landed on shingle (11.45am), 30 Teal, 10 Dunlin, 6 Meadow Pipits, 2 Sandwich Terns and several Cormorants sitting on the groynes. Pager bleeped up Black Guillimot 11.30am on sea, seen from Beach Carpark at West Runton, but not seen since. Sue had had to leave while I was there - Mick very kindly offered me a lift (
Thanks Mick:t
to
West Runton, so off we went and stood on the cliff top with Simon (who found it) and 2 other birders and scanned the seas in the cold and wind from 1pm until I think it was around 2.20pm - good numbers of brent geese going by,
1 Razorbill,
1 Guillimot, a
Peregrine chasing a meadow pipit BUT frustratingly no Black Guillimot. Found out later in my travels today from a little 'bird' that the black guillimot has been seen in the area last week as well!!!!!!!!:-C
Got fed up scanning the sea in the cold, so walked along the cliff top, west to
Beeston Bump intending to find some goodies in the bushes below the bump. Quite a flurry of birds including several blackbirds, 2 redwings, wrens, hedge sparrows, robins and goldfinches but nothing mega appeared! Walked back over railway crossing and while waiting for the 3.45pm bus on the main road, a
grey wagtail flew over calling!
Trundled down the road and got off at
Walsey Hills - nothing there.
Caught next bus to
Holkham arriving 5.46pm. Marched down to the hide/scyamore tree and had a brief glimpse (after heavy pishing and 'birdcalling'!) of the
Yellow Browed Warbler at
6.15pm in the sycamore tree with long tailed tits next to right hand fork and then it shot across into the pine tree/bushes opposite. Marched back and realised that I needed to run down Lady's Anne's Drive and JUST caught the 6.43 bus:eek!: back to Lynn. The sky was filled with Pinkfeet flying in over low rolling mist over the marsh. Cat napped on the way back - interesting passengers on the way - a drunk elderly gentleman and a rowdy bunch of yuppies who were rude to the lady bus driver and needed a good slap!
Best Wishes Penny:girl: