Norfolk birding (32 Viewers)

Irene Boston · Mar 22, 2010

Buzzards galore

A day spent in the Ken Hill area yesterday produced the expected Sparrowhawks flinging themselves about in display, plus the local Buzzards on territory doing a pale imitation of a Golden Eagle's 'giant bat' and 'golden ball' display. The Buzzards were also up in between displays almost constantly circling over their territories, the reason being just that bit higher - an almost continuous passage of thermalling or kettling Buzzards (where does the phrase 'kettle of Buzzards' originate I wonder?).

In a period of 5 hours, I had a minimum of 42 passing south, with one very impressive spiral of 11 birds stacked up. It was interesting to follow each group as it drifted slowly south - on average taking about 10/15 minutes to cross my airspace. Some appeared from the north, the Hunstanton direction, and others appeared to drift in from the north east - presumably if they'd followed the Choseley 'ridge', they'd have seen the coast approaching and been able to veer left much earlier, whereas others maybe followed the coast round?

Anyone else have anything similar yesterday?

Irene

rob lee · Mar 22, 2010

Excellent stuff Irene, nothing noted from the Cromer end of the coast i`m afraid.
A couple of friends of mine spent a few hours on Incleborough Hill yesterday looking for raptors but could only find the local Buzzards.

kittykat23uk · Mar 22, 2010

Bittern was showing off and on at the Fen Hide at Strumpshaw yesterday. Even managed to get a record shot. also marshies displaying but staying quite distant. :t:

TomSmith · Mar 22, 2010

petehasset said:
has anyone seen any corn buntings at Choseley barn recently

I had 4 singing on Saturday morning; also a Buzzard through low to the SW.

stuart white · Mar 22, 2010

There were 30+ Corn Buntings at choseley this afternoon, stay in your car and view from the opposite side of road, lots of spilt grain ? has defintely helped lure them in. Also had a nice Red Kite NE of Flitcham from the B1153. Titchwell was quiet on the migrant front but did produce, Water Pipit, c30 Twite, at least 4 Velvet Scoter ( I heard there are 21) with c400 Common Scoters close inshore and a Long Tailed Duck.

matt green · Mar 22, 2010

1 singing Chiffchaff and 3 (possibly a further 3 flushed by dog walkers) Wheaters were a pleasent taste of spring this morning at Holkham bay, also 1 Small tort and 1 Peacock at Titchwell sunday.

Matt

SUGS · Mar 22, 2010

firstreesjohn said:
Name for this wonderful hybrid ?

It, too, was associating with feral Greylags, one almost a pale biscuit colour !

Canadas were not all that far away on the freshmarsh.

Grenada Goose ?

.

sacha · Mar 22, 2010

I have been busy at work , so no birding.

Recently, I did notice some graffiti in a Norwich underpass of .. some waders!

Only in Norfolk do you get kids doing graffiti of what looks like a Marsh Sand.

Rumour is that it's the work of ... Banksie Swallow !:-O

Penny Clarke · Mar 22, 2010

Day's holiday and decided to go to Cley - have not been birding up this end of the coast for ages.

Beautiful sunny day until rain at 3.30pm.

Tawny Owl calling in the wood by Little Thornage Ford.

Walsey Hills - my goodness:eek!: the landscape has certainly changed!!!! I like the new steps, but I don't like the stripped hillside!!!! it looks very barren. Cettis Warbler and 2 Chiffchaffs singing here, but not alot else apart from hedge sparrows and chaffinches by the feeders. The dug out pond that was created last year still remains waterless. Toads mating on the bottom path. No sign of any Adders yet.

Was going to walk the East Bank, but changed my mind and instead parked at Coastguards where I had a chat with local birders and then walked up to North Hide - several meadow pipits flitting about. Not too much from the hide apart from avocet, shoveler, gadwall, redshank, few brents etc.

Whilst photographing a turnstone by the 'seawatching' shelter back at Coastguards 'Dave' (with black labrador) shouted across 'can you ID that Penny?' to which I replied with a very unlady-like V-sign

. Whilst Dave and a couple of other birders were discussing Walsey Hills a Wheatear flew over the ridge by the Blakeney Point information board.

Drove to the NWT centre to have a look round and had a very welcome reception from Pat which was very sweet. Bought a cheese scone and sat in the car to eat it along with cup of tea and then 40 winks! Went back to the centre to buy chocolate - oh dear diet slipped again:eek!:!!! Raining now.

Friary Hills - felt very tired now, could not be bothered to get out of the car, dull, rainy weather - did some car birding and watched several goldfinches and very bright greenfinches flitting about in the hawthorns. Josh had a quick chat with me before heading off towards Friary Hills - no doubt he saw something exciting, which will serve me right for being lazy!

Had chips at Wells - diet blown now so might as well finish the day off with more high calerie food! Masses of Brent Geese flew into the channel - never seen so many!

Just after the Mill at Burnham Over Staithe I watched 3 Marsh Harriers together in the semi dusk.

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

Sue G · Mar 23, 2010

Hi Penny,yes, what they've done to Walsey Hills is quite alarming initially, hopefully it'll all grow back eventually. They've completely mown away the adder's living quarters and we've not seen any yet so hope they've not moved out because of it. It all looks suspiciously 'dudified'....hope it's not going to turn into another tourist hotspot...they'll be building a visitor centre and cafe there next....

PYRTLE · Mar 23, 2010

Late afternoon passage of linnets going west at Cley in several flocks across the reserve - guestimated at sixty to seventy birds. Tussle between two male marsh harriers over the East bank area was fairly exciting. Didn't manage to see the reported Lapland bunting though.

Songkhran · Mar 23, 2010

Penny Clarke said:
Josh had a quick chat with me before heading off towards Friary Hills - no doubt he saw something exciting, which will serve me right for being lazy!

only a Med Gull distantly over the harbour, but amazingly that was a patch 'tick' for the close Blakeney area, although ive seen plenty up towards Morston and Stiffkey

petehasset · Mar 23, 2010

Today

2 Grey Wagtails Horstead Mill 8 15am , 2 Chiffchaffs Salhouse Broad + 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker , Horsey Gap 1 Wheatear 2 Kestrels 6 Stonechats + good numbers of Skylark & Meadow Pipit

Paul Eele · Mar 23, 2010

Titchwell March 23rd

Today's highlights, and there were plenty of them!!

Alpine swift - 1 west through reserve at 15:15. A cracking bird to reach my 250th species for the reserve
Common crane - 6 west along A149 at 12:20
Garganey - drake on grazing marsh pool before moving to fresh marsh
Red crested pochard - pair on fresh marsh
Bittern - male grunting on grazing marsh pool, 1st of the year
Twite - 20 at Thornham Point
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh
Hen harrier - ringtail over saltmarsh
Swallow - 1 west

Paul

davethebird · Mar 23, 2010

Unexpected visitors

I started this morning working on my veg plot. I heard a familiar but distant bugling call. Eventually found a group of 6 Common Cranes high over the garden travelling SW. Probably the same birds were seen again at Titchwell and SE of Hunstanton.

After lunch we went for a stroll in the grounds of Holkham Hall hoping that we might bump into a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. We got all the way from the car park at the top of Lady Anne's Drive to the church. Saw Great Spots and heard Green but no LSW. We turned round and started to retrace our steps, as we neared the lake there was a small brown falcon-like bird zipping north beyond the trees. One look through the bins and there was a cracking Alpine Swift.

We had several views through gaps in the trees as the bird flew to somewhere near the A149 then like a proper tourist it left to the west following the main road. I even managed a small record shot with the Lumix FZ38 (helped by using a loupe fastened with Velcro to the main screen instead of the tiny built-in viewfinder).

There then followed something like an episode Mr Bean as I tried to get a signal to get the news out to RBA. After about 10 minutes I finally got the news out only to find that the bird had been seen 10 minutes before we saw it over Lady Anne's Drive.

More gardening tomorrow.

Dave

jimbob · Mar 23, 2010

Congratulations on the swift Dave. I have been rather envious of the reports flooding into RBA today from around the county. Why the sudden influx? Must be at least 4 birds around today, allowing for duplicate reports.
Cheers,
Jim.

edit: is 4 a little optimistic? One just over the border at Lakenheath also.

mr.sim · Mar 23, 2010

So were there 2 Alpine Swifts in Norfolk today or more?
I didn't manage to get any on a late afternoon trip down to Denver Sluice, though I did pick up on the passage of Linnets that Pyrtle mentioned, with 42 birds heading South in just over an hour and a half. Also a Great Tit which flew straight down the river was also heading South. More details on my website shortly.

Daffyduck · Mar 23, 2010

Irene Boston said:
A day spent in the Ken Hill area yesterday produced the expected Sparrowhawks flinging themselves about in display, plus the local Buzzards on territory doing a pale imitation of a Golden Eagle's 'giant bat' and 'golden ball' display. The Buzzards were also up in between displays almost constantly circling over their territories, the reason being just that bit higher - an almost continuous passage of thermalling or kettling Buzzards (where does the phrase 'kettle of Buzzards' originate I wonder?).

Irene

Hi Irene,
the term 'kettle' comes from association of a steaming kettle, raptors use the thermals to soar upwards - and their circling motion upwards is just like the steam from a 'kettle'. I've watch a kettle of about 70,000 different raptors ride such a thermal at Lake Erie in Canada - as they get to the top they peel off to ride the air currents to aid their migration down the main Mississippi Flyway. Usually cumulus clouds - (with sun! )are a good indicator of strong thermals. Hope that helps.
Tina

Connor Rand · Mar 23, 2010

jimbob said:
Congratulations on the swift Dave. I have been rather envious of the reports flooding into RBA today from around the county. Why the sudden influx? Must be at least 4 birds around today, allowing for duplicate reports.
Cheers,
Jim.

edit: is 4 a little optimistic? One just over the border at Lakenheath also.

I can't speak for the sightings in the north of the county, but I think there was only 1 in the NW (Holkham-Burnham Overy-Titchwell-Holme B

-Hunstanton-Holme-Titchwell-Hunstanton) but there may have been 2, with the report of one heading out over the wash at Hunstanton before the second showing at Holme being particularly interesting...

mr.sim · Mar 23, 2010

Is the Alpine "Swift" enough to get from Brancaster Staithe to Hunstanton in 22 minutes?

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