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

Norfolk birding (10 Viewers)

A quick walk along the beach at Caistor produced c30 Snow Buntings at the usual rocks. Thought it worth mentioning as I've not seen them mentioned this year yet. Also a grey seal lurking just off-shore, waiting for the beach anglers to catch something so he could nip in and nick it off the line - so much easier than chasing after the fish.
 
Titchwell December 5th

Today's highlights

Twite - 50 on fresh marsh although mobile. Flock contains at least 3 colour ringed birds
Bonxie - 1 offshore
Slavonian grebe - 1 offshore
Eider - 9 offshore

Paul
 
Donation- re my #7830

I was, for some arcane, internet reason, unable to donate to the WWF; therefore, I have contributed to BirdLife International's Preventing Extinction Programme.

There is just the remotest chance that this will enable a Spoon-billed Sandpiper to make its way to Norfolk. (Perhaps it'll also help Steve B to see one next year !)

Much casting of forlorn glances at the Sea today produced few (in fact, no) Arctic auks.

A young Velvet Scoter that plopped down in front of the shelter at S'ham this a.m. was the highlight of my birding day. Well spotted, Ian (sorree) !
 
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Yes, Sim, but flighty and elusive by all accounts, seen from the Rotary as well as the Shore Hide. The Shorelark were also present.

PS sounds dodgy: 'the bird was in a flock of mallard sitting up against the bank in front of the first hide';)
 
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some pics from snettisham today..
 

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Some more shots from today at Snettisham
 

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PS sounds dodgy: 'the bird was in a flock of mallard sitting up against the bank in front of the first hide';)

Wasn't anywhere near any Mallards when I saw it! Still, some people think the one in the Broads at the beginning of the year was dodgy - as if! At first it was elusive and from Shore Hide was out of view most of the time (when from Rotary Hide you would have been looking directly into the Sun). Then it flew with Wigeon and landed in the middle, remaining between Shore Hide and the far hides for the rest of the time I was there.

The (or a) Snow Goose was roosting with Pink-feet on the Wash viewed from between Rotary and Shore Hides but it flew off soon after I'd found it, at 7.58 am. The Purple Sandpiper was on the closer shingle island looking left from Shore Hide.
 
I was, for some arcane, internet reason, unable to donate to the WWF; therefore, I have contributed to BirdLife International's Preventing Extinction Programme.

I am firmly in the charity begins at home camp & whilst admiring your intent, see this as merely pixxing in the wind due to my pessimistic outlook, ie. too many/ever more people = too little habitat/wildlife/food in a "big up, Easter Island global stylee" whatever the timescale. In my mind, better to donate to NWT or some such, for some local "enhancement" of habitat rather than pin my hopes on a lost & lonely Spoon-billed S/piper. The trouble is survival of the fittest does`nt apply to us anymore. In the words of Devo (80`s retro)........ "They say the fittest shall survive..., yet the unfit still live...., & wear gaudy colours or avoid display, hey it dont matter its all the same"
Revolution/culling humans anyone ?
 
After christmas party last night I didn't get out as early as intended!!!;)

BUT did manage one new year tick today;););) eventually!!!

Arrived RSPB Snettisham and reached Shore Hide at around 10.30ish (can't remember when exactly now). I passed Connor, Irene, Trevor and Ray Roche (well done David (Ray's son):t: who found the Ferruginous Duck yesterday) on route and on arriving at Shore Hide there were only two other birders who had not seen it yet - we could not find it anywhere, I was joined by several more familiar faces and none of us could find it. Trevor alerted us to 2 Goosanders flying over. I was told the Fudge Duck has been very mobile between all 3 hides... hmmmm...... a few people left to go and look in Rotary Hide and we all agreed to put it on pager if we saw it - someone did and it turned up in Rotary Hide, so marched quickly up there and watched the Ferruginous Duck at 1.20pm directly in front of hide swimming along in the sunshine and then disappeared from view as it swam in under the bank! - a few seconds later and that would have been a dip!! Several flocks of linnets and goldfinches about around the reserve. Back at the car 4 Snowbuntings flew over the carpark.

I then drove to Hunstanton Cliffs in hope of a Red necked Grebe (need one for the year list) sooooo looking forward to the 1st Jan so I can just simply go birding again!!!

Pager goes off American Wigeon mid afternoon 'Reedbed Hide', Welney - looked at my watch 3pm.... hmmmm - have I got time, hummed and haaaad GOOOOOOO!!!!! Phoned Welney and they knew nothing about it - so who ever saw it didn't report it to staff/wardens? Arrived Welney in semi dusk, silly really but hey ho. Ran past the arriving coach party for swan viewing and got to Reedbed Hide at 4.15pm and viewed wigeon in very semi light:-O now I could have ticked one - did one have a lighter head than the others? Or where they all the same? - in this light I decided they were most definately all the same! Now I will be kind here, I could be really wicked to my fellow year listers but I will be kind - if you try for the American Wigeon when I am at work tomorrow YOU WILL NEED WELLINGTONS - I waded through nearly up to my knees with my wellies on along the path to the hide. In return for this info PLEASE ring me/send text/put on pager before 1pm - as if it is seen in the morning I am going to use my 2 hour break in between my shifts to fly to Welney and back, so need to know if it is there before 1pm please!!!!!!! - I will have literally a 5 minutes viewing slot, so someone needs to have it lined up in a scope for me to tick as I run into the hide please!!!!!!;)

Spent the rest of the evening being lazy in front of heaters in the main hide watching Whooper Swans, Mute Swans, tons of Pochard, mallard and a single Tufted Duck floating round in the floodlights and being entertained by the leader (I think) of the coach party who was telling people that immature mute swans were whoopers and also that immature Whoopers were Bewicks!!!! I couldn't resist informing the couple sitting immediately to my right the correct ID. Pouring with rain now aswell. I also witnessed something which was quite upsetting and also caught everyone's attention in the hide - 2 drake mallards were having a massive scrap/fight and were twisting and circling round for absolutely ages - one was sitting on the other pinning it down and trying to what looked like, drown it - it was very disturbing to watch, never seen this before, well not this viciously and for that length of time - everyone in the hide was watching this and it went on for at least 15 minutes, eventually when the hounded mallard managed to free itself away a few inches and mustered up enough strength to fly, the whole hide cheered!!!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

Amendment to my post last night: it was David Roche that found the Fudge Duck not Ray!
 
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re #7851

People who don't follow some of the Asian posts may not know that this lovely little bird, of which I've seen the grand total of one (!), is now on the brink of extinction; in fact, seems to have fallen over the edge.

See #26 in this thread (credit & thanks to Mark Andrews):
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=123716&highlight=spoon-billed+sandpiper

It is quite possible from this gloomiest of news that it will disappear in the next 5 years. I would love to have seen one in summer plumage, but have resigned myself to the probability that this will now not happen.

Whilst I contribute to the NWT as well, perhaps the newsworthiness of this fact may alert people to this impending minor tragedy. Despite sponsorship from, and fund-raising at, the (Rutland) Bird Fair in the last few years, it seems that this has been in vain.

Would that a brick-red one dropped in front of Dauke's next May !
 
Welney

Went to Welney on saturday saw a good few Whoopers and one lone Bewick lots of pochard and vast flocks of lapwings never seen so many.(thousand plus) I was at the main hide about 1.30pm only two other people in there it gets packed about 3pm when people turn up for swan feeding did not see american wigeon but in the massed ranks of the pochard (all male) one tufted duck and a red creasted pochard which i was informed by the bloke who feeds the swans was an escape job also lots of very handsome pintals.on the way out had 3 barn owls hunting along the bank outside the new and very wonderful welney wetland centre

Cheers Nick
 
People who don't follow some of the Asian posts may not know that this lovely little bird, of which I've seen the grand total of one (!), is now on the brink of extinction; in fact, seems to have fallen over the edge.

See #26 in this thread (credit & thanks to Mark Andrews):
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=123716&highlight=spoon-billed+sandpiper

It is quite possible from this gloomiest of news that it will disappear in the next 5 years. I would love to have seen one in summer plumage, but have resigned myself to the probability that this will now not happen.

Whilst I contribute to the NWT as well, perhaps the newsworthiness of this fact may alert people to this impending minor tragedy. Despite sponsorship from, and fund-raising at, the (Rutland) Bird Fair in the last few years, it seems that this has been in vain.

Would that a brick-red one dropped in front of Dauke's next May !

Hi John, going to be doing a big fundraising push soon combining my two current interests, might use Spoony as the major species, keep an eye out for a new thread on the Birds and Birding in the New Year folks.
 

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