Winterdune
Well-known member
Little Aukmatt green said:
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Norfolk birding (136 Viewers)
- Thread starter Edward woodwood
- Start date
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
seanofford said:
Cheers
Matt
dbradnum
Well-known member
Rather smart juv American Golden Plover at Waxham this afternoon, showing most of the time from the road between Brograve and Poplar Farms (please park sensibly, and don't p*ss off the local farmers!). At times it was getting down into dips in the field making viewing tricky from the road, but it was always viewable if you walked round and got a bit of height in the dunes.
Also 11 Little Auks offshore, looking typically fragile, and a moderate incoming passage of Starlings this morning. 3 Shore Lark and some Snow Bunts reported on the beach at Caister 2nd Avenue.
Dusky Warbler was found just outside the county in Lowestoft today, so there's still hope for all the coastal patch workers out there... autumn might still just have a trick or two up its sleeve (though the weather right now is not really ideal!)
Also 11 Little Auks offshore, looking typically fragile, and a moderate incoming passage of Starlings this morning. 3 Shore Lark and some Snow Bunts reported on the beach at Caister 2nd Avenue.
Dusky Warbler was found just outside the county in Lowestoft today, so there's still hope for all the coastal patch workers out there... autumn might still just have a trick or two up its sleeve (though the weather right now is not really ideal!)
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Saturday 4th November
Went to Holme this morning, arrived 8am. Had 56 fieldfares, 2 redwings, good numbers of goldcrests, greenfinches, skylarks, robins, thousands of starlings, blackbirds, 1 mistle thrush, several crows going through, a green woodpecker, 9 shelduck, 10 brents, 1 black throated diver, 3 great crested grebes. Bumped into Norfolkbirder BFM on the beach. Had 2 red admirals, a common darter, and distant view of humming bird hawkmoth at HBO (spotted by Norfolkbirder). Thornham Channel: 60 grey plover, 90 shelduck. My mother found a dead little auk on Holme beach and a visitor found one alive in a collapsed state by a tidal pool (quite a way from the sea), which Jed and Sophie took into care and fed with mackeral and sugar/water (with Chris's help - they did an excellent job between them and it perked up no end (very good sign that it was trying to eat Sophie's fingers aswell!!! and we released it later on the high tide and watched it go out to sea, lovely!!! :girl: :t:
Went to Holme this morning, arrived 8am. Had 56 fieldfares, 2 redwings, good numbers of goldcrests, greenfinches, skylarks, robins, thousands of starlings, blackbirds, 1 mistle thrush, several crows going through, a green woodpecker, 9 shelduck, 10 brents, 1 black throated diver, 3 great crested grebes. Bumped into Norfolkbirder BFM on the beach. Had 2 red admirals, a common darter, and distant view of humming bird hawkmoth at HBO (spotted by Norfolkbirder). Thornham Channel: 60 grey plover, 90 shelduck. My mother found a dead little auk on Holme beach and a visitor found one alive in a collapsed state by a tidal pool (quite a way from the sea), which Jed and Sophie took into care and fed with mackeral and sugar/water (with Chris's help - they did an excellent job between them and it perked up no end (very good sign that it was trying to eat Sophie's fingers aswell!!! and we released it later on the high tide and watched it go out to sea, lovely!!! :girl: :t:
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matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Highlights from todays seawatch at salthouse beach and cley etc!
Arrived at salthouse beach around 08.00 and after about four hours had seen the following...
130+ gannets traveling west
50 common skoter
2 razorbill
1 little auk
2 little gulls
A walk around kelling meadows produced...
1 female stonechat
135+ flock of linnets
Then back for another hours seawatch and saw..
1 arctic skua
approx 30 snow buntings on the beach
1 very impressive view of a shorelark*
possibly 1 will bowell with friend!
After a bite to eat we finished the day at cley where..
approx 45 snow buntings were on the beach
also approx 30 ringed plover with
10 dunlin
3 marsh harrier over the reed bed
and a further 30+ common skoters on the sea
Matt
Arrived at salthouse beach around 08.00 and after about four hours had seen the following...
130+ gannets traveling west
50 common skoter
2 razorbill
1 little auk
2 little gulls
A walk around kelling meadows produced...
1 female stonechat
135+ flock of linnets
Then back for another hours seawatch and saw..
1 arctic skua
approx 30 snow buntings on the beach
1 very impressive view of a shorelark*
possibly 1 will bowell with friend!
After a bite to eat we finished the day at cley where..
approx 45 snow buntings were on the beach
also approx 30 ringed plover with
10 dunlin
3 marsh harrier over the reed bed
and a further 30+ common skoters on the sea
Matt
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gmax
Sontium Dweller
Tim Allwood said:
Well done Tim,
as a foreigner who's never been to Norfolk before, I nevertheless find very useful such a thread .. places such as Salthouse, Cley, Titchwell just to name a few are already in my to-visit-or-to-die personal list, thanks to all BF members! :loveme:
What I find very fascinating (and I'm green with envy) is the good management of these reserves/spots and the average proper way people "use" them, often in numbers ... I attach here a few shots taken by some Italian birders during a recent visit to Norfolk (images found on the Internet, I hope nobody will complain... thanks Tommy Capodiferro), they depict well how people and nature may get properly in touch with each other ... situation in my area although not bad is, alas, quite different: I'm often alone during my walks (I've got few opportunities to meet other birders) and hides at the reserve are visited mainly by noisy families on weekends
Happy birding days to you Norfolk birders, I hope one day to join you :king:
Max
Attachments
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Hi max,glad you are enjoying are norfolk postings..
At first seems a little odd reading about european birders wanting to bird our
little island (usually the otherway round!)
You may have read my earllier post from salthouse,I too was impressed by the way complete strangers went out of there way to make sure everyone got onto the shorelark.
If you ever decide to visit our neck oh the woods,put the word about on this
forum and i'm sure some norfolk regulars would offer to meet up with you and share a days birding,would innevitably end the day over some beers and tales of italian birding though!
Matt
At first seems a little odd reading about european birders wanting to bird our
little island (usually the otherway round!)
You may have read my earllier post from salthouse,I too was impressed by the way complete strangers went out of there way to make sure everyone got onto the shorelark.
If you ever decide to visit our neck oh the woods,put the word about on this
forum and i'm sure some norfolk regulars would offer to meet up with you and share a days birding,would innevitably end the day over some beers and tales of italian birding though!
Matt
nigelblake
don't re member
A great day in Norfolk today, a single Shorelark and 4 Snow Buntings at Salthouse 2 Red Throated Diver on the sea there too, the highlight though was the 4 Little Auks at Snettisham, links to pix in gallery below. Also at Snettisham was a Scaup, very close, on the first pit and several Shorelark on the beach near the second hide by the discarded yellow welly .
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php?photo=114228
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php?photo=114225
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php?photo=114228
http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showphoto.php?photo=114225
HarassedDad
Norfolk County Butterfly Recorder
Well an interesting few days. Did the east coast on Friday, from Caister up to Horsey. If I'd gone just a little bit further I'd have seen the american golden plover but I stopped short by about four fields! Still I saw my first little auk, and it was in close and I got good views so I can't complain. Also 4 Eider running north and seven marsh harriers including one right over the car as I was driving and 6 cranes heading for stubbs mill.
Couldn't go out at the weekend as I had grandson, but took him up to UEA to walk the dog Sunday morning and as we walked down to the broad I had my first ever lesser-spotted woodpecker drop into a tree in front of us. By heck they're tiny little things aren't they?
To Titchwell on Monday: much quieter than weekends and I fancied a change of venue. Lots of waders on the foreshore - grey plovers, godwits and oystercatchers mostly with some ringed plover, dunlin and sanderlings. Sea watching gave more little auks, scoter and 5 Whooper Swan's flying past. A grebe offshore provoked much debate but was probably a great crested.
The rest of the reserve gave the usual: golden plover, redshank, ruff, little egrets, brent, pintail, shoveler, teal, widgeon etc. Bramblings showing well on the giant bird feeder.
Coming out of the Fen hide I spotted a small warbler, about goldcrest size with a very white belly and front and dark legs, perched above. But just as I got it in focus a bunch of day-trippers walked right past me, straight under the bird without looking up, and flushed it. *&!*&%! So I can't report yellow-browed warbler. (The trippers were, I believe, moaning that there wasn't anything about!!!)
Finished up with a trip to Chosely drying barns - my first visit and a very helpful chap gave me a quick run-down of what was where. Lots of finches and my first ever Corn buntings brought my year list to 150 (and my life list to about 175) When I decided to take this birdwatching lark seriously at the start of the year I set myself a target of 150 birds for the year (considering that my life list was about 130 at that time I thought that was a suitably ambitious target) so I'm chuffed as anything to have made it. I appreciate that there are folks who make that number by january 4th, but it's been a hard learning curve for me. Next year 200!
Couldn't go out at the weekend as I had grandson, but took him up to UEA to walk the dog Sunday morning and as we walked down to the broad I had my first ever lesser-spotted woodpecker drop into a tree in front of us. By heck they're tiny little things aren't they?
To Titchwell on Monday: much quieter than weekends and I fancied a change of venue. Lots of waders on the foreshore - grey plovers, godwits and oystercatchers mostly with some ringed plover, dunlin and sanderlings. Sea watching gave more little auks, scoter and 5 Whooper Swan's flying past. A grebe offshore provoked much debate but was probably a great crested.
The rest of the reserve gave the usual: golden plover, redshank, ruff, little egrets, brent, pintail, shoveler, teal, widgeon etc. Bramblings showing well on the giant bird feeder.
Coming out of the Fen hide I spotted a small warbler, about goldcrest size with a very white belly and front and dark legs, perched above. But just as I got it in focus a bunch of day-trippers walked right past me, straight under the bird without looking up, and flushed it. *&!*&%! So I can't report yellow-browed warbler. (The trippers were, I believe, moaning that there wasn't anything about!!!)
Finished up with a trip to Chosely drying barns - my first visit and a very helpful chap gave me a quick run-down of what was where. Lots of finches and my first ever Corn buntings brought my year list to 150 (and my life list to about 175) When I decided to take this birdwatching lark seriously at the start of the year I set myself a target of 150 birds for the year (considering that my life list was about 130 at that time I thought that was a suitably ambitious target) so I'm chuffed as anything to have made it. I appreciate that there are folks who make that number by january 4th, but it's been a hard learning curve for me. Next year 200!
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
According to Birdline:
Marbled Duck at Minsmere from east hide.
Little Auk at Snettisham RSPB, north end of 2nd pit, south of carpark and 2 shorelarks in the area.
26 Tiger Bean Geese at Cantley Marshes.
At Holme a Little Auk, 12 Long Tailed Duck, a Sooty Shearwater and Black Throated Diver.
A 1st Winter Caspian gull at Saddlebow (4 miles south of King's Lynn) and 4 Yellow Leg Gulls.
Marbled Duck at Minsmere from east hide.
Little Auk at Snettisham RSPB, north end of 2nd pit, south of carpark and 2 shorelarks in the area.
26 Tiger Bean Geese at Cantley Marshes.
At Holme a Little Auk, 12 Long Tailed Duck, a Sooty Shearwater and Black Throated Diver.
A 1st Winter Caspian gull at Saddlebow (4 miles south of King's Lynn) and 4 Yellow Leg Gulls.
Winterdune
Well-known member
That would be Taiga Bean Geese, Penny! (As opposed to Tundra - they are two seperate subspecies - or species, depending on who you listen to!)Penny Clarke said:
Good birding,
Sean
I think 'Brant' is just an Americanization of our Brent (their probably more accurate, with the genus name being Branta. Its probably the other way round). Anyway, there are three subspecies of Brent; Branta bernicla bernicla, which is the dark bellied form. I think this must be the most common species wintering in the UK, with 1000s of induviduals wintering here on the saltmarsh in Portsmouth alone. The pale bellied form, Branta bernicula hrota is less common, but I dont know how much so. There are two induviduals present on my local patch right now, among the other Berniclas. The American Black Brant is a third subspecies, Branta bernicla nigricans, and is a rare vigrant to the UK. There is also one present on my local patch.
Hope thats what you wanted to know!
J Moss
Hope thats what you wanted to know!
J Moss
deborah4
Well-known member
J Moss said:
Thanks J, thought as much re: 'Americanisation' - heard English person refer to large flock of Brent (branta bernicla) the other day as 'BrAnt' in the field - perhaps adopting the generic term (or Americanising the English which is a bit irksome!) - just wanted to be clear - thanks for the clarification on range/mig. of 3 ssp's. (bit of an old stickler for Collins tax.
)
bitterntwisted
Graham Howard Shortt
J Moss said:
I think this deserves an airing, Moss, as it does rather confound our cultural expectations and English snobbery. Brant is the original word, it's us who have subsequently changed it to Brent and the Americans are using the older form. The same is true of loons and divers, I believe, and since learning this where I used to squirm at the Americanism of "Loon" now I hear Victorian pomposity in "Diver".
BTW, I'm not on commission but Mark Cocker's Birds Britannica is an excellent reference for this kind of information, a cracking read throughout, and a good Christmas present for any birder: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Birds-Britannica-Mark-Cocker/dp/0701169079
Wikipedia ref for Brent Goose is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_Goose
The spelling "Brant" is the original one, with "Brent" being a later folk-etymological idea that it was derived from a classical Greek waterbird name brenthos. It is in fact onomatopoeic, derived from the guttural call note of the species. For the origin of the scientific name bernicla, see Barnacle Goose.
Graham
