Norfolk birding (81 Viewers)

[firstreesjohn]

Wave viewing

I won’t attempt to repeat numbers here. Suffice to say that it was something of a relief to see such numbers of Gannets (which streamed through without ceasing), Kittiwakes (mostly young birds) and Manxies. Also, more Puffins today than I’ve seen in the last 10 years. The relative absence of Fulmars is, however, worrying. What has happened to them on the breeding grounds/cliffs ?

The debate about Cley v Sheringham, for seawatching, caused me to compare the two directly today. I must say that S’ham wins hands down: stability, visibility, comfort and the protection of one’s optics. That’s not because I happen to live there, either. As for the 'clientele': they both have lots going for them.

 

[DaveN]

Well I truly hope these impressive passage figures will be just as good the week starting the 21st.

 

[Drumming Sniper]

I'm coming over for four days' worth of birding starting on the 28th and have been following the recent reports/discussions with interest.

There's one question I'd like to ask: when seawatching from Holme, is there a particularly advantageous spot from which to scan? Is it merely a case of parking your backside atop any of the dunes or is there a vantage point which is favoured by the local birders?

Over the years I've seawatched from Sheringham, Cley and Titchwell but never from Holme. Since the place is close to where I'll be staying I wouldn't mind trying a seawatch from there if the conditions look right.

Apologies for posting yet another 'I'm coming to Norfolk and I want to know stuff' style query but this one has been bugging me for a while.

Thanks in advance,

DS

 

[mr.sim]

Most people seawatch from the dunes just behind the NOA Observatory, at the East end of the pines, but to be honest, most spots in the dunes there are just as good!

 

[Drumming Sniper]

Most people seawatch from the dunes just behind the NOA Observatory, at the East end of the pines, but to be honest, most spots in the dunes there are just as good!

Thanks for the information; good to know.:t:

Cheers,

DS

 

[Andy Musgrove]

Seawatching at Horsey today

Loads of birds off Horsey this morning but not the quality ones seen elsewhere along the coast; most of the skuas and shearwaters were just too far away for us to be happy putting a name to. Anyway, totals from 0800 to 1130:

Shelduck 8, Wigeon 24, Teal 4, Common Scoter 17, RT Diver 5, Manx 6, Shearwater sp. 12 (distant - prob mix of Manx and Sooty), Gannet 865, Cormorant 2, Hobby 1 (along beach), Snipe 1 (in off), Bonxie 8, Arctic Skua 5, Skua sp 5 (incl probable Pom), Little Gull 7, Kittiwake 68, Sandwich Tern 26, Guillemot 1, Auk sp 7.

Bush-bashing for an hour later was a complete waste of time, the highlight being a Wren.

Cheers

Andy

 

[Happisbirder]

I totally missed out on the sea this morning as a Gatwick run had to be undertaken. I did manage an hour 1:30 - 2:30 and then a couple of hours from 4:30. Apart from hordes of Gannets and lots of Kittiwakes, of which I saw none in the first session, the highlights were 30+ distant, south bound Shearwaters, c7 of which were close enough to ID as Manx, one north bound Sooty Shearwater, 8 Arctic Skuas and a single Leach's Petrel barely 15 mins into my second stint. Interestingly, the petrel was getting some grief from 2 Kittiwakes before zig-zagging and arcing off to the south before I lost it. Perhaps initially it was trying to feed? Little else really; 2 Snipe were perhaps 'in off', a couple of Red-throated Divers passed by and I saw one auk, a Guillemot.

I did get a Wheatear on the way home so perhaps things were dropping in late afternoon...

James

 

[Tractorboy69]

and a single Leach's Petrel barely 15 mins into my second stint. Interestingly, the petrel was getting some grief from 2 Kittiwakes before zig-zagging and arcing off to the south before I lost it. Perhaps initially it was trying to feed?

James

Same here James, my Leach's this morning was being constantly harassed by a juv Kittiwake which was continually diving down on top of it. I think in the end the Leach's landed on the sea as I completely lost sight of it and never saw it again so guess it was just trying to get away from the Kittiwake and feed in peace.

Simon

 

[Penny Clarke]

I really, really wish I had worked all day yesterday and not today - would love to have seen a Leach's, Sabine's, puffins etc etc etc!!!!!!:-C

Wednesday will be MEGA day:t: - my holiday does not start until Thursday! Although I am going to try very, very hard to try and get at short notice (I will be very lucky if they allow that!) to get Wednesday pm off aswell as a half day!!!

 

[rob lee]

A compilation of my own & other peoples counts have lead to the following day totals for Sheringham (13 hours) :-
Manx Shearwater 700+ east
Balearic Shearwater 3 east
Gannet 5000+ east, surely a new county record.
Leach`s Petrel 4 east
Long-tailed Skua 1 east
Pomarine Skua 1 east
Sabines Gull 3 east
Kittiwake 2500+ east
Puffin 40+ east

I only have my own counts for Great Skua (42 east, 2 west) Arctic Skua (10 east, 2 west) & Sooty Shearwater (12 east, 4 west) from visits between 6:30-11 & !6:10- 19:30 so if anyone can improve on these i would like to hear please.
Lee Gregory wins the endurance test for doing the full 13 hours !

 

[firefox32]

Could anyone please give me the forecast regarding wind conditions and directions tomorrow?

Many thanks.

Fox.

 

[dbradnum]

Could anyone please give me the forecast regarding wind conditions and directions tomorrow?

Many thanks.

Fox.

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=sheringham

 

[Happisbirder]

Force 4/5 generally N-NE. See here and here...

Although Gannet numbers were huge here today, NW France saw very low numbers, Le Clipon, Pointe du Hoc etc scoring less than Cap Gris Nez.

James

 

[Cortonbirds]

I had lots of Gannets off Corton (Norfolk/Suffolk border) but no Kittiwakes whatsover and just 1 Manx....tommorow tho I anticipate many Kittiwakes and Manx will be seen off this site. Its another seabird morning tommorow for sure..fill your boots..but as the week progresses pls get out there and look in the bushes.

 

[Songkhran]

Oh for the enthusiasm of youth! For those of us of a certain age, who can forget seawatching from Cley in a howling NW with squally showers trying to find some shelter behind an upturned boat on the beach or huddling behind one of the tractors usually sitting on top of the ridge. Agree that sometimes the birds were either in the breakers or over your head but cleaning bins and scope every two minutes got a bit tiring after an eight hour session (and never did see the great shearwater that went past there in 1997).
My advice would still be forget the smell, the concrete pillars and the holidaymakers and enjoy the five star (relatively!) comfort of Sheringham shelter!

Mick

Yeah who am i trying to kid, yet still enjoying Cley despite mega scope shake, sand in my face and the patch constantly getting dislodged :-O

Am scampering to the 'warm, cosy' sanctuary of Sheringham two mo row

Well so far this Autumn all my seawatching has been during shifts and despite some serious lift blagging ive still yet to score with any of the 'big six' LTS, Pom, Sabs, Leaches, Stormy, Cory's, but in the couple of hours I did manage to pinch, some serious passage the highlight being a flock of around 100 Manxies, by far the largest single flock ive ever seen in Norfolk

Managed to get the next 4 days off, all you need is a sympathetic boss! Write up of Icterine finding and Phalarope chumping on the blog tmo night.

 

[firstreesjohn]

“A liquid waste product secreted . . filtered . . excreted” (thanks Wiki)

“Warm, cosy” are not two adjectives with which I would readily describe the shelters at S’ham. However, it seems that there might be yet another Pom at S’ham today, following an outbreak of common sense, coupled with the desire for more seabirds.

Unfortunately, working close to smaller versions of creatures that exhibit many features of humans, the smell of urine is too frequently encountered. Thus, I’m able to tolerate that aspect of ‘the Tanks’.

At one stage yesterday, I asked Lee G if he was being sponsored, as he seemed to have become a permanent feature ‘down there’. I remember when I was young, I used to do that sort of thing.

 

[Dave Hawkins]

Turn left or right that is the question

A compilation of my own & other peoples counts have lead to the following day totals for Sheringham (13 hours) :-
Manx Shearwater 700+ east
Balearic Shearwater 3 east
Gannet 5000+ east, surely a new county record.
Leach`s Petrel 4 east
Long-tailed Skua 1 east
Pomarine Skua 1 east
Sabines Gull 3 east
Kittiwake 2500+ east
Puffin 40+ east

!

Fantastic totals!

Where is the coastal T-junction?

99.9% of the Holme birds were heading west, though after 3pm a lot were coming back out of The Wash with the tide (not included in my Holme totals to avoid duplication)

Dave

 

[Happisbirder]

Could have done with a bit more cloud this morning at Happisburgh as the early morning sun is just too much in your face for a dawn seawatch. However, from 6:15 - 8:00am I tallied 39 Manxies all heading north (all going south yesterday), single adult Shag, 2 Bonxies, c100 Kittiwake plus wildfowl (Scoter/Teal/Wigeon/Shoveler) and a few waders (Dunlin/Grey Plover/Knot) also north bound. To the south were headed 3 Bonxies, 3 Arctic Skuas, Sandwich and Common Tern and a continuous stream of Gannets, most really close in. I 'guesstimated' they were passing at the rate of c300/hr. So frequently were they passing through the 'scope and at such close range that it made your head spin, the whole effect not really very pleasant! Most impressive though and I bet some really good day counts will be made...

James

 

[jimmyg]

Fantastic totals!

Where is the coastal T-junction?

99.9% of the Holme birds were heading west, though after 3pm a lot were coming back out of The Wash with the tide (not included in my Holme totals to avoid duplication)

Dave

Do you think it is the same all the time? Surely wind direction will have an effect? However, I can tell you that on Saturday the T-juction was west of Burnham Overy judging by my very brief glance at the sea. So assuming that my observations agree with everyone else's... it's surely got to be the mysterious Scolt Head :smoke: ?

Why do I keep hearing that Wednesday is going to be the best? It looks pretty much the same as tomorrow to me, but I'd like to be wrong as with a bit of luck I'll be out in the field on Wednesday. On the minus side its pretty much the last birding opportunity I'll have in Norfolk this autumn :-C

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell September 14th

Today's highlights

Great skua - 21 west offshore 06:30-08:00
Fulmar - 36 west offshore 06:30-08:00
Common scoter - 280 west offshore 06:30-08:00
Teal - 485 west offshore 06:30-08:00
Arctic skua - 31 west offshore 06:30-08:00
Wigeon - 193 west offshore 06:30-08:00
Manx shearwater - 16 west offshore 06:30-08:00
Black tern - 1 offshore
Little stint - 1 on fresh marsh
Curlew sandpiper - 1 on fresh marsh
Whinchat - 1 on brackish marsh

Paul