Norfolk birding (112 Viewers)

[Winterdune]

Hedgehog in garden (WInterton) last night looking perfectly happy scruffling and ruffling about amongst fallen apples. Wasn't sure whether to grab it and stick it in a box with a hot water bottle or not, but it trundled off as I was deciding. Should I catch it if it comes back?
Sean

 

[HarassedDad]

If it's not cold enough to trigger hibernation putting it in a box wouldn't do much good. A bowl of catfood would probably be appreciated if it turns up again though.

 

[knotsbirder]

For what it is worth Dantheman and I caught up with the Lesser WF Goose this afternoon at Buckenham. It was with around 77+ Taiga Bean Geese, rather distantly viewable from the path that runs up to the hide at Buckenham Marshes.

It was too far to see the eye-ring, but the small size, large white shield and small bill were clearly visible. Just wondering how good the views were yesterday and if the eye-ring was seen well enough to eliminate the hybrid that has been in the Yare Valley. The odd looking all dark goose was also there and does appear to be a Barnacle x Red-breasted hybrid. I assume the Baracle there are plastic fantastic.

There were good number of Whitefront at Cantley with at least 230 birds counted, along with 150 or so Pinkfeet. We also saw 500+ Pinkies at Limpenhoe and 5000+ along the A47 close to the Halvergate turn-off, but no sign of any Ross's Geese.

We also had 2 Peregrine, Bittern and Barn Owl at Buckenham, but no Short-eared Owl or Hen Harrier. The other highlights were 8 Bewick's Swan along the approach road to Halvergate and the very confiding female Ring-necked Duck at Ranworth, swimming around the visitor's centre.

Finally of interest is the large number of redpoll (c50) in with Siskin (c50) along the boardwalk at Ranworth, with only Lesser being seen, but Mealy or something better maybe possible for someone with more time to grill them.

Cheers

Sean

PS Love the quiz

Hi Sean,

Is the centre at Ranworth still open then? Am in Norfolk tomorrow and will hopefully be able to catch up with as much as possible.

Cheers, Sam

Edit: Anybody know where I can obtain a map of Buckenham Marshes (ie where the hide is etc) as a quick internet search yielded no results

 

[VillagerFred]

Anyone see the EDP on the 27th? Used a picture of an American Bittern in an article on Norfolk wildlife....

 

[NoSpringChicken]

Hi Sean,

Is the centre at Ranworth still open then? Am in Norfolk tomorrow and will hopefully be able to catch up with as much as possible.

Cheers, Sam

Edit: Anybody know where I can obtain a map of Buckenham Marshes (ie where the hide is etc) as a quick internet search yielded no results

As far as I know, Ranworth visitors' centre is shut in the winter but you can still walk along the boardwalk to the building and look out over the broad. There is even a raised platform there now to give better views.

I don't know about a map of Buckenham marshes but the new hide is at the end of the track from the railway station to the river.

Ron

 

[lostinjapan]

As NoSpringChicken says the centre is indeed closed, but the bird was viewable through osiers just before the centre or if it comes out in front of the centre from the platform or decking.

Buckenham Marshes is opposite the railway station. There is car-parking there for about 15 cars only. The LWF Goose can be viewed from the rough track that runs from the station down to the new hide by the River Yare or from the river bank between there and Cantley.

Cheers

Sean

 

[knotsbirder]

Anybody know whereabouts the Wells RN Grebe is frequenting?

Cheers, Sam

 

[O.Reville1989]

Couple of very long distance shots of the Lesser White-Front from today, around 900 metres or so.
Showed well today at times, really seems to love the Taiga's!

 

[Tideliner]

There may be a reason it loves the taigas. If it is one of the feral LWFs from Earsham that have been flying about the county for the past 5 years it would have been rased and lived with bean geese. It seems a number of feral geese make the jump from local feral living to joining up with the wild migratory flocks of geese sometimes cross breeding with them and sometimes visa versa.

 

[Reader]

I'm surprised that there hasn't been a discussion on this thread regarding the Fakenham Great Grey Shrike.

I went to see it yesterday at about 10am and remarked to a couple of birders that were there that I thought it unusually pale for a Great Grey and looked more like an eastern race. One of the birders was then joined by another and it became very analytical, which to be honest started to go over my head a little, but the upshot was they thought it different enough to study it for a while.

I had to go as I had a few places to go to on my way home but I see that the pager is now saying it is a probable form homeyeri.

Has anyone else been to see it and if so have you come up with any conclusions.

John

 

[timmyjones]

I'm surprised that there hasn't been a discussion on this thread regarding the Fakenham Great Grey Shrike.

I went to see it yesterday at about 10am and remarked to a couple of birders that were there that I thought it unusually pale for a Great Grey and looked more like an eastern race. One of the birders was then joined by another and it became very analytical, which to be honest started to go over my head a little, but the upshot was they thought it different enough to study it for a while.

I had to go as I had a few places to go to on my way home but I see that the pager is now saying it is a probable form homeyeri.

Has anyone else been to see it and if so have you come up with any conclusions.

John

Hi John,

Some more details here on the Norfolk bird, sounds like a good candidate!

 

[lostinjapan]

Red-necked Grebe, LWF Goose and Fakenham Great Grey Shrike

Anybody know whereabouts the Wells RN Grebe is frequenting?

Cheers, Sam

I believe this bird was being viewed from the quay at Wells.

Cheers

Sean

PS Interesting Tideliner has mentioned the possibility of the LWF Goose being feral and joining the Taiga Bean. But are you then suggesting that some of the feral Bean Geese from Earsham are also at large and have joined up with the wild birds with the LWF in tow? or that a bird raised as part of a family group with feral Beans then decides to leave that group and join a totally wild group of Bean Geese? The latter seems unlikely unless all the Bean Geese died.

PPS I checked my dodgy photos to see if the Burnham GG Shrike was the same as the Fakenham bird, but it appears to be different, although a 1st year with pinkish lower mandible and some barring..but otherwise a normal excubitor.

 

[firstreesjohn]

A roving flock of at least 40 Bramblings was in Felbrigg Great Wood this afternoon.

The Med Gull was at its post in West Runton beach car park, allowing close portraiture from my 'car hide' in the dull conditions.

I note that the Wells Red-necked Grebe was singing out-of-tune again: well, the pager announced it was ‘off quay’ today, anyway.

The Shrike has its own thread: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=219205 , John.

 

[Reader]

Hi Timmy

I read that article last night. In fact I posted a link to it on another forum to a mate that had decided not to go for it thinking it was just another G G Shrike (of which he has seen a few already this year).

Very interersting article.

John

Hi John,

Some more details here on the Norfolk bird, sounds like a good candidate!

 

[Joseph N]

Nice day's birding in the Broads today. Started off at Buckenham, where the Lesser White-fronted Goose was showing at distance with 60+ Taiga Beans in the fields looking towards Cantley Beet Factory, although it was often disappearing in dips below the field It was watched until around 11, when the majority of the geese seemed to fly off. I didn't see it again, but it seemed to be reported again at 1.

The female Ring-necked Duck at Ranworth Broad was very obliging at Ranworth Broad in perfect light, coming pretty close at points. After having watched this, I headed to Cockshoot Broad where a female Ferruginous Duck was present. The head shape looked good, the peaked crown was visible and it didn't show the flat head shape that the hybrid that's been there supposedly shows. Bill looked ok for pure bird too. Behaviour wise, as noted previously in this thread this bird was not associating with Tufted Ducks, diving regularly and in general staying away from them, instead either sticking with a group of Coots or staying away from everything else, and diving very regularly. To me this was the pure bird as there was nothing I could make out to suggest that this was one of the hybrids. However just to be 100% certain I have attached the following digiscoped shot of the bird in question. The photo was taken at 3pm and the bird was distant so excuse poor quality and not sure if it is helpful. Any opinions would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Joseph

 

[Tideliner]

Lostinjapan. The bean geese at Earsham were free winged an its not impossible they will have met the wild Yare Valley birds at some time. But my main point was that the LWFG was used to bean geese and would probably feel at home with wild beans too. There was a suggestion from Lee Evans on the forum last year that the Yare valley LWFG was paired with a bean. There were three feral LWFG in the west of the county in the summer of 2008 and I think 09.

In the same way the Ross geese from Pensthorpe back in the late 1990s ( 4 free winged ) were absent from Pensthorpe when Ross geese were being seen with the wild pinks. And when the Ross were not being seen with the pinks they could eb found back at Pensthorpe. For several years they could be seen in summer flying up and down the Wensum Valley. But in recent years this has stopped and Ross are being reported going north with the pinks in late winter. If the Ross with the pinks were wild pinks were wild birds I would have thought that once they returned to the Arctic they would have rejoined the Ross \ snow geese in Canada and returned south to the US rather than coming back to the UK each winter. They show all the hallmarks of feral birds joining wild flocks of geese.

 

[Mark Batten]

So its an escape then!! Thats why the bbrc accepted it as a wild bird!! We have had this debate before. The advice as with last years bird is go and see it. Make your own mind up on its origin. The arguments were clearly strong enough for the bbrc to accept it as a wild bird - namely location, weather conditions, carrier species, behaviour and departure time.

 

[Connor Rand]

In the same way the Ross geese from Pensthorpe back in the late 1990s ( 4 free winged ) were absent from Pensthorpe when Ross geese were being seen with the wild pinks...They show all the hallmarks of feral birds joining wild flocks of geese.

Any of these 1st-year birds? The 'original' bird with the Pink-feet was of course...

 

[Thing]

The Med Gull was at its post in West Runton beach car park, allowing close portraiture from my 'car hide' in the dull conditions.

Most excellent. Hadn't been out there for a bit and was wondering if it was back.

 

[Thing]

I note that the Wells Red-necked Grebe was singing out-of-tune again: well, the pager announced it was ‘off quay’ today, anyway.

:-O