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

Norfolk birding (92 Viewers)

matt green said:
A fleeting 2 hour visit to Strumpshaw Fen provided some fantastic views of Kingfisher this morning, even managed to shoot it through the binocs! also nice to see one on this reserve considering last years flooding of salt water onto the fresh water lagoons which had some effect on the local Kfishers.
Matt
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Lovely pictures Matt

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Penny Clarke said:
Lovely pictures Matt

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
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Thanks

Shame about your bins though, but if they have just been knocked out of alignment there's a good chance you can get them repaired without having to buy a new pair. I think there's a guy at Cleyspy who can do this.

Best of luck!

Matt
 
Went to Ryburgh watch point on Saturday afternoon at about 15.30. Saw three or so buzzards. All common according to other birders there and also picked up a couple of very distant falcons, presumed to be hobbies. So, have to try again.
 
Raptor Reveller said:
Here's a record shot of the Lesser Emperor's at Felbrigg this afternoon, was wondering if this is a first for East Anglia? (the egg laying)
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There was a male at Titchwell in late June 2002 which, as far as I am aware, was the 1st record for Norfolk but haven.t heard of any others since.

Paul
 
Titchwell weekend

Finally some good numbers of waders passing through.

Highlights from the weekend included 200+ black tailed godwits, 8 spotted redshank, 2 male Montagu's harriers ( I also had one of them hunting east of Choseley barns early afternoon) and juv med gull.
Dragonflies have been more evident with 2 emperor, banded demoiselle and 10 small red-eyed damselflies on the Meadow Trail pools.

More waders this morning with 27 curlew sands, 18 spotted redshanks and 3 little ringed plovers on the fresh marsh.

Paul
 
matt green said:
Thanks

Shame about your bins though, but if they have just been knocked out of alignment there's a good chance you can get them repaired without having to buy a new pair. I think there's a guy at Cleyspy who can do this.

Best of luck!

Matt
Click to expand...

I think they are past re-alignment Matt - one lens is cracked and looking through other/both looks like it could look after drinking 50 pintsB :) !!!!!!!
 
I bought my OH a new pair of binoculars a little while ago and ever since then I have been driving her mad by moving them slightly every time she puts them down so they "don't get knocked over". Yesterday at Minsmere I put my binoculars on the picnic table at the Tea Room and, as I lifted my foot over the seat to sit down, I caught the strap and flipped them onto the floor. I managed to put my foot under them before they hit the ground and they seem to be all right but – oh, the humiliation!

Ron
 
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NoSpringChicken said:
I bought my OH a new pair of binoculars a little while ago and ever since then I have been driving her mad my moving them slightly every time she puts them down so they "don't get knocked over". Yesterday at Minsmere I put my binoculars on the picnic table at the Tea Room and, as I lifted my foot over the seat to sit down, I caught the strap and flipped them onto the floor. I managed to put my foot under them before they hit the ground and they seem to be all right but – oh, the humiliation!

Ron
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ROTFL....... :-O

James
 
Hello, all you Norfolk birders. I live in South Africa and recently (June-July) visited UK. Inspired by your reports through May and the early part of June, I arranged to visit Norfolk. Although I had only a couple of days at my disposal I managed to visit Cley, Titchwell and Hickling Broad. The weather, I might say. was mostly diabolical, made even worse by very high winds, so the birding was not record-breaking. I did, however, achieve Avocet, Spotted Redshank, Eurasian Crane, and the world's worst sighting of a bearded reedling. For this I thank you all, and will make every effort to return whenever I get the opportunity. You are fortunate in having such splendid opportunities to observe a disproportionately high number of rarities, and I am sure you must be the envy of most of Britain's birders.

Keep up the good work.
 
Hello Dave,

Nice to hear from you. I am sorry about the Norfolk weather – penetrating winds are our speciality.

You did well to see a Bearded Tit. Don't tell anyone but I've lived here all my life and have yet to see one. People at the other end of the hide say "Oh look, a Bearded Tit" but I never see them.:-C

Perhaps next time you visit you will hit the nice warm weather and it will make it even more enjoyable for you.

Ron
 
Thank you for the welcome, Ron. Despite the weather my wife and I were very impressed wth the Norfolk coast, and, since we visit UK fairly regularly, we hope to return fairly soon. I found this site via Google on the Net, and kept an eye on sightings through May and early June. Some were quite astonishing, so it is clearly a special place.

I look forward to learning more about it.

Kindest regards,
Dave
 
kittykat23uk said:
Went to Ryburgh watch point on Saturday afternoon at about 15.30. Saw three or so buzzards. All common according to other birders there and also picked up a couple of very distant falcons, presumed to be hobbies. So, have to try again.
Click to expand...

I was there on Sunday morning for about three hours and had nothing but Common Buzzards. I spoke to one of the Natural England wardens who suggested that there may only be one bird (a dark phase male) in residence at the moment, and that there had almost certainly not been a successful nest this year - if there had, then birds would be much more active bringing food in to the nest at this stage. He'd spent the better part of 24 hours at Ryburgh last week, and hadn't seen a Honey (despite others' claims).

So... for anyone considering coming to Norfolk to see Honey Buzzard: perhaps better to wait for another year, or go to e.g. Welbeck in Notts, or Wykeham in Yorks where birds are showing better.
 
dbradnum said:
I was there on Sunday morning for about three hours and had nothing but Common Buzzards. I spoke to one of the Natural England wardens who suggested that there may only be one bird (a dark phase male) in residence at the moment, and that there had almost certainly not been a successful nest this year - if there had, then birds would be much more active bringing food in to the nest at this stage. He'd spent the better part of 24 hours at Ryburgh last week, and hadn't seen a Honey (despite others' claims).

So... for anyone considering coming to Norfolk to see Honey Buzzard: perhaps better to wait for another year, or go to e.g. Welbeck in Notts, or Wykeham in Yorks where birds are showing better.
Click to expand...

Oh that's a surprise! The person who PM'd me the watchpoint details said that he had three honeys a few days before I went. But none of the birders at the time I was there had anything other than common buzzards. TBH I was relying on other more knowledgeable birders for the IDs as Honey Buzzard is not something I have experience of and given they are quite easily confused with Common, which are also in the area (and more common by the sounds of it) I wouldn't want to consider it a lifer unless I was sure of it. Not that I am much of a lister these days.

Anyway, yesterday a walk up to Hellesdon Mill produced:

Sparrowhawk
two Great spotted woodpecker
kingfisher (very fleeting view- I think he saw my camera!)
Green woodpecker calling.
 
NoSpringChicken said:
I bought my OH a new pair of binoculars a little while ago and ever since then I have been driving her mad by moving them slightly every time she puts them down so they "don't get knocked over". Yesterday at Minsmere I put my binoculars on the picnic table at the Tea Room and, as I lifted my foot over the seat to sit down, I caught the strap and flipped them onto the floor. I managed to put my foot under them before they hit the ground and they seem to be all right but – oh, the humiliation!

Ron
Click to expand...

Close call eh! I always keep mine around my neck but a rain guard is essential - not to keep the rain off the eyepieces but it helps, but to keep Hobnob crumbs and choclate flakes from Mars bars from smudging the said glass;)
 
Colin said:
Close call eh! I always keep mine around my neck but a rain guard is essential - not to keep the rain off the eyepieces but it helps, but to keep Hobnob crumbs and choclate flakes from Mars bars from smudging the said glass;)
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If I kept mine round my neck I know I'd end up dipping them in my tea as I reached for my buttered scone.:-C

Ron
 
there has been a pair of honeys drifting around Stiffkey all summer, presumed to be nesting behind the fen. Can regularly be seen drifting over the wood on the hill in the middle of the village opposite the pub. Red Kite hasn't visited since last Friday though which is a shame but i've managed regular Hobbies along the River in the evenings
 
Looking for assistance here............Since I am from South Africa I am not so familiar with some British birds........

On July 19th pm was walking out to the first hide at Titchwell when I saw one of the stifftail ducks, basically chestnut, with a bright blue bill and black & white on the head. Is this a Ruddy Duck?

And on the morning of the same day, at Cley, there was a black swan. What is the status of this bird? I assume it is an escapee.

Would be grateful for any information.

Thank you,

Dave
 
Dave Kennedy said:
Looking for assistance here............Since I am from South Africa I am not so familiar with some British birds........

On July 19th pm was walking out to the first hide at Titchwell when I saw one of the stifftail ducks, basically chestnut, with a bright blue bill and black & white on the head. Is this a Ruddy Duck?

And on the morning of the same day, at Cley, there was a black swan. What is the status of this bird? I assume it is an escapee.

Would be grateful for any information.

Thank you,

Dave
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

That sounds like an excellent description of a Ruddy Duck, so yes.

The Black Swan – have a read of this:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/expert/previous/blackswans.asp

Ron
 

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