Norfolk birding (16 Viewers)

[stuart white]

To confirm - the figure of 200 Arctic Skuas off of Holme earlier was a pager operative error - the actual figure was 20...

I was going to comment on that, I didn't see a single skua off cley between 9-10am ! We did have a nice mid distance Sooty though

 

[Connor Rand]

I was going to comment on that, I didn't see a single skua off cley between 9-10am ! We did have a nice mid distance Sooty though

Fair few Skuas off of Holme this morning - full figures on my site soon but in 4.5hrs this morning 20 Arctic Skuas, 3 Great Skuas, 2 Pom Skuas (through together, 1 with spoons) and 2 skua sp. (both probably Arctics). This afternoon another 5 Arctics.

 

[Dave Hawkins]

To confirm - the figure of 200 Arctic Skuas off of Holme earlier was a pager operative error - the actual figure was 20...

Yesterday, I managed 7 Arctic skuas, 18 distant skua sp (probably all Arctics), 1 summer plumage RTDiver and 1 Manx off Titchwell in 2.5 hrs. Interestingly, in around 15 hours sea watching last Thursday, Friday and yesterday I have only seen one kittiwake and two auk sp.

 

[Robert S J Smith]

Hi guys, just wondering if anybody's got a spare seat in their car heading down to Dorset tomorrow? (working today )Would of coarse be happy to share petrol funds!

Robert

Withdrawn.

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell September 6th

Today’s highlights

Spoonbill – 22 on fresh marsh
Garganey – 1 on fresh marsh
Spotted redshank – 12 on fresh marsh
Redstart – 1 on Autumn Trail
Nuthatch – 1 on feeders
Red crested pochard – female on East Trail

Paul

 

[stuart white]

Autumn is here

We had 15 Pink-footed Geese fly over bones drift at Holkham today (my earliest date ever I think), also 3 Hobbies at the west end of the pines + another over Stiffkey fen later. The Barred Warbler showed reasonably well in the sibe thrush clump east of gun hill aorund 11am. Seems settled with a large food supply, might stay a while ?

Talking of auks I saw a guillemot on the marsh from west bank at cley yesterday and then this chap from the sea wall at Burnham overy marsh today, blown in on yesterday's north westerly I assume.

 

[petehasset]

Autumn is here

We had 15 Pink-footed Geese fly over bones drift at Holkham today (my earliest date ever I think), also 3 Hobbies at the west end of the pines + another over Stiffkey fen later. The Barred Warbler showed reasonably well in the sibe thrush clump east of gun hill aorund 11am. Seems settled with a large food supply, might stay a while ?

Talking of auks I saw a guillemot on the marsh from west bank at cley yesterday and then this chap from the sea wall at Burnham overy marsh today,
blown in on yesterday's north westerly I assume.[/QUOT


The guillemot had flown off by 4pm yesterday

 

[Stratton Birder]

Autumn is here

We had 15 Pink-footed Geese fly over bones drift at Holkham today (my earliest date ever I think), also 3 Hobbies at the west end of the pines + another over Stiffkey fen later. The Barred Warbler showed reasonably well in the sibe thrush clump east of gun hill aorund 11am. Seems settled with a large food supply, might stay a while ?

Talking of auks I saw a guillemot on the marsh from west bank at cley yesterday and then this chap from the sea wall at Burnham overy marsh today, blown in on yesterday's north westerly I assume.

Sorry to trump you Stu but I had that Burnham Guillie in the creek on Tuesday morning but I did dip out the Barred Warbler though.

 

[stuart white]

Sorry to trump you Stu but I had that Burnham Guillie in the creek on Tuesday morning but I did dip out the Barred Warbler though.

Trump away old boy! it must like it in the creeks, doesn't appear to be olied or unwell ? I thought you were going to trump my pinkies. Anyone else had any yet this autumn ?

I found with the barred the best policy was to sit on the bank opposite the clump and just wait for it to come out and nibble some berries. It was quite furtive when it showed but as we gave it some space it did come out and feed. Not that I'm suggesting you were stomping around in the bushes!

 

[Songkhran]

Josh it is you and not an imposter?

As for skuas Josh, you are seen as a expert on Skua id and qualify for a iq 40 club "bird spotting" special certificate of merit, obviously subject to the usual payment of £4.50

Obviously Long tails as John suggests are much easier to Id at distance. Birds in photos taken at point blank range often cause far more problems Was it you that re id the Long tail as an Artic from a photo posted on the net?then a

Good to to see you posting again. Your individuality is always welcome within the birding scene - well at least by me

Best wishes.

Mark.

If someone turns up who's eye colour has changed and starts stringing distant seabirds you'll know the real me never left Norfolk and is probably buried in some far flung corner of Blakeney Freshes :t:

Anyway well done BK for keeping up the tradition of the yearly'controversial' Birdforum Skua discussion in my absence and i know that the ego can make a jester of us all but yes I did reID the bird flying over Eye Field then a year later reIDed the bird highly photoed sat on Cley beach as an Arctic. Also I was present at the infamous day when 19 went past Sheringham and none Cley, also had the only winter record of LTS on Dec 3rd (submitted even when a non-description species and subsequently rejected - like what you're saying there Mickey Mouse).

Most importantly though since I've been away, while studying Huna, a Hawaiian Shamanic tradition :smoke: I discovered that poe aumakua (anyone see the similarity) literally translates as the Company of Higher Selves - I can only conclude from this that I actually am a Skua so in a fairly comfortable place to recognise my fellow bethren o

A few very scoffable ID tips on distant birds - Arctics look like Porsches, LT's look like poets. Arctic never dip feed, LT's never dogfight except in a very halfarsed timid fashion, but surely most importantly LT's are easy - how is a LT going to be comfortable enough to grace you with its presence when you are skeptical about their very existence - its a two way thing you know

 

[firstreesjohn]

I can only conclude from this that I actually am a Skua

There is no way I can compete with Josh’s typically surreal and quasi-mystical post- heralding his welcome return (next month) to these northern shores. There must be a long tale waiting to be related of his existence over the last year or so. Perhaps, he will regale us with it gradually. I would add that, he may, indeed, be a Skua- but is, indubitably, a Pom.

We had 15 Pink-footed Geese fly over bones drift at Holkham today (my earliest date ever I think)

To turn to geese (agh!), I did ask a few people last weekend if they’d had Pinkies yet- as I thought I’d heard some over the ghastly hubbub of tourist-infected Wells Woods.

This is, obviously, not a trumping of Stuart’s definite record: I would never cackle at him.

 

[Andy Benson]

Trump away old boy! it must like it in the creeks, doesn't appear to be olied or unwell ? I thought you were going to trump my pinkies. Anyone else had any yet this autumn ?

I found with the barred the best policy was to sit on the bank opposite the clump and just wait for it to come out and nibble some berries. It was quite furtive when it showed but as we gave it some space it did come out and feed. Not that I'm suggesting you were stomping around in the bushes!

Had 19 east yesterday morning over Northrepps, and presumably the same 19 going back west at dusk last evening.
Regards
Andy

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell September 7th

Today’s highlights

Pink footed goose - 60 over the office this afternoon
Spoonbill – 19 on fresh marsh
Spotted redshank – 10 on fresh marsh
Med gull – adult on fresh marsh
Red crested pochard – female on fresh marsh
Dunlin – 37 on fresh marsh

Paul

 

[paulptct]

Good Idea

good morning

seeing as other areas have their own threads and seeing as Norfolk is such a ppular place with people always asking for info it seems remarkable that we don't have a thread for Norfolk birding.

So here's one.

Hopefully people can post helpful info, recent sightings, where to stay, where to get a good pint and all the other kind of birding stuff that pops into our minds form time to time as we drift through life...

Jim

Good Idea
Anyway the reason for the note is that I saw a curlew sandpiper at Bishops hide Cley yesterday. 6th sept. Apparenptly its been around for a couple of days
Really hope your Idea takes off.
Let me know if it does
I'm near NWT Hickling but spend a lot of time at Cley
Paul

 

[MICK SAUNT]

12 pinks east over track to Gun Hill on 31st August (the day after the strong NW winds) were definitely my earliest ever. Speaking to Andy Bloomfield who knows about these things seems first arrivals usually in by September 4/5th.

Mick

 

[sacha]

Paulptct

..You are replying to something posted in 2006!
17000 posts later ... The idea has caught on

 

[Locostella]

Baillon's Lift

If anyone is potentially going down to London in the next few days for the juvenile Baillon's Crake (depending on how things pan out, of course) And would like to reduce costs, then please contact on details below. I am in the Norwich area, but could possibly find my way to another local location for pick-up etc.

Mobile: 07580800401

Regards Kieran

 

[putnoebabes]

Very little wind today, and what there was came from the west, but casual seawatching from my caravan window still produced plenty of gannets and a couple of divers (RT I think) going west. Always worth keeping an eye on the sea, innit?

 

[Mark Batten]

If someone turns up who's eye colour has changed and starts stringing distant seabirds you'll know the real me never left Norfolk and is probably buried in some far flung corner of Blakeney Freshes :t:

Anyway well done BK for keeping up the tradition of the yearly'controversial' Birdforum Skua discussion in my absence and i know that the ego can make a jester of us all but yes I did reID the bird flying over Eye Field then a year later reIDed the bird highly photoed sat on Cley beach as an Arctic. Also I was present at the infamous day when 19 went past Sheringham and none Cley, also had the only winter record of LTS on Dec 3rd (submitted even when a non-description species and subsequently rejected - like what you're saying there Mickey Mouse).

Most importantly though since I've been away, while studying Huna, a Hawaiian Shamanic tradition :smoke: I discovered that poe aumakua (anyone see the similarity) literally translates as the Company of Higher Selves - I can only conclude from this that I actually am a Skua so in a fairly comfortable place to recognise my fellow bethren o

A few very scoffable ID tips on distant birds - Arctics look like Porsches, LT's look like poets. Arctic never dip feed, LT's never dogfight except in a very halfarsed timid fashion, but surely most importantly LT's are easy - how is a LT going to be comfortable enough to grace you with its presence when you are skeptical about their very existence - its a two way thing you know

:eat:
Josh. Your imposter should also need to have a stoop, grey hair and a beardo. Have you contacted Alan Harris with your thoughts on skua id . As for micky mouse, there is a photo somewhere of an Arctic labelled as a long tail. There is also rumours of a growing a body of thought that Elvis is not dead but is actually alive and well and living in a caravan Park in eccles. Off to see a small crake on a nature reserve shortly. Not in norfolk though_ me suspects there has been several in the County already . Regards

 

[Paul Eele]

A juv Sabines gull has just flown west past Titchwell. It is not moving very quickly so there maybe chance to get to Hunstanton for a look. It was feeding for a few mintues off Thornham Point but has continued west towards Holme.
Slightly annoying listening to its progress on the radio from the office!!