Norfolk birding (5 Viewers)

[The sniper]

Is there fog forecast tomorrow?
We have it bad down in essex/london but reports say it will be gone tomorrow although not sure how,nothing weather wise looking like shifting it tonight?

 

[sacha]

Despite missing the main fall yesterday, the sight of 1000's of Thrushes shooting out of every bush and tree will stay with me for a while

Walked miles in search of rarities and settled for Redstarts, Black Redstart, Ring Ouzels, Bramblings and many many Thrushes!

And last but not least .... great views of the Bluetail !

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell October 23rd

Today’s highlights

Smaller numbers of thrushes through today but a fall of fieldfares late this afternoon

Ring ouzel – 7 around reserve
Black redstart – 1 by beach, 1 from Fen Hide
Willow warbler – 1 on East Trail
Robin – 100+ along main path between visitor centre and beach
Brambling – 20 on saltmarsh
Swallow – 1 west
Merlin – 1 hunting starlings over saltmarsh
Chiffchaff – 2 along main path

Paul

 

[gillian]

Thank you Postcardcv for tempting me out today for my first red-flaked bluetail, beautiful!

 

[firstreesjohn]

What is the path through the wood to the bluetail like, will it be ok for a pushchair?

Peter: I hope you mean tomorrow; I've only just seen this, having reached home after work, leaving Pallas's and OBP behind.

Stuart & his Whitelet were in pushchair/buggy mode yesterday and didn't seem to have greatly suffered. Perhaps he'll let you know if he found the going tough.

As far as I can see, it should be OK. A cross-country buggy with moon tyres and a motor would be even better, of course !

they said they were heading for the hills

One of those and I'd hitch a lift out any day to 'Them Thar Hills'.

Oh dear; just seen RBA website. Why wasn't it Ruby Tuesday for County, instead of the rolling stones of Fair Isle (again!) ?

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Yesterday was one of the most spectacular falls I've witnessed. I also was out searching practically all day (half an hour before dawn till 16:57 when my bus came) and although I didn't find the hoped for bluetail, (well done Ash McE? James McC?) I was happy with my single YBW & 7 Rousel in the dell, 3 Rousel at Holkham and 3 Black reds & Rousel at Twitchwell. Hearing thrushes in the mist before seeing them fall out of the sky into the Hawthornes at Wells and masses of Robins & goldcrest feeding along the tideland will stay with me for a very long time.
I must admit I was somewhat taken aback by the lack of birders in the Dell early yesterday, I saw a group of four birders (bumped into them the previous day but they had also drawn a blank, much more optimistic yesterday though!) and the Holkham warden. I would of imagined that the place would have attracted nearly as many birders as Turdus, but seems fewer people were inspired by the weather than I thought!
Amazing.

 

[David Norgate]

Peter: I hope you mean tomorrow; I've only just seen this, having reached home after work, leaving Pallas's and OBP behind.

:eek!:

although I didn't find the hoped for bluetail, (well done Ash McE? James McC?)

Unless you know about another one the Stiffkey Bluetail was found by Mick Sidwell and news broadcast within a few minutes of the find o

 

[Norfolk Snake]

As has been said already - one of the most spectacular falls of thrushes for a very long while, October 1990 was good too, but can't remember there being so many Ring Ouzels about - there was a minimum of 52 between Wells beach road and Gun Hill yesterday , a record for Holkham NNR.

 

[Robert S J Smith]

Holme and another dawn till dusk

Well that's two days I'll never forget!

Arrived at The Saltings to find two familiar faces on site Chris M. and Philip A. who I joined for the first hour or so of the day checking the scrub by Gore Point after 45 minutes or so managed to clock up a total of 4-5 Ring Ouzels. Birds were everywhere but the floods of Fieldfare/Redwings coming in off the sea yesterday seemed to be more of a steady trickle today.

Moving onto the Firs the Pines were littered with Blackbirds and Robins on the ground and Goldcrests dripping off the trees. In the NOA it just hit home the share numbers of Robins were around as every net round 10's were coming back! All yet to be ringed bar 2 from yesterday and a Swedish bird and to top things off...a nice Ring Ouzel in the hand!

Onto the Forestry, Much the same as the pines...a wall of Robins, Blackbirds and Goldcrests that could not be broke! it was amazing! Back at the Obs for lunch I witnessed another 4-5 Ring Ouzels processed as well as more Robins.

A check in at the Firs and the showy Black Redstart was soon located. Last hurrah around the Forestry with Philip and Andy B. took the days tally of Chiffchaffs to well over 10 birds.

Chilling and chatting at the visitor centre 2 Black Redstarts hoped about our feet and on a parked up van and as it got darker the car park turned into a carpet of Robins and Blackbirds. Walking back down the track to find my lift home in a very thick fog birds littered the track and just did not move at of my way! Sadly it appeared one Song Thrush was just to bold (or maybe knackered) and was squished.

Was still waiting for my lift well after the light had gone but standing under the shelter by the pay hut I could hear several more Ring Ouzels takking around me.

Sorry about rabbiting on 'n' on guys but like as I read this back I haven't even mentioned the 2 Red-breasted Flycatchers , a single Lapland Bunting I had over, numbers of Brambling and a noticeable number of Chaffinches that just weren't present yesterday! Oh wait... ;-P

Also apologies to English teachers!

Happy birding,

Robert

 

[The sniper]

What a difference a few days makes!!!

 

[Penny Clarke]

Red-flanked Bluetail

Flew to Stiffkey after work and arrived just after 5.20pm. Had fabulous views of the Red-flanked Bluetail and photographed, although the ISO was 6,500!!!!! So grainy pics will be on the net later this evening! The most showy bluetail I have come across, if ONLY I wasn't at work and I could have photographed this earlier in better light!!! Watched this stunning little bird right up until 5.55pm. Tons of blackbirds dropping into the trees as I walked back in almost darkness back to my car.

The fog was atrocious this evening, much worse than yesterday. I agree with 'Tideliner' earlier about not venturing out across the marshes. You have got to be pretty crazy to walk East Hills or anywhere across the marshes in fog like that!

Full update on blog and pictures on blog now.

Penny:girl:

 

[jimbob]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading the reports of the last few days. As has been said above, what a difference a few days (and fog) makes! I was on the North Coast on Saturday, and aside from seeing the odd Norfolk speciality, we struggled for birds in any number. Very few out and about looking, obviously waiting for Monday!
I did manage to leave off work at a reasonable hour today and headed straight to the patch. Not only was the coast just a little too far, I was keen to see what impact The Fall was having further inland.
Robins were the most abundant new arrivals, I counted 18 on and around Church Marsh Surlingham. I was pleased to encounter Redwing and Fieldfare, and amongst the gloom Lesser Redpoll and Blackbird moved through. As dusk apparently descended, a long-awaited patch tick flew high above the fog, Pink-footed Geese. A Barn Owl successfully hunted the marsh. A constant passage of Black-headed Gulls overhead were of note.
Last but not least, I assisted the farmer in returning a cow to its rightful field. Now, that is patch birding!
Cheers,
Jim.

 

[Joseph N]

Yet another person to jump on the repetitive band wagon of people who say they have had days out in the field they will never forget . Like many others, started off with cracking views of the Bluetail at Stiffkey, before spending the whole afternoon and what light remained in the evening working Salthouse, Kelling and Muckleburgh Hill by foot. From approximately 13:20-18:00, the following were noted:

Black Redstart - 1st winter showed well near the airfield
Ring Ouzel - At least 15 between Muckleburgh Hill and Kelling, most at Meadow Lane
Short-eared Owl - one in off sea, was later seen hunting fields at Kelling
Brambling - 100+ at Kelling
Winter Thrushes = 1000+ Redwing, 600+ Blackbird, 300+ Fieldfare, 50+ Song Thrush
Robin - 200+
Starling - 500+
Goldcrest - 40+ overall
Snow Bunting - 1w male on Kelling beach
Chiffchaff - 2: Muckleburgh Hill and Kelling
Wheatear - 1 at Salthouse
Swallow - 3 over the water meadow in evening at Kelling

Plus a few other things. Seeing such an enormous fall was breath-taking and evocative. Thrush numbers were just overwhelming, exploding out of every thicket and infesting the fields surrounding the water meadows. An experience to savour, and a day that I will remember for a long time yet.

Joseph

 

[Di Stone]

I'm reading all these and just hoping that the good fortunes continue towards the end of the week when I should be able to make it there. Fingers crossed :t:

Di

 

[The sniper]

I am hoping the fortunes stay the same for tomorrow,hopefully the fog will lift,it seems to have lifted down here in essex,it was quite bad around 6pm but its quite clear now.

 

[Mark Batten]

Robert sounds like a great couple of days. You will always remember falls. Regards.

 

[Stratton Birder]

Thrushmania!

What an absolutely fantastic experience the last two days have been. Two solid days of dawn to dusk crash-birding watching birds fall from the sky like raindrops. I am sitting here typing this out feeling well and truly knackered with work looming again tomorrow morning, but boy - what a time to book up a couple of extra days leave!!

Walking along the path between Stiffkey and Warham this afternoon - every thrush which landed on the hedge or path ahead of me I began to think of as my little mate who was coming to visit me and like all good mates, was eager to please and make me happy - a feat that was certainly accomplished and some! Will always remember the last two days for the shear volume of thrushes, Goldcrests at arms length, the constant broken guitar strum call of the Ring Ouzel, the wheeze of the Brambling and my best ever views of a bluetail backed up by a great supporting cast which included Yellow-browed Warbler, Redstart, Black Redstarts, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Woodcock, Greenshank, Grey Partridges, Mergansers, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Rock Pipits, stunning views of two pairs of Bearded Tits, Redpoll, Barn Owl, Stoat and Common Seals.

So its reluctantly back to work tomorrow and I know I'm gonna be looking at that pager just wanting to still be out there. The light at the end of the tunnel is that I've got the whole week off next week, so mates - please hang around till then.

 

[O.Reville1989]

Despite still being confined to minor amounts of walking I FINALLY got to experience the past 2 days first hand.
After being informed of a fantastic male Ring Ouzel on the Choseley road from Titchwell (Thanks Pete.H!) I headed there after work.
Sadly no Ring Ouzel but the garden of the last house on the left had HUNDREDS of Thrushes in. Redwings no more than 10 feet from the car in the fading light.
The best was yet to come as the next field entrance on the right revealed the fields there to be COVERED in Thrushes, as were the surrounding hedgerows and trees.
The nicest surprise of them all was two Brambling washing in a puddle no more than 15 feet from the car.
Almost beaten by the startled expressions of Fieldfare appearing from behind hedges to find a big grey car sitting there.
Great to finally see some decent evidence of migration and hopefully more to come

 

[O.Reville1989]

I am hoping the fortunes stay the same for tomorrow,hopefully the fog will lift,it seems to have lifted down here in essex,it was quite bad around 6pm but its quite clear now.

Sorry to say its still pretty bad 4 miles in land of Stiffkey.
Rob reports it clearer over towards Kings Lynn though.
Best of luck to all those visiting the county tomorrow, you won't be disappointed.

 

[petehasset]

nice pics

Despite still being confined to minor amounts of walking I FINALLY got to experience the past 2 days first hand.
After being informed of a fantastic male Ring Ouzel on the Choseley road from Titchwell (Thanks Pete.H!) I headed there after work.
Sadly no Ring Ouzel but the garden of the last house on the left had HUNDREDS of Thrushes in. Redwings no more than 10 feet from the car in the fading light.
The best was yet to come as the next field entrance on the right revealed the fields there to be COVERED in Thrushes, as were the surrounding hedgerows and trees.
The nicest surprise of them all was two Brambling washing in a puddle no more than 15 feet from the car.
Almost beaten by the startled expressions of Fieldfare appearing from behind hedges to find a big grey car sitting there.
Great to finally see some decent evidence of migration and hopefully more to come

I am glad u got out nice pics