Norfolk birding (43 Viewers)

[redeyedvideo]

Purple Sandpiper Titchwell beach at 12.11 today. Flight shot in windy conditions!

 

[BeeJay]

Fz150

A couple of hours in Wells Woods today was rewarded with calling Yellow-browed. It was not going to be seen, however. This is one maddening bird (if it is the same one Stuart found 3 weeks ago): I've spent hours without seeing it.

It seems to be associated with a mixed flock, which includes 4 Chiffies- one of which is the first ‘published’ photo taken with my new Lumix (FZ150). This is not edited in any way, just saved in a smaller size.

A female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was seen by others in two locations; the second time by the toilet block.

Hi John
Regarding the Chiffchaff image with your new camera. What distance was you away from the subject and what amount of zoom were you using.
Regards Bob

 

[firstreesjohn]

Hi John
Regarding the Chiffchaff image . . What distance . . zoom were you using.

Bob: 37.5x (optical) zoom.

I cannot remember the distance, but probably getting on for 20ft/6m.

Those with more Maths than me can quickly calculate a precise figure from the above 'x' figure and the size of the bird on the 'photo'.

 

[Penny Clarke]

Left the county today and got a passport to Suffolk!!!

 

[Dave Appleton]

Any background to the unconfirmed report of a male Blue Rock Thrush at East Ruston on Sat and Sun?

From the East Ruston Gardens website: "This weekend we have a Blue Rock Thrush here, a bird not normally seen in northern Europe. This looks a bit like a starling but with blue colouring to its upper body with a rufus coloured breast. The male has an unusual but melodious call".

My money is on an escaped Superb Starling...

 

[BeeJay]

Fz150

Bob: 37.5x (optical) zoom.

I cannot remember the distance, but probably getting on for 20ft/6m.

Those with more Maths than me can quickly calculate a precise figure from the above 'x' figure and the size of the bird on the 'photo'.

Hello again John
Thanks for the prompt answer. However I am a little puzzled as I thought the FZ150– had up to 24x zoom and you quote 37.5. I have read that if you reduce the Mpixel size you can gain some zoom. Is this the case? The reason I’m asking these questions is that my wife would like to try and take some close-ups of birds and, not being camera literate, this is the only way I can help her.

By the way if you are in Wells pines this weekend, and my colleagues and I are at home, please drop in for a tea/coffee and demonstrate your camera. This is a weekend we do every year and we stay in one of the Pinewoods lodges from Friday to Monday. This year we are in lodge 12 which is right in the corner near the little bridge leading to the Dell. We are three wrinklies and a boy in his forties.
This invite goes to any other reader who is in the vicinity.
Regards Bob

 

[pandachris]

For what it's worth, a few highlights from one of our occasional visits to Norfolk

Friday
Scratby, from about 17:00 numerous RT Divers

Saturday
Early p.m. seawatch from Sheringham Shelter
Couple of Bonxies
Poss GN Diver heading west (can't claim to be much use with divers in flight but the bird looked 'different' and bulkier than the rest that were RT (some settled on the sea))
Two cetaceans - probably bigger than Harbour Porpoises given the sea state as they were quite a way out. Brief views only.

Late p.m.
Seawatching for 30 minutes, Scratby
Still plenty of divers
SE Owl off the sea at about 17:10

Sunday
Winterton
SE Owl off the sea and straight into the 1st line of dunes at about 10:30
Salthouse
Pomarine Skua over the beach - about 13:00 I think

Sunday
Early-ish seawatch, Scratby
Still plenty of RT Divers present but numbers much reduced from Friday.

Tried hard but couldn't see any definte shearwaters.

 

[O.Reville1989]

Hello again John
Thanks for the prompt answer. However I am a little puzzled as I thought the FZ150– had up to 24x zoom and you quote 37.5. I have read that if you reduce the Mpixel size you can gain some zoom. Is this the case? The reason I’m asking these questions is that my wife would like to try and take some close-ups of birds and, not being camera literate, this is the only way I can help her

Hi Bob,
To answer your question (sorry for butting in) the Panasonic series have a Extra zoom function where by decreasing megapixels it allows for more zoom, its almost like cropping on the camera.
For example: My FZ45 goes from 24x on 14mp to 50.6x on 3mp. Does come in handy, Don't know if you have to reduce the pixel amount to get EZ on the F150?
Over to you John....
Oli

 

[Andy Stoddart]

Norfolk Bird and Mammal Report 2010

The 2010 Norfolk Bird and Mammal Report is now published. Copies can be obtained from 12th October for £12.00 (including p&p) from the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society website www.nnns.org.uk. Contributors of content and members of NNNS will receive their free copy shortly.
This year’s Bird Report is a bumper issue with more pages than ever before but the price remains the same for the fourth year in a row. In addition to the full Systematic List there is a record number of articles. These include pieces on farmland birds at a Ringstead farm, the breeding bird community of an Ant valley marsh, dusk-flighting Woodcock, the winter diet of owls and a breeding record of Marsh Warbler.
2010 was a great year for rare birds in the county and these are the focus of the remaining articles which document Norfolk’s first Wilson’s Petrel, apparent Alder Flycatcher and Northern Harrier, second Trumpeter Finch, second and third Iberian Chiffchaffs, third River Warbler and first fully documented Northern Treecreeper. Also featured are two records from 2009 - Norfolk’s first Iceland Redpoll and second Icelandic Redwing.
The Report features a stunning image of Cranes on the cover and is fully illustrated throughout with black-and-white artwork and more than 90 colour photographs.
Sharp-eyed readers will note the inclusion of three rarity records which are not included in the 2010 BBRC Report. The first of these is the Blakeney Point Empidonax flycatcher, published here as an “apparent Alder Flycatcher”. This was Norfolk’s rarest bird of the year and its absence from the Report would, I suspect, attract some criticism. There is, of course, no doubt that it was an Empidonax flycatcher (and if not Alder then even rarer!) but given that the file on the 2008 Cornish Empidonax is still under consideration, an acceptance to species of the Norfolk bird may be some way off. The record is therefore published and a future Report will document any eventual official verdict.
Two other records - Thrush Nightingale at Cley and Citrine Wagtail at Northrepps - are also published as they were shown as “accepted” in the final draft BBRC Report sent to County Recorders. However, since the Bird Report went to press the former has been withdrawn (and its status will therefore be updated in next year’s Report) and the latter recirculated.
Finally, I would like to say a big “thank you” to all the record submitters, inputters, species text drafters, Records Committee members, authors, artists, photographers and, not least, the County Recorders, without whose efforts the Report would not be possible.

Andy Stoddart
Editor

 

[sacha]

Ok, so I was not going mad about the T Nightingale that to me sounded just like a C Nightingale! This may have been discussed previously. Apologies if I missed any previous posts about it's decision.

Ps... Walked all around Wells woods today... Not one migrant of note. Brambling and G Wagtail over garden before I left were the highlight of the day.

 

[David Norgate]

Ok, so I was not going mad about the T Nightingale that to me sounded just like a C Nightingale! This may have been discussed previously. Apologies if I missed any previous posts about it's decision.

Is it really as simple as that? smoke Wasn't the record submitted and accepted as a Thrush Nightingale, as published (mentioned by Andy)? Was the acceptance a mistake, or was the record accepted and yet the submitter has since withdrawn the submission for reasons that I personally do not know, does anyone else?

Withdrawing a record doesn't mean it wasn't one BBRC seemed to think it wasB

 

[Penny Clarke]

Pom. Skua going west very close at 12.45pm from Cley Coastguards, a couple of Red throated Divers, a Guillemot on the sea and a few Common Scoters. Miserable weather and strong west winds. A few goldcrests in Walsey Hills this morning, but little else.

BUT tomorrow afternoon winds are at last changing to NORTH EAST!!!!!!

http://www.accuweather.com/ukie/forecast-hourly.asp?partner=accuweather&postalcode=PE36%206LP&metric=1&hbhday=2&hbhhour=15

Penny:girl:

 

[firstreesjohn]

Not "almost", but exactly

its almost like cropping on the camera.

BeeJay: It was described to me, by someone far more camera literate, as in-camera cropping.

Please read (click on 'Specification'): http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_...Cameras/DMC-FZ150/Overview/8022100/index.html

Therefore, normal optical zoom is 24x; 8M 29.4x; 5M 37.5x; 3M 46.9x

 

[Cortonbirds]

Thats right Penny. Transient conditions look decent for a few nice birds in Norfolk on Thursday and Friday( wind is switching NE tommorow but u need it that way overnight really before anything should occur). So NE thru E to SE as the high slips east over Denmark. Should get a thrush, Goldcrest and Robin arrival and hopefully something decent will be picked up among them.

 

[BeeJay]

Fz150

BeeJay: It was described to me, by someone far more camera literate, as in-camera cropping.

Please read (click on 'Specification'): http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_...Cameras/DMC-FZ150/Overview/8022100/index.html

Therefore, normal optical zoom is 24x; 8M 29.4x; 5M 37.5x; 3M 46.9x

John & Oli
Thanks for that.
Regards Bob

 

[Andy Musgrove]

Hen Harrier roosts

Hi all

Quick trawl for info please. Natural England have asked BTO to collate roost counts of Hen Harrier for various SSSIs throughout Norfolk (and elsewhere) this winter. Ideally, we want to get all SSSIs that have potential for roosting HH checked, and (if the sites are suitable) get counts on a monthly basis (starting this weekend).

We've amassed a fair amount of info, and there are of course a few well known (and already well monitored) sites, but thought it would be useful to make use of this forum to sound out any additional gen, to make sure we're not missing anything. Therefore, I'd really appreciate it if you could send me any roost locations of HH that you're aware of from the last few years. Don't worry about sending obvious sites - I'd rather have duplicate emails than miss some.

Obviously, there's potentially sensitivity about some locations - this is unfortunately a species that is prone to persecution in the winter as well as in the breeding season - so please send the info to me privately at work, to [email protected].

Thanks a million

Andy
BTO Monitoring Team

 

[Happisbirder]

Thats right Penny. Transient conditions look decent for a few nice birds in Norfolk on Thursday and Friday( wind is switching NE tommorow but u need it that way overnight really before anything should occur). So NE thru E to SE as the high slips east over Denmark. Should get a thrush, Goldcrest and Robin arrival and hopefully something decent will be picked up among them.

A late afternoon walk around Happisburgh produced 2 Goldcrests, most likely migrants and the first I've seen this autumn. Still a few Blackbirds, Song Thrushes and Robins 'ticking' away but other than that, a 1w Med Gull was briefly offshore before flying west.

A wonderful 'briny' smell hung over the village this afternoon seemingly caused by the coating of pink weed deposited along the beach...

James

 

[Penny Clarke]

From the East Ruston Gardens website: "This weekend we have a Blue Rock Thrush here, a bird not normally seen in northern Europe. This looks a bit like a starling but with blue colouring to its upper body with a rufus coloured breast. The male has an unusual but melodious call".

My money is on an escaped Superb Starling...

Thanks for the link Dave:t: I have always wanted to visit these gardens anyway, but didn't realise you could only visit it for three and a half hours! Looking at the map of the gardens, it would take longer than that to have a good look round/look for the bird - we'll see!

Penny:girl:

 

[scary-canary]

From the East Ruston Gardens website: "This weekend we have a Blue Rock Thrush here, a bird not normally seen in northern Europe. This looks a bit like a starling but with blue colouring to its upper body with a rufus coloured breast. The male has an unusual but melodious call".

My money is on an escaped Superb Starling...

Is the elephant in the room the previous sentence in the same paragraph that states they have a pair of breeding "Northern Goshawks" in the gardens too? Is that likely?

 

[scary-canary]

From the East Ruston Gardens website: "This weekend we have a Blue Rock Thrush here, a bird not normally seen in northern Europe. This looks a bit like a starling but with blue colouring to its upper body with a rufus coloured breast. The male has an unusual but melodious call".

My money is on an escaped Superb Starling...

Is the elephant in the room the previous sentence in the same paragraph that states they have a pair of breeding "Northern Goshawks" in the gardens too? Is that likely?