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

Norfolk birding (15 Viewers)

20 Snow Bunts
several Cranes
6 Whitefronts
1 Barnacle
2nd-winter Med Gull
and over 200 Red-throated Divers north in one hour this lunchtime plus good numbers noted passing Walcott later on. Wonder if anyone did any longer counts?

Velvet Scoter 'reported' Horsey...

details on website later
 
Hi Geoff

Where did you send off the info to, to get this report. I saw F67 (neck collar) at Saxlingham a couple of weeks ago, but have not sent the details off anywhere yet - it would be nice to get such a comprehensive history as you have.

Mike

Sent my info to the email address below and got a reply in a couple of days.

If you managed to read any collars then send the codes to Richard Hearn at Slimbridge (richard.hearn#wwt.org.uk) if they were grey, or to Jesper Madsen (jm#dmu.dk) if they were blue in colour.
 
Gonna be in north Norfolk tomorrow and just wondered if there's much about that I'm not aware off. Maybe any velvet scoter or long tailed ducks anywhere, that sort of thing. News has been quiet on the shorelarks at Cley in the last two days. Assume they have moved on then? Cheers

They were seen mid morning on Friday about 50 yards west of the end of the East Bank. They flew off towards the Cley beach car park a few minutes before I got there. I walked almost as far as the car park without seeing them so I am wondering whether they have moved to the same place as two years ago ie west of the car park. I spent several hours there on Thursday morning without seeing them as well but the weather then was very windy. No reports on the Pager today so far.
I saw a couple of Long-tailed Ducks off Holme on Tuesday, walk across the golf course to view the sea.
Roger
 
My day started late, due to the fact that a local outdoor wear shop that has been in King's Lynn since I was a child, had a full page advert in my local paper advertising 35% off ALL stock as their were closing down - so I had to go into town;), which I NEVER do on a Saturday and came out with a bag of goodies eg. couple of tins of Nikwax, new coat etc etc!!! The shop was half stripped by the time I got there!

Arrived Snettisham RSPB 2.20pm. Too late really, but never mind, it was BITTERLY cold here - tons of waders on the shore including loads of oystercatchers and shelduck, few grey plover, sanderling, redshank, mallard etc. There were several smart goldeneye in the pits, wigeon, cormorants, herring gulls, little grebes and greylags and had 2 marsh harriers over the back fields at the far end of reserve. On the path back there were loads of greylags in a field, along with about half a dozen mute swans. I was hoping for an owl or maybe some shorelark, but no luck. Oh there were a small flock of linnets feeding too. Thats about it today! Went home and fell asleep with cat until now!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Eventually saw the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker at Holkham today (yippee!) it was almost down by the lake north of the monument. Later at Stiffkey it was good to see the Rough-legged Buzzard but the Marsh Harriers were giving it some grief! I watched it again at Wells where several other birders caught up with it. (Good to see you David/ Ruralchill)
Sue
 
A cold seawatch this afternoon produced a Pom Skua.

very little else, apart from
a small number of Kittiwakes
10 Gannets
12 auks
2 Pintail
20+ Snow Buntings
1 Barnacle Goose
a few Cranes
c.20 Red-throated Divers

a trawl of the records suggests that yesterday's diver passage was very noteworthy. Does anyone else have any counts?
 
Started the day off by watching an intriguingly dark coloured barn owl hunting on a local common with a friend today, the bird being on our local patch for the past two months or so but only recently decided to call in for a second opinion on it...the bird is on the RBA map if anyone can be bothered to drag themselves into south Norfolk for a better look, also chanced upon a Short Eared Owl in the area and an Iceland Gull flew over just before we left for the UEA broad..

No Hawfinches at the rabbit area today but saw a good sized flock of approx40 brambling and 70 Siskin, last sighting of the day was a Kingfisher byt the river....very nice bumping into kittykat23Uk (the coffee was much appreciated!!)

Matt
 

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Started the day off by watching an intriguingly dark coloured barn owl hunting on a local common with a friend today, the bird being on our local patch for the past two months or so but only recently decided to call in for a second opinion on it...
Matt

I've become quite interested in these recently Matt and have put some extra pics on my site of the Ludham bird so you could always have a look at that. Plus I've researched the ID as much as possible and included some of that info on there too.

On the Ludham bird although it has a half-breast (as some guttata types do) the breast below this was suffused buff as well and this shows in the pics. The underwing covs are visible in one pic too. There aren't any pix of the uppers but they were very grey.
 
I've become quite interested in these recently Matt and have put some extra pics on my site of the Ludham bird so you could always have a look at that. Plus I've researched the ID as much as possible and included some of that info on there too.

On the Ludham bird although it has a half-breast (as some guttata types do) the breast below this was suffused buff as well and this shows in the pics. The underwing covs are visible in one pic too. There aren't any pix of the uppers but they were very grey.

Thanks for that, Tim

Steve and myself went through the pics of the Ludham bird last night and were pretty confident to make the call this morning after good close views of the bird in flight.

Our notes as follows..

Upperparts

Mantle/lesser coverts solid grey with pale flecking which contrasted with orange primaries and secondaries which gave an overall two tone impression, quite dark..

Head, nape and breast orange. The orange continued down the breast as far as the belly but not the feathering on the tarsi which were off white.

The facial disc was pale and contrasted strongly against the orange around the head and neck.

Possibly some dark smudging around the eyes.

Definitely an interesting looking owl and any further opinions from other observers would be welcomed..

(will try and get some record shots in the week!!)

Matt
 
Decided to go out this morning instead of doing boring jobs at home.

Went to Holkham and missed seeing a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker by 2 minutes:-O:-C:-O, but it was a lovely walk anyway, saw a treecreeper and a couple of bramblings.

Went on to Cley and saw the White Crowned Sparrow again (2nd time) and instantly had brilliant views of it sitting in the bush - Penny gets her camera all set up and it disappears completely!!!!! It definately looks fatter and healthier than when I saw it the first time, which is good news. A barn owl came gliding across the fields and gave everyone wonderful views - a small crowd were there of about 10 people.

Went onto Salthouse and very briefely watched a huge flock of snowbuntings while quickly having a cup of tea before rushing back home to go to work this afternoon!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Went on the RSPB boat trip onto Breydon today. The wind had driven many of the birds onto the grass at Berney/Halvegate so there virtually no golden plover or lapwings on the mud. Interestingly this made it wasier to pick out the other species, as you didn't have to wade through 40,000 plovers to see em. Good numbers of blackwits, some bars, redshanks (and a solitary spotshank), knots, ringed plovers, dunlin and curlew. Had a suspiciously small bird in a flock of dunlin but they few before I could get a good look. A single marshie flew over near Burgh Castle, where the boat turned round. Oh and the usual ducks, gulls etc.

A good two hours, and fun to get so close to the mud. Shame about the wind though - must get myself some thermal longjohns!

Oh, I popped into UEA Saturday and dropped my camera case - I don't suppose anyone spotted a soft grey bag with strap (labelled minolta) sitting on the mud at the back of the broad? (slim chance I know)
 
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Dropped in at Walcott late this afternoon and in the fading light snapped an adult Med Gull with my 5x Eagle Eye and my watery eye!


Also a Marsh Harrier earlier just west of Stalham, no doubt heading to join the others at the roost...

James
 

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Just to add to Matt's post. Had a wander up to UEA via the small patch of woodland along Larkman lane - where I got good view of a nuthatch, then through Earlham park and along the river up to the rabbit compound, en route finding a pair of treecreepers by a pond and a grey wagtail flitting around the river.

As Matt mentioned, no hawfinches but the mixed flock of bramblings and other finches showed well. Another nuthatch and a marsh tit also visited the feeders. Then a walk along the broad produced the flock of siskins, a couple of common gulls, mixed in with the BHGs and a single pochard. Still no luck with the goosanders, nice GS woodpecker and kingfisher though.

A lift back to mine courtesy of Matt and Steve was very welcome, in return for teas and coffee all round. :t: More photos to be uploaded to my flickr gallery this evening but here is the kingfisher for now.

Sorry didn't find any camera cases..

Jo
 

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Definitely an interesting looking owl and any further opinions from other observers would be welcomed..

Hi,

I've recently noticed this thread (and Tim's 'article' :t:) about dark barn owls. My interest is that, although not in Norfolk, I saw a confusingly dark owl in E.Yorks in Dec that got me thinking... though as in this discussion it was not like they look in the books - all dark-breasted. I posted about it as an ID question <here> (sorry no photos).

And then there's <this> on Graham Catley's blog...


Cheers,
Bob.
 
Had a better look at the Dark Breasted Barn Owl mentioned in my earlier post, managed to get some rough record shots..

After having good close prolonged views additional features were a clearly defined orange breast band and belly and flanks were buff coloured ..also faint dark streaking on the flanks and breast which could only be noted on very close flight views.

The underwing showed a faint orange hue, although views of this particular feature were hard to obtain..

Some dark smudging circling the eyes was also seen on closer inspection of the record shots.

Compared to Alba the upperparts were strikingly dark, and the contrast between the blue grey mantle/wing coverts and the orange/yellow primaries/secondaries were very pronounced.

Matt
 

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I popped into Wacton Common on my way past this evening (courtesy of a training course in Harleston) and bumped into Matt there - nice to meet you and well done for finding such a fantastic bird!

I think Matt has mentioned all the id points I was going to make, including the smudging round the eyes and the buffish tinge to the underwing, so I won't repeat the rest here. I didn't manage to pick out the faint streaking on the flanks tho, but the light had deteriorated by the time I arrived and I didn't get it quite as close as others.

I'm happy with the id as Dark-breasted having read Tim's article and feel others should make the effort to see this delightful bird if possible! I'll certainly go again and hope to get views of it with the Alba that showed up after the DB had disappeared next time for direct comparison!

Good luck to all who go in search....

Chris
 
Well done on your find Matt (now beyond a clean sweep!)
I see it wasn't seen again tonight, is the usual?
What times has it shown in the mornings? particularly when does it disappear? I probably wouldn't be able to get over til 8.30+
Take care
David
 
Thanks for the comments Chris ..nice meeting you!!

David, the pics were taken tonight between 16:00 and 17:00, the bird is very easy to see and requires very little effort if you park by the pond or by Wacton Hall, for the past three evenings the bird has been showing well and active from about 15:30 ..it's also regularly seen in the mornings if not too windy...well worth giving it a go even if you can't get there till gone 8..

It can also be incredibly confiding so an ideal opportunity for anyone wanting to get better pics than me!!, best views will be had from the public footpath along the southern edge of the common..this will also limit disturbance while the bird is hunting a relatively confined area.

Best of luck with it

Matt
 

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