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

Norfolk birding (30 Viewers)

john miller said:
Looking at Brents in the Cley area the young birds only account for <2%. Presume it must have been a disastrous breeding season for them, as it seems to have been for many waders. Anyone looked at birds elsewhere?

John
Click to expand...

David Low from Essex reports similar low numbers of juveniles around the Thames.
 
Titchwell November 17th

Today's highlights

Avocet - 13 on fresh marsh
Dunlin - 40 on fresh marsh
Black tailed godwit - 50 on fresh marsh
Spotted redshank - 3 on tidal pool
Greenshank - 3 on tidal pool
Water pipit - 1 on grazing meadow
Short eared owl - 1 hunting saltmarsh mid afternoon
Cormorant - 230 offshore this morning

Paul
 
Brent Geese and Pallid Harrier

After a bumper breeding season last year for Brent Geese, it would seem that this year was very poor. On the Deben we have had no confirmed juveniles among the birds i've counted on WEBS counts, although numbers aren't at their peak.

By the way does anyone know anything about the Pallid Harrier in Norfolk? It seems to be ranging widely. Is it a juvenile? Possibly the Lincolnshire bird relocating?

Cheers

Sean
 
Titchwell November 18th

Today's highlights

Whooper swan - 6 on fresh marsh this morning before flying west @ 09:35
Marsh tit - 1 on feeders
Avocet - 8 on fresh marsh
Slavonian grebe - 1 offshore
Marsh harrier - 16 (4 male) roosted this evening
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh from Parrinder Hide
Sadwich tern - probable offshore this morning
Yellow legged gull - adult roosting on fresh marsh

Paul
 
Great day and great views of raptors along the North Norfolk coast with Peregrine, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier and Red Kite over Stiffkey Salt Marsh, the latter giving us a fly-by three times and showing well.
Over at Blakeney Fresh Marsh we had one of the showiest Merlins I have ever seen with a female perched up on top of a bush just a hundred or so yards from Friary Hills which then flew down into a pool to bathe causing some anxious moments for the nearby Teal. A ringtail Hen Harrier showed well, flying through and a Common Buzzard was up over the village.
Unfortunately, we didn't get a Sparrowhawk which would have completed the set of regular winter raptors.

Steve.
 
Brent Geese

The Brent were back much earlier than usual in Brancaster Harbour, with the first adults noted Sept 9th, 10-14 days earlier than normal, with numbers quickly building over subsequent days, always a sign of a poor breeding season. At the time I suggested to others that there would be very few juveniles seen this autumn/winter, this has been confirmed by Graham Hewson, who counts the saltmarsh at Wells and Warham for WeBS, and for several years has made counts of the number of juvs in feeding flocks in the area, his latest counts have produced juvenile counts of 1-2% with some flocks containing none. Almost complete breeding failures in some years are fairly regular and not unusual and are linked to poor lemming years which results in increased predation, as well as poor spring/summer weather.

The number of Dark-bellied Brent Geese using the North Norfolk Coast have declined in recent years, I am hoping to organize a winter count of all the known roosts in January and will post the results.

Neil Lawton, Local Organizer, North Norfolk Coast WeBS
 
Neil Lawton said:
The number of Dark-bellied Brent Geese using the North Norfolk Coast have declined in recent years, I am hoping to organize a winter count of all the known roosts in January and will post the results.

Neil Lawton, Local Organizer, North Norfolk Coast WeBS
Click to expand...

Tell you what, Neil, while you're organising that WeBS count, I'll house-sit for you in Thailand....;)
MJB
 
Titchwell November 19th

Today's highlights

Rough legged buzzard - 1 west over Thornham Marsh @ 10:00
Avocet - 13 on fresh marsh
Red crested pochard - 2 in reedbed
Great Northern diver - 1 on the fresh marsh briefly @ 11:25
Goosander - female west over fresh marsh

Paul
 
Neil Lawton said:
The Brent were back much earlier than usual in Brancaster Harbour, with the first adults noted Sept 9th, 10-14 days earlier than normal, with numbers quickly building over subsequent days, always a sign of a poor breeding season. At the time I suggested to others that there would be very few juveniles seen this autumn/winter, this has been confirmed by Graham Hewson, who counts the saltmarsh at Wells and Warham for WeBS, and for several years has made counts of the number of juvs in feeding flocks in the area, his latest counts have produced juvenile counts of 1-2% with some flocks containing none. Almost complete breeding failures in some years are fairly regular and not unusual and are linked to poor lemming years which results in increased predation, as well as poor spring/summer weather.

The number of Dark-bellied Brent Geese using the North Norfolk Coast have declined in recent years, I am hoping to organize a winter count of all the known roosts in January and will post the results.

Neil Lawton, Local Organizer, North Norfolk Coast WeBS
Click to expand...

Back in the dim and distant when I was involved in the annual wildfowl counts as they were then known, a late thaw on the Dark-bellied Brent Goose breeding grounds enabled ground predators access to the nesting islands and was also considered to be a contributory factor in a lack of juveniles wintering in the UK.
 
Stratton Birder said:
Great day and great views of raptors along the North Norfolk coast with Peregrine, Kestrel, Marsh Harrier and Red Kite over Stiffkey Salt Marsh, the latter giving us a fly-by three times and showing well.
Over at Blakeney Fresh Marsh we had one of the showiest Merlins I have ever seen with a female perched up on top of a bush just a hundred or so yards from Friary Hills which then flew down into a pool to bathe causing some anxious moments for the nearby Teal. A ringtail Hen Harrier showed well, flying through and a Common Buzzard was up over the village.
Unfortunately, we didn't get a Sparrowhawk which would have completed the set of regular winter raptors.

Steve.
Click to expand...

Story of a male :t:
http://www.eltius.co.uk/421414182
 
Titchwell November 23rd

Today's highlights

Glaucous gull - 1 west along beach this morning
Shorelark - 5 at Thornham Point this morning
Snow bunting - 3 on beach
Bewick's swan - 5 west this morning
Chiffchaff - 1 on Meadow Trail
Hen harrier - male over saltmarsh this morning
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh

Paul
 
Titchwell November 24th

Today's highlights

Hen harrier - 1 hunting over the saltmarsh throughout the day
Peregrine - 1 over fresh marsh
Greenshank - 1 on tidal pool
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh
Spotted redshank - 3 on volunteer marsh
Avocet - 16 on fresh marsh
Red crested pochard - drake on fresh marsh
Shorelark - 6 on beach this morning
Snow bunting - 12 on beach early afternoon
Siberian chiffchaff - probable in the carpark briefly late afternoon

Paul
 
Songkhran said:
Story of a male :t:
http://www.eltius.co.uk/421414182
Click to expand...

Hello Josh. Read your blog. Nice one! Hope you enjoyed your brief stay in fair Norfolk. I'm sure you had a great time. Did you get any more tent ticks apart from the Tawny Owl? Hope to see you again soon mate.

On Sunday morning at Winterton I was annoyed with myself for somehow missing an Iceland Gull which flew past and was seen by most observers present. So it was with some recompense for me this afternoon at Scratby where I found a juvenile Glaucous Gull lingering offshore for several minutes before heading south.

Over at Ormesby Little Broad a spectacular roost movement of Cormorants flew west towards Ranworth totalling 570 birds and eight Grey Herons had gathered in the ploughed field just west of Filby Bridge car park.

Steve.
 
Pallid harrier

Does anyone know if there is a way of viewing without a walk of xx miles. I am disabled but would like to see this. If its where I think it is at Snettisham its a few miles walk and a no go. Cannot get disabled access to the reserve as its needs a number of days notice.

Any help gratefully accepted.

Thanks.

Phil
 

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