• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Norfolk birding (50 Viewers)

Hi all, we arrived at Salthouse late this afternoon hoping to see the snow buntings and I think we also saw the lapland bunting if so, then I think its a lifer for me! . Here are a few pics, could anyone confirm the ID please? Afraid they are not great shots, but in the first one its the out of focus bird in the foreground, in the second and third shots its the small streaky headed thing in amongst all the snow buntings.. I know there was definitely one lapland bunting there in the flock! :cat: We were too late to look for the white crowned sparrow though..
 

Attachments

  • 2173074620_07f396c12c.jpg
    2173074620_07f396c12c.jpg
    209.7 KB · Views: 115
  • 2173081102_430d2d5a2f.jpg
    2173081102_430d2d5a2f.jpg
    229.1 KB · Views: 132
  • lapland bunting2 .jpg
    lapland bunting2 .jpg
    293.8 KB · Views: 130
Connor Rand said:
Interesting day, dad's phone was dead so didnt get any RBA messages, sister was on computer, so it was only half way through a phone conversation with Penny I realised she wasnt talking about any lesser-spotted Woodpecker at Holkham! 3:) Penny, lets just say I will be eternally grateful for that phone call and sorry you couldnt be there!

Cheers,

Connor
Click to expand...

Thats ok Connor, I am very glad you saw it.

This is the first time I have ever felt so disappointed at not being able to go and see a rarity - here's how the morning went:

Arrived at the Fisherfleet nr Boalquay, King's Lynn at 8.45am to see Kingfisher and grey wagtail (guaranteed here normally, but not today!).

From Boalquay there were hundreds of waders etc roosting on the mudflats - I counted 500+ lapwing, hundreds of common and blackheaded gulls, 3 black backed gulls, 10 ringed plover, 30+ turnstones, 26 greylags.

Then made my way to Terrington Marsh (Ongar Hill) - my 2nd trip here!!!! and met up with Justin L., his girlfriend and Andy W. at 9.45am. Beautiful sunny day and several people were here to see the Richard's Pipit. We had fantastic close views. We walked up as the far as the barn and climbed down the bank to have amazing views of 29 Twite sitting on the telegraph wires and also feeding by a big puddle in the field, they really did look glorious in the sunshine. We also had stunning views of a male Hen Harrier following the tide line, couple of little egrets and hundreds of brent geese adorned the blue skies. We also saw linnets, a robin, loads of fieldfares, reed buntings, carrion crow, shelducks, a pied wagtail, yellow hammers, a song thrush and mistle thrush. Back at the carpark we had good views of a ringtail hen harrier too! It was at this point that Justin's pager went off 'White Crowned Sparrow'. Justin, his girlfiend and Andy left in their car very quickly! and I left in mine to go home - I felt so sad!!!! I had to be at work at 3pm and I knew there was no way I was going to get to Cley and back in time. Well actually I didn't go straight home I went to Flitcham for a little while and saw 2 Egyptian geese, marsh harrier, kestrel, teal, curlew, chaffinches, fieldfares, tons of pinkfeet going over, goldfinches, green woodpecker and a sparrowhawk. I am not a happy bunny:C - I will just have to hope that I am VERY VERY lucky and WCS stays until next Saturday, which is highly unlikely. But you win some, you lose some!!!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
Last edited:
A Good Days Work.

Hi all.

Decided to lay off the booze last night, therefore I gave myself a chance of a good days birding. We saw 93 species all in all. Here are the highlights.

Roydon Common

Stonechat, Great Grey Shrike, Little Egret, Hen Harrier, Snipe, Reed bunting and Green Woodpecker.

Wolferton

Goldcrest, Golden Pheasant.

Hunstanton Cliffs

Fulmar, Sanderling, Bar Tailed Godwit, Long Tailed Duck.

Titchwell

Goldeneye, R B Merganser, Peregrine, Mealy Redpoll, Lesser Redpoll, Spotted Redshank, Water Rail, Rock Pipit.

Cley Village

White Crowned Sparrow, Brambling.

Salthouse

Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting, Common Scoter, Red Throated Diver.

What a great place Norfolk is to watch birds.

Cheers.
John. B :)
 
Sounds like you had a great day birding. Unfortunately but the time my OH pulled himself together we barely got there an hour before sundown. Nevertheless here are a few more shots from Salthouse:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8773601@N03/
 

Attachments

  • 2173431994_a073407098.jpg
    2173431994_a073407098.jpg
    134.6 KB · Views: 89
  • 2172637469_bacb421c6c.jpg
    2172637469_bacb421c6c.jpg
    128.6 KB · Views: 75
  • 2173450304_36961d6edf.jpg
    2173450304_36961d6edf.jpg
    207.1 KB · Views: 64
  • 2173398474_6249a814e6.jpg
    2173398474_6249a814e6.jpg
    238 KB · Views: 95
Hi all.

I have not been out birding this year yet, but had good garden watch over christmas with up to 15 Bramblings at any one time, they are still there despite a frequent visit from a sparrow hawk who takes a drink from the water tray.

In hertfordshire for the new year with good views of 2 Buzzards over farm land
on new years day, my mate who works on the farm said they have been there for about 3 weeks.

Hope to be out this weekend so see you about perhaps.

Barry
 
Just wanted to say thanks David (Ruralchill) for kindly keeping an eye on my children so that I could get the White-crowned Sparrow yesterday. Your suggestion for seeing it was also greatly appreciated and ensured I didn't have to keep them waiting too long.

Much appreciated for such a fantastic bird!

Cheers,

Chris
 
I also haven't been out much since the new year. Got to see the Smew at Holkham on friday, and also had a flyover fem Goosander. However on the way home I managed to roll by car twice into a field. I was ok; just a bit of whiplash etc. No-one else was involved thankfully, and I'm fairly lucky to be alive. Just got caught out by the greasy road surface and lost the back end.

Anyway, due to the loss of the car, I've been enjoying some (very) local patching, restricted to the surrounding wheat stubble fields around my house and areas within bikes reach. Hasn't been bad; yesturday came across a flock of 20+ Yellowhammers in a field of wheat stubble near Sculthorpe and a single Brambling in with a flock of Chaffinches where I walk the dogs. Today had about 20 Pied Wagtails in the fields surounding the house, with 2 Mipits nocking around with them. 1 Mistle Thrush, 1 Sparrowhawk and the usual Greenfinches, Gulls (Common, Herring and BH) and Starlings. Exciting stuff!

Also got down to Sculthorpe Moor yesterday. Still yet to see either LSW or Willow Tit there, but did manage a couple of Water Rails, Marsh Tits, Siskins, 50+ Redwings and a couple of Bullfinches. Couple of Redpolls on the way home in Alder by the river.

Jason
 
There were 2 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers reported on the board at Strumpshaw yesterday. In the trees just beyond the Tower Hide. Naturally I didn't see them myself as I decided to go in the other direction.:-C
 
have some sympathy for the devil, have dipped the sparra twice now because only allowed a 20 min lunch break and takes 5 mins either way to cycle from work, got down there today, picked the joker when they were dishing out playing cards and saw a nice brambling, spent rest of afternoon serving tea to smug birders and trying to avoid seeing fotos of the thing - day off tmo

ok so who's got any theories, two yank sparrows in the space of a year in north norfolk, either ship assisted, there a big cage of yank landbirds in north norfolk or they are more common than we think and get found in well watched areas!
 
pomskua said:
ok so who's got any theories, two yank sparrows in the space of a year in north norfolk, either ship assisted, there a big cage of yank landbirds in north norfolk or they are more common than we think and get found in well watched areas!
Click to expand...

Well accepted or not Norfolk has now had White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark eyed Junco, Lark Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Black and White Warbler (x2), Northern Mockingbird and Red-breasted Nuthatch, while Suffolk has had Red eyed Vireo and Lark Sparrow and Yorkshire has had White-throated Sparrow so seems that there is plenty of chance that American birds can be found on the east coast. The White-throated Sparrow was also a wintering record... Or, to put it another way, for all that stuff it would have to be a very large cage ;)
 
Connor Rand said:
Well accepted or not Norfolk has now had White-crowned Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark eyed Junco, Lark Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Black and White Warbler (x2), Northern Mockingbird and Red-breasted Nuthatch, while Suffolk has had Red eyed Vireo and Lark Sparrow and Yorkshire has had White-throated Sparrow so seems that there is plenty of chance that American birds can be found on the east coast. The White-throated Sparrow was also a wintering record... Or, to put it another way, for all that stuff it would have to be a very large cage ;)
Click to expand...
yeh thats my feeling too, don't think they escape, but think theres plenty of US tankers going past the coast, a few of those yanks mentioned have turned up at languard - big sea port, but reakon a %age have got here naturally or maybe made landfall in scandanavia in autumn and moved south, just makes you think how much stuff gets unfound!
 
pomskua said:
reakon a %age have got here naturally or maybe made landfall in scandanavia in autumn and moved south, just makes you think how much stuff gets unfound!
Click to expand...

Agreed, obviously this seems to be more relevant for winter records eg. Black and White Warbler, White-throated Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow (!). Junco is a bit more puzzling...

Connor
 
Interesting to see that there were a few more problems at the Cley today. Says something for us Norfolk Birders! Maybe we are not such a bad bunch after all!! Nice to see a few people come out of the woodwork to twitch this mega.

Interesting comments Connor (two Juncos last year!) and pomskua. As I suggested in my first post about this origin will always be debated, but wow what a bird! Unless I am mistaken the only American vagrants so far not accepted in Norfolk were due to plumage/damage features.

PS Pleasure Chris - look foward to you returning the favour some day (sorry Vulture doesn't count!)
 
Kittykat again thanks for sharing your pictures, I really like it when people get a feel for the sighting, a nice change from all those individual pictures that give no feeling as to the group dynamics.
 
Who won the game of cards at the Sparra twitch today?
A visit to see the Snow and Lap Bunts on the way home was a sobering experience after the manic events in Cley! Loving Norwich as my second home right now.
Cheers,
Jim.
 

Similar threads

B
Birding in Portugal, Spain May june 2024
Replies
4
Views
448
brooke65
B
B
May - June birding in Europe. Guides?
Replies
1
Views
303
Fritz73
Fritz73
R
Red grouse near Buxton and anything else . Advise please
Replies
3
Views
316
simmojunior
S
T
30/03, Devon. Another (un)Common Buzzard?
Replies
10
Views
657
The Kerreran
T
SueO
Stories Behind Birds You've Photographed
Replies
18
Views
856
Joe H
Joe H

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 51 (members: 0, guests: 51)
Back
Top