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Norfolk birding (32 Viewers)
- Thread starter Edward woodwood
- Start date
David Norgate
Well-known member
Rumours happen!!!
Hopefully Chris will reassure! It will be better coming from him than me saying it again!
Hopefully Chris will reassure! It will be better coming from him than me saying it again!
SueBryan
Well-known member
Yep there sure are!
Fantastic seawatching from Cley this evening 6.50pm - 7.25pm. The sea was whipping up into quite a frenzy. The sea bank looks in danger tonight.
50+ Manx Shearwater
6 Sooty Shearwater
1 Balearic Shearwater
2 Arctic Tern
30+ Gannet
12 Fulmar
1 Ringed Plover
Who said that you can't go birding on a miserable, wet, windy day?
Sue Bryan and Paul Jeffery
David Norgate
Well-known member
Having been such a staunch supporter in the Saturday sighting I never really wanted to comment on the following day's, but it sound like we have similar views Ashley.
Reports of Balearic and sooties from cley tonight!
(I see Sue was there!)
Reports of Balearic and sooties from cley tonight!
(I see Sue was there!)
SueBryan
Well-known member
Hi Dave
We would have stayed much longer as it was alive with birds going by but someone has to get the roast in the oven!
Sue
David Norgate
Well-known member
gotcha Ash, see you in the morning!
Trip Report - May 19-May25 (Gordon and Susan)
We have just arrived back after a weeks birding in Norfolk. Apologies in advance for those who like lists as one is not provided. The vast majority of species seen are "common or garden" birds and could be expected to be seen regularly almost anywhere. Those mentioned are, in our opinion, worthy of mention because of their contribution to our enjoyment of the holiday -or just because they helped the text flow (hopefully!).
Given the information we were able to acquire from the Norfolk Birding Thread - Tim Allwood and Nospringchicken in particular, - it is only reasonable that we provide some feedback.
First things first and getting the housekeeping out of the way. We camped at White House Farm Campsite located right beside the A149 just south the of the River Thurne in Repps with Bastwick, Potter Heigham. This is very much a no frills site. Its small, about 20 pitches, some of which have electrical hook-ups. There is a toilet block and a shower and wash room block. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a dishwashing area with hot water!! £10 a night. It’s certainly a good location although being right on the A149 means there is considerable traffic noise. However it’s very good for a rousing dawn chorus lined as it is on one side by mature oak and hawthorn and on the other by a mixture of Cyprus, Elder and Plane. The dawn chorus kicked off at 3.45 am, led by a solo Song Thrush for about 15 minutes, before the rest, led by Robin joined in. Several Wood Pigeons laid down a steady background layer and a Wren, right outside the tent, constantly stepped forward to lead by example - very loudly. There are shops and eating opportunities 5 - 10 minutes walk up the riverside - although the only pub is a “family” pub, obviously aimed at boat users.
The surrounding area is covered by OS Landranger 134 ‘Norwich and The Broads’. Good printable A4 maps of some walks are available from www.countrysideacces.Norfolk.Gov.Uk . We had intended to visit a few of the ‘Big Sites’ and also just walk around seeing what happened. As it turned out we explored a lot less than intended as we got a bit tied up looking for Boneparte’s Gull and instead of looking more widely concentrated on the Rush Hill area. Looking back it might have been a good idea to have made better use of the Landranger map as there are plenty paths marked.
It is worth repeating that the Norfolk Birding thread contains lots of information regarding specific species and sites including pub recommendations and previous posts should be consulted before asking for very general information - I admit that I have done that in the past but realise that some people make the effort to respond to repeated requests for general information.
Next, the superlatives. We had a fabulous time - some excellent birds, some fantastic sites, and some great countryside. A bit strong for those of you familiar with the area? Certainly a bit strong for those of you who have birded abroad? Nevertheless that’s what we thought.
Also it was great to meet Tim, Holly and Penny after following a number of threads on Bird Forum and wondering who this guy was. We had a drink and some interesting conversation in The Nelson’s Head on Friday night to round off the weeks birding. Really nice amicable people - and dog!
If you’re still reading here comes the birdy bit. We saw 118 species (including Black Swans on the river up from the campsite, aggressive buggers). Of these 20 or so were species that we couldn’t realistically have seen close to home in Irvine and there were a few species - for example - Common Buzzard, Gannet, Stonechat and Common Sandpiper- that would be more common close to home. There were some species that we somehow managed to miss out on - Med. Gull, Boneparte’s Gull and Honey Buzzard among them.
On our first evening, Saturday, we had a walk along the south bank of the River Thurne from Potter Heigham to opposite Heigham Holmes. This got the trip list off to a good start with around 40 species. There seemed to be Reed Warblers in every patch of reeds and we managed to get pretty good views of these on a couple occasions. Little ‘brown jobs’- maybe, but spend a bit of time and try to get a decent look at one and appreciate the subtle tinge of colour on the flanks. Reed Bunting too were plentiful and are worth more than a mere tick. Every so often a Wren would bust into song and Goldfinches were constantly twittering overhead as they moved from bankside vegetation and tree tops at our approach. At Heigham Holmes we had a distant view of a Marsh Harrier quartering the area and on the way back closer views of a male hunting close to Potter Heigham.
Later we went round to Horsey Mere where we picked up on a hunting Barn Owl, a fly over Little Egret and heard our first Cuckoo. A nice way to end a day dominated by about 10 hours of travelling.
On Sunday we decided to keep it simple and headed to Hickling NWT. It was a beautiful warm sunny morning and turned out to be ideal for getting to grips with another little brown skulking job: Cetti’s Warbler. No problem when you’ve heard if a few times but certainly had us wondering for a while - new to us and a lifer. In your face or what?? Added a few more species to the trip list although nothing unusual. Having said that we had excellent views of 2 Hobbys in the area of the Bittern Hide- good enough to see dragonfly being snatched out of the air and passed to the bill. In one sense the highlight of the day was finding an adult male Montagu’s Harrier flying low over the visitor centre around 12.15.
Being real ‘dudes’ we opted for the 2.30 boat trip on the Broad. We had already spoken to another birder earlier in the day who said he had heard there wasn’t much showing from the hides that can only be accessed by boat, Coots swan and Rush Hill, that included the Bonaparte’s Gull. However the stop at Rush Hill proved interesting in that an almost heated debate was generated around the identification of a wader in non-breeding plumage. Half a dozen of the group were fairly easily convinced it was a Common Sandpiper whilst another suggested it could be a Knot. I wasn’t sure - it just didn’t seem right and the guy who suggested it said he thought that too but couldn’t come up with anything else. The only thing I was sure of was that it definitely was not a Common Sand - absolutely nothing was right about it for that! Anyway voices were raised, not in any way aggressive, field guides were produced and confusion reigned. The tour guide quickly resolved the matter by a quick phone call to a ‘local’ expert - Andy Kane (correct spelling?) who confirmed it was a Knot he had seen shortly before. Lesson learned - don’t have pre-conceived notions of what plumage phase a bird should be in and accept the evidence in front of your eyes.
That evening, having said on the Norfolk Birding thread that we were hoping to see Nightjar and that we expected to have to go to up to Salthouse, on the advice of Tim, we checked out Winterton NNR. A few more species added to the trip list including Yellowhammer, 5 Northern Wheatear and a Tawny Owl calling. We were successful up to a point with Nightjars with, we thought, up to 4 and maybe 5 birds churring. We were actually doubtful about the numbers as only 2 were heard churring simultaneously - it was just the impression we got as the churring occurred over a good distance as we walked back to Winterton. We went back on Thursday night and 2 other birders confirmed they had conclusively seen 4 birds on the Wednesday night so maybe we weren’t too far out. On Thursday night we had 6 or 7 really good fly-pasts allowing quite food views considering the amount of light available.
Monday was a fairly miserable day weather wise but a truly golden day in birding terms. We went to Lakenheath to try to see the Golden Orioles. Real gems - first we were treated to the amazing song accompanied by a frustrating time trying to locate the bird. No luck, but we agreed that having heard one singing the journey hadn’t been wasted (even if we had crossed the border). That was at the far end of the most westerly plantation. The RSPB have a watch point set up at west end of plantation closest to visitor centre and from here we got great views of both male and female perched in the Poplars and flying between plantations. I think it was beneficial that it was a dull day as the plumage really glowed, whereas on a sunny day I think it would it would have appeared more subdued. This was the first place where we got Green Woodpecker, but as was to be the case everywhere, it was a brief view of the hind-end disappearing out of sight!
Back over the border and Weeting to try and see the Stone Curlews having dipped last August. This time good views were had and 2 chicks were momentarily seen when a sitting bird stood up briefly. Like several other people present we dipped on the Wood Lark.
A quick trip to Horsey in the evening produced 2 Common Cranes flying over and the first Grasshopper Warblers heard on the trip.
On Tuesday we skulked south over the border once again to Minsmere. This added several more species to the trip list - but only 2 that wouldn’t have been seen later in the week in Norfolk. Four were lifers - Mediterranean Gull, Purple Heron, Nightingale and Turtle Dove. The latter was only heard. We only had brief views of Purple Herons flying over the reed beds in the area of the Bittern Hide - after lunch time we tried to get into the hide to get a better look but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. It was packed and those who managed to get a seat were well and truly ensconced - life’s too short for that. A moment (actually nearer half and hour) of sheer magic followed later - who knows, if we’d got settled into the hide for even a short time the whole sequence of events might have been different and the magic missed ( I think I just heard a butterfly flap its wings somewhere in Amazonia!!) The magic? A Nightingale in full song - amazing. So amazing in fact that 2 possible competitors seemed in awe as they could only manage intermittent short bursts. It was to get better. As we were walking back towards the visitor centre from the North Hide Susan noticed a movement below some brambles. When we stopped to look it flew up on to top of the brambles with a caterpillar in its bill. White eye ring, tail cocked up and, along with the rump, the reddish brown contrasting with the duller brown back, mantle, and coverts - a Nightingale showing clearly despite all we’d heard about how difficult it is to see them. We sat and watched for some time as the performance was repeated several times - great end to the day.
Even though this is a Norfolk thread I have to say Minsmere is excellent. That’s not just because of the variety of habitats. If fact it’s got nothing to do with that. It’s because its such and ego boost. I honestly have no idea how good a birder I am. I’ve got a pretty good idea how ‘not good’ I am though. I know about the tertial feathers, and other esoteric topics but when it comes to putting it into practice with “difficult” groups/pairs that’s another matter. But, the great thing about Minsmere is that even someone like me can feel smugly ‘expert’. Lots of people with all the ‘right’ equipment but still only too happy to have and ‘odd brown bird’ identified for them and you have already ID’d it by call - Male Reed Bunting you announce hoping that you didn’t come across as a smart-arse. Other times of course its better just to keep your thoughts to yourself.
Wednesday at Strumpshaw produced no Swallowtail butterflies, no new species although another adult male Monty was seen and 2 Cuckoos were seen flying across the reed beds
Thursday started off unexpectedly dull. However by the time we were stepping out along the path to the public hide at Rush Hill it had brightened up and was almost uncomfortably warm. We spent most of the day (left for lunch and returned late afternoon) in this area hoping to see the Bonaparte’s gull - no luck. It always seemed to be there the day before us! Not to worry it would only have been a tick on a list. Better by far were the in your face views of Bearded Tits climbing to the tops of the reeds. Also Grasshopper Warblers trilling - the first time we had heard them in any number and sounding anything but tentative. Two Cranes flying over bugling, was a welcome addition as were the Water Voles in the ditch behind the hide.
Later in the evening we went back to Winterton to look for Nightjars (see earlier) and saw 2 adult Chinese Water Deer with a fawn (is that the right term?)
On Friday we took an easy option and decided to try for the Honey Buzzards at the Wensum watch point. No luck - a few Hobbys, Kestrels and Common Buzzards. An English Nature Warden said only 1 Honey Buzzard was present in the area at that time.
It’s at this point I want to mention a type of birder (sad old gossip that I am) that I dread meeting - and there are a few of them about. As we approached the top of the hill I recognised someone who had been at Lakenheath. I was already dreading hearing the same old tale of birds seen, birds missed, length of lists, latest optics - and that before we get the more personal stuff. He didn’t recognise us so, sure enough, we got it all again. He just wouldn’t shut up. When another couple arrived he started on them - exactly the same script we’d heard twice already. The next couple to arrive then got it and several members of a group of a dozen got it too. In between times he hovered between various birders asking if they’d birded Northumberland, Spain, Bulgaria--------- and offered stories of souvenirs he’d acquired. He left everyone else to keep an eye out for the Honey Buzzards. You could feel the relief when he left. Later at Titchwell - guess what - the same script being passed on to another unsuspecting group in one the hides.
Titchwell delivered - as usual- Superb summer plumage Little Stint alongside 2 summer Curlew Sands. Also added Sanderling, Common Scoter, Bar-tailed Godwit and Gannet to trip list from the beach. From the reserve added Sandwich Tern, Little Gull, Spoonbill and Ruddy Duck (did this sneak in undercover or was it a double agent granted freedom.if it ‘grassed’ on others of its kind?). The visit here was nicely rounded off by good views of Turtle Dove. On the way back to Potter Heigham we stopped off at Cley East Bank and added Whimbrel and Rock Pipit to the trip list. There were also about 40 Black-Tailed Godwits and another single Knot roosting on one of the pools. Plenty of Redshanks, Avocets, Shelducks and Lapwings were evident. Once again Bearded Tits showed well as did 3 Marsh Harriers hunting over Cley Marshes.
At the Hickling turn off we decided to take the long way round via Sea Palling and Horsey, stopping at the Nelson’s Head for another pint of Wherry and to catch up with Tim Allwood - having dipped earlier in the week. This time we caught up with him and rounded of our week in Norfolk with a very pleasant evening relating tales of birds, birding and tropical illness.
We have just arrived back after a weeks birding in Norfolk. Apologies in advance for those who like lists as one is not provided. The vast majority of species seen are "common or garden" birds and could be expected to be seen regularly almost anywhere. Those mentioned are, in our opinion, worthy of mention because of their contribution to our enjoyment of the holiday -or just because they helped the text flow (hopefully!).
Given the information we were able to acquire from the Norfolk Birding Thread - Tim Allwood and Nospringchicken in particular, - it is only reasonable that we provide some feedback.
First things first and getting the housekeeping out of the way. We camped at White House Farm Campsite located right beside the A149 just south the of the River Thurne in Repps with Bastwick, Potter Heigham. This is very much a no frills site. Its small, about 20 pitches, some of which have electrical hook-ups. There is a toilet block and a shower and wash room block. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a dishwashing area with hot water!! £10 a night. It’s certainly a good location although being right on the A149 means there is considerable traffic noise. However it’s very good for a rousing dawn chorus lined as it is on one side by mature oak and hawthorn and on the other by a mixture of Cyprus, Elder and Plane. The dawn chorus kicked off at 3.45 am, led by a solo Song Thrush for about 15 minutes, before the rest, led by Robin joined in. Several Wood Pigeons laid down a steady background layer and a Wren, right outside the tent, constantly stepped forward to lead by example - very loudly. There are shops and eating opportunities 5 - 10 minutes walk up the riverside - although the only pub is a “family” pub, obviously aimed at boat users.
The surrounding area is covered by OS Landranger 134 ‘Norwich and The Broads’. Good printable A4 maps of some walks are available from www.countrysideacces.Norfolk.Gov.Uk . We had intended to visit a few of the ‘Big Sites’ and also just walk around seeing what happened. As it turned out we explored a lot less than intended as we got a bit tied up looking for Boneparte’s Gull and instead of looking more widely concentrated on the Rush Hill area. Looking back it might have been a good idea to have made better use of the Landranger map as there are plenty paths marked.
It is worth repeating that the Norfolk Birding thread contains lots of information regarding specific species and sites including pub recommendations and previous posts should be consulted before asking for very general information - I admit that I have done that in the past but realise that some people make the effort to respond to repeated requests for general information.
Next, the superlatives. We had a fabulous time - some excellent birds, some fantastic sites, and some great countryside. A bit strong for those of you familiar with the area? Certainly a bit strong for those of you who have birded abroad? Nevertheless that’s what we thought.
Also it was great to meet Tim, Holly and Penny after following a number of threads on Bird Forum and wondering who this guy was. We had a drink and some interesting conversation in The Nelson’s Head on Friday night to round off the weeks birding. Really nice amicable people - and dog!
If you’re still reading here comes the birdy bit. We saw 118 species (including Black Swans on the river up from the campsite, aggressive buggers). Of these 20 or so were species that we couldn’t realistically have seen close to home in Irvine and there were a few species - for example - Common Buzzard, Gannet, Stonechat and Common Sandpiper- that would be more common close to home. There were some species that we somehow managed to miss out on - Med. Gull, Boneparte’s Gull and Honey Buzzard among them.
On our first evening, Saturday, we had a walk along the south bank of the River Thurne from Potter Heigham to opposite Heigham Holmes. This got the trip list off to a good start with around 40 species. There seemed to be Reed Warblers in every patch of reeds and we managed to get pretty good views of these on a couple occasions. Little ‘brown jobs’- maybe, but spend a bit of time and try to get a decent look at one and appreciate the subtle tinge of colour on the flanks. Reed Bunting too were plentiful and are worth more than a mere tick. Every so often a Wren would bust into song and Goldfinches were constantly twittering overhead as they moved from bankside vegetation and tree tops at our approach. At Heigham Holmes we had a distant view of a Marsh Harrier quartering the area and on the way back closer views of a male hunting close to Potter Heigham.
Later we went round to Horsey Mere where we picked up on a hunting Barn Owl, a fly over Little Egret and heard our first Cuckoo. A nice way to end a day dominated by about 10 hours of travelling.
On Sunday we decided to keep it simple and headed to Hickling NWT. It was a beautiful warm sunny morning and turned out to be ideal for getting to grips with another little brown skulking job: Cetti’s Warbler. No problem when you’ve heard if a few times but certainly had us wondering for a while - new to us and a lifer. In your face or what?? Added a few more species to the trip list although nothing unusual. Having said that we had excellent views of 2 Hobbys in the area of the Bittern Hide- good enough to see dragonfly being snatched out of the air and passed to the bill. In one sense the highlight of the day was finding an adult male Montagu’s Harrier flying low over the visitor centre around 12.15.
Being real ‘dudes’ we opted for the 2.30 boat trip on the Broad. We had already spoken to another birder earlier in the day who said he had heard there wasn’t much showing from the hides that can only be accessed by boat, Coots swan and Rush Hill, that included the Bonaparte’s Gull. However the stop at Rush Hill proved interesting in that an almost heated debate was generated around the identification of a wader in non-breeding plumage. Half a dozen of the group were fairly easily convinced it was a Common Sandpiper whilst another suggested it could be a Knot. I wasn’t sure - it just didn’t seem right and the guy who suggested it said he thought that too but couldn’t come up with anything else. The only thing I was sure of was that it definitely was not a Common Sand - absolutely nothing was right about it for that! Anyway voices were raised, not in any way aggressive, field guides were produced and confusion reigned. The tour guide quickly resolved the matter by a quick phone call to a ‘local’ expert - Andy Kane (correct spelling?) who confirmed it was a Knot he had seen shortly before. Lesson learned - don’t have pre-conceived notions of what plumage phase a bird should be in and accept the evidence in front of your eyes.
That evening, having said on the Norfolk Birding thread that we were hoping to see Nightjar and that we expected to have to go to up to Salthouse, on the advice of Tim, we checked out Winterton NNR. A few more species added to the trip list including Yellowhammer, 5 Northern Wheatear and a Tawny Owl calling. We were successful up to a point with Nightjars with, we thought, up to 4 and maybe 5 birds churring. We were actually doubtful about the numbers as only 2 were heard churring simultaneously - it was just the impression we got as the churring occurred over a good distance as we walked back to Winterton. We went back on Thursday night and 2 other birders confirmed they had conclusively seen 4 birds on the Wednesday night so maybe we weren’t too far out. On Thursday night we had 6 or 7 really good fly-pasts allowing quite food views considering the amount of light available.
Monday was a fairly miserable day weather wise but a truly golden day in birding terms. We went to Lakenheath to try to see the Golden Orioles. Real gems - first we were treated to the amazing song accompanied by a frustrating time trying to locate the bird. No luck, but we agreed that having heard one singing the journey hadn’t been wasted (even if we had crossed the border). That was at the far end of the most westerly plantation. The RSPB have a watch point set up at west end of plantation closest to visitor centre and from here we got great views of both male and female perched in the Poplars and flying between plantations. I think it was beneficial that it was a dull day as the plumage really glowed, whereas on a sunny day I think it would it would have appeared more subdued. This was the first place where we got Green Woodpecker, but as was to be the case everywhere, it was a brief view of the hind-end disappearing out of sight!
Back over the border and Weeting to try and see the Stone Curlews having dipped last August. This time good views were had and 2 chicks were momentarily seen when a sitting bird stood up briefly. Like several other people present we dipped on the Wood Lark.
A quick trip to Horsey in the evening produced 2 Common Cranes flying over and the first Grasshopper Warblers heard on the trip.
On Tuesday we skulked south over the border once again to Minsmere. This added several more species to the trip list - but only 2 that wouldn’t have been seen later in the week in Norfolk. Four were lifers - Mediterranean Gull, Purple Heron, Nightingale and Turtle Dove. The latter was only heard. We only had brief views of Purple Herons flying over the reed beds in the area of the Bittern Hide - after lunch time we tried to get into the hide to get a better look but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. It was packed and those who managed to get a seat were well and truly ensconced - life’s too short for that. A moment (actually nearer half and hour) of sheer magic followed later - who knows, if we’d got settled into the hide for even a short time the whole sequence of events might have been different and the magic missed ( I think I just heard a butterfly flap its wings somewhere in Amazonia!!) The magic? A Nightingale in full song - amazing. So amazing in fact that 2 possible competitors seemed in awe as they could only manage intermittent short bursts. It was to get better. As we were walking back towards the visitor centre from the North Hide Susan noticed a movement below some brambles. When we stopped to look it flew up on to top of the brambles with a caterpillar in its bill. White eye ring, tail cocked up and, along with the rump, the reddish brown contrasting with the duller brown back, mantle, and coverts - a Nightingale showing clearly despite all we’d heard about how difficult it is to see them. We sat and watched for some time as the performance was repeated several times - great end to the day.
Even though this is a Norfolk thread I have to say Minsmere is excellent. That’s not just because of the variety of habitats. If fact it’s got nothing to do with that. It’s because its such and ego boost. I honestly have no idea how good a birder I am. I’ve got a pretty good idea how ‘not good’ I am though. I know about the tertial feathers, and other esoteric topics but when it comes to putting it into practice with “difficult” groups/pairs that’s another matter. But, the great thing about Minsmere is that even someone like me can feel smugly ‘expert’. Lots of people with all the ‘right’ equipment but still only too happy to have and ‘odd brown bird’ identified for them and you have already ID’d it by call - Male Reed Bunting you announce hoping that you didn’t come across as a smart-arse. Other times of course its better just to keep your thoughts to yourself.
Wednesday at Strumpshaw produced no Swallowtail butterflies, no new species although another adult male Monty was seen and 2 Cuckoos were seen flying across the reed beds
Thursday started off unexpectedly dull. However by the time we were stepping out along the path to the public hide at Rush Hill it had brightened up and was almost uncomfortably warm. We spent most of the day (left for lunch and returned late afternoon) in this area hoping to see the Bonaparte’s gull - no luck. It always seemed to be there the day before us! Not to worry it would only have been a tick on a list. Better by far were the in your face views of Bearded Tits climbing to the tops of the reeds. Also Grasshopper Warblers trilling - the first time we had heard them in any number and sounding anything but tentative. Two Cranes flying over bugling, was a welcome addition as were the Water Voles in the ditch behind the hide.
Later in the evening we went back to Winterton to look for Nightjars (see earlier) and saw 2 adult Chinese Water Deer with a fawn (is that the right term?)
On Friday we took an easy option and decided to try for the Honey Buzzards at the Wensum watch point. No luck - a few Hobbys, Kestrels and Common Buzzards. An English Nature Warden said only 1 Honey Buzzard was present in the area at that time.
It’s at this point I want to mention a type of birder (sad old gossip that I am) that I dread meeting - and there are a few of them about. As we approached the top of the hill I recognised someone who had been at Lakenheath. I was already dreading hearing the same old tale of birds seen, birds missed, length of lists, latest optics - and that before we get the more personal stuff. He didn’t recognise us so, sure enough, we got it all again. He just wouldn’t shut up. When another couple arrived he started on them - exactly the same script we’d heard twice already. The next couple to arrive then got it and several members of a group of a dozen got it too. In between times he hovered between various birders asking if they’d birded Northumberland, Spain, Bulgaria--------- and offered stories of souvenirs he’d acquired. He left everyone else to keep an eye out for the Honey Buzzards. You could feel the relief when he left. Later at Titchwell - guess what - the same script being passed on to another unsuspecting group in one the hides.
Titchwell delivered - as usual- Superb summer plumage Little Stint alongside 2 summer Curlew Sands. Also added Sanderling, Common Scoter, Bar-tailed Godwit and Gannet to trip list from the beach. From the reserve added Sandwich Tern, Little Gull, Spoonbill and Ruddy Duck (did this sneak in undercover or was it a double agent granted freedom.if it ‘grassed’ on others of its kind?). The visit here was nicely rounded off by good views of Turtle Dove. On the way back to Potter Heigham we stopped off at Cley East Bank and added Whimbrel and Rock Pipit to the trip list. There were also about 40 Black-Tailed Godwits and another single Knot roosting on one of the pools. Plenty of Redshanks, Avocets, Shelducks and Lapwings were evident. Once again Bearded Tits showed well as did 3 Marsh Harriers hunting over Cley Marshes.
At the Hickling turn off we decided to take the long way round via Sea Palling and Horsey, stopping at the Nelson’s Head for another pint of Wherry and to catch up with Tim Allwood - having dipped earlier in the week. This time we caught up with him and rounded of our week in Norfolk with a very pleasant evening relating tales of birds, birding and tropical illness.
Edward woodwood
Member
much as i like 'twitchin bitchin' this thread hasn't suffered from that side of birding yet... re the rumours:
any chance of one post of no more than two sentences that outlines the position on this vulture?
couple of Blue Fulmars today, i see. Pity me and Norfolkbirder only made it to the Greyhound in Hickling. Nice beer and quality pool though... might manage the 200m stroll to the sea in the morning if i go to bed now...
any chance of one post of no more than two sentences that outlines the position on this vulture?
couple of Blue Fulmars today, i see. Pity me and Norfolkbirder only made it to the Greyhound in Hickling. Nice beer and quality pool though... might manage the 200m stroll to the sea in the morning if i go to bed now...
SueBryan
Well-known member
Egyptian Vulture - Saturday
I just wanted to confirm that I firmly stand by my Egyptian Vulture record on the Saturday as it was one!
Like David, I also assume that any rumours relating to a white buzzard stems from the intial Sunday report. However, I'm keen to know how this rumour has emerged and if it can be substantiated.
For those wanting to know more about the sighting, I wrote an article for Birdwatch which I believe is now available...
Thanks for making me aware of the rumour David!
Chris
I just wanted to confirm that I firmly stand by my Egyptian Vulture record on the Saturday as it was one!
Like David, I also assume that any rumours relating to a white buzzard stems from the intial Sunday report. However, I'm keen to know how this rumour has emerged and if it can be substantiated.
For those wanting to know more about the sighting, I wrote an article for Birdwatch which I believe is now available...
Thanks for making me aware of the rumour David!
Chris
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
An excellent report from Gordon. Sounds like you had a great week in Norfolk and made the most of your time here. I trust the Wherry was up to scratch.
Ron
Ron
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Pretty much business as usual from a cold and rainy Strumpshaw Fen this afternoon (apart from the swift incident!)
Two male Marsh Harriers gave good views from fen/tower hides, Bearded Tits
and Cettis were heard but not seen though the Cuckoo along the riverside walk seemed quite vocal and easy to see.
Also saw a lapwing with one yellow tag on left leg, green tag on right leg with a small aluminium? ring - despite trying I couldn't get the number but would still be interested to hear if anyone knows where it might have been ringed - maybe the colours are indicative of this?
The Greylag with wings out-stretched over her goslings protecting them from the rain was a nice enough sight, left me feeling quite 'fluffy' infact!!
Matt
Two male Marsh Harriers gave good views from fen/tower hides, Bearded Tits
and Cettis were heard but not seen though the Cuckoo along the riverside walk seemed quite vocal and easy to see.
Also saw a lapwing with one yellow tag on left leg, green tag on right leg with a small aluminium? ring - despite trying I couldn't get the number but would still be interested to hear if anyone knows where it might have been ringed - maybe the colours are indicative of this?
The Greylag with wings out-stretched over her goslings protecting them from the rain was a nice enough sight, left me feeling quite 'fluffy' infact!!
Matt
Attachments
Hi Ron,
Thanks for the kind words re the report.
yea, we had a really brilliant time - looking forward to doing it again sometime. We've been to Norfolk a few times in the past but this was our first time in spring. Certainly would recommend it to anyone.
I did indeed enjoy the Wherry but only managed a pint at a time as I was driving - and I am reluctant to have even one pint when driving!
cheers
Gordon
Thanks for the kind words re the report.
yea, we had a really brilliant time - looking forward to doing it again sometime. We've been to Norfolk a few times in the past but this was our first time in spring. Certainly would recommend it to anyone.
I did indeed enjoy the Wherry but only managed a pint at a time as I was driving - and I am reluctant to have even one pint when driving!
cheers
Gordon
Connor Rand
Norwich resident, Holme devotee
Female Pied Flycatcher at Holme this evening, it was found by Penny Clarke at c. 4:45 an was still present at 6:15 pm at least. A quick look on the sea yielded 5 Manx Shearwaters west, 14 Gannets, 6 Fulmars, 4 Common Terns and a Kittiwake.
Connor Rand
Connor Rand
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Horrible weekend, lots of boring things to do, like looking for new car etc etc, had a family day today with fish 'n' chips and mother's yummy coffee cake, but escaped to Holme Bird Observatory about 3.30pm to seawatch (ha ha ha), could barely hold the tripod steady and got absolutely soaked, incredible wind and waves were roaring, like a winters day, unbelievable for May!!!! I returned via HBO bank and stood at the end for a while, watching swallows skimming low over the bank and a family of chaffinches playing in the pines when I spotted something very interesting
suddenly my whole weekend cheered up - a nice Female Pied Flycatcher flitting about in the pine tree opposite entrance steps to NOA!!!!!! Pity it wasn't a male, but never mind!!!!!!!!
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
suddenly my whole weekend cheered up - a nice Female Pied Flycatcher flitting about in the pine tree opposite entrance steps to NOA!!!!!! Pity it wasn't a male, but never mind!!!!!!!!Best Wishes Penny:girl:
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Edward woodwood
Member
absolutely grim out here today :C
even the village fete was called off due to the rain - but we did manage to skor a ginger and lemon cake at Horsey Church; very tasty.
only thing for it was to cheer the mighty Rams on to victory in the play-offs so i'm extremely pleased this evening. 8-P
hoping for a chance to get some birding done tomorrow
Tim
even the village fete was called off due to the rain - but we did manage to skor a ginger and lemon cake at Horsey Church; very tasty.
only thing for it was to cheer the mighty Rams on to victory in the play-offs so i'm extremely pleased this evening. 8-P
hoping for a chance to get some birding done tomorrow
Tim
