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

Norfolk birding (47 Viewers)

DM156 said:
Made it down the road in a fiesta. It looks worse than what it is.:t:
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I saw you make it to the car park, you had a good bow wave going to aid the momentum! The other half's Kia Picanto would have probably swallowed the water and broken down halfway along the track.

I'm updating past records at the moment, trying to put dates to a few undated sightings. I cant find the details for the Woodchat Shrike that graced the Thornham Harbour/ Holme dunes area in 2007.
Anyone have the rough dates that it was there??

Many thanks!
 
ben_lewis said:
I saw you make it to the car park, you had a good bow wave going to aid the momentum! The other half's Kia Picanto would have probably swallowed the water and broken down halfway along the track.

I'm updating past records at the moment, trying to put dates to a few undated sightings. I cant find the details for the Woodchat Shrike that graced the Thornham Harbour/ Holme dunes area in 2007.
Anyone have the rough dates that it was there??

Many thanks!
Click to expand...


31st May 2007

According to RBA.

Hope this helps.
 
Titchwell January 24th

Today's highlights

Twite - 40 on fresh marsh
Water pipit - 6 on brackish marsh
Red-necked grebe - 1 offshore
Slavonian grebe - 3 offshore
Velvet scoter - 7 offshore
Hen harrier - ringtail to roost
Marsh harrier - 8 to roost
Pochard - 93 on fresh marsh, new reserve record

Paul
 
Nealy a COUE’S- now mearly a Mealy. Berry nice !

In a break with tradition, I almost found a scarcity that is a winter visitor (and a rarity until 5 years ago)- rather than a spring, summer or autumn migrant.

The Redpoll I announced on Friday (#10759: “One was quite white, with a limited amount of streaking . .”) and which seems to have attracted little attention, was thought to be a good candidate for the above- by two birders far more competent than myself to navigate the Carduelid minefield that is Redpoll ID. Another declined to offer an opinion, stating that the images were too small. On the resolution available here, this will, indeed, be the case.

The weather conditions (and light) were just too poor for me to visit Wells yesterday; this morning, I met two of Norfolk’s finest there- James McC and Andy S. Andy had already seen the bird and had good pix- of its underparts. It was only when all three of us found the flock again, that we were able to clinch it as an extremely pale Mealy- right on the margins. There were 5 others and the dark Lesser.

The 2 redhead Smew still graced The Bosom. On arriving, I heard multiple Curlew calls; finally counting 40 flying around, having been put up from the fields. A trio of berries is my sole photographic success of the day: clealy too far gone for the pie dish.
 

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Spent part of Saturday and all of Sunday in Norfolk for my first visit in my favourite County this year. Got most of what I was after but photography was hard to come by due to the heavy grey skies.

Still the Snow Buntings at Salthouse played ball, as did a few distant Barn Owls at Burnham Norton. Below are a few of the images.

John
 

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Hi,
I just thought I would share today's birding experiences or more to the point actually write something on this Forum instaed of just reading about someone else.

Started the day walking east through the stubble fields from Weybourne coastal cottages, managing to flush at least three Lap Bunts with their "tew bzzzz" calls

Next stopped at Salthouse for the very confiding Snow Bunts. I would have achieved reasonable scope views had it not been for the photographer needing to fill his frame.

East bank at Cley, still had the American Wigeon on the Serpentine, and the Shorelarks were easy as well.

Holkam Freshmarsh from the road whilst scanning the geese saw two Roughlegs over the pines.

Burnham Overy/Thorpe pull in, I had a Waxwing trill overhead and land in front of us, plus ringtail and Marsh Harriers.

Headed to the Windmill, a pull in in a field east of is another good place to stop. We spied a Bittern flying high (100ft) east. A male Peregrine shot through.

With talk of a male Hen Harrier and SE Owl recently at Stiffkey to whet one's appetite, we headed there. Had a few ring tails and another Peregrine, on the beach this time, (it loves a particular rock to perch on, better push off I think).

Looked at pager.... SE Owl in tree at Burnhan Overy, Damn!!

Drove over there, but just missed it. Had to make do with a smashing male Merlin sitting in the exact tree that the Waxwing had earlier today. Then when the Merlin flew off the Waxwing returned.

Unfortunately, I had to leave... Work beckoned, I should have pulled a sickie!!

Quite a decent day after all.

Cheers Simon.
 
mickster1978 said:
Hello all,

I am new on here and wondered if anyone could provice any thoughts -
Heading up to Norfolk for a long weekend birding next week and was keen to get some ideas of decent places to go and at what times.

I was planning on Titchwell, Cley, Snettisham etc, but didnt know what the best times of day might be for these places.... Read a fair bit of this thread and see there is some decent stuff around, but any advice on particular locations, nice birds around that are not at the usual sites etc would be greatly recieved.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Titchwell has never disapointed me in my half dozen or so visits,every time i've been there i always come away with at least 1 life tick,the new hides are superb also,it's well worth a trip to Holkhom just down the road too,there are laybys just before the Holkhom entrance(within a couple hundred yards)where we had good veiws of the Rough Legs.Good luck.
 
Yesterday, Sunday 23rd, one of the Snow buntings in the carpark at Salthouse was seen to be carrying a yellow colour ring. There are two characters inscribed in black on this which I discovered I had not read correctly when I contacted the ringer.
If anyone is looking at this flock especially mid week when there will be less disturbance please try and make out the characters. It will be a letter with either a letter or a number above. Please PM me and I will pass on info to the ringer.
There was also a Snow Bunting with a BTO ring but no colour ring and a one legged Turnstone present
 
Evening all.

With a few hours to spare tonight, I decided to go on the search of LEO's in my local area. There is some great looking habitats for them all within approx 10 or 15 mins of my house (approx 5 mile radius of Dereham), so I went out on a mission, not to be defeated. I checked a couple of areas they have occured before and some 'fresh' ground also.

To my despair, the outcome was still the same as all my other recent attempts to see them. Total number of LEO's seen: Big fat zero. Tawny owls and Barn owls, not a problem. I refuse to believe there are none about here and I will not be defeated (positive thinking).

Sounds a great day Simon!

Regards.
Fox.
 
High tide @ Guys Head (Lincs)

Can anyone provide me some information about high tide at Guys head or point me to somewhere I could find out more? I think it's just about in Lincs but it's close enough that someone here may know.

On the 17th April the high tide at Wisbech cut is going to be 6.3 m (with some in the following week or so reaching c7.3). Is that tide going to be enough to cover the salt marsh at Guys Head? How far up the salt marsh does the water reach, i.e. does it reach the sea wall?

Any help much appreciated

Gareth
 
Titchwell January 25th

Today's highlights

Northern harrier - immature male throughout the day
Hen harrier - 2 ringtails to roost
Waxwing - 1 west @ 10:00
Twite - 25 on brackish marsh
Slavonian grebe - 1 offshore
Long-tailed duck - 1 offshore
Red-necked grebe - 1 offshore
Velvet scoter - 4 offshore

Paul
 
Cockshoot Broad

ben_lewis said:
Thought I'd post a pic of the Ferruginous Duck at Cockshoot Broad as I haven't seen any others yet. The duck spent most of its time hidden in vegetation but swam about for a minute or so in pretty poor light. Attached is also a photo of the approach road to the car park, it is passable with a larger car but its far better to park near the houses and walk up the road (with wellies!) if you have a small car.
The second picture is the road, not a ditch!
Click to expand...

Water just as deep today.
Wellies essential.
Water over your feet for part of the way.

Made no attempt to drive down the road. Not the place the blonde lady birder I saw at Titchwell car park last Saturday would take her sporty motor down either.;)

Reached the dyke down to Cockshoot Broad. Part way down I flush a bird, unseen by the water's edge. Too wet for a pheasant I thought. Bird a bittern which flies off over the dyke from a few feet away.

Teal and tufties on Cockshoot Broad. The ferruginous duck swims quickly from left to right half way down the Broad and out of view. A little while later doing the reverse. Disappears into the reeds left of the plastic yellowish hut. Later bird just about viewable along the reed margin.

Back on a work trip in the afternoon a song thrush sings in Bowthorpe.
 
Sparrowhawk

On Sunday afternoon as I left Cley towards Blakeney I spotted a Sparrowhawk soaring over the marsh between Cley and Wiveton. I thought it deserved a better look so I pulled into the small parking area on the north side of the road.

I picked up the hawk again and it was being mobbed by a couple of Jackdaws. After avoiding a couple of swoops the hawk suddenly changed demeanour, it powered after the now fleeing Jackdaw, grabbed it and then parachuted down to the marsh where I lost sight of it.

The only reference I have found to Jackdaw as a prey item for (female?) Sparrowhawk is during the fledging period. Has anyone else seen Sparrowhawk take a Jackdaw?

Dave
 
davethebird said:
The only reference I have found to Jackdaw as a prey item for (female?) Sparrowhawk is during the fledging period. Has anyone else seen Sparrowhawk take a Jackdaw?

Dave
Click to expand...
I have seen them take Woodpigeons, so the size presumably is not a problem.
Bet the Jackdaw was not expecting that!
 
Took the midday train from Yarmouth today. As it pulled out of the station and started to parallel breydon water a merlin flew alongside the train exactly opposite my window. I got a smashing view from about 8 feet away for a few minutes till we picked up speed and left it behind. And it was exactly at eye level as well. :)
 
Paul Woolnough said:
Not the place the blonde lady birder I saw at Titchwell car park last Saturday would take her sporty motor down either.;) .....
Click to expand...

You'd be surprised where that 'sporty motor' can get;)

Mind you - looking at the picture, it does admittedly look like a 4x4 road only, with all the water!:eek!:
 
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