Penny Clarke
Well-known member
My cat's name is Tiger!!!!!!! Very, very hard tiring week at work, didn't finish today until 8pm!!!!! 3seanofford said:
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Norfolk birding (30 Viewers)
- Thread starter Edward woodwood
- Start date
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matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Penny Clarke said:My cat's name is Tiger!!!!!!! Very, very hard tiring week at work, didn't finish today until 8pm!!!!! 3
Friday at last Penny :bounce:
Enjoy your weekend's birding!!
Matt
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
matt green said:
Late Sat night
Thank you Matt, but unfortunately its not a birding weekend!!!!! Shattered this morning, not mentally possible to get up to go birding today. Its my sisters birthday (Sat) so travelled over to visit her in Ely and watched the 'Ely' firework display in the park, got back late tonight, tomorrow have to take my other sister to a rehearsal mid morning on Sunday, then pick my mother up mid day to go back to King's Lynn to go to concert in King's Lynn which my sister is performing in (violinist). I might get a couple of hours max at Titchwell or Holme if I am lucky!!!!
Hope you are having a good weekend's birding Matt.
Best Wishes Penny
Ilya Maclean
charlatan
deborah4 said:sorry to hijack this a bit Sean, but while you're on the topic of geese
From memory, three populations of Brent Geese regularly over-winter in the UK. Dark-bellied Brent Geese (Branta bernicla bernicla) occur commonly in SE England, with several thousand occuring on the North Norfolk Coast for example. Pale-bellied Brent Geese (Branta bernicla hrota) from Svalbad over-winter mainly at Lindesfarne and Pale-bellied Brent Geese (also Branta bernicla hrota), but from the East Canadian High-Arctic in Northern Ireland (and also the republic). We also get a few Black Brants (Branta bernicla nigricans) - the form which generally winters in North America (breeds in western Canadian High-Arctic, Alaska and Siberia), distinguishable by bright white flank patch on otherwise darker (than other races) underparts and a more solid white neck collar and considered by some a seperate species. Most winters about 3 or 4 appear in North Nofolk. I've got a feeling that Grey-bellied Brent Goose (Branta bernicla intermedius (I think), from the Central Canadian High Arctic has turned up in the UK too. I'm almost sure it has in Ireland.
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gordon hamlett
Well-known member
Had a quick look round Cley and Salthouse yesterday (14 Nov)
The Black Brant flew over my head at Cley and there were 40 snow buntings at north hide. Ony a couple of red-throated divers and guillemots on the sea
Failed miserably to see the purple sandpiper and goosander at Little Eye, Salthouse but did find a shag on the sea. There were huge numbers of golden plovers at both sites, totalling 2-3000 minimum.
A very good birder I know reported a bird at Salthouse that he had absolutely no idea as to what it was. He couldn't even suggest a family. It was flushed from the top of the bank at Salthouse, suggesting that it had just come in-off the sea. He only saw it for 2-3 seconds before it flew into long grass near the iron road and couldn't be relocated.
He describes it as slightly smaller than a turtle dove, plain sandy brown all over with white outer tail feathers.
Gordon Hamlett
The Black Brant flew over my head at Cley and there were 40 snow buntings at north hide. Ony a couple of red-throated divers and guillemots on the sea
Failed miserably to see the purple sandpiper and goosander at Little Eye, Salthouse but did find a shag on the sea. There were huge numbers of golden plovers at both sites, totalling 2-3000 minimum.
A very good birder I know reported a bird at Salthouse that he had absolutely no idea as to what it was. He couldn't even suggest a family. It was flushed from the top of the bank at Salthouse, suggesting that it had just come in-off the sea. He only saw it for 2-3 seconds before it flew into long grass near the iron road and couldn't be relocated.
He describes it as slightly smaller than a turtle dove, plain sandy brown all over with white outer tail feathers.
Gordon Hamlett
Chris Monk
Well-known member
?
V-e-w-y m-y-s-t-e-w-i-o-u-s :h?:
Hello Gordon,
Good to see you out and about!
gordon hamlett said:
V-e-w-y m-y-s-t-e-w-i-o-u-s :h?:
Hello Gordon,
Good to see you out and about!
David Norgate
Well-known member
Anyone know anything of the Black Kite sighting(s) near North Walsham
(I'm desperate to see a new Norfolk tick this year, having failed dismally so far (not my fault - mainly)!)
(I'm desperate to see a new Norfolk tick this year, having failed dismally so far (not my fault - mainly)!)
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Happisbirder
Always looking, seldom finding...
Ruralchill said:
Just been in touch with a birding mate of mine from North Walsham but he can shed no light on the reports.
James
David Norgate
Well-known member
Thanks for trying, I am always intrigued with 'reported' sightings!
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Went to RSPB Snettisham today - arrived 12pm - too late really but never mind, better late than never as they say! Never seen so many birders at Snettisham, I thought I was at Titchwell for a minute!
Beautiful sunny day. Had lovely views of a small group of Golden Eye, thousands of Golden Plover, usual waders, saw the Little Auk, 'ducking and diving'!!!! in the southern most pit, I actually watched it distantly from Sanctuary Hide, although most people seemed crammed in the hide thats shore side (can't remember what its called). Usual Little Egrets gleaming white in the sunshine, I will never tire of watching these. Saw a couple of kingfishers flashing across the water, few greenfinches, lots of greylags that were put up by a helicopter whirring overhead. I dipped on the snowbuntings, apparently they were 4 amongst the shore larks. Bird of the day was definately 2 shore larks on the beach, which were being photographed by several people including myself - they just looked stunning in the afternoon sunshine! Several blackbirds feeding on berries, but didn't see any thrushes/fieldfares. Arrived at Holme very, very late in the day and saw a green woodpecker bounding across the road. Popped into parents to hear that my mother had 28 Snow Buntings on the beach at Holme today! :girl:
Beautiful sunny day. Had lovely views of a small group of Golden Eye, thousands of Golden Plover, usual waders, saw the Little Auk, 'ducking and diving'!!!! in the southern most pit, I actually watched it distantly from Sanctuary Hide, although most people seemed crammed in the hide thats shore side (can't remember what its called). Usual Little Egrets gleaming white in the sunshine, I will never tire of watching these. Saw a couple of kingfishers flashing across the water, few greenfinches, lots of greylags that were put up by a helicopter whirring overhead. I dipped on the snowbuntings, apparently they were 4 amongst the shore larks. Bird of the day was definately 2 shore larks on the beach, which were being photographed by several people including myself - they just looked stunning in the afternoon sunshine! Several blackbirds feeding on berries, but didn't see any thrushes/fieldfares. Arrived at Holme very, very late in the day and saw a green woodpecker bounding across the road. Popped into parents to hear that my mother had 28 Snow Buntings on the beach at Holme today! :girl:
Karl J
Well-known member
Yes Penny, it was a beautiful sunny day here in the east too.
Mid-afternoon yesterday over Stokesby levels - 1 Short-eared Owl (that was my first of the Autumn / wintre, and on the first outing since coming back from holiday so it was doubly nice) ... and a male Marsh Harrier in the distance
Mid-afternoon yesterday over Stokesby levels - 1 Short-eared Owl (that was my first of the Autumn / wintre, and on the first outing since coming back from holiday so it was doubly nice) ... and a male Marsh Harrier in the distance
Happisbirder
Always looking, seldom finding...
As I drove out of the village this morning it was apparent that plenty of Pink-footed Geese were alighting nearby. A fairly brief scan at 10x ('scope not with me) revealed a lone Barnacle Goose with an estimated 3,500+ Pinks. Perhaps one with genuine credentials? Who knows...
Also a 2W Med Gull off the seafront at Walcott successfully outrunning a marauding Great Black-backed Gull and settling on the sea to enjoy its spoils.
James
Also a 2W Med Gull off the seafront at Walcott successfully outrunning a marauding Great Black-backed Gull and settling on the sea to enjoy its spoils.
James
HarassedDad
Norfolk County Butterfly Recorder
I got a chance to check out Alderfen broad on Monday as I was working nearby. Nice place but nothing much about on my short visit. It was pretty dark when I left and I was driving down the lane just after the village when a bird flew up and in front of the car. My first thought was snipe, it had the bill, the wing shape and that funny flight habit of twisting the body as it flew. But it was quite a bit bigger, it was in a country lane and it finally vanished by popping over the hedge and down into a field. So, my first Woodcock?
Tranquility Base
Registered User
Certainly sounds like it!
Counted 5 Marsh Harriers while I was stuck in traffic on the Acle Straight this am! A friend and I were talking about the numbers that winter around Horsey these days: we agreed we take these beautiful birds for granted at times.......
Counted 5 Marsh Harriers while I was stuck in traffic on the Acle Straight this am! A friend and I were talking about the numbers that winter around Horsey these days: we agreed we take these beautiful birds for granted at times.......
matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
Tranquility Base said:
You've gotta envy anyone who drives through the halvergate marsh via acle straight for work everyday.
You must have a pretty impressive ''drive to work list'' by now!
Matt
Karl J
Well-known member
Tranquility Base said:
stuck in traffic - whats all that about ?
dunno about taking them for granted but there were 2 (maybe the same ones you saw) from the marshes just near Stokesby this morning. one of them floated low over the road just after i'd gone past which was rather good too
Tranquility Base
Registered User
matt green said:
I have to say you're right! From Corn Crake to Maribou Stork (Anyone remember that? It finally 'wired' itself and ended up stuffed at Pettits! I still wonder whether it might've been a wild bird....) it's around 125 seen from the car and over 200 having stopped and walked a few hundred yards (For example: Red-necked Grebe had to cross the railway line and look along a dyke, but White Stork and Caspian Tern (3!) I saw from the car!
HarassedDad
Norfolk County Butterfly Recorder
Can't compete with those, but today while stuck in traffic by Chapelfield in Norwich, I was treated to a sparrhawk chasing a chaffinch across the road, dodging between the cars.
I was on my way back from Strumpshaw, where the recent fish kill appears to have made the Bitterns work harder for their dinner - so causing them to fly about more. So if you want to see a Bittern then Strumpshaw looks like the place to be at the moment.
I was on my way back from Strumpshaw, where the recent fish kill appears to have made the Bitterns work harder for their dinner - so causing them to fly about more. So if you want to see a Bittern then Strumpshaw looks like the place to be at the moment.
Tranquility Base
Registered User
Very true! I was at Strumpshaw yesterday pm (on my way back from the tip!)
and a very pleasant gent told me this! (Was that you, HD??) Being the trusting type, I went back later and there were two Bitterns poddling about in plain view in front of the hide! Excellent!
and a very pleasant gent told me this! (Was that you, HD??) Being the trusting type, I went back later and there were two Bitterns poddling about in plain view in front of the hide! Excellent!
HarassedDad
Norfolk County Butterfly Recorder
I left at 1 so I don't think it was me. I only managed an in-flight view of one, which just shows I should have hung around.
