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

Norfolk birding (9 Viewers)

luckily I havent come across any yet this year. Blackcap and Garden Warbler seem like a bitch as well. Luckily I haven't come across a garden warbler yet (at least I dont think I have!)
 
Well my birding expedition today was C**P!!!!!!!

FOGGY AWFUL WEATHER.

Started off at Kelling Quags in fog. Blackcap, meadow pipits, avocets, shelducks, hedgesparrow, pheasant, chaffinches, chiffchaff, crows, redshanks, bar tailed godwit and teal.

Went to Winterton Dunes, saw 2 swallows, great tit, hedge sparrow, 2 sparrowhawks racing through, about 20 carrion crows, blackbird, goldfinchs, pied wagtails, robin, wren, blue tit. There was more dog c**p than birds!!!!! And stupid holiday makers sitting on beach in deckchairs in fog and people running round in shorts, how bl**dy stupid can you get!!!, I was freezing with tons of layers and hat/gloves on!!!!!! The only brilliant thing about today was the first class egg and chips and big mug of tea at the wonderful cafe at Winterton. The last time I did this I had just been to see the Pallid Harrier and sat here outside eating same thing whilst watching black throated and red throated divers (I did a thread - 'Your Birding Day' section of BF) and then continued on to see 28 cranes in a field - brilliant day.

Back to Walsey Hills, in fog, but had a fieldfare sitting on blackthorn clacking away, chiffchaff and a blackcap. Could not even see a third the way along the east bank!!!!!!

Lets all hope for better weather tomorrow!

Best Wishes Penny :girl:
 
Hi Penny will be at Holme tommorow, and i to hope the fog lifts!!!! Should still be some Ring Ouzels around or sumthin hopefully. Sure tommorow will be better,

Connor
 
Connor Rand said:
Hi Penny will be at Holme tommorow, and i to hope the fog lifts!!!! Should still be some Ring Ouzels around or sumthin hopefully. Sure tommorow will be better,

Connor

Hi Connor, looking at the Accu weather and BBC weather, it looks like it will be lifting during the morning, hopefully it will be a lovely sunny day at Holme with maybe some new birds turning up that we have not been able to see today!!!!

See you tomorrow.

Best Wishes Penny
 
Well not the best day yesterday for a trip to the North Norfolk coast. Very cold and poor visibility. Still not too bad a day. Started at Titchwell, where the highlight was my first spotshank of the year. Also a small party of swallows through. The beach held one ringed plover, one grey plover and one dunlin - which must hold the record for the fewest birds I've ever seen there. 3 marshies, and a brief glimpse of a beardie rounded off the visit - but I've rarely been more greatful for the cafe and the chance to warm up - I'd not dressed up after thursdays heat wave, big mistake I was freezing!

We left at about 1 (yep too early for the kite *!?*!£), but driving up to choseley what should we see but a little owl staring at us from a tree. Screeching to a halt allowed us magic views from the car. Dipped completely at the barns however - nothing but chaffinches and linnets emerged out of the fog.

Moving on to Holme dunes did reward us with 4 Ring Ouzels and 4 wheatears, along with a couple of grey partridges. Couldn't see the short-eared owl however - no visibility. And so home with a total of 66 species seen - not bad in the conditions. Should have gone thursday though.

Oh nearly forgot - There was a warbler at Holme that might have been a lesser whitethroat - too far away to be certain but worth looking for if you're there. Sedge were reported at titchwell, but a distant song that mihgt have been one was the best I managed. Still they'll be everywhere soon enough.

Oh, and walking eaton to UEA on thursday gave me my first large red damselfly of the year.
 
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Spent today at Holme, birds better than yesterday, but still foggy.

Arrived 8am but went to visit parents first as it was still very foggy. Along Firs road a swallow sat on the wire. A common whitethroat! popped out of the Alexanders just before Sandy Ridge (last house but one before pay hut). 3 Pied wagtails. Parked car by 5-bar gate and walked along coastal path to forestry and was just about to divert down into buckthorn when out of the fog appeared BF Helen Elizabeth!!!!!! who had seen ring ouzels and wheatears. There seemed to be quite a bit of movement, more than I expected - saw 4 male wheatears and 3 ring ouzels here, also a nice male blackcap in the elder. 23 shelduck got up from a hollow area of forestry. A female kestrel sat in a bush. Another birder had seen a black redstart near the path, back of the Firs house (I couldn't find it later). Several willow warblers singing, 2 red legged partridge. BF Norfolk Birder also appeared out of the fog!!! 2 sedge warblers singing in a small patch of read near road, 2 long tailed tits flitting about, 1 whimbrel flew overhead calling, sandwich tern, oh and the grasshopper warbler reeled for a bit aswell. Other birds seen: 2 wrens, at least 6 linnets, 4 meadow pipits, 1 robin, 6 swallows, , 4 avocets, another wheatear outside HBO, 1 ringed plover by Gore Point, 1 song thrush, 1 mistle thrush, 1 goldcrest, 50+ wood pigeons (on horse meadow in village), magpie and a couple of pochard on broad water. The fog had started to clear about midday, but gradually got worse again and was dull and cold, so I left at 6pm, and when I got as far as Dersingham it was brilliant sunshine, I couldn't believe it!!! I nearly turned left at the Knights Hill roundabout and went to Flitcham, but changed my mind at the last second.

Best Wishes Penny :girl:
 
HarassedDad said:
Oh nearly forgot - There was a warbler at Holme that might have been a lesser whitethroat - too far away to be certain but worth looking for if you're there.

Hi HarrassedDad

Two different people saw lesser whitethroat at Holme today, so its very possible it was, 1 in golfcourse area and 1 in the forestry area.

Best Wishes Penny
 
Penny Clarke said:
Spent today at Holme, birds better than yesterday, but still foggy.

Arrived 8am but went to visit parents first as it was still very foggy. Along Firs road a swallow sat on the wire. A common whitethroat! popped out of the Alexanders just before Sandy Ridge (last house but one before pay hut). 3 Pied wagtails. Parked car by 5-bar gate and walked along coastal path to forestry and was just about to divert down into buckthorn when out of the fog appeared BF Helen Elizabeth!!!!!! who had seen ring ouzels and wheatears. There seemed to be quite a bit of movement, more than I expected - saw 4 male wheatears and 3 ring ouzels here, also a nice male blackcap in the elder. 23 shelduck got up from a hollow area of forestry. A female kestrel sat in a bush. Another birder had seen a black redstart near the path, back of the Firs house (I couldn't find it later). Several willow warblers singing, 2 red legged partridge. BF Norfolk Birder also appeared out of the fog!!! 2 sedge warblers singing in a small patch of read near road, 2 long tailed tits flitting about, 1 whimbrel flew overhead calling, sandwich tern, oh and the grasshopper warbler reeled for a bit aswell. Other birds seen: 2 wrens, at least 6 linnets, 4 meadow pipits, 1 robin, 6 swallows, , 4 avocets, another wheatear outside HBO, 1 ringed plover by Gore Point, 1 song thrush, 1 mistle thrush, 1 goldcrest, 50+ wood pigeons (on horse meadow in village), magpie and a couple of pochard on broad water. The fog had started to clear about midday, but gradually got worse again and was dull and cold, so I left at 6pm, and when I got as far as Dersingham it was brilliant sunshine, I couldn't believe it!!! I nearly turned left at the Knights Hill roundabout and went to Flitcham, but changed my mind at the last second.

Best Wishes Penny :girl:

Nice to see you today, Penny. I should have stuck around a bit longer - I'd love to have seen your Sandwich Tern and heard the Grasshopper Warbler.
 
Helenelizabeth2 said:
Nice to see you today, Penny. I should have stuck around a bit longer - I'd love to have seen your Sandwich Tern and heard the Grasshopper Warbler.

Nice to see you too Helen Elizabeth.

Didn't see sandwich tern, heard it going over. Saw 2 at Cley though this week. Last day of my holiday tomorrow and then back to work, awful.

Have a good birding day tomorrow.

Best Wishes Penny :girl:
 
Good day today. Tried to pack in as much as possible before having to head back to Pompey for start of term, so that meant an early morning (for me anyway!)

Arrived at Choseley Barns at about 9:40 in the mist. Alerted to the unfamiliar song of a Corn Bunting from a telegraph wire. Lifer #1. Will keep an ear out for this distinctive "Tich, tich, tich, triiiiiissss" song elsewhere, as it would be nice to find my own somewhere colser to home. 1 nice male Yellowhammer and a few Linnets and Chaffinches were feeding nearby. 1 Chiffchaff in the hedgerow and 3 Shellduck roosting in the field opposite. Driving back toward Titchwell village, I stopped by the other barn. Parked up and wandered toward the field at the back. 1 Whimbrel flew over, as well as a male Marsh Harrier, flushing everything from the hedgerow. A quick count revealed about 6 more Corn Buntings, 5+ Yellowhammers and more linnets and Chaffinches. A male and female Pheasant, 2 Red Legged Partridge and 2 pairs of Grey Partridges seen on the drive from Fakenham gave a nice rounded group of farmland birds that you just dont see enough of.

Next stop, Holme dunes. My first visit ("gasp!"), and a goodun. A top bird was 1 Tree Pipit (lifer #2) pirching prominanty along the dunes. One thing I noticed when trying to rule out Mipit was that it appeared less alert and skittish than a mipit would. The song flight and call also helped! Next seen were 4 Ring Ouzels (lifer #3). A 5th joined the group when I saw them on my return along the dunes, along with 1 Fieldfare. A few Swallows were passing back and forth along with 3+ Wheatears, including one v. nice male, and the usual suspects gave a decent list of birds. Just to cap it off, a Short Eared Owl (lifer #4) was hunting over the fields other side of the track. Still misty at this time, so brief, not great views, but it will do till next time.

Next, the long drive south to Portsmouth. Not before stopping at Weeting Heath though, as its on the way. Only stopped for a half hour, 5 till 5:30, which was enough to get great views of 2 Stone Curlews (lifer #5) and 1 singing Woodlark (lifer # 6). Another was also singing in reply to this 1st bird from behind me, but didn't spot it.

Anyway, what a day! Got to admit that I kinda twitched on the Ring Ouzels, Woodlarks and Stone Curlews, I'm ashamed to say, but I also saw alot I didn't expect to, which makes me feel 'cleaner'. You gotta twitch sometimes I suppose!

Jason
 
Good weekend out.

Up Blakeney point on Saturday. Water Pipit, Black Redstart, Whimbrel and Hobby for my efforts + lots of Tree Pipits moving through (15+). Cley in the afternoon, where my first yellow wagtail of the year and another whimbrel showed itself. Also a corn bunting perched on the wire next to Old Woman's Lane.

Sunday also good. Turned up at Buckenham to see if the American wigeon was sitill there. It was, and I also found my best bird of the weekend - an early Temminck's stint. Also a little ringed plover. Went to Rush Hill (Hickling) after that via Winterton and Horsey. 2 spotted redshank on the wader scrape. Also 2 overhead cranes and an early lesser whitethroat. Also had a long chat with a random welsh birder I'd never met before.

Lots of hours and no flowers looking for ring ouzels. I'll have to pop up and find one at Burnham Overy Straithe sometime this week - they always seem to turn up there. No sedge warblers though. Can't remember a year they've been this long coming.
 
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seanofford said:
6 or so Ring Ouzels here at Winterton today - seems a good year for them (see http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=862228#post862228). An early Lesser Whitethroat here too. Everything else seems late though.
Sean

Yup would have found them as I went to Winterton, but got lazy and didn't walk far enough (stopped short by about 200 yards, chatted to a guy who may have been the one who then did find them about it feeling like a good day for ring ouzels and then and decided that the fields between Winteron and Horsey would be better). Always seem to miss them - last year even my non-birding girlfriend saw one and I didn't as she'd borrowed my scope and they flew off before I got to look at it!

There seems to be a trickling of a few birds through very early (I had my first wheatear and swallow about a month ago), and I've never had a Temminck's stint until May before, but migrants don't seem to be arriving on-mass until much later
 
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FOG - GLORIOUS SUNSHINE, VIEWS AND BIRDS.

Woke up this morning to fog AGAIN!!!!!! Was not pleased as today was the last day of my holiday. Anyway I drove to Walsey Hills to meet up with friends, terrible fog all the way there. Arrived 9.15am. Not long after this the sun came streaming through and suddenly I could see the whole East Bank!!!!! Brilliant - a beautiful sunny, stunning day. I knew this would happen I was so tired of being cold in fog yesterday I had dressed properly today, had thermal stuff and all kinds! (quickest way of guaranteeing a hot day! - did have the sunhat in car though thank goodness)

Walked round the Walsey Reserve and saw 2 blackcaps, 2 linnets, cettis warbler x 2, male kestrel, chaffinches, swallows skimming through, marsh harriers displaying and tumbling in the blue skies, wow what a day. 1 friend had a yellow wagtail (I missed that one!) All the blackthorn in bloom, mixed in with the rich yellow gorse, bumble bees, butterflies galore including speckled wood, 2 holly blues dancing in the sun, tortishell, peacock, small white and brimstone.

Had a cup of tea, then 3 of us walked up to 'The Hangs' - you could not have asked for a better day, the views were awesome, the fields of yellow rape next to hills of bluebells and bushes full of linnets - at least 50 we counted. Up on the hill we found 2 wheatears. Top of the hill past the rookery we heard and saw a willow warbler. It was boiling hot now, what a difference to yesterday! Walked back down to Walsey, taking several landscape photographs on route. While having lunch one of my friends sitting in his deckchair, was startled by a nice male Adder on bank very close to his chair - he moved pretty quick and so did the Adder!!! :-O . I left the lads to chat and went off by myself along the East Bank. Not far along I had brilliant close views of a very crisp Sedge Warbler right near the bank and also a male bearded tit bounded over the reeds!! Everything looked so rich and colourful in the sunshine. Waders on Arnold's Marsh: Redshank, at least 9 ringed plover, black tailed and bar tailed godwit, shelduck, avocets. Suddenly 3 Sandwich Terns twisted through the sky over me, going west. Met a lovely old couple on the bank who came from Weybourne and have lived here all their lives! The man asked to look through my ED50 and said 'he would have to get one of those' especially when he picked it up and felt the weight!!! Got to end of bank and we all went off to Salthouse Heath as a ring ouzel had been seen in a ploughed field there. I found a second one at the back of the field as well, also a lovely yellowhammer and some pied wagtails were feeding. Heard a chiffchaff in the gorse. Next we went to Salthouse and walked over to Little Eye and sat on the hill looking over the marsh taking in the views, when we found another ring ouzel sitting on the fence! He bounded up towards us and around the hill full circuit and then sat and studied us for a second before disappearing again. Also saw several ringed plover, turnstone, redshank on a post. The sea was like a millpond, could hardly see a ripple, saw a common seal, 1 common scooter flying west and a few more sandwich terns. We had a cup of tea in the carpark and then all departed for home.

Another lovely day in Norfolk.

Best Wishes Penny :girl:
 
Fantastic read Penny

Would anyone like to hazzard a guess as to how much longer the Ring Ouzel
and Wheatear sightings will last for in norfolk?

Can't believe I haven't had the chance to get out and look for migs in this glorious weather.

Matt
 
matt green said:
Fantastic read Penny

Would anyone like to hazzard a guess as to how much longer the Ring Ouzel
and Wheatear sightings will last for in norfolk?

Can't believe I haven't had the chance to get out and look for migs in this glorious weather.

Matt
Thank you Matt.

There will be plenty more migrants to arrive yet Matt. My birding stops now until Saturday - holiday over, back to reality, sitting in the office, looking longingly out of the window!!

Best Wishes Penny :girl:
 
matt green said:
Fantastic read Penny

Would anyone like to hazzard a guess as to how much longer the Ring Ouzel
and Wheatear sightings will last for in norfolk?

Can't believe I haven't had the chance to get out and look for migs in this glorious weather.

Matt


I suspect both will last up until about mid-May and then restart in September. We're probably right at the peak of the Ring Ouzel migration though and this year has been a lot better than most.
 
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Thanks Penny and Ilya

It's doubtfull my inland patch will stretch to a Ring Ouzel (ever hopefull tho!)
but I usually get wheatears on the horse paddocks etc.

Timing of these sightings seems to be a little more critical inland?, nice to hear there are plenty around though.

Matt
 
Ouzels & migrants

I suspect that the Ousel bonanza will probably dry up in the next few days as the winds swing thru to westerly then southerly, although with such a good influx undobtedlythe odd one will linger or be located elsewhere.

As for other migrants I suspect as usual the east side (Norfolk) is slightly behind, the temps along the coastline here are always much cooler when we get settled spring weather as this is usually high pressure with winds from the North thru to the east. Warm South-easterlies with rain heading down the country and fine to the south are the best conditions - but this is, and has always been. typically unusual. These conditions in early May 1985 provided me with one of my best days birding in Norfolk, 10 Bluethroat, 2 Wryneck, 1 Hoopoe, 1 Ortolan & a Collared Fly plus plenty of Redstarts & Pied Flys - anyway we should all keep praying!!

I had my first House martin on the way to work this morning at a breeding site, interesting as I have not seen any along the coast yet.

I had a pretty similar mix of stuff to everyone else at Holme on Saturday, but did have 2 Whimbrel west. Also for NOA members Willow Tit is a "slam dunker" at Hempton!! Yesterday within 5 seconds feeding and calling around the feed station area, particularly on the fat balls.

Ta Chris
 
Just returned from India having seen 6 tigers at Bandhavgarh. Fantastic! Also watched Indian Rollers 'rolling' ! Amazing.
Anyway having missed the Ousel bonanza and my 'time' clock all out of sync, I was up bright and early and decided to walk the Country Park at Snettisham before school this morning in hope of seeing one. What a beautiful morning with every bush having a bird singing from it. Linnets were in abundance as were Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers all in competition with the Chaffinches for who could sing the loudest. Two Grasshopper Warblers were doing what comes naturally low down in one of the bushes, the male being really pleased with himself! A Lesser Whitethroat was being really shy and would not show himself whilst a Cuckoo joined in the orchestra of sound. A couple of Wheatears ran out of the way of the dogs, whilst several Sedge Warblers 'danced' on top of the reeds with aerial displays. All too soon I had to leave for work Ousel-less. Never mind, there's always tomorrow!
Sue
 

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