Norfolk birding (5 Viewers)

Scarning firecrest

Hi.

Does anyone know exactly where the firecrest on Podmore Lane, Scarning was seen today?

Regards.
Fox

Back home at 5pm - awesome day. Will post on the ECW rare birds thread:t:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1625589&posted=1#post1625589

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

A nice cafe with nature reserve attached

Driving along the coast road at Cley NWT this afternoon, I noticed the unmistakeable shape and tail behaviour of a Red Kite, coming inland over the marsh.

I sped around to the Visitor Centre, ran up the stairs, shouting "Anyone want a Red Kite?". Looks of curious distinterest greeted me, although two people did go to the window to look, as it went south past the North Foreland.

It was shortly followed by a Common Buzzard, attempting to out-thermal a young Marshie.

Otherwise, zilch.

Dipped on the Snow Goose around the Docking area today :-C but that might have been due to the farmer driving round in is land rover sounding his horn and shooting at the Pinkies!

Rob

Robert Williamson said:

Dipped on the Snow Goose around the Docking area today :-C but that might have been due to the farmer driving round in is land rover sounding his horn and shooting at the Pinkies!

Rob

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He's a right miserbale sod. Two of us standing on the side of the field yesterday, he decided to drive up along the hedgerow until the geese flew off. He actually did us a favour as we had watched it for an hour and were waiting for it to take flight for better shots :-O

Brilliant wasn't it Penny. The little stunner showed far better that I expected.

John

QUOTE=Penny Clarke;1625541]Back home at 5pm - awesome day. Will post on the ECW rare birds thread:t:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1625589&posted=1#post1625589

Best Wishes Penny:girl:[/QUOTE]

firstreesjohn said:

Driving along the coast road at Cley NWT this afternoon, I noticed the unmistakeable shape and tail behaviour of a Red Kite, coming inland over the marsh.

I sped around to the Visitor Centre, ran up the stairs, shouting "Anyone want a Red Kite?". Looks of curious distinterest greeted me, although two people did go to the window to look, as it went south past the North Foreland.

It was shortly followed by a Common Buzzard, attempting to out-thermal a young Marshie.

Otherwise, zilch.

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I was in the hide, took me a while to click on this, obviously expecting another distant harrier.
There was a bit of a scuffle with a harrier, the kite ended up on the ground with the prey. It then took off and tried to eat it on the wing Hobby-style!

Blakeney Resident said:

A male Black Redstart had taken up temporary residence on the fence and showed very well.

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I found this one just west of the pines mid-morning on Friday. Seems to have been a bit of small influx from eastern europe along the east coast. Highlight of a terrific walk around Holkham.

Per B Guides - Yellow Browed at Holme - still in willows by the golf course car park off Beach Road this morning.

I was there yesterday morning in the drizzle and parked by the toilet block, doing the shrubs round there, but where is the place they mention above? (willows by golf course parking)

I also tried the geese late on - thousands of Pinkies but couldnt find the Snowie (4.30 ish)

I found the Yellow browed warbler on thursday, fairly vocal at times. Park either by the toilet block or in the large car park on your right just after the turn down to the NWT and NOA reserves. Just hunt around all the sides of the car park. We first had it in the willow hedge that borders the golf course, often went in the couple of firs dotted in the willows in the NW corner of car park. It then moved accross the entrance and into the gardens. Probably doing a circuit. It was definitely whistleable or pishable

RE: Yellow-browed Warbler at Holme, on my circuit round the west end of the recording area this morning I heard it call a couple of times in the line of sycamores by the standing caravan, which is to the right of the main track as you head up towards the NOA and NWT reserves, however it was very elusive and seemed to be moving through west, presumably back towards the carpark area where Stuart found it. Dad found another north of the A149 this afternoon to the east of the farm shop between Holme and Thornham village but this too was elsuive and no sign later. Otherwise very quiet today in the difficult birding conditions.

Had a very productive lunch break today, when lucked in on the finding and IDing of a brief juv White-rumped Sandpiper on Pats, at one point almost having the Pec and White-rumped in the same field of view. Will let Penny do the honours with full write up of this as ive now got to go serve 120 people veg ; - )

Cley waders Simmonds am 25 Oct

Blakeney Resident said:

Had a very productive lunch break today, when lucked in on the finding and IDing of a brief juv White-rumped Sandpiper on Pats, at one point almost having the Pec and White-rumped in the same field of view. Will let Penny do the honours with full write up of this as ive now got to go serve 120 people veg ; - )

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Cley waders on Simmonds am
As well as the mobile pec sand there was a dunlin with black blotches underneath. I saw a third small wader with a remarkably long primary projection. Did not see white rump. Moreover did not take much notice of the supercillium.:-C

Ron Seymour of Ron's taxis put me onto the bird, calling it as a white-rumped because of the primary projection: but we could not clinch the ID. Shame I did not give the bird more attention. :C

A peregrine disturbed all the roosting teal, black wits and ruff (one a white male) and the pec.

I concentrated on looking for the green-winged teal after that, but in vain: seeing the drake later on north scrape. Before that brief views of the Salthouse short-eared owl.:t:

Another lucky day:t:

I was sooo exhausted last night after my big twitch (see Eastern Crowned Warbler thread!), I can't even remember what time I went to bed, what with the clocks going back aswell!

Titchwell RSPB

Being as there had been a Slavonian Grebe off Titchwell for a few days in the week I decided to do a bit of seawatching to see if I was lucky for my year list! Beautiful sunny, warm day - tons of people at Titchwell, I couldn't even get in the carparks! Seawatched from 10.30amish to around 12.30am and saw 5 Red throated Divers, 1 Long Tailed Duck going west, 8 Eiders sitting on sea, 2 Auk sp., 3 Great Crested Grebes. Flock of Linnets on the brackish marsh (noted in the book someone had seen Twite? in the same area) Around the Fen Trail I could hear Long tailed tits fairly close by so I mimicked them and within a minute had loads in the willow next to me included a few at arm's length - the closest one sat and looked at my inquisitively as if to say 'you look slightly bigger than me'!!! Flock of goldfinches went over and 'pished out' 4 chaffinches from the big willows near the wooden seat round the Fen trail.

Cley NWT

Parked at Old Woman's Lane and Pete Snook was there having a 'cuppa' and he decided to walk back with me to Dauke's Hide - Mission: Pectoral Sandpiper which I needed for my year list and have lost count on how many times I have dipped out on them this year! Got in Dauke's and the Pectoral Sandpiper which 'had been directly in the front of the hide, had just been flushed by a marsh harrier' - I smiled... hmmmm here we go again:C Ian, a BF member was in here too and had seen it - anyway we then went next door to Teal Hide where John Miller had just ID'd a WHITE RUMPED SANDPIPER!!!!!!!! 3.30pm Talk about jammy!!!!! Fantastic - Well done John:t: John got some photos and I got some records shots and I think Pete also got some video footage - will get him to send a link if he did. I then went out of hide passing Josh on the way in to go back into Dauke's to let Ian know - but he had gone!!! Went back into Teal hide and we continued watching the WRS until a marsh harrier put everything up, John saw the white rump clearly as it flew and it appeared to head for the direction of North Hide. At the same time as all this going on MY Pectoral Sandpiper had returned:t: - who looked absolutely bootiful in the sunshine! A fantastic end to an absolutely awesome weekend!!!

Walsey Hills and Forlan Wood

Nothing at all apart from a few robins, and great/blue tits. A Cettis Warbler burst into song. A large flock of starlings were swirling round over the marshes.

Daukes Hide - went back in to see if the WRS had returned but no sign. No sign from North Hide either from other local birders that had gone for a look.

Sat in car and had a doze as too tired to drive really and then cruised along the coast road to parents to show them my pictures of the Eastern Crowned Warbler!

Best Wishes Penny:girl:

Note: John's picture of White Rumped Sandpiper, now on Surfbirds:
http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/gallery/display.cgi?gallery=gallery9

AND

Pete Snook's Video!!!!!! Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjsFm1mq8LM

Connor Rand said:

Otherwise very quiet today in the difficult birding conditions.

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I popped in to Holme for 30 mins this morning and jammed into a juv Spoonbill flying west (about 1010). Rather jammy. Little else to report today though.

Cheers

Andy

Andy Musgrove said:

I popped in to Holme for 30 mins this morning and jammed into a juv Spoonbill flying west (about 1010). Rather jammy. Little else to report today though.

Cheers

Andy

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Hi Andy,

nice one! It came in off the sea at the NOA reserve and over the pines but they lost it behind the trees so couldn't tell whether it followed the coast east or west - typically I managed to miss it, probably in the Scyamores at the time!

Connor Rand said:

Hi Andy,

nice one! It came in off the sea at the NOA reserve and over the pines but they lost it behind the trees so couldn't tell whether it followed the coast east or west - typically I managed to miss it, probably in the Scyamores at the time!

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Yes, carried on west towards the Wash.

Cheers

Andy

white rumped sand no longer considered by BBRC

BBRC "current rare species" says white rumped sandpiper (calidris fuscicollis) was removed from list of BBRC rarities in 2006.

Norfolk Bird Report for 2005 confirms white-rumped sandpiper records from 2006 are considered by Norfolk County Rarities Committee.

Ron Seymour and I discussed the white-rumped sandpiper over the phone before my earlier posting. We are happy that it was the white-rumped seen in the afternoon. I talked Ron out of it being one since I was not sure.

Looking in the book at home confirms it was not a dunlin and Ron was spot on in his ID. Jizz not right for dunlin. My notes at the time are not good enough to clinch the bird as white-rumped but no doubt the salient features were noted in the afternoon. :t:

Well done to John and those other afternoon observers who can claim it as self-found: as can Ron but not me, if that makes sense.

Should be a good record in 2009 Norfolk Bird Report in due course.B

something of a raptor-fest at Holkham last night with:-

2 peregrines
female merlin
6+ kestrels
ring-tail hen harrier
3 marsh harriers
sparrowhawk
2 buzzards
2 barn owls

74 little egrets heading towards the roost

only disappointment was the geese which arrived very late and well away from Washington hide

Gordon