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

Norfolk birding (15 Viewers)

A check along the prom at Sheringham this afternoon revealed a couple of Purple Sands roosting on the rock piles, with a pic of one of them below. Guess they'll be around for the winter now.

Still at least 3 Lapland Buntings in the stubble field at West Runton and the Great Northern Diver was still offshore late afternoon. Also 3 Goldeneye that flew west there were the first for the patch this year.

After dark, large numbers of Pinkfeet could be heard flying over.

Simon
 

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Near Welney and the Ouse Washes they've attached huge red balls to the highest power cables and this has had a positive effect, as fewer swans have hit the lines since the scheme started.
 
Won't they remove them after Red Nose Day ?

"they've attached huge red balls to the highest power cables"

Seriously, the ground under the wind turbines on the south coast of Spain, facing Morocco, can be littered with dead and dying raptors- Honey Buzzards, Short-toed Eagles and Black Kites being the most numerous. Here, of course, is one of the main migration routes into Europe in the spring, monitored by Programa Migres.

See the following:

http://www.seo.org/programa_seccion_ficha.cfm?idPrograma=11&idArticulo=672

http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medi...9c7acf2010VgnVCM1000001625e50aRCRD&lr=lang_es
 
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I was on the pier at Gorleston yesterday lunchtime when about 100 Cormorants flew in the from the sea and headed inland. They were in groups of around 10 and many of them were in 'V' formation like the photo. A great sight.

Ron
 

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Lotsa gooses from the Morston to Langham road

(Or the Langham to Morston road !)

In a sugar beet field on the east side this afternoon were hundreds of Pink-feet. As I drove past, I thought I glimpsed the distinctive black and white of a Barnacle.

However, by the time I'd screeched to a halt and reversed, many had gone over the brow and I couldn't relocate it, despite trying a few different angles.

This is where the Beans were last year. The field obviously deserves some attention in the next few days- and not just from the farmer.
 
Had a real surprise today down at West Runton as whilst I was scanning the beach I was amazed to see a Kingfisher perched on one of the groynes, the first one I've seen anywhere round here in 15 years! Managed to quickly get a distant record shot of it before one of the ubiquitous dog walkers flushed it and it flew off close inshore towards Sheringham.

Just goes to show that even on a miserable day like today its always worth getting out just in case, and a bird that makes those many hours of birdless patch-working worthwhile.

Also still 3 Lapland Buntings there, giving prolonged flight views as they circled the car park calling away for about 5 mins before eventually landing briefly on the grassy section but quickly returned to the stubble field as another dog walker approached!

Simon
 

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Rain stopped work (thankfully) but not play, highlights from the Leas were:-
3 G.N.Divers & 2 male Long-tailed Ducks (for 2nd day) on the sea + a pair of flyby Goldeneyes.
 
Weather doesn't look exactly great for tomorrow, pity there isn't a bit of north with the gales!!!!

Lovely picture of the Purple Sand dozing Simon:t:

birdforum on facebook has now reached 173 members:t:

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
The price Wells up

A trip to Wells either side of midday yesterday saw me drive into the car park . . . and straight out. I think someone had told me, but it hadn’t registered in the disbelieving deeper synapses of my brain. When I realised, I had yet another Victor Meldrew moment.

IT’S NOW £3.50 ALL YEAR ROUND.

No wonder the car park was almost empty.

Anyway, I trudged into the pines another way, immediately latching on to a tit flock. Quite a few Goldcrests and the piercing call of a Firecrest. They were in the tops, though, and couldn’t properly be viewed. Rather quiet, otherwise.

A group of 5 Redpoll sp flew nervously around, not really landing anywhere for too long. Perhaps the Peregrine over the fields had something to do with this. A couple of Bullfinches sounded slightly mournful, or was it just the dreariness of the weather ? I recall having heard them on my last visit- so probably not visitors from Stockholm.

A finch or bunting flew purposefully high west, with a 'different' cheup call. Could get nothing else on it. Mmm.

And that was it.
 
Short but sweet

Hi folks,

to say please delete my blog from your lists, honestly can't be bothered do it any more! Thing is i go through lots of phases and currently going through my half marathon/cosmic space rock phase and its taken a back seat, fun while it lasted eh o:D
 
I had yet another Victor Meldrew moment.

IT’S NOW £3.50 ALL YEAR ROUND.

Gone too are the days when you could park in Lady Anne's Drive at Holkham for nothing if you timed it right, or so it seems. I arrived early the other day and thought I'd beaten the man at the gate but as I was getting out of the car he pulled up beside me to extract my £3.50, even though I had less than an hour there. It does annoy me that if I want to spend 10 minutes in my lunch break checking the geese next to Lady Anne's drive I have to pay the same rate as the whole day.

I asked him how much a season ticket would cost and he told me that it is £60 a year currently, but next year it will go up to £700!:eek!: I didn't ask how much the day rate would be going up, but at that rate of inflation we can expect £40 a day. Does anyone know if a season ticket covers/will cover both Holkham and Wells? - I got the impression they're managed by the same estate. Not that I'll be buying one if it really is £700!
 
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Just back from three days in NW Norfolk looking for colour-marked geese. Did not see much else....
Snow Goose with 6000 Pinks round Docking Wednesday and Thursday
Firecrest and 1100 Common Scoters Holkham Thursday
2 Velvet Scoter off Holme Friday
All in all it was as quiet as I can remember.
Steve
 
Does anyone know if a season ticket covers/will cover both Holkham and Wells? - I got the impression they're managed by the same estate.

Don't get me started on this topic or I'll have a Victoria Meldrew moment all of my own! A few years ago I did ask the question whether a season ticket for one covered the other and was told it didn't .... not sure if that's the case now.

I've taken to parking just a bit further up the lane towards Holkham Park and legging it back down Lady's Anne's on foot. I don't mind paying if I'm going to be there all day but I object for what may be an hour or so at the end of a day. (Saw one guy arguing last week as he was being asked to pay the full amount for the last half hour of daylight).

Irene
 
Holkham NNR

Gone too are the days when you could park in Lady Anne's Drive at Holkham for nothing if you timed it right, or so it seems. I arrived early the other day and thought I'd beaten the man at the gate but as I was getting out of the car he pulled up beside me to extract my £3.50, even though I had less than an hour there. It does annoy me that if I want to spend 10 minutes in my lunch break checking the geese next to Lady Anne's drive I have to pay the same rate as the whole day.

I asked him how much a season ticket would cost and he told me that it is £60 a year currently, but next year it will go up to £700!:eek!: I didn't ask how much the day rate would be going up, but at that rate of inflation we can expect £40 a day. Does anyone know if a season ticket covers/will cover both Holkham and Wells? - I got the impression they're managed by the same estate. Not that I'll be buying one if it really is £700!

Googled "Holkham NNR" and map includes both the Wells and Lady Anne's car parks. Never mind us birders, the car parks are milking families on a day out at the seaside. The fee might put off dog walkers though!

Dave - our Norfolk BOU life lists are neck and neck. Cannot compete with your 2009 Norfolk year list. Still need firecrest etc. It is a long walk from the village car park to western parts of Holkham Pines with no guarantee of any firecrests.

On 19 Jan 2002 I parked in Holkham despite a king eider offshore. Two birders picked me up at the kiosk and saved me walking down Lady Anne's Drive. Norfolk tick gained.
 
Any advance on £3.50 ?

"next year it will go up to £700!"

Dave: Please tell us all you're joking.

I find it hard to believe that even the owner of South (sorry, Holkham) Park could be that greedy.

Pleez !

However, I have heard that parking will be restricted in Holkham village and on the road which runs into the Park. Perhaps the car park there will attract a similar charge, too (?).
 
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I wasn't joking - that's what the guy told me. Whether or not he was joking I don't know, but it didn't come across that way. I suppose it might have been a blatant lie in attempt to encourage me to get a season ticket quick? Didn't work if it was.
 
I'd love to know how much of the car parking income goes towards the management of the Holkham NNR. I should imagine that the Wells and Lady Anne's Drive car parks between them easily make a six figure sum every year.

Googled "Holkham NNR" and map includes both the Wells and Lady Anne's car parks. Never mind us birders, the car parks are milking families on a day out at the seaside. The fee might put off dog walkers though!

Dave - our Norfolk BOU life lists are neck and neck. Cannot compete with your 2009 Norfolk year list. Still need firecrest etc. It is a long walk from the village car park to western parts of Holkham Pines with no guarantee of any firecrests.

On 19 Jan 2002 I parked in Holkham despite a king eider offshore. Two birders picked me up at the kiosk and saved me walking down Lady Anne's Drive. Norfolk tick gained.
 
I've heard the earl of leicester is hard up at the moment so maybe the £700 is real !!

I met a couple of chaps who said they'd seen a Slavonian grebe on a pool from the east bank at cley today, did anyone else see this bird ?

Talking of yearlisting I haven't had a year tick since the snow goose on 20th Oct, what's going on. Still trying to get 200 for the year !!
 

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