mike46norfolk
Member
Hi, I was at Happisburgh on 25th July and still plenty of sand martins. Feeding chicks judging by the nest hole activity.
Anybody have any gen on the 'white' grey heron on birding world's web site, thanks
Hoping to catch up with some cranes next week while staying in the horsey area so if anyone could give a pointer as to the best place to 'stake them out' it would be much appreciated, I read there has been a movement of cranes at welney recently but unsure if these are the horsey crowd or from elsewhere?
Matt
It's always been Stubb Mill at Horsey for me, park in NWT Car Park and walk east 3/4 mile to viewpoint however, it is a well known winter site at dusk, I haven't tried in the autumn but it should give you as good a chance as any. Failing that, they are occasionally put out by the bird news services now that breeding season is over.
It is very gratifying to see this thread being resurrected from the dead, as I have no interest in Twitter etc. Please keep the posts coming.
Ron
Thanks both, no cranes yet but plenty of seals putting on a show at horsey gap!
Good number of pinkfeet seen distantly from the dunes over sea palling, sunrise can't come soon enough!
Matt
Saw a bird that made me double take and think possible Albatross this afternoon, about 2.36 off Sheringham. Initial thoughts were well that’s pretty massive, Gannet or bigger, and wings very and disproportionately long. I didn’t think GBBG, kept thinking Gannet due to size but colours so totally wrong and wings too long. I wasn’t actually birding, and was far too slow to get the binoculars I had with me out in my disbelief. Only colours I saw/took in, were deep black back and bright white head as it flew away. Slow powerful wingbeats with a droop in the wings having gone from seemingly straight across it’s back as it then glided between beats. It headed east around the coast circa 60 to 100m out. I attempted a possible Birdguides submission (well two actually) but unfortunately didn’t realise they had emailed back until much later, so the hope that some birders might check as it flew round the coast were to no avail. Oddly there didn’t seem that many people about today.
Might well have been a GBBG but for some reason it just didn’t feel right, as I say Gannet bulk sprang to mind, but colours and massively long wings as mentioned. Hopefully if a BBA someone might pick it up tomorrow as unfortunately I am going back to Essex in the morning :-C
The reason I - and several of my birding friends - stopped posting on here Ron was that it became quite unpleasantly aggressive at times. Hopefully those concerned might have moved on to Twitter.
Personally I would rule out any albatross on "Slow powerful wingbeats.... as it then glided between beats". Albatrosses once airborne flap their wings about once or twice a day. In terms of making use of available air currents even in a light breeze they make any other seabird look utterly incompetent.
John