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Norfolk birding (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Edward woodwood
- Start date
Gun Hill/Burnham Overy
A pleasent walk around Gun Hill/Burnham Overy this afternoon produced an adult black brant with 230 DB brents, a pair of crossbills in scrub just east of the boardwalk and a small number of stonechat, 11 between the harbour and dunes.
With the nicer weather, there were plenty of displaying lapwing and redshank, several female marsh harriers and a hunting barn owl as I got back to the car.
I have not attched pictures to a message before so apologies if they are too big and mess up your system!
Paul
A pleasent walk around Gun Hill/Burnham Overy this afternoon produced an adult black brant with 230 DB brents, a pair of crossbills in scrub just east of the boardwalk and a small number of stonechat, 11 between the harbour and dunes.
With the nicer weather, there were plenty of displaying lapwing and redshank, several female marsh harriers and a hunting barn owl as I got back to the car.
I have not attched pictures to a message before so apologies if they are too big and mess up your system!
Paul
Attachments
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Holkham Lake
2 Nuthatches, at least 2 treecreepers, 2 coal tits, 2 great spotted woodpeckers, 1 mistle thrush, flock of fieldfares, tufted ducks and egyptian geese on lake. Heard only Lesser Spotted Woopecker (10.30am) and also heard drumming. Stayed here until 1pm. Tons of groups of school children were running everywhere with teachers who were just as loud and noisy:C
Hunworth Bridge south east of Holt
Second Helpings of the Black Bellied Dipper!!!!!!!!!!!
:t: with better records shots than last time:t: (2.45pm). Thank you to the photographer who helped me with my camera.:t:
Felbrigg Hall
5 Manderins, Water Rail, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Little Egret and a big flock of fieldfares.
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
2 Nuthatches, at least 2 treecreepers, 2 coal tits, 2 great spotted woodpeckers, 1 mistle thrush, flock of fieldfares, tufted ducks and egyptian geese on lake. Heard only Lesser Spotted Woopecker (10.30am) and also heard drumming. Stayed here until 1pm. Tons of groups of school children were running everywhere with teachers who were just as loud and noisy:C
Hunworth Bridge south east of Holt
Second Helpings of the Black Bellied Dipper!!!!!!!!!!!
:t: with better records shots than last time:t: (2.45pm). Thank you to the photographer who helped me with my camera.:t:Felbrigg Hall
5 Manderins, Water Rail, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Little Egret and a big flock of fieldfares.
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
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firstreesjohn
Well-known member
Fall of warbler on north coast
Elusive Chiffchaff heard singing, and then glimpsed briefly, before once more vanishing from view at east end of Gramborough Hill.
Little else seen, despite desultory thrashing about in various places and in windy conditions.
Elusive Chiffchaff heard singing, and then glimpsed briefly, before once more vanishing from view at east end of Gramborough Hill.
Little else seen, despite desultory thrashing about in various places and in windy conditions.
Irene Boston
Well-known member
Phantom Dipper
Tantalised by pager reports this week of the BB Dipper showing well, and tempted to think it might have settled into a routine, I managed to get out today thinking I was on a sure-fire winner. I really should know better by now shouldn't I?! I was dooooomed!
Spent a chunk of the morning at Hunworth (air was blue when the pager went off with the news it was at Letheringset till 9.15), but all was not lost I thought as it had flown upstream, presumably in 'my' direction, so lingered for a while longer and then went back in the afternoon till dusk and searched other bits of the river in the middle of the day. Zippo! Just lots of droppings at Hunworth... So that makes the 15th dip (am closing on Dave's Dipper dip record nicely!).
Someone pass me the whisky, I'm off to have a lie down in a darkened room and quietly have a nervous breakdown! Although I suppose I could always approach it by thinking that this Dipper is really a mass Norfolk hallucination and I'm the only one not suffering from it! (And it's fooling all your cameras too!)
Keeping me amused at Hunworth were 3 Common Buzzards, Marsh Tits, GS Woodpecker, Nuthatches, Tawny Owl, Grey Wagtail (and one of the residents mentioned that a couple of Otters were being seen regularly in the Mill Pool outside the house at the next ford north, opposite the church).
Irene
Tantalised by pager reports this week of the BB Dipper showing well, and tempted to think it might have settled into a routine, I managed to get out today thinking I was on a sure-fire winner. I really should know better by now shouldn't I?! I was dooooomed!
Spent a chunk of the morning at Hunworth (air was blue when the pager went off with the news it was at Letheringset till 9.15), but all was not lost I thought as it had flown upstream, presumably in 'my' direction, so lingered for a while longer and then went back in the afternoon till dusk and searched other bits of the river in the middle of the day. Zippo! Just lots of droppings at Hunworth... So that makes the 15th dip (am closing on Dave's Dipper dip record nicely!).
Someone pass me the whisky, I'm off to have a lie down in a darkened room and quietly have a nervous breakdown! Although I suppose I could always approach it by thinking that this Dipper is really a mass Norfolk hallucination and I'm the only one not suffering from it!
(And it's fooling all your cameras too!) Keeping me amused at Hunworth were 3 Common Buzzards, Marsh Tits, GS Woodpecker, Nuthatches, Tawny Owl, Grey Wagtail (and one of the residents mentioned that a couple of Otters were being seen regularly in the Mill Pool outside the house at the next ford north, opposite the church).
Irene
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Irene - sooooo sorry, I don't believe it!!!!!!!!!! I really thought you would see that today, that is so very frustrating. DON'T GIVE UP:t:
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Cracking Day's Birding
Started off at Choosely Drying Barns where I watched at least 50+ yellowhammers feeding by the barns along with chaffinches. I noticed that some were drinking from a large puddle in the public footpath behind the concrete area, so I walked the other side of the puddle and sat motionless in the hedge for 45 minutes with my camera!!! Of course no yellowhammers came down to drink but I did get a couple of shots of a chaffinch drinking - got frozen cold sitting here along with pins & needles!!!!
Left here and parked at Gypsy Lane. Absolutely stunning morning, beautiful blue skies and white clouds, the day alternated with a mixture of black clouds and sun and by mid afternoon it turned bitterly cold. Anyway walking along the path in the sunshine was lovely - robins and blackbirds flitted about, but not much else really. Passed a couple who said the black necked grebe was in the main pool with tufted ducks, but when I got there I couldn't see it (wasn't over bothered as have seen it already), so I carried on over 'Brancaster Ford' to beach - absolutely beautiful here, couldn't see anything on the sea though. On the way back just before the last corner before the long straight section of path I spotted the black necked grebe in the dyke directly next to me!!! (10.30am) got some reasonably sunny shots too!!! 30+ Twite flew across me and onto the marsh (Brancaster side) which I was very pleased about! Cetti's Warbler also heard - reed buntings, lots of brents, canada's and greylag geese on the marsh and several carrion crows about, redshanks and oystercatchers.
Went to Titchwell RSPB briefly to use the loos! and as I left a Marsh Harrier was directly above me as I turned onto A149. Next stop Holme for the Firecrest that came up on my pager As I stopped at pay hut to chat to a couple of people, a local birder said chiffchaff right behind us in the firtree!!! I shot out of car with camera and got some close up shots - very pleased, first Chiffchaff of the year and photographed aswell - feeling quite smug at this point. Parked on NOA carpark and somone told me a Ruddy Duck was showing opposite the seat by The Firs House which I also saw. At the observatory I saw a cracking Firecrest in the pine directly behind the obs. along with a female crossbill sitting at the top of pine!!! Several goldcrest too. There were 2 Firecrests, but I only saw one. There were also several crossbills, but I again only saw one, which is quite good for me as I very rarely see crossbills at Holme even though everyone else does! Ditto with the Red Crested Pochards that were seen yesterday, I didn't see those either today (same as last year!:-O))
Baby sister joined me later in the afternoon, but she decided is was too cold to walk with me up the NWT Forestry, so she went home to parents! I trundled up to the Forestry in hope of a possible wheatear etc but not a bird in there! Walked back along the top coastal path, continuing past the broadwater, along Thornham bank up to the flooded field by Thornham Coalbarn - 1 solitary Golden Plover, 1 ringed plover, pair shelduck, meadow pipits, skylarks singing and a barn owl hunting over the marsh. It was a beautiful evening now and the sun glowed across the marshes. Walked back in the wind and checked the broadwater again for red crested pochard, but only tufted duck and mallard on there. Walked back to car and then stopped at Redwell Marsh Reserve, but only tufted duck, shelduck and pochard, wigeon, lapwing and canada geese on there.
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
Started off at Choosely Drying Barns where I watched at least 50+ yellowhammers feeding by the barns along with chaffinches. I noticed that some were drinking from a large puddle in the public footpath behind the concrete area, so I walked the other side of the puddle and sat motionless in the hedge
for 45 minutes with my camera!!! Of course no yellowhammers came down to drink but I did get a couple of shots of a chaffinch drinking - got frozen cold sitting here along with pins & needles!!!!Left here and parked at Gypsy Lane. Absolutely stunning morning, beautiful blue skies and white clouds, the day alternated with a mixture of black clouds and sun and by mid afternoon it turned bitterly cold. Anyway walking along the path in the sunshine was lovely - robins and blackbirds flitted about, but not much else really. Passed a couple who said the black necked grebe was in the main pool with tufted ducks, but when I got there I couldn't see it (wasn't over bothered as have seen it already), so I carried on over 'Brancaster Ford' to beach - absolutely beautiful here, couldn't see anything on the sea though. On the way back just before the last corner before the long straight section of path I spotted the black necked grebe in the dyke directly next to me!!!
(10.30am) got some reasonably sunny shots too!!! 30+ Twite flew across me and onto the marsh (Brancaster side) which I was very pleased about! Cetti's Warbler also heard - reed buntings, lots of brents, canada's and greylag geese on the marsh and several carrion crows about, redshanks and oystercatchers.Went to Titchwell RSPB briefly to use the loos! and as I left a Marsh Harrier was directly above me as I turned onto A149. Next stop Holme for the Firecrest that came up on my pager
As I stopped at pay hut to chat to a couple of people, a local birder said chiffchaff right behind us in the firtree!!! I shot out of car with camera and got some close up shots - very pleased, first Chiffchaff of the year and photographed aswell - feeling quite smug at this point. Parked on NOA carpark and somone told me a Ruddy Duck was showing opposite the seat by The Firs House which I also saw. At the observatory I saw a cracking Firecrest in the pine directly behind the obs. along with a female crossbill sitting at the top of pine!!! Several goldcrest too. There were 2 Firecrests, but I only saw one. There were also several crossbills, but I again only saw one, which is quite good for me as I very rarely see crossbills at Holme even though everyone else does! Ditto with the Red Crested Pochards that were seen yesterday, I didn't see those either today (same as last year!:-O))Baby sister joined me later in the afternoon, but she decided is was too cold to walk with me up the NWT Forestry, so she went home to parents! I trundled up to the Forestry in hope of a possible wheatear etc but not a bird in there! Walked back along the top coastal path, continuing past the broadwater, along Thornham bank up to the flooded field by Thornham Coalbarn - 1 solitary Golden Plover, 1 ringed plover, pair shelduck, meadow pipits, skylarks singing and a barn owl hunting over the marsh. It was a beautiful evening now and the sun glowed across the marshes. Walked back in the wind and checked the broadwater again for red crested pochard, but only tufted duck and mallard on there. Walked back to car and then stopped at Redwell Marsh Reserve, but only tufted duck, shelduck and pochard, wigeon, lapwing and canada geese on there.
Best Wishes Penny:girl:
Happisbirder
Always looking, seldom finding...
No Chiffy yet although they can't be far away. A walk to the cliffs this afternoon was quiet although Pied Wagtail numbers on a field there had shot up to 42 and with them was a nice male White Wagtail...
James
James
mr.sim
Honourable founding member of the "day late" gang
Finally got a Chiffchaff singing and showing quite well at Denver Sluice this morning! Also 3 Oystercatchers hanging around which normally only turn up on passage. Other birds included 5 Redshank, 2 Goosander, 53 Fieldfare and 84 Redwing, still hanging on. A Barn Owl flew quite high over, but I presume it was just going to a roost from an early morning hunt.
My thermometer shows that its 19 degrees over here - a very nice morning.
Brilliant to have my first Chiffy too!
My thermometer shows that its 19 degrees over here - a very nice morning.
Brilliant to have my first Chiffy too!
sacha
Well-known member
Another great Norfolk day
A very similar day to Penny yesterday:
Started at Gypsy Lane in the morning - wandered around looking for the BN Grebe and then located it in some reeds in the ditch close to the path. Great View.. At the same time heard Twite and a flock of 20+ landed in the field behind the pools (fairly distant)
Titchwell - 1 LRP , 2-3 Spot Reds, 1 Water Pipit - Then i was distracted by a gull in amongst the Herring Gulls - It was different in that it had a slimmer bill, small dark eye, slim legs, clean white head, 'long' wings/rear end, legs pale pink etc - Watched it from 10.30 to 10.50 when it flew off west. I overheard another birder discussing the bird and coming to the same conclusion as myself...3rd yr Caspian Gull. - lots of other features noted
On sea - RB mergansers and 3 eider past.
Holkham Park - 1 lesser spot wood (heard), 2 nuthatches, a barn owl (metal ringed) hunting about 10 feet away in the woods! plus 6+ treecreepers
Finished at Cley beach with 14 eider past but not much else there
Warm and sunny too ... spring is (almost) here B
A very similar day to Penny yesterday:
Started at Gypsy Lane in the morning - wandered around looking for the BN Grebe and then located it in some reeds in the ditch close to the path. Great View.. At the same time heard Twite and a flock of 20+ landed in the field behind the pools (fairly distant)
Titchwell - 1 LRP , 2-3 Spot Reds, 1 Water Pipit - Then i was distracted by a gull in amongst the Herring Gulls - It was different in that it had a slimmer bill, small dark eye, slim legs, clean white head, 'long' wings/rear end, legs pale pink etc - Watched it from 10.30 to 10.50 when it flew off west. I overheard another birder discussing the bird and coming to the same conclusion as myself...3rd yr Caspian Gull. - lots of other features noted
On sea - RB mergansers and 3 eider past.
Holkham Park - 1 lesser spot wood (heard), 2 nuthatches, a barn owl (metal ringed) hunting about 10 feet away in the woods! plus 6+ treecreepers
Finished at Cley beach with 14 eider past but not much else there
Warm and sunny too ... spring is (almost) here B
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Penny Clarke
Well-known member
Just got in from work and my mother just told me that she had 23 Twite at Holme main beach this morning at 8am and they were flying west towards Hunstanton.
Best Wishes
Penny:girl:
Best Wishes
Penny:girl:
Philip Amies
New member
I'm one of the other people who was watching 3rd year Caspian Gull at Titchwell yesterday, at least one other person joined me who had come to the same conclusion. Went back again today it was present from 10.oo to 13.00 at the freshmarsh then flew off. Late morning seems to be a good time to see it, or has been for two days. At mid day 30 plus Twite flew west over to Thornham. There were some tree sparrows migrating at Hunstanton Cliffs this morning, 11 were in the bushes by the lighthouse before flying west and several groups of siskin flew past and 1 whimbrel.
Titchwell March 16th
Today's highlights
Wheatear - 1st of year at Thornham Point
Spotted redshank - 2 on fresh marsh
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh
Bittern - 1 from Fen Hide
Common buzzard - 1 east over reserve
Marsh harrier - 4 west over reserve
Twite - 30 west over fresh marsh @ 12:10
Caspian gull - 3rd winter on fresh marsh late morning only
Swallow - 2 west
Paul
Today's highlights
Wheatear - 1st of year at Thornham Point
Spotted redshank - 2 on fresh marsh
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh
Bittern - 1 from Fen Hide
Common buzzard - 1 east over reserve
Marsh harrier - 4 west over reserve
Twite - 30 west over fresh marsh @ 12:10
Caspian gull - 3rd winter on fresh marsh late morning only
Swallow - 2 west
Paul
sacha
Well-known member
Hi Philip - I was the other person watching the bird! Nice to meet you. I looked up a few photos and articles when I got home and (even though we knew it was a Caspian) I was able to confirm further the ID in my own mind.
You mentioned at the time that one of the features of Caspians is how 'hyperactive' they can be. I had not heard that before , but saw it in some other articles. Its funny how the Titchwell bird was constantly picking up object and walking around, when the 'Herrings' around were not doing as much.. I wonder how many other people have noted this as a feature outside of the breeding range?.
Seems like late Feb / Early March is the prime time for passage of Caspians in Norfolk... I bet they are much more common than records show!
You mentioned at the time that one of the features of Caspians is how 'hyperactive' they can be. I had not heard that before , but saw it in some other articles. Its funny how the Titchwell bird was constantly picking up object and walking around, when the 'Herrings' around were not doing as much.. I wonder how many other people have noted this as a feature outside of the breeding range?.
Seems like late Feb / Early March is the prime time for passage of Caspians in Norfolk... I bet they are much more common than records show!
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Philip Amies
New member
Hi Sacha
likewise glad to know who I was talking to!
the hyperactive behaviour is something I saw very clearly at Lakenheath this winter. One bird was constantly playing with an old freshwater mussel shell and was moving all over the place. While we were there we found one bird then Lee Gregory arrived and found 4 more, he said that they are often very active birds. There was general feeling that day that we should be looking for them on the coast in late Feb / March. I was happy with the id yesterday and am even more so with another few hours watching it today, not that it was very active today, it was asleep for too long. I agree I suspect the more people are looking especially across a wider age range than classic 1st years the more birds will be found.
likewise glad to know who I was talking to!
the hyperactive behaviour is something I saw very clearly at Lakenheath this winter. One bird was constantly playing with an old freshwater mussel shell and was moving all over the place. While we were there we found one bird then Lee Gregory arrived and found 4 more, he said that they are often very active birds. There was general feeling that day that we should be looking for them on the coast in late Feb / March. I was happy with the id yesterday and am even more so with another few hours watching it today, not that it was very active today, it was asleep for too long. I agree I suspect the more people are looking especially across a wider age range than classic 1st years the more birds will be found.
Titchwell March 17th
Today's highlights
Bittern - 1 'grunting' from eastern end of reedbed early am
Caspian gull - 3rd winter briefly on fresh marsh mid morning before flying towards beach
Black tailed godwit - 208 on fresh marsh
Spotted redshank - 1 on fresh marsh
Paul
Today's highlights
Bittern - 1 'grunting' from eastern end of reedbed early am
Caspian gull - 3rd winter briefly on fresh marsh mid morning before flying towards beach
Black tailed godwit - 208 on fresh marsh
Spotted redshank - 1 on fresh marsh
Paul
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