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

Norfolk birding (7 Viewers)

Finally caught up with the American Wigeon today for the first time, despite trying several times already this winter and several times last winter!!! Less than 5 miles from home too!

Chris
 
Pleasant afternoon in the Norfolk fens with c170 Corn Bunting and c800 wild swans (mostly Bewick's Swans) in the Feltwell Anchor-Methwold Severals area. Also one male Marsh Harrier.

Nearby 70+ House Sparrows in one flock.
 
American Wigeon Marlingford

Hello all,

If anyone has any photographs/record shots of the Marlingford AW from this winter and wouldn't mind me using them could they please PM me.

Regards,

Kieran
 
Titchwell January 14th

Today’s highlights

Red kite – 1 over grazing meadow
Lapland bunting – 1 feeding with skylarks near the beach boardwalk
Green sandpiper – 1 on grazing meadow pool
Ruff – 50 on grazing meadow
Water pipit – 1 on fresh marsh
Red crested pochard – female on Patsy’s reedbed
Bewick’s swan – 5 SW over reserve @ 14:20

Paul
 
Thanks Robin, I believe he's a regular at Strumpshaw so will ask him next time I see him 9if its the same red I'm thinking of!)

James as you say no White Storks- odd! I'm sure enough people went to see them.. I did!
If no one else comes forward as the finder I'll put a description in for them too, seems a shame to have all these records go unrecorded.
 
Dave Appleton said:
Racial identification of Dippers is not always easy - there's a lot of variation and overlap. The Thetford bird certainly seems to be within range for Black-bellied Dipper and is most likely to be a Black-bellied Dipper, but whether we can be 100% certain it isn't a dark gularis or aquaticus I'm not so sure.
Click to expand...

As you'd expect, there's been a fair bit of discussion on the local email group about the racial identity of this bird since it first gave itself up to the ranks of DSLRs. I've looked at the same references (mainly BWP) as I seem to have been saddled with the job of the description [I don't think the finder would mind me saying he's much more of a dog-walker than a birder. That said, he was pretty sure it was a Dipper and had the presence of mind to take a pic on his phone... even if he didn't raise the alarm back at the Nunnery for another two hours! I was lucky enough to be in the right spot at the right time at dawn the next morning.].

I reached the same conclusion and don't see much mileage in splitting hairs over shades of brown-black / black-brown etc., particularly as this seems to be a very hard one to assess from either photographs (lots of variation depending on image processing / lighting conditions) or in the field, and is inconclusive anyway. To me it seems considerably darker than the majority of C. c. gularis, and a quick look at the distribution (e.g. http://blx1.bto.org/bt-dailyresults/results/s339-20-12.html ) supports the notion that C. c. gularis starts getting homesick if it goes to the end of the street for a paper.

Seems to me far more likely that a dark-bellied Dipper, in Thetford, is of continental origin. What are the chances of a gularis - which happens to be at the very darkest end of the spectrum - suddenly upping sticks from the Peak District, ignoring miles and miles of suitable habitat, then settling on a very unPeak-y spot in the middle of East Anglia? [Thinking out loud, I wonder if anyone would even mention gularis for an identical individual on the Glaven?]

One other thing: having released the news and photo of the initial sighting, then relocated it and broadcast the news the following morning (and on several subsequent occasions), I was extremely disappointed to learn that a Norfolk-based photographer claimed to have seen it regularly in the same spot throughout December... but only after it was discovered using that area by BTO staff on 3 January. The only December report was on 6th and at that point, several very active local birders hadn't seen it, despite multiple attempts. Very selfish not to share news of a bird twitched in the first place, apparently just to have it to himself.
 
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Hi guys,I am coming up to nth Norfolk in the morning,was wondering how the roads are at the moment,we were supposed to get a big dump of snow today in sth essex which didn't materialise,kind of hoping its the same on the way up.
Just wondering if anyone had any local knowledge of the weather overnight as many different forecasts seem to differ greatly.
I am staying in wells and usually travel up via Brandon,swaffham and fakenham but wondered if the A10 up to kings Lynn and that way may be better?
 
The sniper said:
Hi guys,I am coming up to nth Norfolk in the morning,was wondering how the roads are at the moment,we were supposed to get a big dump of snow today in sth essex which didn't materialise,kind of hoping its the same on the way up.
Just wondering if anyone had any local knowledge of the weather overnight as many different forecasts seem to differ greatly.
I am staying in wells and usually travel up via Brandon,swaffham and fakenham but wondered if the A10 up to kings Lynn and that way may be better?
Click to expand...
Variable depending where you are. My mother said that it didn't start snowing at Holme until 3pm, BUT I woke up to a good few inches of snow and it continued to snow all day here in King's Lynn. Main roads had been gritted but estate roads icy/snowy and any back roads will still be snow covered. I will be walking to work in the morning. If I was you, I would give it a miss!

Cheers Penny:girl:
 
Penny Clarke said:
Variable depending where you are. My mother said that it didn't start snowing at Holme until 3pm, BUT I woke up to a good few inches of snow and it continued to snow all day here in King's Lynn. Main roads had been gritted but estate roads icy/snowy and any back roads will still be snow covered. I will be walking to work in the morning. If I was you, I would give it a miss!

Cheers Penny:girl:
Click to expand...

There are a couple of inches in Thetford and it's snowing again. The main roads are likely to be okay but the side roads aren't usually very good. Snow is forecast for the North Norfolk coast tomorrow.
 
I like spending time in Norfolk too much to give it a miss,I drive for a living so tend to know when to call it a day if it looks too bad,although I think I will have another look at the weather in the morning before setting off.Not that I don't trust the majority of weathermen/women but they don't always call it right.Hopefully some of the reports are exaggerated as it seems they have been further south.
 
The sniper said:
Hi guys,I am coming up to nth Norfolk in the morning,was wondering how the roads are at the moment,we were supposed to get a big dump of snow today in sth essex which didn't materialise,kind of hoping its the same on the way up.
Just wondering if anyone had any local knowledge of the weather overnight as many different forecasts seem to differ greatly.
I am staying in wells and usually travel up via Brandon,swaffham and fakenham but wondered if the A10 up to kings Lynn and that way may be better?
Click to expand...

The roads between Bircham and Bawdeswell (including round Fakenham) were pretty dicey when I came home from work this evening - tarmac certainly wasn't visible! Here at Bawdeswell we've had a great deal more snow since then so I can only imagine the roads are now worse. Several inches of snow in my garden right now, all from this evening. The breeze seems to be getting up a bit now too so it might start drifting. Luv it!

PS: I absolutely love driving in the snow and go out when others think I'm bonkers - and I'm thinking of working from home tomorrow, if that's gives you an idea!
 

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