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

Norfolk birding (14 Viewers)

Inevitably, the rest of today was a bit of an anti-climax, despite the myriad Wheatears and other pent-up migrants. A few Whinchats in various places, a Redstart or two (WRunton & Kelling WM), flava Wagtails (with 3 Blue-heads, again at Kelling WM) and the pièce de résistance, a very dark rapacious one.

This last (a ?Black Hawk? downed out of my sight at Kelling) buzzed around, looking menacing for a while.

The Male Redstart at WRunton did a fair emulation of Tom Daley. However, someone should have told it the water was the other side of the brambles.
 

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firstreesjohn;2427792ce[/I said:
, a very dark rapacious one.

This last (a ?Black Hawk? downed out of my sight at Kelling) buzzed around, looking menacing for a while.


If you fancy improving your helicopter list, lakenheath fen is good for blackhawks, and I had a couple of pumas over blakeney the other month.


Whitethroats now evident at bowthorpe.

Blackcap building nest next door for 3rd year in a row.
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firstreesjohn said:
An early fone call (thanks, Ian) got me out of the house in record time- only to find that the male Citrine had flown east. I trudged a km along the clifftop path in quest, with the scant consolation of a male Whinchat, only to have another call, informing me that it was back.

A minute of seeing it at quite a distance, on a fence, and it was off again. It flew over my head, called and went east, pitching down on the path. Distant views and several of us set off in pursuit. Before we’d got anywhere near it, it was back over our heads, calling, and this time disappeared west.

Simon C has much better, digiscoped, pix.
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Pic attatched of the Citrine.

Drake Garganey on the freshmarsh at Titchwell today

Simon
 

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More spectactular views this evening, although distant, of the Golden Oriole at Snettisham Coastal Park. I went back to get better pictures, but no hope there!

Bumped into Pete H. - nice to see you again. Glad you got to see it Sue:t:

Full update on blog.

Penny:girl:
 
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Lightthiscandle said:
firstreesjohn said:
This last (a ?Black Hawk? downed out of my sight at Kelling) buzzed around, looking menacing for a while.QUOTE]

It's an Apache: they're based at Martlesham....
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A bit of a shock for the good burghers of Martlesham (though would serve them right for living on what was once for me - as a boy - still open heathland with a decent RB shrike population) ... I think you'll find they're from Wattisham, near Hadleigh.

Chris A.
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Oooops!
Sorry Chris: I did indeed mean Wattisham: about ten miles as the crow flies.
Apaches often land at RAF Woodbridge: I believe they use the old base for combined ops training.
 
Lightthiscandle said:
Still there: frustratingly close to the A47, but behind the reeds!
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To add not-a-great-deal (if anything) to the Acle White Stork 'debate', 2 White Storks were photographed on the Elveden estate (Suffolk side), north of the A11, on Wednesday 25 April (c1 mile from the nearest public road / right of way, unfortunately). Don't know if they've been seen since.

Cheers
Nick
 
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Titchwell May 1st

Today’s highlights

Black tern – 1 on fresh marsh
Garganey – drake on fresh marsh
Red crested pochard – 3 on fresh marsh
Little gull – 2 on fresh marsh
Grasshopper warbler – 2 males in reedbed
Brambling – 1 on feeders
Short eared owl – 1 hunting grazing meadow

Paul
 
Nick Moran said:
things that probably fly a lot further from Norfolk than your average Apache... and entirely under their own steam!
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Quite true, Nick. The vision and research which has brought to light the annual and arduous journeys of our lovely Cuckoos is most welcome. It is great to know that Lyster is back in Norfolk, having left County on 22nd July last year.

However, your turn of phrase did (characteristically) bring to my mind an unfortunate type of image- as can be seen below, not original.
 

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Johny121 said:
firstreesjohn said:
Quite true, Nick. The vision and research which has brought to light the annual and arduous journeys of our lovely Cuckoos is most welcome. It is great to know that Lyster is back in Norfolk, having left County on 22nd July last year.

Brilliant news!
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Yup - certainly made my day! There's been a Cuckoo on "Clement's Patch" a.k.a the Nunnery Lakes in Thetford since 25 April, calling again this evening. No sign of any wires though, so I don't think there's going to be a miraculous comeback from Clement (last heard from in Cameroon, 25 Feb).
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