Norfolk birding (36 Viewers)

[Lightthiscandle]

Hi Ben!
Don't see why not! I was walking alomg Carrs Road, just past the derelict manor house that's being restored.: the HB was flying south, calling continuously and being hassled by the kestrel. It crossed the road (quite high, hence poor photos!) and turned westwards over Buckenham. AFive minutes later I was just approaching Buckenham Red Barn when it briefly came up over Buickenham Church.
Cheers!

 

[firstreesjohn]

Sea monster off Sheringham this morning !

In an unexpected development, the Bacton Killer Whales were easily trumped by this first for UK waters (see pic below). It seems that the swimmers were able to make a speedy and safe departure, just avoiding their being devoured by this fearsome denizen of the deep.

Another first, this time for my year, was a Turtle Dove, on Salthouse Heath. I only had a few seconds, before it took fright- and flight.

In timely fashion, I noticed the attached plea at the Cley NWT VC. It requests all sightings of turtur either to be ‘phoned in to the number given, or entered via the website.

 

[putnoebabes]

Yellow legged Gull

One adult East past Cromer Pier this pm

 

[jimbob]

Cantley Beet Factory this morning.
Yellow Wagtail, Avocet, Common and Green Sandpiper- full totals as usual on me blog.
Also a nice visit to NWT Lower Wood- a part of my search for fringe birding sites!
Cheers,
Jim.

 

[howard1]

Cley Marshes Appeal

I remember this possibility being discussed a while back;

http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/appeal.aspx


It's time to dig deep!

 

[ben_lewis]

Hi Ben!
Don't see why not! I was walking alomg Carrs Road, just past the derelict manor house that's being restored.: the HB was flying south, calling continuously and being hassled by the kestrel. It crossed the road (quite high, hence poor photos!) and turned westwards over Buckenham. AFive minutes later I was just approaching Buckenham Red Barn when it briefly came up over Buickenham Church.
Cheers!

Thanks David, may add it as a flyover record then.

 

[Lightthiscandle]

Two more

Just in case it can be confirmed this is the male from North Norfolk: two more shots as it flew overhead.

 

[Tideliner]

This is not the Swanton Novers male. At the present time this bird has two inner primaries moulted and a central tail feather.

 

[upstarts1979]

I remember this possibility being discussed a while back;

http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/appeal.aspx

It's time to dig deep!

Just made my donation, even though I haven't visited Cley for 4 or 5 years, it will always be a special place for me and is the ancestral home of the 'Upstarts':smoke:
.
My 2nd home in the late 70's early 80's, hope the target is reached.B John

 

[Penny Clarke]

New thread here: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2500480#post2500480

 

[Lightthiscandle]

Help!

Hate to be a nuisance: I saw another interesting raptor today, which (sadly) was about a mile away, flying with a Marsh Harrier and a Buzzard. It was considerably larger than either and had a white rump....
Any ideas? Here are a couple of desperately faecal photos!

 

[jimbob]

There appears to be some white on the primaries in picture two, and the feathers appear 'fingered' (maybe missing a feather there). That with the white rump, and I would tentatively suggest a juvenile Golden Eagle.

Cheers,
Jim.

 

[Paul Woolnough]

Not sure about the eagle Jim.

Would expect a golden eagle to dwarf the buzzards and harriers

Cannot see if the unidentified bird has a relatively small head / possible homey buzzard
Recall a strange buzzard like bird with common buzzards at Marazion Cornwall in 1998. Seen by others and confirmed as a honey.
Honey buzzard a possibility here but iD remains uncertain.

Eagle for comparison
Mull A pair of golden eagles flew fron their eyrie June 2012
Record shots of the eagles attached
Adult and juvenile seen at another location in 2011. A lot of white on the juvenile. Kestrel flew past and was tiny compared to the eagle.

 

[jimbob]

Not sure about the eagle Jim.

Would expect it to dwarf the buzzards and harriers

Mull A pair of golden eagles flew fron their eyrie.

Record shot of one showing jizz

True, Paul, I see what you're saying. I was going by David's description rather than the final photo, in which a size comparison is difficult.
Golden Eagle would of course be unlikely to say the least. What other raptors are 'considerably bigger' than our usual Harriers and Buzzard?
Although it was a mile away- anything with noting re jizz, behaviour?
Jim.

 

[Tideliner]

Possibly a Harris hawk. There usualy an odd escape about the county somewhere.

 

[Paul Woolnough]

Female honey buzzard compared to a male common buzzard?

Cannot be sure.

P.S. I was at Kelling Heath car park when a "buzzard like" raptor flew west. Wings flat, tail spread, no bowing to rear of wing, on other words a straight line along both wings excluding the hand.

Immediate thought was honey. Then thought, no it was not.
Checked http://honey-buzzard.blogspot.co.uk/ and read ID for distant birds. (Middle distance rather than a long way up)

I think my bird was a honey buzzard. Early but perhaps displaced by the bad weather. Not sure I have enough from my sighting to submit the record though.

 

[Paul Woolnough]

Possibly a Harris hawk. There usualy an odd escape about the county somewhere.

(Tideliner cross-posted my 17:21 response)
Could well be.

My presumed honey buzzard on Saturday 22 July, west along the coast from Kelling Heath, did not have the same jizz as the unidentified bird here.

 

[jimbob]

Just grabbed my 'Raptors of the World' book- for my own piece of mind, so apologies if everyone else is one step ahead.
Harris's Hawk certainly shows white on the rump, as in the photo above. But wingspan would be similar to our Common Buzzard.
Perhaps we have both juvenile Common Buzzard and Marsh Harrier, along with a Harris's? There was a Harris's at Strumpshaw earlier this year, as I recall.

Cheers,
Jim.

 

[Paul Woolnough]

Unfamiliar with harris hawk so checked the species out.

Likely ID a large (escapee) harris hawk.
In the recent past I saw far more possible honey buzzards at the watchpoints than actual honeys. The one's confirmed as honey showed well enough for ID to be confirmed.


Not easy to judge size.
Saw a goshawk at the west end of Holkham, near the fort on 31 Oct 1994. Bulky bird, too big and all wrong for female sparrowhawk.

I assumed, given the size of the bird it must be a female. A goshawk was in the area at the time. A male, I discovered later.

Having seen many goshawks of both sexes since I am sure the bird I scoped on a post near the cross tracks, from near the Burnham turn, was a male goshawk.

 

[Happisbirder]

Just in case it can be confirmed this is the male from North Norfolk: two more shots as it flew overhead.

Compare your bird with this one photographed in 'The Broads' (click & scroll down) on July 9th. Perhaps there's a lone bird summering in Broadland. Plenty of hiding places...

James