Norfolk birding (27 Viewers)

[peter hill]

Saw a few of those wheatears today but our best bird was a firecrest at walsey hills

 

[harrier1234]

Brancaster 0745hrs-0915hrs

Wheatear x 2, Cetti's, Chiffchaff x 6, Blackcap, Large flock of Scoter with a few Velvets amongts them.

 

[Peewit]

Anyone know anything about this?
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/756/593/892/save-burgh-castle-marshes/
It's the first I've heard of it.

Signed it - I am just disgusted about the attitude of people who do not respect our laws, and wildlife

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Phil Carter]

Please tell me if I am wrong, but I recall the mafia coming from Italy

Have you not been to Cley?

Phil

 

[stuart white]

Two-barred Crossbills

Nice to see some proper easy to identify two barred crossbills back at Lynford, some nice pics by Sean Nixon on the RBA website.

 

[Stratton Birder]

Three beautiful birds made a trip to Happisburgh very worthwhile this morning. A Red Kite flew north west just inland from the cliffs and a superb Snow Bunting and migrant Woodcock posed for photographs. I have seen more Red-flanked Bluetails than Woodcocks showing like this so definitely a rare and memorable sighting.

Steve.

 

[Orion42]

North Sea trip

Over the weekend I did a whale and dolphin survey from Harwich to Eskberg and back with Orca. Unfortunately we did not see any cetaceans but a good number of seabirds. Of interest were several pied wagtails flying East, the big surprise was a female sparrowhawk flying East. As we got closer to Denmark we saw good numbers of common Scoter and a few Velvet Scoter. On the way back we saw a number of individual divers.
Others were
gulls, little, BH, LBB, GBB, Common, Herring
Kittiwake
Fulmar
Razor bill
guillemot
Gannet
Apart from the Scoters there was not huge numbers of anything and we went for long periods without seeing anything.

On Fano Island, Hooded Crow
Dave

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell March 24th

Today's highlights

Red kite - 3 west between 11:00 & 11:45
Sedge warbler - 1 singing and showing on the north seawall at ca 8am this morning
Sand martin - 2 west
Med gull - 2 adults on fresh marsh all day
Hen harrier - ringtail west
Velvet scoter - 3 offshore

Paul

 

[Johny121]

Early start at W.Hills produced two bullfinch, cetti's warbler, several chiffchaff and a calling but sadly elusive firecrest. Marsh Harriers were displaying and calling overhead. 5 Wheatear at Salthouse and 2 more up Old Woman's Lane. At 11.57am I casually watched 7 common buzzard over Cley village, upon closer inspection one was a RLBuzzard - a really sublime marked bird that tussled with the commons for a few minuted before dropping low overhead and then flew eastwards towards Salthouse village leaving the commons to continue to kettle. I am aware of the pale common buzzards over Cley too.

A flock of 16 Gadwall came into Cley with about 30 in total + lots of the normal stuff and some beautiful shovelar close to the hides. A nice morning but sadly no sandwich terns or hirundines.

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell March 25th

Today's highlights

Hen harrier - ringtail over the fresh marsh this afternoon
Red kite - 1 west this morning
Red crested pochard - 8 on Patsy's reedbed this afternoon (reserve record)

Paul

 

[ben_lewis]

Aythya hybrid

I had an interesting Aythya hybrid this morning at Strumpshaw Fen.
As you can see from the pics below it resembled a male Pochard but had a darker back, darker red/maroon coloured head, similarly coloured breast (not black) and a pale eye (possibly slightly yellow). The bill markings and head shape were also different although head shape seemed to change a lot.

As far as I can tell it is a Pochard x Ferruginous hybrid, a smart looking male too. Just thought I'd post for interest as I have never seen one before and thought I'd see if others agreed with the id.

 

[PYRTLE]

Cley - The East Bank has been repaired and is now "publicly" re - opened by the E.A.

Richard's pipit reported again this morning east of Gramborough.

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell March 28th

Today's highlights

Osprey - 1 west over reserve @ 14:45
Snow bunting - 2 on beach showing well at the end of path this afternoon
Red crested pochard - 3 on fresh marsh
Velvet scoter - 5 with 3-4,000 common scoter
Marsh harrier - 1st 'sky dancing' male of the spring

Paul

 

[SueBryan]

Just to add to Paul's posting I had a Ring Ouzel fly into the scrub as I was working in the car park this morning which I forgot to put in the book (sorry Paul)

I have just finished a trip report of my recent trip to Venezuela if anyone is interested but don't look at it if you don't like heights as the climb Paul did for Harpy Eagle is not for the feint-hearted! http://www.freewebs.com/suebryan/venezuela2014.htm


Sue

 

[Stratton Birder]

I had an interesting Aythya hybrid this morning at Strumpshaw Fen.
As you can see from the pics below it resembled a male Pochard but had a darker back, darker red/maroon coloured head, similarly coloured breast (not black) and a pale eye (possibly slightly yellow). The bill markings and head shape were also different although head shape seemed to change a lot.

As far as I can tell it is a Pochard x Ferruginous hybrid, a smart looking male too. Just thought I'd post for interest as I have never seen one before and thought I'd see if others agreed with the id.

Agree. I cant think of any other combination which would result in such colouration as seen on this bird. Its somewhere intermediate between the two species. Smart looking bird as you say and I also find these hybrids very striking and they make you feel like you're actually looking at a new species and you almost want to tick them as so!
I saw a drake Tufted X Pochard at Titchwell a few weeks back and that too was equally striking.

I'm going to Strumpshaw today so will look out for it. Also hoping to hear my first Willow Warbler of the spring too.

Steve.

 

[Dave Appleton]

Agree. I cant think of any other combination which would result in such colouration as seen on this bird. Its somewhere intermediate between the two species. Smart looking bird as you say and I also find these hybrids very striking and they make you feel like you're actually looking at a new species and you almost want to tick them as so!
I saw a drake Tufted X Pochard at Titchwell a few weeks back and that too was equally striking.

I'm going to Strumpshaw today so will look out for it. Also hoping to hear my first Willow Warbler of the spring too.

Steve.

Also agree, though it differs from examples I've seen before. Let us know if it's still around - would be interested in seeing it.

 

[Lightthiscandle]

Hybrid

Couple of things: I saw Ben's Aythya on Thursday - certainly looks like a P/FD hybrid...
Had stunning views of a couple of female Hawfinches at Linford yesterday, as well as 2BXB, Firecrest (4!) and a couple of Parrot XBs near Mayday.

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell March 29th

Today's highlights

Snow bunting - 2 confiding birds still on the beach showing well
Wheatear - 1 on beach
Velvet scoter - 7 offshore

Paul

 

[devans1]

Nice views of a female Merlin in Winterton north dunes this morning. Lost sight of it after it was continually flushed by dogs.

Whilst I was there, there were easily more dogs than people. One couple had 7 with them!!

I'm not a dog hater but the situation at Winterton is ridiculous. The site is an NNR, SSSI, SAC and is part of the Norfolk coast AONB. The number of dogs and the amount of dog poo mean that it resembles your average local park most of time, rather than a place for wildlife.

I don't expect it to be a dog free zone and it would be impossible to enforce if it was but the current situation is out of control in my opinion. You shouldn't have to watch where you put your feet for fear of treading in poo in an area like that, let alone the negative impact on adders, ground nesting birds etc.

 

[gordon hamlett]

Today at Sculthorpe

Willow warbler
12+ Chiffchaffs
30+ bramblings
5 Bullfinches
6 Buzzards
4 Sparrowhawks
2 marsh harriers
6 nuthatches
10 redwings
little egret
mating marsh tits
water vole
bank vole

50 species seen in 3 hours plus half a dozen obvious 'misses'

Gordon