Norfolk birding (4 Viewers)

[Northern123]

Hi Ian, for Lapland Buntings and Twite park in Blakeney Quay NT Car Park and walk north alpng the seawall for about 700metres to where there is a five bar gate together with a kissing gate where another footpath joins from the left. Go about 40 metres down this footpath and look at the grassland andud around the freshwater pools either side of the fenced path. 3 Laps & 7 Twite here coming and going. Also Red rumped swallow today around blakeney duck pond at start of seawalll and peregrine and red kite over marshes.

Good luck

Neil Bostock

Thanks Neil, that was really helpful. I tried for the Lapland buntings first but they hadn't been seen when I arrived and I eventually gave up and headed to Cley where I connected with the Snow bunting flock by the pill box and saw my first ever Black brant. I also got great views of the Shore larks at Burnham Overy but failed to connect with either the Red-rumped swallow or Pallid harrier.

 

[john miller]

Yes, you're memory is still fairly clear and Laps used to come out to join the Snowbunts for the scattered seed put out by a local and assembled photographers to attract and hold them over the winter. Though they did easily spook and fly inland onto the saltmarsh out of reasonable view - blooming dogwalkers. One of my funniest memories was a dog sniffing and then cocking its leg on a prostrate horizontal camouflaged photographer who was p*ssed off big time and remonstrated with said owner as the mutt scampered off towards Little Eye!

(note how I've shortened the names to appear young and down with the cool doods).

This practice was against best advice as the site is still recognised as SSSI but what does that matter to us old farts, eh!

Before anyone spits out their dummy, the photos are okayish given today's standards, and congrats to the finder.

Merry Crimbo from sunny Slough.

[/Birding should be fun. Dick BartlettI]

Hi Pat you been in hiding, not seen you for many months. Still putting out seed at Salthouse, but just feeding Turnstones and Gulls. Hopefully some Snows will eventually find it, but not like the good old days when they fed around your feet.
Re Lap Buntings, 2007 was the only year that a good size flock was at Salthouse. Then at least a dozen could always be found on the seeded areas right out in the open, in with the Snow Bunting flock. Even had one perch on my lens. Otherwise just the odd few birds spending a few days in the area.
Call in when you are around some time.
John

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell December 21st

Today's highlights

Brambling - 2 on feeders
Marsh tit - 1 on feeders
Hen harrier - male over saltmarsh mid morning. Ringtail roosted in reedbed last night with 18 marsh harriers
Red crested pochard - 5 on fresh marsh
Avocet - 11 on fresh marsh
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh + 1 on Patsy's reedbed
Dark bellied brent goose - 400 on fresh marsh only included 2 juvs
Spotted redshank - 2 on tidal pool
Yellow legged gull - adult on fresh marsh
Gadwall - 240 on fresh marsh

Paul

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell December 22nd

Today's highlights

Iceland gull - 1st winter in fresh marsh roost from 15:40 to dusk
Slavonian grebe - 1 offshore this morning
Avocet - 13 on fresh marsh
Chiffchaff - 2 in carpark
Marsh tit - 1 on feeders

Paul

 

[Ed Woods]

3 Guinea Fowl in field near Brookville. Second time I have seen free roaming guinea Fowl in Norfolk.

 

[ben_lewis]

3 Guinea Fowl in field near Brookville. Second time I have seen free roaming guinea Fowl in Norfolk.

There are two very noisy ones along the lanes between strumpshaw and Buckenham at the the moment too (can't believe how loud they are when "singing"). Also in the same area are three reeves pheasants, a couple of albino pheasants and 3-4 peacocks! A mixed bag released this year!

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell December 23rd

Today's highlights

Water pipit - 2 on drained grazing meadow pool + 1 on Patsy's reedbed
Spotted redshank - 2 on fresh marsh
Goosander - female west over reserve, drake on fresh marsh later morning
Peregrine - 2 hutning over reserve
Red crested pochard - pair on fresh marsh
Avocet - 15 on fresh marsh
Marsh tit - 1 on feeders
Chiffchaff - 1 in carpark

Paul

 

[Ed Woods]

Saw my first Reeves Pheasant at Great Cressingham earlier in the year.

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell December 24th

Today's highlights

Avocet - 18 on fresh marsh, new winter record count
Shoveler - 182 on fresh marsh this morning was the 2nd highest count since 280 in October 2006
Red crested pochard - pair on fresh marsh
Brambling - 2 on feeders

Paul

 

[Stratton Birder]

Merry Christmas All. Hope you all had a great day!

The lure of probably what would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a Swallow in Norfolk on Christmas day was more than a reason for a few hours birding on the north Norfolk coast before Christmas dinner today so I found myself forsaking any Christmas Eve revelry in favour of a 6.00am alarm call this morning.

I decided to start at Wells Harbour where I arrived at 7.30 and where it was beautifully tranquil with a clear dark blue sky above. The high tide was just on the turn and moving out quickly which after a few minutes, eventually brought the adult Shag into view enabling me to observe it happily feeding.

A Peregrine soared low over Lodge marsh and a Kingfisher landed on a boat in the harbour. An unexpected sighting came in the form of a splendid drake Goosander which flew high west, the whiteness of the bird just catching the light of the rising sun, alerting me of its presence before it disappeared into the distance.

At almost 9.00 I thought it best to get myself along to Holkham. With an 11.00 deadline before I had to leave, I had to maximise my chances of success with regards to seeing the Red-rumped Swallow. I parked up by the estate gates and walked back down the drive towards the main road to the sight of several skeins of geese overhead and decided to walk along the A149 to the derelict farm buildings where the bird had been seen.

An hour had passed and no sign of the bird but watching Barn Owls, harriers, buzzards and a couple of White-fronted Geese and a Barnacle among the Pink-feet meant the time passed quickly. I decided to walk back to Lady Ann's Drive and try in the other direction, spoke to Steve Gantlett en-route who pulled over in his car and literally just a couple of minutes after our chat, a very timely message on the pager said that the swallow had just been seen further along the marsh along with a Dusky Warbler!!

I legged it back to the car and got myself to the place where the Swallow was last seen but to no avail. I scanned the marsh repeatedly but still no sign although a Christmas day Chiffchaff and a covey of four Grey Partridges were noted.

By now the time was 10.50 and I had all but given up hope of my quarry but then another very timely message said that the swallow was present at the junction with the Burnham Market road and with just minutes to spare, myself and several others managed to get to the spot where it was reported and sure enough, there was the Red-rumped Swallow in all its glory flying back and forwards over the main road on Christmas day. Fabulous!! A superb happy ending to a trip only decided on a whim the day before and with many other good sightings seen in just over three and a half hours of birding - I even had 15 minutes to spare when I got home so I could freshen up properly before going round to my sisters for dinner!

Steve.

 

[nigelt]

Great read as always, Steve! Swallows are amongst my favourite birds, and I have yet to see a Red-rumped, so I might try for it today.

 

[richardm]

Amazing list of species in Norfolk, but truly extraordinary for a Christmas Day!
Red-rumped Swallow (1st ever Dec record in UK) and Pallid Harrier (3rd ever Dec record in UK, 2nd such for Norfolk) plus a bonus Dusky Warbler (<10 Dec records in UK). And that's not even factoring in Iceland Gull, Rough-legged Buzzard, Black Brant, Shore Larks, Taiga Bean Goose and Great White Egret (plus a host of lesser scarcities such as Red-n Grebe, Snow Bunting, Water Pipit and Common Cranes)!

 

[Johny121]

Kites

Does anyone have any counts of Kite roosts from around the county?

I was surprised to count 12 a couple of miles West of Norwich today coming to roost. Be interested to know how many are roughly in county.

 

[richardm]

Amazing list of species in Norfolk, but truly extraordinary for a Christmas Day!
Red-rumped Swallow (1st ever Dec record in UK) and Pallid Harrier (3rd ever Dec record in UK, 2nd such for Norfolk) plus a bonus Dusky Warbler (<10 Dec records in UK). And that's not even factoring in Iceland Gull, Rough-legged Buzzard, Black Brant, Shore Larks, Taiga Bean Goose and Great White Egret (plus a host of lesser scarcities such as Red-n Grebe, Snow Bunting, Water Pipit and Common Cranes)!

Oh, and Cattle Egret also for Christmas Day.
I understand the R-r Swallow and Pallid H have gone flyabout today - but with any luck both might be relocated ready for the 2016 year-listers

 

[richardm]

R-r Swallow and Pallid H back/still present today, Monday ... Friday will be 2016

 

[Alcina]

Any tips on how best to find this swallow?

 

[Norfolk Snake]

red rumped swallow

Here's another polite request - could birders looking for the swallow kindly NOT enter the fields or the tracks off the A149 at Holkham. Several groups/individuals have been asked to leave private land and or the NNR in the last few days either by the wardens or the local landowner. Police were also called today for the third time in the last few days for the abysmal parking on the junction with the Burnham Market turn off, one car was abandoned just around the corner in the carriageway and could have caused a nasty pile up. Whilst some of this might seem either petty or scare mongering to some, the situation is stirring up ill feeling locally and this is something the birding community could do without. So please just use a bit of common sense and everyone will be happy ! It is one of a few great birds locally so lets all enjoy them...

 

[richardm]

Any tips on how best to find this swallow?

The swallow is mainly to be found where it has the best chance of finding food, which essentially is any airspace sheltered from the wind - hence in front of the wooded Holkham Park and, this evening, the seaward side of Holkham Pines, it seems. If zipping about over the fields north of the A.149, it is likely to be rather distant, and the viewing hazardous; traffic roars furiously past within inches as there is no verge.
If viewing near the Burnham Market junction, be prepared to park safely a good way along that road and walk back; there is effectively no parking along the A.149 itself. A more enjoyable outing might be to park at Lady Anne's Drive and walk west through the pines to the Jordan Hide, and/or carry on to the end of the pines and walk back along the seaward side. Who knows, you might encounter the swallow on the walk...
Another tactic is to designate a driver, zoom back & forth along the A.149 until you spot someone seeing the bird, get dropped-off at that point and be picked-up later. Of course, it is a win-lose scenario that does not favour the driver much

 

[Alcina]

Here's another polite request - could birders looking for the swallow kindly NOT enter the fields or the tracks off the A149 at Holkham. Several groups/individuals have been asked to leave private land and or the NNR in the last few days either by the wardens or the local landowner. Police were also called today for the third time in the last few days for the abysmal parking on the junction with the Burnham Market turn off, one car was abandoned just around the corner in the carriageway and could have caused a nasty pile up. Whilst some of this might seem either petty or scare mongering to some, the situation is stirring up ill feeling locally and this is something the birding community could do without. So please just use a bit of common sense and everyone will be happy ! It is one of a few great birds locally so lets all enjoy them...

I doidn't realise you could park there. I was going to park at Lady Anne's, and I wasn't fancying the walk along he A149. Thanks for the tip off!

 

[Paul Eele]

Titchwell December 29th

Today's highlights

Hen harrier - male east over the reserve mid afternoon
Water pipit - 2 on grazing meadow pool
Slavonian grebe - 1 offshore
Greenshank - 1 on tidal pool
Merlin - 1 hunting beach
Brambling - 2 females on feeders
Chiffchaff - 2 on Meadow Trail

Paul