Day 4 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. Wet and very windy today due to Storm Babet, though perhaps not quite as bad as forecast, it was still not a good day to be out birding. We gamely made a half day of it, before the vote was to abandon play just after 1pm and head for the warm and dry.
With the wind gusting 45-46mph this morning, we headed down to Sheringham where we could find some shelter along the prom and see what was passing out to sea. The visibility was poor, with all the cloud and spray it was impossible to see out past the flags which mark where the crab pots are. Still, we quickly picked up a small group of three Little Gulls offshore – their dark underwings flashing alternately with their pale silvery grey upperparts as they fluttered into the wind, dipping down to the water’s surface. It was hard to tell how many Little Gulls we saw this morning, as we couldn’t tell whether the same birds lingered offshore throughout or they were passing through (lots of Little Gulls were displaced by the weather today though and there would be big numbers moving tomorrow).
Rough Sea – and poor visibility today
There was a trickle of wildfowl passing offshore too, despite the wind. Several small groups of Wigeon and Teal arriving from the Continent for the winter and a small number of Common Scoter past too. More surprising was the White-fronted Goose which appeared in front of our shelter, battling into the wind. It was possibly trying to come in but put off by the cliffs, eventually turning into the wind and disappearing off to the west. Shortly after, a Greylag Goose flew past offshore too. A few small lines of Brent Geese were more expected, arriving for the winter.
There seemed to be fewer passerines making it in over the sea today, although we did pick up a flock of Starlings coming in over the waves at some point. Ideally, we would have wanted N winds to bring in some more seabirds this morning, but the wind was due E today which seemed to limit the possibilities somewhat.
After a while, we decided to head along the coast to Cley to see if we could get into the hides. When we got to the Visitor Centre, we decided a coffee break was in order first, to warm up. A Marsh Harrier circled up a couple of times out of the reeds opposite. It was raining steadily but not too hard so after wrapping up we headed across the road and the short distance along the Skirts path to Bishop Hide. The path out to the hide was very wet – hopefully it is finally going to be sorted out next month – but we made it out and settled in out of the weather.
Common Snipe – looking wet
We had been told that a Common Snipe had been showing very well right in front of the hide earlier. It was up on the top of the bank off to the left when we arrived, facing into the rain. It fed for a while, probing into the wet grass, before something spooked it and it dropped down over the far side of the bank, to the edge of the scrape out of view. What was presumably the same Snipe came back up a little later and flushed another from where it was hiding in a tussock of grass. The latter flew off and landed in the reeds in the middle of the island in front of the hide, while the first dropped back over the bank out of view.
There were several Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the water in front of the hide too and more further back. Several Dunlin were feeding around the various grassy islands along with a couple of Avocets.
There were plenty of ducks here too – they didn’t seem particularly worried about the weather, the water flowing off their backs. Three female Shoveler were feeding in the channel in front of the hide and were joined by a male still in partial eclipse plumage which started to display to one of them at one point, bobbing its head up and down. There were more Shoveler on the scrape itself, the drakes in a variety of different plumage stages, some almost back into full breeding plumage now.
There were various Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck scattered around too and a smart drake Teal which was also almost back in full breeding plumage swam across in front of the island out from the hide at one point. A lone Pink-footed Goose dropped in briefly at the back.
A Kingfisher flashed across right in front of the hide in a streak of electric blue. It landed in a sheltered corner of the ditch on the edge of the reeds, out of the wind, and from the far end of the hide, we realised we could see it perched on a curled-over bulrush stem. We had some lovely views of it before it flashed back across in front of us and disappeared round the reeds out to the left of the hide. A very nice bird to enjoy on such a dull day as this.
Kingfisher – brightened up a very dull day
It was lunchtime now, so we decided to head back to the Visitor Centre. Heads down we made our way back along the path. The rain was heavier again now and when we got back to shelter we had another look at the forecast. There had been an outside suggestion on the breakfast news that the rain band might clear through during the afternoon today, but looking at the rainfall radar now it was very slow moving and that looked increasingly unlikely. We had managed to make a morning of it, and had enjoyed three much better days beforehand, so after putting it to a vote we all decided to call it a day and head for home.
Day 3 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. It was a cloudy morning, with a brief shower at one point, but it brightened up around the middle of the day with some sunny intervals in the afternoon and lighter winds. Another pleasant day to be out.
Our desitination for this morning was Holkham. As we got out of the minibus, a very pale Common Buzzard was perched in a bush by Lady Anne’s Drive and we stopped to look at it in the scope. Regular here and a pitfall for the unwary, they often get reported as something rarer. A Marsh Harrier was quartering beyond. There as no sign of any Grey Partridges first thing but there has probably been quite a bit of disturbance from the construction of the new path from the horse box parking which goes right through what has historically been their favoured feeding area. Hopefully the works will only prove to be a temporary deterrent.
Common Buzzard – a pale one
As we walked west along the track before the pines, we could hear a Brambling calling over the trees and a few Redwing and Starling flew in overhead. More freshly arrived migrants, here for the winter. A succession of Jays flew back and forth, presumably looking for acorns. A couple of Red Kites were hanging in the breeze over the edge of the pines.
We stopped at Salts Hole where a couple of Little Grebes were diving just in front of us. There were quite a few Gadwall and Mallard out on the water, and a couple of Teal, but nothing else of note here today.
Little Grebe – on Salts Hole
A little further on, we stopped again at the gate which looks out over the grazing marsh. There were several Curlews feeding in the long grass and a Brown Hare which crouched staring at us for a couple of minutes before racing off. A Chinese Water Deer disappeared into the ditch. A Mistle Thrush was perched in the top of a dead elder on the edge of the reedbed and a male Stonechat was flycatching from the top of the brambles at the far side of the grass.
Fortuitously, we got in to Washington Hide just as it started to rain. It was just a brief shower, but from we sat and scanned and picked up two Great White Egrets and a single Cattle Egret out with the cows.
Great White Egret – with the cows
It quickly brightened up again, so we headed back out again to make the most of it. We walked on down to the end of the boardwalk to look at the beach. There were lots of Common Scoter out on the sea in various rafts, a scattering of Razorbills and Great Crested Grebes, and several Red-throated Divers, including one still largely in breeding plumage with a red throat. A few Gannets flew past in the distance, and we caught the tail end of a Manx Shearwater which flew west. We could see a few lines of Brent Geese coming in out over the water, more small flocks of Starlings (a bit of a recurring theme at the moment), and a couple of little groups of Skylarks arriving too.
Back to the track the other side of the pines, we carried on our way west. With an easterly wind overnight, we were hoping we might find more migrants freshly arrived today, but the trees were disappointingly quiet. It appeared that the tit flocks were also feeding up in the pines and not in the trees along the south edge this morning too. There were still lots of Common Darter dragonflies enjoying the sunshine and a Red Admiral butterfly on the brambles.
The Joe Jordan hide is still closed – we understand that a replacement is planned, but there is no sign of it coming yet. We looked over the wall and had a quick scan of the grazing marsh, but we couldn’t see anything of note in the trees today, so we carried on.
One of the wardens had told us that there had been a Yellow-browed Warbler calling earlier in the sallows just beyond crosstracks but there was no sign of it now, despite the trees here being nicely sheltered from the wind. We did a quick loop of the ‘Bluetail Trail’ then continued on to the west end, hearing more tits calling from up in the pines on the way. A brief look from the gate at the end of the track failed to produce anything, so there was nothing to encourage us to to walk on into the dunes today.
Walking back, some of the tits we had heard on our way out now dropped out of the pines into the sallows the other side of the track, including a couple of Coal Tits and a Treecreeper. We followed the flock back to the trees by the crosstracks. The Yellow-browed Warbler called again but it appeared to come from deep in the sallows. We waited to see if it might show itself, but it had gone quiet again and there was no movement in the trees. A Chiffchaff called from the sallows behidn us. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over our heads and landed in a tall pine nearby where we could see it was a male, with a red band on the back of its neck.
As we walked back to Lady Anne’s Drive, the sun finally came out. We had to go to the minibus to get our lunches, and as we made our way back to the picnic tables by the Lookout, the covey of six Grey Partridges had now flown in. We had some good views of them as they fed in the grass.
Grey Partridges – flew back in
We ate lunch on the picnic tables outside in the sunshine. Another couple of Red Kites drifted past along the edge of the pines, as did two Ravens, one harried by a Carrion Crow. Later we found two Red Kites and what were presumably the same two Ravens on the ground out on the grazing marsh – presumably there was some carrion out there which had attracted them down. There were still a few thrushes and Starlings coming in over the pines too.
Raven – harried by a Carrion Crow
As we were walking back to the minibus after lunch, we noticed a bird drop in on the new scrape out on the grazing marsh and we were surprised to find it was a Green Sandpiper. It didn’t stay long, then flew up and circled round before appearing to land again behind the Lookout Cafe. A nice bonus – most of them have gone south already or moved inland to spend the winter.
We made our way round to the pools the other side of Wells, at North Point. The water levels are up after the recent rain, and there are lots of ducks on here now for the winter – Wigeon, Teal, a few Shoveler and a good number of Pintail. Some of the Pintail started flying up in small flocks and off out over the fields towards the saltmarsh. There were quite a few Black-tailed Godwits and Ruff in with the ducks towards the back of the pool east of the track too.
Black-tailed Godwit – feeding on the pools
We walked down the track to scan the rushy edges of the pool and found a couple of Common Snipe on the edge of the water. Another flew in and dropped down on the near edge, but disappeared into the rushes. A small group of Black-tailed Godwits were feeding in the water along the near edge, where we had a very good view of them.
Six Pink-footed Geese flew over and a short while later we heard more calling behind us and turned to see several thousand come up over the fields inland. An impressive sight. Several hundred flew in overhead, and dropped down over the fields towards the saltmarsh.
Pink-footed Geese – several thousand came up from the fields
We normally like to finish our last day at this time of the year with a trip down into the edge of the Brecks, but with weather for tomorrow forecast to be challenging, we decided to head inland this afternoon to look for Stone Curlews. The number of birds at the closest of their regular post-breeding gathering sites is down this year, probably because some of their favoured fields have tall vegetation in them at the moment making them unsuitable.
After a long walk this morning, everyone was pleased of a bit of a rest as we drove down to the Brecks. At our first stop, we could immediately see one Stone Curlew distantly in the field, but it walked out of view before everyone could get a look at it through the scope. We drove a bit further on, and could see more now – we counted at least 13 Stone Curlews, and there were possibly even more hidden from view. Some were back on, standing facing in to the wind, away from us, but others turned, and we could see their staring yellow eyes.
Stone Curlews – some of the 13+ this afternoon
There were lots of Lapwings in the fields here too, including several close to the road in the winter wheat opposite. There were several Brown Hares and a large number of Red-legged Partridges in the field too. After struggling to import them from France last year due to bird flu, many gamekeepers seem to be trying to make up for it this year by releasing larger than ever numbers – they are everywhere!
Lapwing – in the winter wheat
A Greenfinch flew out of the hedge and round over our heads calling, still a rather scarce bird these days. A large flock of Linnets was feeding in the pig fields, and a good number of Starlings and three Stock Doves landed on the wires above. A huge flock of Jackdaws circled up at the back calling loudly. It was a nice way to end the day here watching all the birds in the sunshine.
Day 2 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. It was a bit cloudier than yesterday, and still rather windy, but it stayed dry all day. We spent the day in north-west Norfolk.
Our destination for the morning was Titchwell. As there were few cars there already when we arrived, as had a quick look round the overflow car park first. A small flock of Redwings flew overhead and dropped into the hedge behind us, and a couple of small groups of Chaffinches flew over calling too. There had clearly been some birds arriving from the Continent overnight.
A small bird flew across and up into the top of one of the big sallows. We couldn’t see it in the leaves, but then it flew up into the sky above flycatching. The elusive Yellow-browed Warbler! Unfortunately it dropped back down into the tree out of view and despite watching for a minute or two there was no further sign. There were a few tits in the hedge the other side, we could see some Long-tailed Tits flitting around which moved quickly back towards the main car park, and it had possibly gone round to follow those.
As we looked over the gate and out to the paddocks beyond, three Fieldfares flew off from the trees at the back and away over the village. There were a few Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits in the grass but nothing else of note. A Kestrel landed on dung heap. Several more Chaffinches flew over.
There was no sign of the tit flock in the main car park, so we continued on round to the Visitor Cente. The regular moth morning was underway and several moths had already been potted up from the first trap – seasonal specialities like Merveille du Jour and Green-brindled Crescent, and a larger Red Underwing. We had a quick look while we were passing and checked the bird list in the Centre.
Out onto the main path, we came across another tit flock at the Meadow Trail junction, but it moved through too quickly to see if there was anything with it. Out of the trees, we could see a Marsh Harrier out towards Thornham, along with several Little Egrets, Curlews and Redshanks on the saltmarsh. Two Common Snipe flew up and several Reed Buntings flew across over the path and dropped into the reedbed, where a couple of Cetti’s Warblers were shouting intermittently. A single Little Grebe was out on the main reedbed pool.
Spoonbills – flew over
As we got up to the Freshmarsh, we looked across to see six Spoonbills flying towards us. They flew up over the path and headed off west, circling out over Thornham harbour, where the tide was still high and there was nowhere to land. Most of the Spoonbills which were here in the summer have already left us for the winter, so it was nice to catch up with some still here. A few flocks of Starlings flew over heading west, presumably more fresh arrivals from Scandinavia.
The water level on the Freshmarsh remains high – good for wildfowl, but not so attractive for waders. Lots of Brent Geese had dropped in to bathe on the first compartment, where a selection of commoner ducks were scattered around the edges and islands. A few Avocets were trying to feed out in the middle, up to their bellies in the water. There was nothing at all on the next compartment today, so we continued on round to Parrinder Hide.
We were hoping to find the Little Stint on the back compartment of the Freshmarsh from Parrinder Hide, but just as we arrived, it walked out of view behind one of the islands. There were more Avocets and a few Black-tailed Godwits roosting on the islands here, but no other waders.
A large flock of Greylags flew in and landed the other side of the bund from us. We scanned through and found the resident White-fronted Goose in with them. The geese all swam into the corner, out of sight behind the bund, but then walked across to the east compartment and swam out to one of the islands. We had a good view of the White-fronted Goose through the scope now, the white blaze round the base of its bill and its black belly patch, before it walked back into the Greylags and went to sleep out of view.
Curlew – close to the path
There was still no sign of the Little Stint reappearing, so we eventually gave up and headed out towards the beach. There were two Curlews feeding just below the path on the edge of Volunteer Marsh, a great view as we passed. Up at the far end, the tide had just gone out and there were lots more waders feeding in the muddy channel – lots of Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, more Curlew, a few Dunlin, several Grey Plover. We had thought we might find the Spotted Redshank here, but there was no sign of it.
Then we noticed a Red-throated Diver in the water in the bottom of the channel at the far end. A very unusual place to find one, they are normally out on the sea! It swam towards us, diving repeatedly, but when it got to the slightly shallower water, it turned and headed quickly back away from us.
Red-throated Diver – in the Volunteer Marsh tidal channel
On to the Tidal Pools, there were a couple of very close Black-tailed Godwits right by the path. One pale wader was asleep further back and when it woke up and flashed its needle-fine bill our suspicions were confirmed – it was the Spotted Redshank. We were just watching it through the scope when it flew up and over the bank. We walked back and found it again, now in the muddy channel on the Volunteer Marsh where we had just been looking. A Red Kite had been hanging in the wind over the saltmarsh behind us, and now drifted over. The Spotted Redshank flew off first, and then all the waders flushed too.
Black-tailed Godwit – on the Tidal Pool
We continued on out now. We found a single Knot and a couple of Turnstone on the Tidal Pool now. Out on the beach, the mussel beds were still covered but there were lots of Oystercatchers and several Bar-tailed Godwits out on the shoreline. There were a few Sanderling higher up the beach to our left. Three were standing on a wet patch of sand, unusually stationary for here, so we got them in the scope. Several others ran up to the high tide line and then came right past us in front of us – great close views. A Ringed Plover flew in and joined them.
Sanderling – ran past us
Looking out to sea, there were a few Great Crested Grebes, Red-throated Divers and Razorbills out on the water. We got a small raft of Common Scoter in the scope, mainly pale-cheeked brown females/immatures, but one jet black drake was in with them. Once again, there was a trickle of smaller birds arriving over the sea from the Continent, mainly small flocks of Starlings, but at one point we picked up four Bramblings flying in over the beach.
Two Manx Shearwaters flew past close in, just beyond the breakers. Unusual to see them so close inshore when there isn’t a strong onshore wind, as we watched, they started to tack back out to sea. A winter adult Mediterranean Gull was feeding along the shoreline, and we had a good view in the scope.
It was cool out on the beach, so we started to walk back. The other waders were back in the channel on the Volunteer Marsh but there was no sign of the Spotted Redshank with them now. Two Turnstones were feeding just below the path, turning stones and shells over in the bottom of the muddy channel.
Turnstone – turning stones and shells over
We stopped at the Freshmarsh again for a quick scan from the path with the scope, and picked up the Little Stint now, bathing on the edge of one of the new islands. Once again, it wasn’t going to play ball through, and flew before everyone could get a look at it, landing back out of view from here.
As we made our way back for lunch, a Willow Emerald damselfly was perched on the brambles by the path. We collected our bags from the minibus and sat in the picnic area in the sunshine to eat. After lunch, when we went back to the minibus to drop off our bags we were told the Yellow-browed Warbler had been in the sallows here again apparently, but there was no sign now.
Willow Emerald damselfly – on the brambles
We decided to have a look along Fen Trail, so we made our way back round past the Visitor Centre but the sallows were quiet, and it was quite windy out on the Tank Road, round at the back of the car park. We had a quick stop at Patsy’s Reedbed – there were just a few Coot and a single Shelduck on here today – then continued on down East Trail. There were several Jackdaws in the paddocks now, one with a noticeable pale half-collar, possibly with some Nordic genes. A pipit flew over with a shrill call, not quite as sharpas a Rock Pipit and when we looked up we could see it was cleaner white below, a Water Pipit.
Out to the far end of the Autumn Trail, a Kingfisher flashed over path, and disappeared down into the reedbed. We could hear Bearded Tits calling, and three flew in over the bank ahead of us and dropped down into the reeds, followed by another two. The wind was catching the reeds and blowing the heads back and forth, so there was no sign of them perching up today.
We scanned the back of the Freshmarsh from the end of Autumn Trail and finally found the Little Stint in view, feeding along the edge of one of the islands. They are very small, as their name suggests, and it was still hard to see at times creeping around on the mud, but finally we all got a look at it before it flew round to the back of one of the other islands and out of view again.
The Greylags were starting to wake up now and fly off from the Freshmarsh in small groups, over the bank towards Brancaster. The White-fronted Goose woke up and swam out with some Greylags, right towards us. It looked like it might be getting ready to follow the others, but then all the Greylags which had flown out flew back in. The light was better now from this side and we got an even better view of the White-fronted Goose through the scope than this morning. We picked up a pair of Pintail out on the Freshmarsh from here too.
White-fronted Goose – with the Greylags
As we walked back round, there were a few thrushes in the bushes by Willow Wood, Redwings, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds. Back along Fen Trail, we could hear a couple of Chaffinches calling in the trees by the path, and then a Brambling started calling nearby too but flew before we could get on it. There were Long-tailed Tits calling too, but when we stopped to look, the flock passed through too quickly to see if there was anything with it.
Back round at the car park, we were just getting in to the minibus when the Yellow-browed Warbler started calling in the sallows nearby. We walked over for a look and this time it called repeatedly for a minute or so. Unfortunately it remained deep in the bushes and we couldn’t see it, just a Goldcrest and some of the tits. Then everything disappeared back deeper into the trees again. That was as good as it was going to get today!
We had enough time for a quick stop at Brancaster Staithe. Down at the harbour, the tide was out and there were several Curlews and Black-tailed Godwits scattered around. A Grey Plover still in the remnants of breeding plumage, with a dusky face, was on the mud nearby. A single Bar-tailed Godwit was feeding on the sandbar opposite, a Ringed Plover flew past and several Oystercatchers and Turnstones were picking around the piles of discarded mussels. A Herring Gull was trying to crack into one of the mussels by repeatedly dropping it from a height onto the stones.
Rock Pipit – landed on a boat
A Rock Pipit called and flew in, landing on the gunwale of a nearby boat. It dropped down into the boat, possibly there was some rainwater in the bottom, before flying back up again. These are Scandinavian Rock Pipits that we get here in the winter and which like to feed out on the saltmarshes. A large flock of Pink-footed Geese flew in from inland and overhead calling, heading off towards Scolt Head to roost. Time for us to head back too.
Day 1 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. It was a bright day, with some nice sunny intervals at times, though with a rather blustery E wind.
We were heading for Cley this morning, but as we drove along the coast road at Salthouse, we could see two white shapes in with the cows out on the grazing marsh. We turned the minibus around and parked opposite the Dun Cow. Looking across, our suspicions were confirmed, they were two Cattle Egrets. Through the scope, we could see their small size, hunched appearance and short yellowish-orange bills.
Cattle Egret – 1 of 2 this morning
There were a couple of Grey Herons in the field, hanging around the cows too. At one point, one of them chased off one of the Cattle Egrets from the cow it was trying to follow. Two Marsh Harriers flew across at the back, over in front of the shingle, and a Greylag x Canada Goose hybrid was out on one of the floods. After a while, the Cattle Egrets flew off west so we decided to continue on our way.
We parked in front of Walsey Hills. There were just a few Moorhen in view on Snipe’s Marsh this morning, so we set off to walk up the East Bank. Looking over towards Pope’s Marsh, there were lots of Cormorants drying their wings on the islands and several Avocets and a few Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the water.
We stopped to look at the ducks scattered around the grazing marsh beyond the Serpentine, mainly Wigeon, Teal and a few Shoveler, the drakes still mostly in dull brown eclipse plumage but some starting to regain their brighter breeding attire. We heard the yelping calls of Pink-footed Geese and turned to see a large flock come up over the fields inland before dropping back down out of view. A Kingfisher called and flashed past as it dropped behind the reeds into the ditch, heading back towards the road.
From time to time we just managed to catch the sound of Bearded Tits calling ahead of us and as we walked on a small group flew up from the reeds beyond the grazing marsh and across the path in front of us. Some more dropped into the reeds lining the ditch on the edge of the grazing marsh and we could hear the two groups calling to each other. Three Bearded Tits appeared in the top of the reeds in the reedbed briefly, but quickly dropped down again out of view. We stopped to watch and listen and had several more views as birds zipped across over the reeds calling, before they went quiet.
On over the main drain, a Greenshank flew over calling and landed towards the back of the Brackish Pool, with a single Redshank. We got it in the scope, the whiter underparts of the Greenshank striking in the morning sunshine. A lone Ruff dropped in to the saltmarsh behind and a raft of ten Little Grebes was swimming together out on the water.
After the recent big tides and northerly winds, Arnold’s Marsh was full of water. We could see a Curlew on the saltmarsh, and lots of Redshank along the far edge of the water with another Ruff. A single Pintail was in with the other ducks at the back.
Razorbill – lots on the sea
Out on to the beach, and the first thing we noticed were all the Razorbills on the sea. We got the scope on a raft out in front and then a couple drifted past diving just behind the breakers. We got the scope on a Red-throated Diver out on the water too. A trickle of Gannets passed by offshore.
Little Gull – a 2nd winter
A melee of gulls was feeding over the water away to the east, and we realised they were quickly working their way towards us. They were mainly Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls, but we picked out three Little Gulls in with them, a 1st winter with black ‘w’ across it upperwings, a 2nd winter with black spots in its wing tips, and an adult winter with much blacker upperwings. A single Mediterranean Gull was in there too, a 2nd winter also with some black still in its wingtips. The melee came right past in front of us, with two juvenile Gannets joining in and plunge diving into the sea in the middle of the group. Great to watch!
Gannet – one of two juveniles which joined the gulls
We had seen one flock of Starlings flying west as we walked out along the East Bank, but it is can be hard to tell whether they are local birds of migrants coming in. From out the beach now, we picked up several flocks flying in over the sea, confirming our suspicions that they were arriving from the Continent today. A few Skylark came in off the sea too. There was a trickle of wildfowl arriving too: a few small flocks of Wigeon moving, Teal coming in, small groups of Brent Geese and a single Shelduck passing offshore. We picked up a single drake Common Scoter on the sea, which we got in the scope, and another female flew west.
There was a lot to see out to sea this morning, but eventually we had to tear ourselves away and walk back. Looking across to Pope’s Pool, we could see more Black-tailed Godwits out there now, but nothing with them. A Little Grebe was in the middle of the weed out on Don’s Pool. A Water Rail was calling in reeds by the road back at Snipe’s Marsh and when we stopped to look back along the edge to check if we could see it, a Kingfisher shot across. It landed in the reeds at the back where we got it in the scope. Eventually it flew again, round over the reeds, then disappeared across the road.
Kingfisher – on Snipe’s Marsh
We had a quick look at the feeders in Walsey Hills from, the footpath. A succession of tits and Goldfinches dropped in and there were several Chaffinches calling in the bushes. Then a Sparrowhawk shot through, spooking everything, and afterwards it went rather quiet.
We headed round to the Visitor Centre next and, after a quick loo stop, we made our way out to Bishop Hide. There were still quite a few Black-tailed Godwits out on Pat’s Pool, but no sign of the Dowitcher which had apparently been here until it was flushed by a Buzzard and flew off east. Most of the Godwits were in grey non-breeding plumage but one very orange Icelandic bird still largely in juvenile plumage was feeding in front of the hide. There were several Ruff out on the scrapes further back and two Common Snipe were hiding in with the ducks sleeping on the bank away to our left.
Common Snipe – hiding in the grass
There were lots of ducks on here today – lots of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. We picked up three Pintail in with them, a moulting drake and two females, before they flew off. Another Sparrowhawk flew over and disappeared off towards the village.
We headed back to the Visitor Centre for lunch and it was sheltered enough from the breeze that we were still able to sit out in the picnic area in the sunshine today. We kept one eye on the scrapes and picked up three Golden Plover which dropped in on Pat’s Pool over lunch.
After lunch, we made our way along the coast to Stiffkey. As we walked along the permissive path by the road, a flock of Long-tailed Tits flitted ahead of us down the hedge. A Red Kite hung in the air over the wood inland. We found another mixed flock of tits along the river, with two Blackcap and a Goldcrest in with them. A Comma butterfly basked in the sunshine on the blackberries.
Comma – basking in the sunshine
We could hear a Spotted Redshank calling from the Fen as we walked out, and from up on the seawall we got it in the scope, busy preening. It was low tide, so there were not so many other waders on the Fen this afternoon, just a few Ruff and Lapwing. There were lots of ducks, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and Pintail, a white farmyard Greylag and an Egyptian Goose.
As we walked down along the seawall, there were more waders in the harbour channel, lots of Redshank and a single Grey Plover with them. Scanning inland, we noticed a Raven up over one of the small woods, chasing a Common Buzzard. There was not a lot of difference in wingspan between them and when the Raven was then chased by a Jackdaw it looked tiny by comaprison. A second Raven came up out of the trees briefly, and we watched the two of them tumbling together in the wind before they dropped back down out of view. Raven is still a fairly scarce bird in Norfolk, although numbers now seem to be increasing.
Continuing on to the corner overlooking the harbour, we could see lots of gulls of various sizes loafing out on the mud. We took advantage to talk a little about gull identification, looking at a couple of Common Gulls in with the Black-headed Gulls, then turning our attention to the Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls with their pink legs, before we managed to find a single smaller yellow-legged Lesser Black-backed Gull out there too. There are increasing numbers of Brent Geese out in the harbour, as more birds return here for the winter.
There were more waders out on the mud in the harbour – lots of Oystercatcher, Curlew, a few Knot, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. The first surprise of the afternoon was a Whimbrel which flew over from behind us before dropping down out on the saltmarsh out of view. This is a late record of this species for here, around the typical date for the last of the year in Norfolk, as they mainly pass through earlier on their way south in the autumn.
Whimbrel – a lingering late bird
Then a Land Rover pulled up behind us and someone walked straight out across the harbour with two dogs which flushed everything. Most of the gulls settled again further over. The Whimbrel flew up and back past us, landing out of view again back the way it had come towards the Fen. We noticed a couple of Stonechats on the bushes out on the saltmarsh behind us too.
Back to the minibus, and we headed back along the coast to Cley and out along the boardwalk to the main central hides. We thought if we tried here later today we might stand a chance of the Dowitcher having returned and also of picking up some gulls coming in pre-roost. There was not much on Simmond’s Scrape – the water level is high now after the recent rain – and looking over to Pat’s Pool – there were more Black-tailed Godwits back, but still no sign of the Dowitcher (it would return later this evening, but after we had left).
At least the gulls were starting to come in. Scanning through the hordes of Black-headed Gulls we found a single white-winged adult Mediterranean Gull in with them. Through the scope, we could see its winter black bandit mask and heavier red bill. A few larger gulls starting to drop in too, and it didn’t take long to pick out a 1st calendar year Caspian Gull (although breaking with our advice to start off focusing on adult large gulls only!). It preened for a while in with the other gulls, then flew up and disappeared off west over the hides.
Caspian Gull – a 1st winter
The second surprise of the afternoon was when a large group of Cattle Egrets dropped in onto one of the islands, again ahead of going in to roost. There have been a small number here the last few days, and more further west along the coast, but there were a lot more here than usual. We couldn’t get a clear view, as there were some behind the grass, but we counted a minimum of 18 Cattle Egrets and a single Little Egret with them (later, others managed to count 19 Cattle Egrets).
Cattle Egret – some of the 18 or 19
It was time for us to head back, or we would be late for dinner. As we got back to the car park, more Pink-footed Geese came up from the fields beyond the Visitor Centre and flew overhead calling. A wonderful sight and sound, so typical of here in Norfolk at this time of year, and a nice way to finish our first day.
A single day Autumn day tour today. It was a lovely day, bright with some nice autumn sunshine at times, although there was a rathery blustery and cool west wind. We spent the day along the North Norfolk coast.
Our destination for the morning was Titchwell. We parked in the overflow car park and had a quick look in the bushes, but there were no obvious signs of any migrants having arrived overnight. A Redwing flew overhead teezing and a Siskin called as if passed over too. As we stopped to use the facilities, a tit flock moved through the trees. We watched several Long-tailed Tits enjoying the morning sun, along with Blue Tits and Great Tits, a Coal Tit and a Goldcrest. A Song Thrush and a couple of Chaffinches fed between the parked cars.
Long-tailed Tit – in the sunshine
Continuing on out onto the reserve, we were out in the breeze beyond the trees. A Marsh Harrier quartered over the back of the reedbed, a Kestrel was hovering in the distance and a Common Buzzard circled up out of willow wood. There didn’t seem to be a lot of birds moving this morning, but as we started to walk on, a flock of about 30 Siskin flew past us over the path and we watched as they carried on west towards Thornham. Presumably freshly arrived from Scandinavia for the winter, it is always nice to see some migration in action at this time of year.
We stopped by Island Hide to look at the Freshmarsh. It seemed a bit too breezy for Bearded Tits but when we heard pinging we looked across to see one perched in the tops of the reeds briefly. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, it didn’t linger, but shortly after we saw two Bearded Tits fly up and zip away over the tops of the reeds. A Cetti’s Warbler was shouting from the sallows by the hide but remained typically well hidden.
The water levels are still too high for most waders on the Freshmarsh. There were still a few lingering Avocets on the first compartment, either dozing on the edge of the islands or feeding up to their bellies in the deep water. There were no waders at all on the next compartment over, just a few Black-headed Gulls and Wigeon. We could see a few Black-tailed Godwits further back and a lone Cattle Egret in with the Greylags on one of the further islands. There had been a Little Stint on here earlier, over the high tide, but all the small waders had apparently gone out onto the saltmarsh to feed.
Stonechat – in front of Parrinder Hide
We decided to have a look from Parrinder Hide, where we would be out of the wind for a bit. There were a few more waders on the far compartment – as well as the Black-tailed Godwit, we found several Ruff around the islands. A Ringed Plover dropped in on the grass in front of the hide. We saw the Little Stint fly back in with a Dunlin, but they dropped down out of view behind Avocet Island, where it would be more sheltered. A Stonechat kept flitting up onto the top of the thistles on the bund in front of the hide.
We had a closer view of the Cattle Egret from here. Looking through the Greylags on the islands, we noticed one slightly smaller goose asleep had a very distinctive blackish belly patch, a White-fronted Goose. At the other end of the same island, a single Pink-footed Goose was preening, and we could see its smaller, darker bill compared to the big orange carrot bills of the Greylags.
Cattle Egret – on one of the islands
Back out into the wind, we pushed on towards the beach. With the tide having just gone out, there were lots more waders feeding in the deep channel at the far end of Volunteer Marsh, lots of Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks, a few Curlew and Dunlin, a couple of Grey Plover and Ringed Plover. We stopped and got the scope on them. A small flock of Linnets flew over the bank and a Rock Pipit flew past calling.
Black-tailed Godwit – by the path
After the recent big tides, the (not-so-tidal) Tidal Pool was full of water, so we continued on to the beach. The mussel beds were still covered with water, but there were quite a few waders out on the sand now. Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits and Sanderling, the latter running in and out of the waves in typical clockwork toy fashion. We couldn’t see anything on the sea itself, although there were some distant Gannets flying past.
It was not the weather to linger out on the beach today, so we turned to walk back. As we got back to the Freshmarsh, there was a small group of Golden Plover on one of the islands now, which we got in the scope, looking very golden in the sun. We had just picked up the Little Stint, on the edge of one of the islands right at the back, when all the waders spooked. The flock of Golden Plover whirled round over the water calling. False alarm, and as they settled down again more Golden Plover flew in from the fields to join them.
Golden Plover – in the sunshine
There was no further sign of the Little Stint at first though, and we had almost given up on it when it reappeared on the same island at the back. This time, most of the group got a look at it through the scope before it flew again, though it was still very distant.
The Yellow-browed Warbler which has been here for the last few days was reported again along Fen Trail while we were out at the beach, so we cut in along Meadow Trail. We hadn’t gone far along the boardwalk when we heard Long-tailed Tits calling in the sallows so we stopped to see what was with them. We did have another Goldcrest which this time picked its way around the sallows until it was right over our heads, but nothing rarer.
Common Darter – in the sunshine
We followed the flock round and lost them at the back of the dragonfly pond. Out of the wind here, there were lots of Common Darter dragonflies basking in the sunshine, and a few Migrant Hawkers still hunting over the reeds. Continuing on round past Fen Hide, there was another report of the Yellow-browed Warbler in the sallows at the back of the overflow car park. We walked on to the Tank Road, which overlooks the back of those sallows, but once again there was nothing in the trees here now.
We had a quick look at Patsy’s Reedbed. There were just a few Coot and a Tufted Duck out on the water, but we caught a glimpse of a Kingfisher disappearing behind the reeds at the front. After a minute or so, it flew out again, across the water away from us in a flash of electric blue, and landed in the reeds at the back. We got it in the scope so we could all have a close look at it. A nice bonus.
Kingfisher – on Patsy’s
It was time for lunch now, so we made our way back round via the Visitor Centre to the picnic area. A Goldcrest was feeding in the ivy as we were eating and we were just finishing up when a tit flock came out of the sallows and flew up into the trees. A Treecreeper flew across with them and we watched it climbing up a tree trunk, but once again there was no sign of any warblers with them.
We decided to move on and head over to Holkham for the afternoon. As we got out of the minibus on Lady Anne’s Drive, a covey of Grey Partridge was feeding on the grass just beyond the fence. There were lots of Greylags out on the grazing marsh the other side, along with a couple of Egyptian Geese, a few Curlew and a Grey Heron tucked in the lee of the brambles at the back. Two Cattle Egrets appeared from behind the brambles, feeding around the feet of the cattle just beyond.
Grey Partridge – by Lady Anne’s Drive
As we walked west, we were at least out of the wind, although it was still quiet at first in the trees. A few Jays called raucously and flew back and forth over the track. We stopped for a quick look at Salts Hole, where there were a few Little Grebes, along with a good number of Gadwall and a few Mallard too.
Little Grebe – on Salts Hole
We came across our first tit flock here just the other side of Meals House. A Chiffchaff was calling rather hoarsely from the holm oaks and posed nicely in the sunshine, but we couldn’t find any other warblers in with them again. Then just before the crosstracks, we noticed several Goldcrests in a large oak by the path so we stopped to check and a Firecrest flew across into a small bush right beside us. Unfortunately it didn’t stay very long, flying back into a holm oak behind and then disappearing into the trees.
Joe Jordan hide has still not been repaired or replaced, so we scanned Decoy Wood looking over the wall. There have been two immature White-tailed Eagles from the Isle of Wight reintroduction project here recently, and one had been reported earlier this morning in the trees. A couple of people we spoke to on the walk out said they hadn’t seen it this afternoon though, and neither could we.
We set off to walk back. There were a couple of Red Admiral butterflies enjoying the sunshine and we hadn’t gone far when we noticed the Firecrest back in the oak tree where we had seen it earlier. It lingered a little longer now, so that everyone had a chance to get a look at it. There were several Goldcrests in the same tree too, their beady black eyes in the middle of a much plainer face than the stripier Firecrest.
Firecrest – back in the oak tree
A nice bird on which to end the day, then it was time to head back to the minibus.
The Bird ID Company 