17th Feb 2024 – Owl Tour

A single-day Owl Tour in North Norfolk today. After some sunny spells early on, it was a rather grey and cloudy day but very mild. There were a couple of thankfully very brief spells of light drizzle, which were not in the forecast, but we largely managed to dodge them.

There was no sign of any Barn Owls still out hunting on our way down to the meeting point this morning, which was not an auspicious start. Having picked everyone up, we drove back round all the usual fields where we might expect to find them hunting before they head in to roost, but all was quiet. After a couple of very mild and dry nights, the Barn Owls had presumably been catching enough food in the hours of darkness and were not hungry enough to be out in the daylight now.

We stopped again where we had seen one going off to roost last week, just in case it might do a repeat fly past. A Song Thrush was singing from the trees as we got out of the minibus and a flock of Curlews was feeding out in the wet grass. A couple of Marsh Harriers circled up out over the marshes and a male perched on a post where we could get it in the scope. Two Great White Egrets flew across in the distance followed by an untidy looking flock of Brent Geese. As we looked inland, we picked up a small flock of Pink-footed Geese in a more ordered skein heading off to find a suitable feed to feed in. A lone Greylag circled low over us honking.

We decided to cut our losses and head on to try for Tawny Owl instead. As we walked up the footpath, the sun was shining over the trees and we could make out the Tawny Owl at the entrance to its usual hole, but we were looking into the light from here. It looked settled today though, so we continued straight up to the corner where we had a great view now, looking straight at it with the sun behind us. The Tawny Owl was mostly dozing, with its eyes half closed and it seemed to completely ignore us where we were on the path. When several Jackdaws appeared in the tree and seemed to be checking out the hole, the Tawny Owl opened its eyes at one point but it didn’t seem overly concerned and after a while the Jackdaws flew off.

Tawny Owl – in its usual hole

It gradually clouded over and then after a while started to spit very lightly with rain, which was not in the forecast, so we walked back down the footpath to minibus. From where we were parked, we could see some distant Brent Geese out on the saltmarsh and one of the group spotted a juvenile Peregrine standing in the middle of a stubble field, where we got it in the scope for a closer look. A Chaffinch was singing from the branches of a bush above the minibus, another bird getting ready for spring.

We headed inland next, checking a succession of barns on the way to see if we could find any Little Owls. The drizzle had eased but it was still rather grey and not ideal weather for owls to be perched out – they normally like a bit of morning sun. We were almost not going to stop as we passed one regular set of barns, but we slowed down and looked across to see a Little Owl right on the top of the roof of one of them. We pulled up in a nearby layby and got out, so we could get it in the scope. After a while, it dropped down behind the gable it had been perched on, but we could still just see it looking round from behind. Two male Pheasants were fighting in the field beyond, one white one which had presumably been released by the local shoot, and a Skylark was singing over the stubble field in front.

Little Owl – perched on the barn roof

After watching the Little Owl for a while, we carried on our journey west. We checked out some more barns on the way and found no more owls, but we did pass a couple of Red Kites perched in the trees. Eventually, we dropped back down to the coast and drove on to Titchwell. We still had time for a look around Fen Trail and Patsy’s before lunch and as we walked in from the car park, we scanned the wet ground under the sallows and found a Woodcock lurking. Despite being very close to the path it was very well camouflaged and surprisingly hard to see, so we got it in the scope.

Woodcock – hiding by the path

After traversing the Welcome Hub, we had a quick look at the feeders the other side of the Visitor Centre and found two female Bramblings with the Chaffinches on the ground underneath. A very tame Muntjac stared at us as we passed, before walking slowly into the undergrowth. Out on Fen Trail, a birder coming back said there was no obvious sign of the Tawny Owl where it usually has been, but we eventually managed to find it, albeit very well hidden today. We could just see its eyes from one angle, a complete contrast with the the views of the Tawny Owl we had seen earlier and the reason why it is normally so hard to find them at roost – they are very good at concealing themselves!

Bramblings – under the feeders

On to Patsy’s, and there were lots of Gadwall and Coot out on the water. Several Common Snipe were fairly obvious dozing in the cut reeds or feeding on the edge of the water, but another snipe of some description was very tightly tucked in so that we could only see a few feathers. We tried various angles from the viewing screen to get a better look, but eventually had to admit defeat. A couple of Marsh Harriers circled low over the reeds beyond, and when we heard one calling we looked up to see it displaying high over the reedbed. Spring is definitely coming! Three Mediterranean Gulls flew past calling and a Stonechat appeared briefly in the reeds.

Common Snipe – in the reeds

We walked back round to the picnic area for lunch and afterwards headed out onto the reserve again. A Chiffchaff was flitting around in the sallows by the path from the car park, but there was no sign of any Water Rails in the ditches today and a lot of water after all the recent rain. A couple of Little Grebes were out on the reedbed pool.

Out on the Freshmarsh, the Avocet numbers are continuing to creep back up after the winter, several feeding up to their bellies in the deep water. There were lots of gulls on the newly reprofiled islands too, with some of the Black-headed Gulls displaying, and several Mediterranean Gulls loafing, including one already sporting its jet black summer hood. Two pairs of Pintail were upending out on the water, the drakes showing off their pin tails, along with lots of Teal and a couple of Gadwall, a flock of Brent Geese and a few Canada Geese further back. A small flock of Dunlin flew in and whirled round over the Freshmarsh.

Redshank – on Volunteer Marsh

We had a bit of time, so we continued on out past Volunteer Marsh. The tide was out, and a close Redshank was on the channel next to the path, with more Redshank and Curlew in the wider part of the channel beyond, along with a couple of Grey Plover. At the Tidal Pool, there were several Black-tailed Godwits feeding, a couple of Wigeon and more Shoveler. A nice pair of Pintail were feeding quite close to the path, so we got the scope on the male when it stopped swimming and stayed still with its head raised. Looking back towards the Freshmarsh, a large flock of Golden Plover circled round now but then turned and headed back off inland.

Pintail – on Tidal Pool

A flock of Linnets and a few Reed Buntings were feeding on the short grass in the edge of the dunes. Out on the beach, we got the scope on some Bar-tailed Godwits which were down on the shoreline. A small group of Turnstones were on the sand too, and a busy flock of Sanderling further up towards Thornham Point. We could see a few Common Scoter fairly close in on the sea, and more much more distantly beyond. Looking behind us, we could see the sky had turned dark and rather threatening inland, so we decided to head back in case it started to rain. A group of Ruff were out on the Freshmarsh now, as we passed.

Back to the minibus and we drove back east. We checked some sites for Barn Owls on the way, but despite being around the time when they will sometimes come out again to feed, all was quiet. We drove back round the fields where we had looked earlier this morning, and all was quiet there too, as it was when we stopped and scanned the grazing marshes. We figured our best chance for a Barn Owl was to head inland to the box where we had seen one last week – we had checked again yesterday and it had still been there. When we arrived, there was no sign of it on the outside of the box so we waited to see when it emerged.

A Grey Heron flew up from the pools as we walked up, there were several Brown Hares in the field beyond and a couple of Muntjac at the back of the water meadows. As dusk descended, a lone Cattle Egret flew north, followed by a Little Egret, both heading up towards the coast to roost. The Tawny Owls started hooting in the woods beyond, an evocative backdrop to finish the day, but there was no sign of the Barn Owl tonight. It was not entirely clear whether it might just come out later or it was roosting elsewhere today, but as it was starting to get dark we eventually had to give up. A shame about the lack of Barn Owls today, normally the easiest to find of our commoner owls, but we had enjoyed a very good day out otherwise today, with lots of birds and a few of the harder to find owls!

10th Feb 2024 – Owl Tour

A single-day Owl Tour in North Norfolk today. After a lot of rain in the week, we were lucky with the weather – dry, with even some sunny spells late morning, and though it clouded over again in the afternoon the rain didn’t arrive again until after we had finished.

It was an early start today to try to catch a Barn Owl out hunting first thing still. With one still out hunting on the drive down to the meeting point, we thought we were in luck, but by the time we had picked every one up and driven back, it had disappeared. We drove round scanning all the nearby grazing meadows, but couldn’t find it again.

Marsh Harrier – heading inland

We stopped nearby and walked up to the gate at the top of the bank to scan the marshes from here. Several Marsh Harriers were perched out on the bushes and drifted inland overhead one by one, giving us the chance to study some of the variation in colouration of the males. A pair of Red Kites drifted past too. There were several Little Egrets and a Grey Heron out on the flooded grass one side and a large flock of Curlew feeding the other side. Four Common Snipe were very well camouflaged in a patch of cut reeds. As a reminder that spring is on its way now, a Song Thrush was singing in the trees, a Dunnock in the bushes behind us and a Reed Bunting in the reeds. A Cetti’s Warbler shouted at us from time to time too.

We hadn’t waited too long when we spotted a Barn Owl flying in over one of the fields behind us. It cut across over the reeds and over the flooded grass, where it turned sharply and dropped down. It was a bit half-hearted and it hadn’t caught anything. We just had time to get it in the scope before it was off again. It flew over the road and across the next field, quite determinedly, before disappearing into the trees. It was heading in to roost for the day.

Barn Owl – heading to roost

We stood and scanned a little longer but there was no sign of any more owls still out hunting, so we decided to move on. We stopped again at the start of a footpath, where we met another couple of locals coming to look for the Tawny Owl too, so we walked up together. Earlier in January, the Tawny Owl was very easily disturbed and disappeared into its hole as soon as anyone appeared on the footpath, so when we saw that it was perched at the entrance to its hole, we stopped straight away and got it in the scope. It was obscured by branches and we were looking into the sun so it was not a great view. We moved up again in a couple of stages and we needn’t have worried today as it allowed us to walk right up to the corner where we had a clear view of it head on in the scope.

The Tawny Owl was mostly dozing at the entrance to its hole and barely opened its eyes, until a woman walking a dog appeared on the path. The dog was trying to drag a huge tree bough behind it and making quite a racket. The Owl looked over and quickly realised it was nothing to worry about so went back to sleep again.

Tawny Owl – dozing

The long-staying Red-breasted Goose had been reported again at Cley this morning, so being close by we decided to have a quick look. There was always a chance of a Barn Owl here too. The Goose had been seen flying in to North Scrape with some Brent Geese but we had hoped they would be out feeding on the fields by the Beach Road again. When we got to the beach car park, there was no sign of any Brents and nobody seemed to be quite sure where the Goose had gone. It was not our main priority this morning, so we decided not to waste too much time looking for it. As we drove back along Beach Road, some other local birders on the West Bank drew our attention to some Twite feeding in the corner of the Eye Field. We got out of the minibus just in time to see them fly up, over our heads and drop out onto the saltmarsh north of the Glaven channel.

There was no sign of any Brent Geese feeding on the marshes towards Salthouse either, but we looked up to see a flurry of feathers as a Peregrine caught something over the road ahead of us. It was mobbed by a smaller falcon, a Merlin, as it flew out and landed on the grass. It was a juvenile, but a particularly striking pale one, possibly a bird of Arctic origin (maybe even of the northern race calidus).

Peregrine – a pale, Arctic-type juvenile

Moving on, we headed inland to resume our owl search. The Little Owl population here seems to be dropping fast, and they are becoming increasingly hard to find in any of their regular spots. Many of the barns they live in are getting converted to second homes or holiday lets and breeding sites are becoming increasingly isolated and fragmented. We tried a few barns which haven’t yet been converted and we know there are still Little Owls present, but they weren’t playing ball today, despite the sunshine. Some of the remaining sites are more actively used farm buildings and they are more prone to disturbance during the day. We could have another look on our way back this afternoon. We did pick up some farmland birds, several Stock Doves and a nice flock of about twenty Skylarks, plus several Brown Hares in the fields.

Brown Hares – not boxing…yet

We cut back down to the coast and headed for Titchwell. We had an hour or so before lunch, so we walked round on Fen Trail. A Chiffchaff was flitting around in the trees behind the visitor centre and a scan of the ground under the sallows as we walked along produced two different Woodcock. They were still feeding actively today and when we tried to get the scope on them they walked away into the vegetation.

A little further on, there were already a couple of people already admiring the Tawny Owl we had come to see. It is roosting in ivy, a more typical area for one to roost, and fairly obscured from most angles, but we got it in the scope where you could see most of it. At one point, when a large RSPB group from London arrived, it turned round to look at the swelling crowd. We moved on.

Tawny Owl – in the ivy

We had a quick look at Patsy’s Reedbed. There were three Common Snipe hiding out on the cut reeds and a nice selection of ducks on the water, including some smart Gadwall, Tufted Duck and two drake Common Pochard. A Marsh Harrier was perched in the dead trees beyond. It was time for lunch now, so as the big RSPB group caught up with us again, we decided to head back to the picnic area to get something to eat.

Gadwall – a smart drake

After a break, we still had a bit of time before the owls were likely to start emerging again. We headed out for a quick look at the Freshmarsh. On the way, we stopped to look at the Water Rail which was showing very well in the ditch next to the path. We stopped to scan just before Island Hide and heard Bearded Tits calling quietly in the reeds. A female climbed up the reed stems into view a couple of times before flying across and dropping back in. A small flock of Pink-footed Geese flew over calling and appeared to head out to sea to the north-west, perhaps leaving us already to head back north.

Water Rail – in the ditch

There were lots of Brent Geese out on the water and several pairs of Pintail feeding, upending and the drakes showing off their pin tails . A couple of Avocets were on the corner of one of the islands and more were up to their bellies in the deep water. From a little further up, we stopped to admire the Golden Plovers gathered on the islands and the bund, where they were remarkably well camouflaged until they were spooked by two Red Kites drifting over and whirled round with the Lapwings calling. A rather bright yellowish Meadow Pipit was feeding on the bund and a flock of Linnets dropped in.

Golden Plover – golden

A small number of Black-headed Gulls were bathing out in the middle, and we could see that one or two were already starting to get their summer chocolate brown (not black!) heads. Their white wing tips and heavier, brighter red bills gave away a couple of Mediterranean Gulls in with them too. A large flock of Brent Geese came up from the saltmarsh behind us and came in low over our heads chattering before dropping down to the water in front of us – quite a sight. We didn’t have time to walk out to the beach today as we had to resume our search for owls, so made our way back to the minibus. As we got back to the trees, a series of skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew overhead, possibly heading to the grazing marshes at Thornham – one of the sights and sounds of a Norfolk winter, so always a pleasure to see.

On our way back east, we noticed a group of egrets on the meadows north of the road at Burnham Norton – a quick scan from the minibus confirmed they were Cattle Egrets. We cut inland at Wells on the main road and hadn’t gone far when a small harrier came appeared over the hedge alongside us briefly. It wasn’t easy to turn round, and when we got back we couldn’t see it, but after we turned round again and headed back south it flew over the road in front of us – a juvenile male Hen Harrier. We could see its white rump patch as it disappeared off over the field away from us.

We tried a couple of sites for Little Owls again, but there was still no sign of any, so we cut back round and down to the coast. We stopped at the pools east of Wells for a quick scan of the fields, but there was no sign of any Barn Owls out here yet either. A message that one was out where we had seen it earlier this morning saw us head straight back there, but it had clouded over and didn’t feel very owly when we arrived. There was no further sign of the Barn Owl now. A Great White Egret flew over. It felt like, after our good start this morning, our owl search this afternoon was not going to yield any more fruit.

We had a drive round looking for any other Barn Owls out feeding around the grazing marshes, but it was all rather quiet this afternoon. If they aren’t hungry, Barn Owls do not need to come out to feed in the daytime and there are fewer birds around this winter after a poor breeding season in 2023 too. It was getting misty on the coast, but a quick look down along the Beach Road at Cley and we could see a flock of Brent Geese out on the far side of the Eye Field. As we turned round in the car park, we thought it might be worth a quick look through the scope but as we were getting out of the minibus, something spooked them and they took off, flying over our heads and disappearing off west towards Blakeney Harbour.

We had one last place to try for a last Barn Owl, so we drove inland again. We stopped by a gate overlooking the water meadows and scanned, but there was no sign of any activity here either. A Raven kronked from somewhere over the woods behind us. We decided to walk down the footpath to see if there was any sign around the owl box further down and as we set off, a Tawny Owl gave its first hoot from the trees. When we got to the point from which we could see the owl box, we looked across the field and there was the Barn Owl perched in the tree next to it, preening. We got the scope on it.

Barn Owl – in the tree by the owl box

The Barn Owl took off and started hunting over the meadow in front of us. It disappeared behind a hedge, so we walked on a little further, just in time to see it fly back out and round and drop down into the grass. Then it came up again and disappeared off down the footpath away from us. There was no sign of it over the field the other side of the hedge, so we decided to call it a night and walk back. The Tawny Owls were getting very vocal now, with a succession of hoots coming from the trees. A nice way to end a day of owling. It was just starting to spit with rain as we got back to the minibus – perfect timing!

7th Jan 2024 – Winter 3-day Tour, Day 3

Day 3 of a 3-day Winter & Owls Tour. It was mostly cloudy but dry today, but with a biting cold and blustery NE wind, which didn’t help. We spent the day back up on the North Norfolk coast.

On our way up to the coast, we stopped for a quick look for Little Owls. There was no sign of them this morning on their usual barns, but it was still dull and cold exposed to the wind. A Barn Owl was hunting the field opposite, and landed in a tree by the road, so we found somewhere to pull over and got out. It resumed its circuit of the field, then landed on an old shed over the far side. It kept dropping down off the rook into the field and back up again, presumably listening for prey in the vegetation below. A Raven flew over the trees beyond calling, and landed in the oaks by the road behind us. We could hear it kronking before it flew off south.

Barn Owl – hunting from the roof of an old shed

We dropped down to Wells and parked in the beach car park. It was cold in the wind as we walked up past the lifeboat station and started to scan the harbour. There were a few waders along the near edge of the channel – a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, a Grey Plover flew in flashing its black armpits, and further up were several Turnstones and Ringed Plover. A Common Seal surfaced in the channel briefly.

Bar-tailed Godwit – along the channel

There looked to be more birds further up the channel, where possibly it was a bit more sheltered from the wind today, so we walked round a little bit. We could see at least seven Red-breasted Mergansers in the water now, though they were diving continually. Eventually we all got good views in the scope.

Red-breasted Merganser – bad hair day

A large group of Shelduck was roosting on the sandbank further up, and next to them was a flock of Oystercatchers too. Looking more closely, in amongst the Oystercatchers there was a smaller tight flock of sleeping Knot, at least until a Common Buzzard flew over and spooked them. There were more waders the other side of the channel from here, on the wet sand – more groups of Knot, lots of Dunlin, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Bar-tailed Godwit and Redshank. There is usually a Greenshank here, but we couldn’t see it at first. Then we spotted it along the edge of the water further up, before it disappeared into the furrows in the sandbar between the Shelduck and Oystercatchers.

We decided to head back and get out of the wind, and walked back round via the outer harbour, where several Little Grebes were in amongst the Mallard and the boats. While we stopped to use the facilities, we checked the news. We were hoping the Red-breasted Goose might turn up again (it wasn’t seen at all yesterday), and we had hedged our bets in case we needed to head back east, but there was no news so we set off over to Snettisham.

There were lots more Barnacle Geese in the field by the road at Holkham, but there was nowhere to pull in and having seen a few the other day we didn’t stop. Beyond Docking, we found a huge flock of Pink-footed Geese feeding in a recently harvested sugar beet field. Again, there was nowhere to stop and the beet was piled along the near edge of the field, but we had a quick scan through part of the flock from the far end and couldn’t immediately see anything different. When we got to Snettisham, we had a chance to check our messages and noticed that the Red-breasted Goose had been seen at Warham just after we had left Wells. Frustrating!

Pink-footed Geese – feeding after the sugar beet has been harvested

Snow Buntings have been rather thin on the ground here this winter, but there has been a flock of around 30 along the beach between Snettisham and Heacham, so we walked out to see if we could find them. The initial omens were not good – there were lots of dogwalkers on the beach and lots of loose dogs haring up and down. We walked down towards the sailing club and a Sparrowhawk flew in up the beach carrying a small wader in its talons.

Just beyond the sailing club, we met a couple of local birders there who said they hadn’t seen any sign of any Snow Buntings. Another couple of birders walked past and said they had been here for 1 1/2 hours, walked a mile and a half up and down the beach and not seen anything. Apparently, seven had earlier flown south towards the RSPB reserve, but it was too far to walk for us now from here.

The tide was out, but we had a quick scan out over the mud of the Wash. We could see lots of Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits and a couple of Grey Plovers. A flock of Golden Plover got up from the mud and some larger flocks of Dunlin and Knot whirled round in front of us, though we couldn’t see what had spooked them. There were lots of Wigeon out on the edge of the water, in the distance.

Dunlin – whirled round over the Wash

We moved on. There had been no reports of the Black-throated Diver at Holme for a couple of days, but we thought we would pop in quickly to double check, as it had been very obliging. There were a few Wigeon and Teal on the saltmarsh channel it had been frequenting, and a couple of Curlew on the edge, but no sign of the diver. We had a quick look out at the beach – there were a few more waders on the sand, Oystercatchers, Sanderling and Bar-tailed Godwits.

It was time for lunch, and we were heading to Titchwell, when we got a message to say the Red-breasted Goose had been seen in a field inland. It was quite a drive from here, so we decided to stop for lunch and a chance to use the facilities at Titchwell, and then head over to try to find it.

When we got to the fields where the Red-breasted Goose had been seen, we could see a few Brent Geese, but not the whole flock. The flock had fractured, apparently having been flushed by the farmer, and we could see another large group in the distance to the north. Even looking at the closer geese, some were in a dip in the ground and we couldn’t see all of them. After scanning through those we could see, we drove on, only to find a third group in the next field along which were even harder to see!

We drove round and found the flock further north, but all we could see were Brent Geese here, so we headed back to check out the first two groups again. By looking over the hedge from a strategic spot, we managed to see most of the geese in the first field. We were just about to drove along and have another go to look at the Brents in the second field when they were flushed by a dog walker walking along the field edge. They looked like they would land with the first group – half dropped down here, but out of view over the back of the field, and half went over to join the group to the north.

We drove back round to check the flock to the north again, but again all we could see were Brent Geese. We did pick out a Pale-bellied Brent in with the Dark-bellied Brents now, which had obviously flown in, but still no sign of the Red-breasted Goose.

Time to move on. As we were nearby, we had another quick look to see if the Little Owls were out, then headed back east. As we were driving along inland, we caught a glimpse of an owl over a gate by the road – it looked like a Short-eared Owl. We pulled up and got out, walking down to the gate. At first there was no sign of it, but after a minute it came up again out of the long grass, and we watched it flying round and round over the field. A nice bonus – we had done very well for Short-eared Owls this weekend.

We thought we had a brief glimpse of a Barn Owl, disappeared through the bushes into the next field along, but it didn’t reappear. Back in the minibus, as we drove on, we looked over the hedge and there was a Barn Owl. There is nowhere to stop here, but as we drove on slowly, the Barn Owl came closer and closer to the edge of the field until it was flying right alongside us. Then a second Barn Owl appeared, and the two of them whirled away back behind us down the field.

We wanted to have a last go for the Tawny Owl which we had only seen briefly two days ago. It usually emerges at dusk, so we made our way over there and walked out along the footpath just as the sun was starting to set. We stood just off the footpath on the edge of the trees and waited. We didn’t have to wait too long until the Tawny Owl popped up at the entrance to its hole, but unfortunately it heard us and after only a couple of seconds it dropped straight back in. It has done this before – it was still too early for it to actually leave its hole – but usually comes up again after 10-15 minutes, so we continued our vigil.

Not long after, a male Tawny Owl hooted once from the trees behind. Over the following minutes it gradually began to hoot more, great to stand and listen to, but there was still no sign of anything at the hole. We were standing facing in to the wind, which still had a bite to it, and with cloudy conditions the light started to go quickly. The Tawny Owl in its hole was obviously in no hurry to emerge and once we got past the point where we would normally expect to see it come out, we decided it was time to call it a night.

The weather had not been particularly kind to us this weekend, but we had made the most of it and seen some good birds, as well as a nice selection of owls, not least the Short-eared Owls which would live long in the memory.

6th Jan 2024 – Winter 3-day Tour, Day 2

Day 2 of a 3-day Winter & Owls Tour. The weather was much kinder to us today – there were even some nice spells of winter sunshine! The winds were much lighter and there were only one or two very light and brief showers. We spent the day down in the Norfolk Broads.

As we came in from Horning, through Ludham village this morning, we decided to have a quick look for some swans first. We drove along the road on the south side of Ludham Airfield, but there was no sign of any here today. A Mistle Thrush flew over. We cut back through the village and down to St Benet’s Abbey, where we found several Mute Swans and then a small group of wild swans asleep on the flooded grassland behind the trees. The verges were very soft after all the rain, so we turned round and parked in a gateway which had a more solid base. Several Greenfinches were perched on a bush out on the grass in front as we got out of the minibus.

We walked back up the road and set up the scope on the swans. They were showing no real sign of stirring – occasionally one would lift its head and the only ones we could see here were Whooper Swans, the commoner of the two species here, so we would have to try elsewhere to find some Bewick’s Swans. We heard distant Cranes bugling briefly, but then they went quiet.

Whooper Swans – sleeping

Our next destination was Filby Broad, and at least one Ferruginous Duck had already been reported here this morning. There were several cars in the car park, but only two other birders on the boardwalk. We set up our scopes and quickly located a drake Ferruginous Duck towards the NW corner. Then we realised the female was here too, asleep nearby. We watched the male diving, noting its white eye and distinctive head shape, although the light meant it was hard to make out much in terms of colour. Then a boat with a couple of fishermen in it motored over towards all the wildfowl, the Coot started to move further back and the ducks followed, disappearing behind the reeds into the far corner out of view.

Goldeneye – several were on the Broad

There were still several Goldeneye with the Coot along the edge of the reeds along the north side, so we turned the scopes on those. There were several Gadwall over towards the back, and some small groups of Tufted Ducks and Common Pochard. A couple of Marsh Harriers drifted over. The sun had emerged from behind the clouds now and the light improved. When the Ferruginous Ducks reappeared we could now see their rusty colour, particularly the drake, even though both birds were diving continually.

Goldcrest – by the path

With the main target here achieved, we walked back to the car park and continued on up the path through the trees. A Kingfisher called out over the Broad beyond. A tit flock flitted ahead of us in the trees, including Long-tailed Tits and a Coal Tit singing. Then a Goldcrest appeared close to path, and we watched it feeding in the branches right next to us, just a few feet away. A Treecreeper appeared on a trunk ahead of us too, and we had nice views of that in the sunshine as well.

Treecreeper – in the trees

We walked up to the platform at the end overlooking Ormesby Little Broad. A Kingfisher shot past right in front and disappeared round behind the reeds. There was a lot of shooting now over the other side of the broad, spooking the Grey Heron and Cormorants from the trees opposite. Scanning through the ducks and Coot, we found a few Great Crested Grebes, including one already starting to come in to breeding plumage, and two winter ones which looked to be about to start displaying before they were disturbed by all the noise.

Back to the minibus, and drove on to look for Cranes next. Unusually there was no sign of any this morning in their usual fields. We could see shooting pegs, so possibly they had been shooting here this morning too? We tried some other areas nearby where they can often be found but there was no sign of any here either. There were plenty of Red-legged Partridges in the fields – lots were released last year, and they haven’t managed to shoot all of them yet. We decided to try for swans again instead, up at Hickling.

Driving along the road towards Stalham, we came out beyond a hedge and found lots of swans around a small flood in the muddy field right next to the road. They were too close to get out, and started bugling and lifted their heads as we pulled up in a layby opposite. So we drove on, turned round, and stopped in a layby further back now, behind the hedge. The swans had settled down, and started feeding, so we could watch them at leisure now.

We counted six Bewick’s Swans in with about thirty Whooper Swans. It is always great to see them side by side, the Bewick’s Swans clearly smaller, daintier, shorted-billed, with less yellow which is more squared off rather than the wedge on Whooper Swans. With the number of Bewick’s Swans coming to the UK in winter dropping precipitously, it always feels like we should take every available opportunity to appreciate them, while we still can. Two Mute Swans were in with them too.

Bewick’s Swans – with Whoopers in the foreground

We made our way down to Strumpshaw for lunch next, stopping briefly on the way to admire a big flock of Fieldfares feeding on a recently harvested sugar beet field next to the road. Lots of Blue Tits and Great Tits were coming in to the feeders by Reception, and were joined by a couple of Coal Tits. We didn’t have to wait long before a Marsh Tit shot in and out too, and we had some nice views as it made repeated visits over our lunch break. A Great Spotted Woodpecker stared calling beyond the trees, and we had brief views of one flying over beyond the level crossing, and then another over reception behind us. A Marsh Harrier quartered over the reeds and another drifted over the overflow car park, and a Kestrel perched in the tree right above the level crossing gates.

Marsh Tit – coming to the feeders

After lunch, we drove back north. On the way, we had a quick scan of the fields where the Cranes should be again from the main road, but there was still no sign of any. There was a very large flock of Rooks along here. We continued on round to St Benet’s Levels which would be our destination for the rest of the afternoon.

As we drove in, we saw a Short-eared Owl flying around just behind the farm buildings, a great start. We parked in the car park beyond, and could see two Short-eared Owls distantly back before the farm now. As we walked out of the car park and onto the access track, a third came in over the field beyond and right past us. It was lovely light now, with the sun out and low in the sky.

Short-eared Owl – flew right past

Out on the access road, we didn’t know which way to look, there were Short-eared Owls everywhere. we counted five up at once one side of the road, then three up together the other side, so at bare minimum of eight. We had fantastic views of them hunting over the grazing marshes in front of us. The owls dropped into the grass a few times, and one seemed to be feeding on a vole.

Short-eared Owl – occasionally dropped into the grass

From time to time, a couple of Short-eared Owls would chase each other up into the air, and at one point two had a disagreement right in front of us out over the grass. Where there is plenty of food, Short-eared Owls can establish winter territories, and defend them against others. Great to watch.

Short-eared Owls – chasing each other

We heard Cranes bugling now and turned to see a group of three dropping down in distance, lost to view behind the reeds. A little later, we heard more bugling and managed to find what may have been same family out on the Levels, through a gap in the reeds. Distant views, but a good start. Then another sixteen Cranes flew up calling and headed off over Thurne village, followed shortly after by another two. There seemed to be Cranes everywhere too now.

A close male Marsh Harrier was hunting over the grass in front of us too. We could see it was wing tagged, and investigations later revealed it had been ringed in the Broads in June 2020. Several Chinese Water Deer were out on the grass now too.

Eventually it clouded over a little and we managed to tear ourselves away from the spectacular display of the Short-eared Owls. As we walked up to the old Abbey, a Barn Owl was hunting more distantly the other side of the river, unusually the only one we saw here this evening. We scanned the grazing meadows and found the family of three Cranes we had seen earlier, a bit closer from here. Eventually they came up out of the reeds onto the bank, where we could see the darker headed juvenile, born last summer, between the two adults. It was great to hear them calling – it is wonderful sound, bugling Cranes back in the Broads. A Sparrowhawk perched on nearby tower.

Common Cranes – a family group

Maybe one of the Short-eared Owls we had seen earlier or possibly another was now hunting the marshes beyond the Abbey, and worked its way up the slope towards us. It dropped sharply into the grass and had clearly caught something. A Kestrel had been perched on the hedge just beyond, and after a couple of minutes it flew in low and straight at the Short-eared Owl. The Owl took off with the vole still in its talons, and the Kestrel swooped up at it, grabbed its feet, and the two of them tumbled down locked together into grass. The Short-eared Owl came up with nothing – the Kestrel had successfully stolen its vole.

Another Short-eared Owl appeared perched in the hedge, preening, and we had great views of that now through the scope, before it eventually dozed off, presumably having fed well already. A flock of Linnets landed on the hedge too, and more bizarrely a Common Gull right on the top on a thin branch.

The sun was going down now, and there was a lovely sunset just beyond the old Abbey gate as we walked back down to the car park. It was time to head back – it had been a fantastic way to end a very productive day in the Broads here.

As we arrived back in Hindolveston, and got out of the minibus back at the B&B, a couple of Tawny Owls were hooting in the trees.

5th Jan 2024 – Winter 3-day Tour, Day 1

Day 1 of a 3-day Winter & Owls Tour. The forecast a couple of days ago was for some nice crisp winter weather, light winds and high pressure, over the weekend, but that had changed and now we had yet more heavy rain overnight which at least cleared through early this morning. We were left with a rather grey and damp day with a more blustery NNW wind than we had been expecting. We made the best of it, even if the birds didn’t all play ball.

On our way up to the coast, we stopped to look at a large flock of geese feeding in a recently harvested sugar beet field. From a distance, it almost looked like there wasn’t anything there, as the geese were the same colour as the mud, but once we got out of the minibus (the geese were far enough away that we wouldn’t disturb them) we could see the back of the field was completely covered in Pink-footed Geese.

Pink-footed Geese – feeding after the sugar beet has been harvested

We set up the scope and scanned through the flock. There were quite a few Greylag Geese in the other geese, perhaps true wild Icelandic birds which had travelled down here with the Pinkfeet. We picked up a pair of Russian White-fronted Geese too, hard to see in the middle of the flock until they lifted their heads and you could see the white blaze around the base of their bills. A juvenile White-fronted Goose was with them, presumably a small family party.

Several Skylarks flew up occasionally from the field too, and a few Pied Wagtails were feeding out on the mud. There were quite a few Lapwings in here as well, and four Golden Plover flew in and looked like they were going to join them but then didn’t land and flew off again.

We had managed to stay out of the worst of the rain, in the lee of the minibus, and it now seemed to be stopping. We moved on, and went to look for our regular Tawny Owl. As we walked in along the footpath, a few Chaffinches flew up from the hedge and a Robin flicked ahead of us. When we got almost to where we could view the tree, we slowed down and walked on quietly until we could look back and see the hole. The Tawny Owl was there, at the entrance, but before we could even get everyone on the hole it dropped down inside, out of view. Sometimes it can sit out in full view and doesn’t seem to care and other times it disappears instantly – unfortunately, today was one of the latter.

Nothing else for it, we would have to try again another time. As we walked back towards the minibus, a flock Long-tailed Tits appeared in the trees by the path. We stopped to look and a Treecreeper was singing further in, followed by a Coal Tit too. It didn’t feel like it much today, but spring is coming – hopefully, eventually! A Nuthatch flew out onto the edge of the wood too briefly and perched in the top of a tree, before disappearing back in. Back towards the road, three Greenfinches flew up out of the hedge calling.

The Red-breasted Goose had been reported in the Eye Field at Cley earlier, and has spent most of the last few days feeding there with the Brent Goose flock, so we headed down to look for that next. As we passed the grazing marshes just before the village, a Great White Egret was standing out in the wet grass. But as we drove down Beach Road, there was no sign of any geese on Cricket Marsh or in the Eye Field now. Some locals already in the beach car park hadn’t seen any geese either, so we decided to have a look in some fields inland where it has been on other occasions.

Initially we couldn’t find any geese at all up the Glaven Valley, although we did come across at least 20 Ruff feeding in some pig fields by the road, with some Lapwings. When we got as far as Holt, we checked one field just south of town, but there was nothing there either, so we came back down the Cley Road. Here we did find the large flock of Brent Geese feeding in some winter wheat. Again, we got out very carefully and gradually, by changing angles, managed to check through the whole flock, but to our disappointment, the Red-breasted Goose was not with them today.

Brent Goose – we found a large flock inland

While we had a quick break to use the facilities in the Visitor Centre at Cley, we scanned the marshes. There was still no sign of any Brent Geese, although there were about a dozen Brents in the field behind. There is a lot of water on the scrapes after all the recent rain and there seemed to be few birds out there today, so we decided to try our luck elsewhere. The Shorelarks which usually winter at Holkham have been very elusive recently, so with a message from someone we know to say they were back in the cordon, we thought we might try our luck.

We diverted inland off the coast road at Wiveton and found lots of egrets in one of the wet grazing meadows. There have been some Cattle Egrets here on and off in recent weeks, and sure enough we found three of them now, in with several Little Egrets. One of the Cattle Egrets had a little bit of breeding plumage, a light wash of orange on its head and back. Two Bullfinches flicked ahead of us in and out of the hedge as we found somewhere to pull in and got out to look at the egrets.

Cattle Egret – left, with Little Egrets

Moving on west, the grazing marshes just east of Stiffkey were almost completely under water and the ones the other side of the village were not much better. We pulled up opposite the Red Lion and expected there to be no sign of the Glossy Ibis but there it was, feeding on the grass the other side of the water. We managed to pull mostly off the road and got out to get the scopes on it. It was not much bigger than the Curlews it was feeding with. There were lots of Wigeon and a few Teal around the edges of the water too.

Glossy Ibis – with Curlew

When we got to Holkham, knowing that the Shorelarks have not lingered in the cordon long in recent days, we headed straight out towards the beach. We hadn’t got far beyond the boardwalk when we met someone coming back who told us they had flown off west half an hour earlier, so we walked up to the top of the dunes, on the edge of the pines, to look across to the Gap. We had only just started scanning when we picked up the fourteen Shorelarks flying round the dunes and out onto the beach out of view.

As we didn’t want to get wet feet for those not wearing wellies, we walked down to the cordon and cut across to the beach on the path there. We couldn’t see anything out on the sand from here, so we walked west on the beach towards the Gap, but we hadn’t quite got there when we spotted the Shorelarks flying out towards the sea further up. They flew up and down over the beach a couple of times, and at one point looked like they might be coming back towards us, but then they turned and headed away along the shoreline. Eventually we lost sight of them as they disappeared off west. At least we had seen them, though not the views we had hoped for.

There were lots of Common Scoter in a huge raft out on the sea, but it was very rough out there today, with the blustery onshore wind. We turned the scopes on them, so that everyone could at least see the flock. There have been up to 20 Velvet Scoter with them, but they were going to be impossible to pick out on the water in these conditions. Then two Velvet Scoter flew in over the Commons, so that we could see the white in their wings, flying round a couple of times before dropping back down on the sea.

There were several silvery grey Sanderling running up and down on the shore and a couple of Oystercatchers flew in and landed on the beach too. We walked back round via the cordon, and the drier path. A large group of Shelduck was out on the saltmarsh but there was no sign of any other small birds out here today – it had probably been too disturbed over the festive period. When we got back to the Lookout, it was time for lunch.

Shelduck – on the saltmarsh

We looked for the Grey Partridges by Lady Anne’s Drive, before and after lunch, but once again this winter there was no sign of them. There were lots of ducks out on the grazing marshes – Wigeon, Teal and a few Shoveler – and when a Marsh Harrier drifted over, they all took to the air and whirled round. A couple of Red Kites were hanging in the breeze either side of the Drive and a distant Common Buzzard perched on a bush. A Sparrowhawk flew over the cafe while we were eating.

There is a lot of water on the grazing marshes here, and as we drove back up the Drive towards the main road, we stopped to look at the gulls feeding in the wet grass. There were several Common Gulls in with the Black-headed Gulls.

We turned right onto the A149 and as we drove west alongside the park, we could see White-fronted Geese on one of the fields next to the road. There were several cars in the layby, but one was pulling out, so we turned around further up and just about pulled off the road so we could get out for a quick look. There were at least 55 White-fronted Geese here when we arrived, closer and better views than this morning, not hidden in a mass of Pinkfeet. We could see the different patterns of black belly bars between the individuals and the pinkish bills, one of the main features which mark them out as Russian White-fronted Geese. Small groups started to fly up and off west, calling as they went.

White-fronted Geese – showing variation in belly markings

There were three Barnacle Geese here too, and one of them was sporting a yellow colour-ring. There is a feral breeding population in Holkham Park and this bird had been apparently ringed there in summer 2022. It seems to commute down to Suffolk for the early part of the winter, and it was a bit of a surprise to see that it was back here so early (although it was seen back here by mid Feb 2023).

We planned to finish the day at Warham Greens but we had timed our arrival around the best period for the Pallid Harrier – we had not wanted to get there too early as it might be chilly standing around too long in the wind. As we made our way over there now, a pair of Grey Partridge flew over the road in front of us.

Down on the edge of the saltmarsh, there were a few local birders already looking. We had missed a couple of Hen Harriers apparently, but there had been no sign of the Pallid Harrier coming in to roost yet. We joined them and started to scan ourselves. Whether it was the cold wind or the odd drizzly shower which blew in, it quickly became apparent that there wasn’t much activity here tonight. We saw a couple of brief Marsh Harriers up, but no further sign of the Hens (which had maybe gone in to roost already) and we couldn’t find any Merlin either. The peak period for the Pallid Harrier to come in came and went without any sign of it.

Some of the others were just leaving when we picked up a Short-eared Owl flying towards us over the near edge of the saltmarsh. We shouted and they turned back round. The Short-eared Owl looked like it might come across right in front of us, but went to land, changed its mind, and turned and headed back off the other way. A nice consolation prize.

Short-eared Owl – taken here a few days earlier

The light was starting to go now, not helped by it being very overcast, and if anything flew in we would not have very good views, so we decided to call it a night. As we walked back up the track, the flocks of Brent Geese were flying in over the fields and out over the saltmarsh to roost. We could hear them chattering as they passed. Hopefully the weather would be better tomorrow.

21st Feb 2023 – Last Orders for Owls

An Owl Tour today, our last of 2023. It was a mostly cloudy day, but dry and mild with lighter winds than of late, though there was some unexpected sunshine later in the afternoon, just in time for the owls.

With the days drawing out already, it was just after dawn when we met today. The Barn Owls are often still out hunting into the morning at this time of year, but after a week of fine and dry weather, they have obviously been hunting well and are not so hungry at the moment. Despite seeing one still out as we drove down to the meeting point, by the time we got back in the minibus they had all gone in to roost. We drove round via a couple of regular spots to check, then stopped for a walk out across the marshes to try our luck there.

There were lots of Curlew and Lapwing out on the grass and one or two Brown Hares. A male Marsh Harrier was preening on a bush out in the reeds beyond and a darker female landed on a post a bit further over. A Grey Wagtail flew up from the river and off overhead calling. A distant skein of Pink-footed Geese over the sea in the distance were probably on their way north already, some of our winter visitors leaving us. But no owls.

Back in the minibus, we had a quick drive round via some other good sites. There has been a Barn Owl at Cley Coastguards later on in the morning at times this year, but there was no sign of it now. We did find a group of Meadow Pipits in the overflow car park and a Rock Pipit with them, which flew up and landed on a fence post. A group of Golden Plover scattered amongst the mole hills beyond were remarkably well camouflaged in the brown grass.

Rock Pipit – at the Eye Field

It was clear that the Barn Owls had gone in to roost early this morning, so we decided to try for Tawny Owl instead. As we walked down the footpath, various birds were singing – Greenfinch, Dunnock, Song Thrush. Spring is hopefully not far away now! A dead Rook was strung up, presumably shot by the farmer and now swinging from a post pushed into the earth in the middle of the field. It was clearly meant to scare off the rest of the Rooks, which were feeding oblivious next to it. Unreconstructed Victorian old wives’ tales still persist in some parts of the countryside!

As we came around the corner, we could just see some rufous feathers through all the branches of the trees in front – the Tawny Owl was perched in its regular hole. We took a couple of steps further, so we could get a clear view, but before we could even put the scope on it, it had dropped down into the tree out of view. Very frustrating – only a couple of the group glimpsed it before it disappeared. It probably wouldn’t come back out any time soon, so we would just have to come back later.

We turned to walk back. A Stock Dove was out in the middle of the field now, with a small group of Woodpigeons. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming and a Nuthatch was calling from somewhere in the trees by the footpath. A little further on, a Coal Tit was singing from the top of a small bare tree where we could get a look at it.

Time to try our luck with Little Owls instead. We drove further inland – a quick look at our formerly regular site drew a blank once again, as all their favoured spots to perch in the daytime have been covered with netting. As we continued on, there were Brown Hares and a Grey Partridge in the fields. At the next barns we tried, we could see a shape on the edge of the roof, so we found a convenient place to pull off the road and sure enough there were not one but two Little Owls. They were slightly hidden from this angle at first, but we got the scope on them and after a while one hopped up onto the side of the roof facing us where we could get a proper look at it. Owls at last!

Little Owl – one of the pair

Several Stock Doves flew in and out of the barns and one perched on the crossbeam of the gable end. A Yellowhammer was singing from the wires behind us and a small flock of Linnets were perched on a nearby hedge. A large flock of Pied Wagtails was feeding in a recently cultivated field the other side of the road. One of the group spotted a Common Buzzard in the weedy crop very close to where we were standing, but as we turned to look it quickly became apparent that it had a damaged wing – presumably it had been hit by a passing vehicle.

We continued on, round via some more barns but it was late morning now and there were no more owls in evidence. We would have another go for owls later. We cut back down to the coast and headed for the beach car park at Wells, where we walked out to the harbour to see if we could find some other birds to look at. Four Red-breasted Mergansers were diving in the harbour channel, and through the scope we admired their punk haircuts.

There were lots of waders here too – Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits and Redshanks, a few Sanderling and Turnstone, Grey Plovers and Ringed Plovers, Dunlin and Knot. A couple of couple of Red Kites hung in the air. We had just turned the scope on some Shelduck when they were spooked and we looked over to see a Peregrine fly across and disappeared into the trees on East Hills.

It was already midday, so we drove back east to Cley where we could use the picnic tables at the Visitor Centre. As we got out of the minibus, all the birds came up off the scrapes and we looked up to see another Peregrine flying in off the marshes towards us. As we ate lunch, we kept one eye on the scrapes in front. A pair of Marsh Harriers came in and out of the reeds the other side of the road. There were lots of Lapwings on the islands on Pat’s Pool and two or three Ruff were in with them. Several Avocets were feeding in the deeper water. A couple of Pintail were upending over in the far corner.

Marsh Harrier – the male

After lunch, we went for a walk along the East Bank. We stopped to admire a drake Gadwall on Don’s Pool and some smart Wigeon out on the grass opposite. There were more Lapwing here and we got one in the scope – as it turned in the sunshine, its upperparts shone green, purple and bronze. A flock of small finches flew in towards us, normally safe to assume they will be Linnets, but as they turned their bills caught the light and they were yellow. Twite! Probably the birds which have been out at Blakeney in recent weeks, they were reported earlier out by Sea Pool. They dropped down to drink on the end of the Serpentine but before we could get the scope set up for a closer look they were off again. We watched them disappear back out towards the beach.

There had been a Spoonbill around yesterday, but the only large white birds we could see out here at first were a couple of Mute Swans. When we looked back, another white bird had appeared on Pope’s Pool at the back – the Spoonbill. Through the scope, we watched it feeding, sweeping its bill back and forth in the shallow water. The Spoonbills are just starting to return now, for the breeding season, and hopefully they will breed here at Cley again this year.

Spoonbill – on Pope’s Pool

We stopped to scan Arnold’s Marsh, but there were no waders on there today which we hadn’t already seen. There were more Pintail on the Brackish Pools the other side of the path – they were standing in shallow water which meant we got a very good look at their long tails.

We had kept one eye out towards the old shingle ridge as we walked out, so see if we could see the Snow Buntings. There had been no sign, but now we picked them up flying in from the east. They circled round and dropped down on the slope to the north of Arnold’s, so we made our way quickly round there. They were remarkably well camouflaged against the shingle, and tucked down in a dip, but from the top of the ridge we could get them in the scope. We watched them for a while, before suddenly they were off, whirling round like snowflakes before disappearing off towards Sea Pool.

Snow Buntings – on the shingle

Scanning the sea, we managed to find a few Great Crested Grebes out on the water. There were lots of more distant Red-throated Divers, but eventually we located one a little bit closer in. As we walked back along the bank, we stopped to watch a couple of Lapwings having a disagreement, one swooping repeatedly down at the other, landing and bowing, showing off its orangey undertail. A Skylark fluttered up singing.

It was now time to resume the main agenda off the day and look for some owls again. We drove inland to look for Barn Owls and we had only just parked and got out of the minibus, when one of the group spotted over flying across the road behind us. We followed it quickly, watching it fly round through the trees, dropping down in to the grass at one point. It looped back round behind the trees and then across the road again, working its way up the edge of the field behind us. Then it flew away over the back of the field and disappeared.

Barn Owl – as we got out of the minibus

A good start, but the Barn Owls have been showing well here in the afternoons recently so we were still keen for more. As we walked up along the footpath, a second Barn Owl flew across in front of us, presumably having just dropped out from where it was roosting. It disappeared over the hedge the other side, so we hurried up to a small mound where we could look over to the field beyond, but there was no sign of the Barn Owl there now. We stood and waited and it was not too long before it flew back in from the direction we had just come. It flew straight towards us across the water meadows, a great view, then over the hedge again.

Barn Owl – flew right past us

The Barn Owl was going to hunt the field beyond now but almost immediately it turned sharply and dropped down to the ground behind the hedge. It stayed down for a while, it had obviously caught something, and when it came up again it had a vole in its talons. It flew back over the hedge in front of us and across to some thicker bushes behind, where it landed.Through the scope now, we watched it devouring its prey. The Kestrel on the wires, presumably didn’t see it, or would have tried to steal its vole. The Barn Owl finished eating in peace today, and was then in no hurry to resume hunting. Presumably it wasn’t especially hungry as it stayed perched on the edge of the bushes, dozing.

There was still one last mission for the day – so we made our way back to try again for the Tawny Owl. As we came round the corner, we could see it through the branches already perched up at the entrance to the hole, as we had done earlier. This time, we thought we would at least get it in the scope from here for a quick look, before moving out into the open, but once again it quickly dropped down into the hole, before more then one or two people could get a look at it. It was not being very helpful today!

We continued further on a little further, and found somewhere we could conceal ourselves a little in the edge of the trees and still get a fairly clear view of the hole from a discrete distance. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait too long before the Tawny Owl popped up into the entrance to the hold again. Now we had a great view of it in the scope. Finally!

Tawny Owl – finally perched up for us

It was still quite light and it was going to be some time before the Tawny Owl headed out for the night, so after watching it for a while, we eventually decided to head for home. Presumably because it was getting to its preferred time of day, the Tawny Owl was not so concerned by us now, and as we walked back out onto the path and up to where it had been spooked earlier, it stayed where it was. So we stopped for one last look – there were no branches at all in front of it now!

It was a great way to end – lots of owls at last! Mission accomplished.

30th Jan 2023 – Owls & More

A private group Owl Tour today. It was a lovely sunny day, but with a very blustery wind gusting up to 38mph in the morning which dropped steadily through the day to no more than a light breeze by late afternoon.

The sun was already almost poking over the horizon by the time we got away and given the gusty wind it was perhaps no surprise that the first Barn Owls we looked for had already gone in to roost – these two have rarely been seen out beyond dawn. We tried a second location, getting out of the minibus this time to scan the grazing marshes. There were several Brown Hares on the grass and a large flock of Curlew feeding. A Kestrel was perched on top of a dead tree and then hovering over the marshes and a Marsh Harrier drifted low over the bank in the distance. Back in the minibus, a couple of more sheltered spots where we have seen Barn Owls out later recently similarly drew a blank. Not to worry, the wind was forecast to drop through the day so we would have another go later.

We decided to have a look for Tawny Owl next. As we walked down the footpath, a male Greenfinch was wheezing away in the hedge and a little further up, a male Chaffinch was perched up singing too and a Song Thrush was singing in the trees beyond. Signs that spring is not too far away now, hopefully. From the corner, four Roe Deer were lurking along the far side of the field, so we stopped to watch them. A large flock of Redwing was feeding in the field too, and looking through we found several Mistle Thrushes and a single Fieldfare with them. Then on round the next corner, we looked back across to the wood opposite and found an empty hole in the tree – the Tawny Owl was not there! We were not having much luck with owls this morning, something else we would have to revisit later, so not all was lost.

The good news was that, while we were failing to find any of our more regular owls, we received a message to say that the Long-eared Owl which has been putting in very erratic appearances in the garden of the Cley Spy shop in Glandford (North Norfolk’s premier optics retailer!) was present again this morning. We were at least guaranteed one owl! The shop doesn’t open until 10am, which was under an hour off now, so we needed to work our way gradually over in that direction. We had a quick look at what was formerly our most reliable Little Owl site, but with the sheds all netted and their favourite perches all closed off they have become very unreliable now and it was no great surprise that our luck was out here too.

We took a short break from owls and headed down to Blakeney. As we walked across to the harbour, a Kingfisher was perched on the mooring rope of one of the boats in the channel. We got it in the scope and had some great views. Not an owl, but still a lovely bird to get such prolonged views of!

Kingfisher – on a mooring rope

There were a few Brent Geese out in the harbour, and one stood out in the low winter sunshine – much paler-flanked, it was a Pale-bellied Brent Goose, a regular returning bird here and paired with one of our more expected Dark-bellied Brent Geese. A smart male Stonechat kept flicking up and down from a post on the edge of the saltmarsh opposite. A little group of Teal on the muddy bank further up were catching the low sunlight and a Little Grebe was diving in the channel. There were several Redshank and Curlew along the channel too, which we got in the scope for a closer look.

It was time to break our owl duck. It was only a couple of minutes after 10am when we arrived at the Cley Spy shop, but there was already a small crowd gathered on the viewing terrace (they had apparently been queued up at the door before they opened!!). We found a space and set up the scope. The Long-eared Owl was showing fantastically well in the sunshine on its original branch out in the open today (it had been further back and behind branches yesterday). Ironically, normally the hardest of our regular owls to see and the first we had managed to catch up with today. Stunning.

Long-eared Owl – enjoying the sun

After enjoying fabulous views of the Long-eared Owl, we eventually had to tear ourselves away and move on. We drove west, to try to see if our luck was in now with Little Owls. And the next barns we tried, we could just see two Little Owls under the edge of the roof, out of the wind on the gable end and sunning themselves. By the time everyone got out of the minibus, one had gone back in and we could only see a single face looking out. But then the second appeared again, the two of them slightly squashed in under the roof. They were distant, but it was a good start.

We would go back to owling later, but what to do during the middle of the day, Bittern or Shorelarks? There had been a very showy Bittern over the last few days right by the main path at Titchwell, so the vote was to go to try for that. As we were heading further west anyway, we continued across inland via some more sites where we had seen Little Owls in the past, but not in recent years. Mostly, unsurprisingly, there was nothing to see – they have disappeared from so many places now. But we drove slowly past one set of barns where we haven’t seen them for several years and there was a Little Owl looking back out at us from under the end of the roof. There was no way we could get out, as we were so close to it, but we had a great view from the minibus before eventually it decided we were not going to drive straight by and it disappeared back in under the roof.

Little Owl – under the roof

It was almost lunchtime when we arrived at Titchwell. We were just walking out to look for the Bittern quickly, when one of the locals who was just leaving told us it hadn’t been seen all morning. We walked out anyway, onto the main path past the Visitor Centre, and there was no sign of the regular Water Rail in the ditch either now too. There were still lots of people looking for the Bittern and we quickly checked out all the places we have seen it in the last few days, but nothing. Time for plan B? If we went back to have lunch now, we would then still have time to have a go for Shorelarks before resuming our owl hunt.

We had just turned to walk back when someone we knew came up to say the Bittern had just been seen, back where it was a couple of days ago. We walked quickly over but by the time we got there it had already disappeared back into the reeds. We waited for a few minutes but there was no further sign of it. Everyone was hungry, so we walked back to the minibus for a break. We had only just finished eating and were packing up when we were told the Bittern had reappeared again. Time for another go?

We walked back out just in time to see the Bittern disappear back into the reeds – it was feeling like this was not going to be our day! Again, we stood and scanned for a few minutes and it seemed like we were going to be out of luck once more. Then we had another glimpse of it deep in the reeds, and it seemed to be walking back across towards the front edge. It took an age to appear, but finally it snaked out from the reeds into the lower bulrushes in front and stood there looking at us. Wow – what a bird! We watched the Bittern for a while, before it eventually turned and snaked back into the reeds again.

Bittern – eventually came out

Choices, choices. Three Shorelarks had just been seen on Holme beach, and that was a bird on the wanted list, but if we went to try for those that would not give us enough time to get all the way back to our regular Barn Owls, before we had to look for the Tawny Owl. Again, the vote was to have a look for the Shorelarks, and we could just try to catch a Barn Owl (normally the easiest to see of the owls here) on our way back east.

As we walked out onto the beach, there was no sign of the Shorelarks where they have been for the last week or so. We bumped into the couple who had just seen them and they told us they were out along the high tide line a short way to the east today. Unfortunately, as we turned to look where they were pointing we could see someone walking through the very area and when we got out onto the beach the Shorelarks had disappeared. If we had more time, we could have walked east along the beach to see if they had been pushed further along, but we had already pushed our time too far and needed to start heading back now.

Barn Owl – out hunting as we drove back

As we drove back east, we checked several regular spots for Barn Owls as we passed but couldn’t see any out at first. We cut inland to some barns where one often likes to perch in the sunshine before it heads out hunting, but there was no sign of it anywhere too. It was beginning to feel like we were going to be out of luck again. Then just a bit further on, a Barn Owl flew across the road in front of us. It flew up and over the old railway line and then back across the road the other side. We drove on, and could just see it in the grass on the bank, before it took off again and doubled back behind us. Thankfully there was a convenient layby, so we pulled in and climbed up the verge and there was the Barn Owl on a post. It sat looking round for a minute and then flew up and dropped down into the railway cutting out of view.

We still had the Tawny Owl to look for again. We got back just as the sun was setting and walked in along the footpath round the edge of the fields. Two of the Roe Deer were still here, feeding out in the field. We got up to the point where we could just see the hole in the tree and there was the Tawny Owl perched at the entrance. We got the scope on it and everyone had a quick look in case it disappeared back in. Then we continued on up to the corner and we were looking straight at it, staring straight back at us. A lovely view of what is our commonest but one of our least seen owls.

We stood and watched the Tawny Owl through the scope as the sun dropped and the light gradually faded. Eventually it moved, and climbed higher up into the hole. It was time for us to go now, and we had just picked the scope up when we looked back up to see it had gone – presumably heading out to hunt. A fitting end to a great day of owls – and lots more besides.

15th Jan 2023 – Owling in the Wind

An Owl Tour today. It was very windy again this morning, gusting up to 46mph, and very grey although mercifully the worst we had was a mercifully brief period when it started to spit with rain. Not ideal weather for owls! Thankfully the wind dropped and the sun came out in the afternoon and it all came good in the end.

It was an early start today, before dawn, in an attempt to catch the Barn Owls out hunting before they went in to roost. As we drove inland a Sparrowhawk came out of the hedge and flew low down the road ahead of us. We drove round by the fields where we would normally expect to find them at this time of the morning, but scanning from the minibus, we couldn’t find the first pair of Barn Owls from minibus. Not a good sign.

Further on, we stopped and got out to scan. No owls there either, just a couple of Marsh Harriers and a Kestrel out already. It was very windy and we were glad to get back in the minibus. We drove round to another site where two Barn Owls have been out very late in the mornings in the last week or so, and where there were some more sheltered spots for them to hunt, but there was no sign of those either. It was just too windy, and they had obviously given up and gone into roost. As we drove back round, two people in the back of the bus saw a shape through one of the hedges where we had looked earlier, so we turned down a side road to look but there was nothing there now. There Bullfinches flicked through the hedge ahead of us.

It was time for a change of tack. Fingers crossed, we would have another chance for Barn Owls later, particularly if the wind might drop. We moved on inland and went to look for a Tawny Owl instead. It was very blustery and spitting with rain as we walked round the edge of the field, before we got some shelter in the lee of the hedge. As we approached the edge of the wood, we stopped to scan the tree and could see a shape in the hole. Not the best view from here, but it was a Tawny Owl, so we all had a quick look in case it disappeared in.

From further up, we were looking straight on at the tree, from a safe distance. The Tawny Owl was side on at first, probably trying to shelter from the wind, dozing. Then it stirred and turned face on – a great view through the scope.

Tawny Owl – in its usual hole

One owl under our belts, we drove on to look for Little Owls. It was likely to be a struggle today, given the weather and that the barns at the most reliable site in recent years have been netted as an avian flu prevention measure. Unfortunately, the places where the Little Owls used to sit are now inaccessible for them. There were lots of people there when we arrived too, no chance. So we carried on to try another site where we have seen them recently. There were lots of geese in the fields as we drove – a flock of Brent Geese in winter wheat one side, and hundreds of Pink-footed Geese in the harvested sugar beet a little further up on the other side. Predictably, there was no sign of the Little Owl. It was time to take a break and we could resume our owling efforts later.

We drove down to Holkham and made our way up to The Lookout cafe for a welcome hot drink. There were lots of Pinkfeet and a few Greylag Geese on the grazing marshes by Lady Anne’s Drive, plus big flocks of Wigeon, groups of Teal and one or two Shoveler. A couple of Black-tailed Godwits and Redshank were feeding on the wet grass in front of where we parked too. As we walked up to the top of the Drive, all the geese took to the air away to the west and we had a brief glimpse of the White-tailed Eagle briefly flying across, before it dropped down out of view. The little covey of six Grey Partridges were out on the grass close to the fence again.

Grey Partridge – by Lady Anne’s Drive

After we had warmed up in the cafe, we made our way out to the beach. As we walked east along the edge of the saltmarsh, there were lots of Shelduck and Brent Geese feeding on the saltmarsh, at least until they were flushed by two people walking right through the middle of the vegetation! Down at the cordon, the Shorelarks were feeding close to the fence, so we got them in the scope for a real close up. Smart birds!

There had been no sign of them when we arrived, but as we walked on to look for the Snow Buntings, they flew in and landed in the far end of cordon. We had just set off to walk up to that end when they flew again, right past us, the white in their wings flashing like snow. They landed on the path behind us, then flew out and dropped down in the cordon, where we got them in the scope.

Out at the beach, the tide was in and it was too windy to stop for any time. A Sanderling ran along the shoreline, before flying in past us. The Snow Buntings flew round behind us before landing on the shingle nearby. We were just watching them, when they were spooked by a dog and flew off towards Wells. We decided to walk back and on our way stopped for another look at the Shorelarks which were now even closer to the fence and completely unperturbed by everyone watching.

Shorelark – close to the fence

We were going to walk back through the pines, but the wind seemed to be dropping and we could see some brighter sky to the west now. Back at Lady Anne’s Drive, we stopped for lunch in The Lookout and by the time we had finished the weather was much improved. We decided to go round to the other side of the grazing marshes to look for the White-tailed Eagle. At the first layby, we could see lots of White-fronted Geese so stopped for a closer look. A pair of Egyptian Geese were on the grass further up. There were plenty of raptors – several Common Buzzards, including one very pale one, a few Red Kites and Marsh Harriers, but no sign of the eagle from here.

There were a couple of cars in the next layby so we pulled up behind them. They were watching the White-tailed Eagle, which was perched on an ivy-covered stump out in the middle of the marshes. Before we could all get out of the minibus, it took off. Thankfully it just dropped down to the ground in front, where it proceeded to feed on an unidentified bit of carrion down on the grass. A Red Kite swooped low over it and then landed on the ground alongside – it looked tiny by comparison!

White-tailed Eagle – visiting from Isle of Wight

This young White-tailed Eagle is a released bird from the Isle of Wight reintroduction scheme, and fitted with a satellite tracker. We were lucky with our timing – it was not seen here the following day and by the day after had moved down to Essex! A Great White Egret was feeding out on the marshes behind some reeds and then one of the other people pointed out a Barn Owl which was perched on a tree on the edge of a distant copse. It flew out and round over the marshes hunting for a while, before eventually disappearing back into the trees.

It was a good start to break our Barn Owl duck, but we were hoping for closer views now. There were reports of a few Barn Owls out elsewhere already too – it was still early this afternoon, but they had probably struggled to feed over the last few days due to the weather and were making the most of the drop in the wind. We started to make our way back east and decided to swing round inland via some barns to see if the local Barn Owl was out.

We thought it might be perched in the low sunshine on the barns, but when we pulled up alongside it wasn’t there. Then we saw the Barn Owl fly out ahead of us from behind the farmhouse further up. We drove towards it, but it promptly flew round behind us, disappearing behind the house. A quick turn round, and there it was now, hunting along the verge the other side of the barns. It landed in a tree so we pulled up alongside. From the minibus, it was unconcerned by our presence, point black views.

Barn Owl – out early

When the Barn Owl flew, we followed in the minibus right alongside, watching it hunt. It kept landing in one of the trees, scanning the ground for anything below, then moving on to the next tree. After about twenty minutes of stunning views, it eventually flew across the road and doubled back along the other verge behind us. We turned again and followed, but it disappeared back through the barns and we lost sight of it. We decided to leave it in peace.

Barn Owl – stunning views

We hadn’t gone far when we noticed a raptor flying across a field next to the road – we pulled up and a quick look confirmed it was a ringtail Hen Harrier. A nice bonus to run into one by chance like this inland.

Working our way back the way we had come earlier, we stopped again to scan the Little Owl barn. There it was now, tucked in the gable end. As everyone got out, a Woodcock shot past. Unfortunately, just as we set up the scope, the Little Owl dropped to the ground then disappeared round the back. Back in the minibus, we stopped again a bit further up and tried looking from a different angle. It was back on its original perch, but again it disappeared by the time we had all got out – we were a long way away so we weren’t disturbing it, but presumably it was just more active now the wind had dropped. We scanned the barns and found it again perched on the far end of the roof. This time, before everyone could get a look, a Buzzard flew low right past and it disappeared round the back again. Despite looking round and trying again back where we had stopped first, we couldn’t find it again.

We carried on east, inland. Thousands of Pinkfeet flew over the road back where we had seen them earlier, an impressive sight, and dropped down into the fields further over. A flock of Fieldfares perched up in the top of a hedge by the road, before flying down into the nearby stubble. A bevy of nine Roe Deer out in the middle of another field was an unusually large number for round here.

As we drove in to the back of Cley, another Barn Owl was hunting a rough field by the road. We stopped in the layby and got out to watch it hunting from the gate. More great views, several times it passed by just a few metres in front of us. Eventually it flew over the road and further up to another field, where it circled round several times before disappearing behind a hedge.

Barn Owl – 1 of 8 this afternoon

We stopped again to scan the grazing marshes where we had tried this morning. It was very different weather now, the wind had fallen light and Cley Mill looked stunning in the late low winter sun. A very distant Barn Owl was hunting out over the marshes in the distance now – our fourth of the afternoon.

We made our way back inland again and walked down the footpath which runs along the valley. Yet another Barn Owl was out here, but flying away from us over the water meadows. We followed, stopping to admire a Grey Wagtail feeding on the edge of the river and flocks of Pied Wagtails flying in to roost in the reeds.

The Barn Owl was perched now on a post over the other side, so we got it in the scope. Another Barn Owl appeared from out of the hedge opposite, and perched on a branch, cleaning its bill. When one flew past, we assumed it was the first Barn Owl again, but we looked back and it was still on its perch. As it started to quarter over the meadows back behind us, a fourth Barn Owl appeared with it we could see them all simultaneously!

From zero Barn Owls this morning to eight this afternoon, the change in the weather had made all the difference. Amazing! As we walked back towards the minibus, we were surrounded by Barn Owls hunting. We were hoping to get a Tawny Owl hooting but they were late tonight – the sky was was still quite bright and the Pheasants were still very noisy in the trees. It had been a long day, and we had seen the Tawny Owl so well earlier this morning that we decided to call it a night.

19th Feb 2022 – Last Orders for Owls

Another Owl Tour today, our last of 2022. After Storm Eunice blew through yesterday, it felt like we were lucky to be able to get out at all today. It was still rather windy all day, but the morning was bright and sunny before it clouded over and then the rain set in for the afternoon. We made the most of the best of the weather with an earlier than normal start.

The early start paid off again, and within a few minutes of setting off we were watching a Barn Owl out hunting. It was having to work hard, flying into the wind while scanning the grass below. When it turned, it was caught by the breeze and swept across, before turning back round to continue hunting. It gradually worked its way around the meadow in this way, covering different parts of the field.

Barn Owl – still out hunting

At times the Barn Owl came close, right over towards and round in front of the gate we were standing behind. It seemed to be so focused on hunting that it was unaware of us, or perhaps it just chose to ignore us.

Barn Owl – came right past us

We stood and watched the Barn Owl for a while. It kept disappearing behind a line of trees, over towards the hedge on the far side, before coming back out across the field. It put on a really great performance today. Presumably after a couple of nights disrupted by the stormy weather it is now hungry and trying to play catch-up.

Barn Owl – great views this morning

There were other things to distract us here at times. A selection of raptors started to circle up, enjoying the wind, Red Kite, Marsh Harriers and Common Buzzards. A Sparrowhawk shot through the hedge beside us and low out over the fields. A Kestrel battled into the breeze. A Stock Dove landed on the wires in front of us briefly.

When the Barn Owl eventually disappeared over the hedge, we followed it up along the road, with a bit of a walk a welcome opportunity to warm us up. There were lots of House Sparrows chirruping from the bushes by the road and a selection of birds still singing despite the wind – Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Song Thrush. A Bullfinch piped quietly from deep in the hedge.

A Marsh Harrier circled overhead, with barely a flap of its wings, catching the morning sun as it twisted and turned. A Muntjac was lurking in the undergrowth and ran off as we passed.

Marsh Harrier – circling in the sunshine

We found the Barn Owl again, hunting the next field up. We watched it for a while here. It landed on a post over towards the back a couple of times, but didn’t rest too long and quickly returned to hunting. After a while, it flew back over the hedge and we followed it back to where we had left the minibus.

There was no sign of the Barn Owl catching anything this morning. Repeatedly it dropped down into the grass but rather half-heartedly, stopping for a quick breather, looking round nervously, before resuming hunting. Only once did it really look like it might be onto something – it stopped to hover over some longer grass, then turned and dropped sharply. But once again it came up very quickly.

Barn Owl – unsuccessful this morning

Eventually the Barn Owl disappeared behind the trees and didn’t re-emerge. It was last seen heading for the area of bushes where it had been roosting, so presumably it had gone in. We decided to move on.

Our next target for the morning was Tawny Owl. We parked by a footpath and as we got out of the minibus a family out jogging with a couple of dogs came out of the gate. Not an auspicious start, as the Tawny Owls have been very nervous this year and often disappeared in at the first sign of movement. Still, we set off to have a look.

There were six Brown Hares in a group over the back of the winter wheat field by the path and we stopped to watch. They were chasing each other round, but they didn’t seem to be totally in the mood today – a couple of punches were thrown, but they turned back to eating the green shoots.

Before we got too far up the footpath, we stopped to check the trees and there was a Tawny Owl asleep in the entrance to the hole. We set the scope up and had a look from here, just in case it should disappear back in, but it seemed fairly unconcerned today. It opened its eyes from time to time but didn’t even look over in our direction. We decided to try to get a better angle further up.

The Tawny Owl let us walk all the way up the path to where we get a clear view of the hole today. We were still a good distance away, across a field, but it was a great view through the scope from here. Such a treat to get one perched out in daytime, our commonest owl but seldom seen as it is much more nocturnal.

Tawny Owl – roosting at the hole entrance today

After everyone had great views of the Tawny Owl and many photos were taken, we decided to leave it in peace and set off back down the footpath to the minibus.

We set off inland to look for Little Owls next. Once again, we were in luck this morning. As we drove up to a set of barns where we have seen them most often recently, there were two small round shapes tucked under the lip of the roof, two Little Owls. We had a quick look from the shelter of the minibus, then drove a little further up and parked out of view where we wouldn’t disturb them.

We walked back and got the scope set up on the roof – one Little Owl was still out, but the other had disappeared in now. Everyone had just had enough time for a quick look when a tractor drove in and the driver got out right next to the barn where the Little Owl was perched. At first it stayed put, watching intently, but when the driver moved the tractor a little further and then got out again, the Little Owl shot in.

Brown Hares – chasing each other

There were more Brown Hares in the fields here, and we watched two chasing each other through the sugar beet now. They put on quite a display, racing round in circles, stopping to box, leaping in the air – fantastic to watch. Despite the weather, it almost felt like spring might be on its way!

The Little Owl reappeared on the roof and we were able to get a much longer look at it now. It stared out across the yard and was totally unconcerned by us watching it from here. Eventually it disappeared back in again and we decided to move on.

Little Owl – came back out

We had done really well for owls this morning and they had all put on a great performance. We got back in the minibus and dropped back down to the coast at Holkham for a welcome coffee break. It had clouded over now, and was still windy but dry. We stopped to scan the grazing marshes before heading up to The Lookout.

There were lots of ducks – Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. We got the scope on three Pintail on the edge of one of the pools in the middle. Further back, three Pink-footed Geese were on the grass with some Greylags nearby for a convenient comparison. A few thousand Pink-footed Geese then came up from the fields beyond the bank at the back and circled round before dropping down again.

Shoveler – on the grazing marsh

There were waders too – Oystercatchers, Lapwings, Curlew and Redshank. A Great White Egret was lurking on the edge of the reeds at the back and the very pale Common Buzzard was perched on the top of a large hawthorn nearby.

Further up, we found two pairs of Grey Partridge out on the grass, doing a passing impression of molehills until we got the scope on them. Several Common Snipe nearby were even better camouflaged.

After a chance to warm up over coffee, we headed out again. It had started to drizzle now, a bit earlier than we had expected, but at least the heavier rain still wasn’t forecast to arrive for another hour or two, so we figured we should make the most of it. The female Stonechat was perched on the fence right by the fence directly outside the Lookout again.

Stonechat – outside The Lookout again

Cutting through the pines, as we dropped down off the boardwalk we could see a flock of Sanderlings feeding on the edge of the saltmarsh right by the path. We stopped to watch them, completely unperturbed by all the people passing close by. Always great birds to watch, their legs whirling as they raced around.

Sanderling – feeding on the saltmarsh

Conscious of the approaching weather, we turned and walked east today, along the edge of the saltmarsh and out towards the cordon. A large flock of Shelduck were out in the middle of the saltmarsh and three Brent Geese were with them. More Brent Geese kept flying in over the pines as we walked along and dropping down to join them.

Arriving at the cordon, it looked rather empty at first. As we walked down towards the end, we noticed some movement out on the beach beyond as a flock of twenty Snow Buntings flew up and dropped back down on the stones. Before we could get down there, they were flushed by a dog but thankfully flew over and landed in the far end of the cordoned off area, where we could now get them in the scope and have a proper look. They kept flying up and whirling round in the breeze in a flurry of white wings, before dropping down again, eventually flying back and landing below the dunes at the back.

We were hoping to find the Shorelarks here too today, but there was no sign of them now. They have been very mobile in recent days, moving between the cordon and the beach away to the west of the Gap. We decided to have a quick look out at the beach and then another scan of the cordon in case they might return.

Scanning the sea we picked up a small raft of Common Scoter bobbing on the waves offshore. Three Red-breasted Mergansers flew past just beyond the breakers. A Great Northern Diver a long way away to the west was very hard to pick out and was diving continually, but then we found a second Great Northern Diver much closer in, directly out from us, which was much easier to see.

Looking over the pines away to the west now, we could see more threatening clouds approaching. We decided to walk back. As we went back over the dunes, the Snow Buntings flew over calling and landed on the sand on the inland side.

Snow Bunting – in the dunes

There was still no sign of the Shorelarks in the cordon and unfortunately, with the approaching rain, it would be too wet to check the beach further west. As we walked back along the edge of the saltmarsh, several Meadow Pipits and Scandinavian Rock Pipits were feeding close to the path, giving us a good opportunity to see the differences with the two species alongside each other.

We managed to get back to The Lookout without getting too wet, and it was now time for lunch. While we ate, the forecast heavier rain arrived. Thankfully we had made the most of the dry weather.

It was already after 2pm by the time we finished lunch and set off again. It was clear we weren’t going to be able to do much walking this afternoon, so first we drove a bit further up to see if we could find the White-fronted Geese. They were in the field by the main road again, but right up the opposite end from the layby. We drove up and had a quick look from inside the minibus.

The Red-breasted Goose is still lingering with the Brent Goose flock at Cley and we have seen it regularly on recent Owl Tours, so we made our way back along the coast now to see if we could find it somewhere we didn’t have to walk to. Normally, we would try to combine it with looking for Barn Owls, but there was not much chance of more owls given the weather now.

There was no sign of the Red-breasted Goose with the small flock of Brents down along Beach Road, but at least the rain seemed to have stopped when we got out to check. We tried further down towards Salthouse and quickly spotted a larger flock of Brents on the winter wheat south of the main road. We found somewhere to park where we could get out without disturbing them and a quick scan confirmed the Red-breasted Goose was with them.

Red-breasted Goose – with the Brents

The Red-breasted Goose was hard to see well at first, as the flock was working its way away from us feeding with heads down, although you could see the distinctive white bars on its wings. Eventually the flock turned a little more and it was possible to see its red breast and cheek patch. We could even hear the Red-breasted Goose calling now, its squeaky call carrying to us even despite the wind.

We were lucky to have a brief respite from he rain, as it started up again now. It wasn’t scheduled to stop until late afternoon, which meant if we wanted to go anywhere else we would almost certainly end up having to walk in the wet. After the early start, we had already been out for eight hours now and we were fortunate that we had enjoyed such good views of both Barn Owl and Tawny Owl this morning, which we might otherwise have to try for this evening. We decided to end on a high and call it a day now.

Helped by the early start, the owls had really done us proud this morning, a great way to mark the final Owl Tour of 2022.

12th Feb 2022 – More Owls & More

An Owl Tour today in North Norfolk. It was a cloudy day but stayed dry and mild, although it felt colder in the increasingly blustery wind, which picked up particularly in the afternoon.

We started earlier than usual again, and once more we were glad we did. We started with a quick drive round via several fields where we have seen Barn Owls out hunting in the mornings recently and we were immediately rewarded when we found one perched on a post close to the road, behind some trees. We viewed from the minibus, so as not to disturb it, and edged progressively forward so everyone got a look through a gap in the vegetation in turn.

When the Barn Owl took off, we got out. We watched it hunting now, working its way round over the field. It dropped down into the grass, but came up again quickly – it hadn’t caught anything. Then it flew over the hedge to the next field down.

We walked along the road to where we could see into the next field and had a much better view of the Barn Owl now, out in the open, as it flew round and round over the grass several times. It disappeared behind some more trees a couple of times, but came back out again.

Barn Owl – quartering the grass

The Barn Owl looked like it was going to move on to the next field at one point, but just as we started walking the road again it came back. The second time it did that, it looked like it had landed out of view and we couldn’t see it now. We did walk down to the next gate this time, where we found someone else watching. There was no sign of the Barn Owl though – it had obviously landed where we couldn’t see it. We waited here a while to see if would come out again. There were several Curlews in the wet fields. A Mistle Thrush sang from the wires in front of us and we could hear a Greenfinch wheezing too.

We set off to walk back to the minibus, thinking we would have a drive round, but we hadn’t gone too far when we spotted the Barn Owl on a post in the lee of some bushes. We had a nice view through binoculars now but before we could find a way to get it in the scope it took off. It flew round to the other side of the bush behind and disappeared in. It had gone in to roost.

Barn Owl – before going to roost

As we made our way back to the minibus, a Red Kite drifted very low over the houses beside us and across the road. We had a drive round now to see if any other Barn Owls might still be out but couldn’t find any. It was a clear and sunny day yesterday and a mild and dry night – good weather for hunting. Unless they have a disturbed night or two, they don’t seem to be hungry enough to be out in daylight at the moment.

Red Kite – drifted low over the road

We decided to move on and try our luck finding a Tawny Owl next. We parked by a footpath and set off up along the edge of the field. A Song Thrush flicked up off the path ahead of us and disappeared into the vegetation off to one side.

Before we got too far, we stopped to scan the trees. The Tawny Owl was still there this morning, dozing in the opening of its tree hole. We set up the scopes and had a good view of it from here, if slightly obscured. The Tawny Owl woke at one point and preened for a bit, but then settled back down to doze still in the hole opening.

We edged up a little further, pushing our luck, but surprisingly the Tawny Owl didn’t seem to mind today. We got it in the scopes again, a much better view now. Fantastic!

Tawny Owl – in its tree hole

After admiring it for a while, we decided to leave the Tawny Owl in peace, and walked back down to the minibus. A Kestrel was hovering above the path as we passed.

We drove inland to look for Little Owls next. On our way, we stopped to watch three Brown Hares chasing each other round a field. They looked like they were going to start boxing, but then seemed to lose interest. One ran off and the other two stood staring at each other. Unfortunately a car came along behind us and we had to move on.

There was no sign of any on the first barns we checked, but as we pulled up by the second set we could see a Little Owl tucked in under the lip of the roof. We had a quick look from the minibus, using it as a hide, then drove a little further up and parked out of sight. We walked back round keeping a good distance, and got it in the scopes.

Little Owl – under the edge of the roof

We managed to get a little closer today, and the Little Owl stayed out. At first it was not even watching us. At one point it woke up, stared at us for a bit looking mildly annoyed, as Little Owls tend to do, then went back to dozing and staring out in front. Eventually it turned and disappeared in under the roof.

The wind was already picking up now, and it was increasingly cold out in the open. We drove back down to the coast and headed to Holkham for coffee break. We parked by Lady Anne’s Drive and got out to scan the grazing marshes first. Several Fieldfare were feeding out on the grass opposite.

Fieldfare – feeding on the grass

There was a nice selection of waders out here – several Common Snipe roosting on a grassy bank, a couple of Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew. A Black-tailed Godwit dropped down on the pool in front of us. There were lots of Lapwings out on the grass which spooked occasionally and flew round. A large flock of Golden Plover came up from the fields over towards Wells, and whirled round in front of the pines.

There were lots of ducks too – Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal and one or two Gadwall. A Tufted Duck was diving in one of the deeper pools. Over the other side of the Drive, we turned the scopes on a small group of Pink-footed Geese and a Great White Egret was stalking in the grass beyond. Several Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzards and Red Kites were up in the air, enjoying the breeze today. When something flushed all the ducks at the back, we looked across to see two Raven flying over, still a scarce bird here.

The pair of Grey Partridges were sheltering from the wind over the lip of the bank, by the ditch below The Lookout today. We could only see them once we got level with the end of the ditch but then we had a nice view of them through scope.

We kept getting distracted, but eventually made it to The Lookout for a welcome coffee break and a chance to warm up. Suitably refreshed, when we came back outside a pair of Stonechats were flitting along the fence in the middle of path, seemingly unconcerned by all the people walking past within just a couple of metres of them.

Stonechat – the male

As we walked out through the pines, we caught the tail end of a tit flock – several Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits and Blue Tits moved quickly through the bushes across the Gap. A Goldcrest flicked around in the top of a holm oak by the path then flew overhead into the pines on the other side.

Turning west through the dunes, we noticed a flurry of birds over the saltmarsh which dropped down on the edge of one of the paths. A flock of Snow Buntings and a single Sanderling in with them, looking slightly out of place. We had a good view through the scopes. Then suddenly they were off again, and we watched the Snow Buntings fly off west over the dunes, until they were lost to view.

Cutting across to the beach, there were lots of people out here today, and lots of dogs. It was the first day of half term. Someone was walking their dog right along through the high tide line, weaving in and out of the vegetation where the Shorelarks had been feeding recently. Not surprisingly there was no sign of them now. We carried on a little further and stopped to scan beach, but there were too many people out here too.

A small raft of Common Scoter was out on the sea beyond, and we could see a couple of Velvet Scoter with them but they were hard to pick out from here. It looked very windy further out on the beach, compared to where we were in the lee of the pines, so it wouldn’t be much better trying from there.

We turned and started to walk back, stopping to scan the beach ahead of us. There was some movement now out on the sand, and there they were, the four Shorelarks. They kept running across and then disappearing into little depressions in the beach, digging seedheads out where had only been partly covered with sand. We could see the sand flying! We positioned ourselves, and they gradually came much closer. Lovely views again today.

Shorelark – digging on the beach

Two people were walking their dog on the lead and came round the dunes in front of us. They stopped and looked at us all clearly watching something out in front of them, then walked on straight at the Shorelarks. Not surprisingly, the Shorelarks took off and flew further out, landing in the middle of the beach.

We decided to head back, as it was time for lunch now. Thousands of Pink-footed Geese came up from the fields over towards Wells as we got our bags out of the minibus. It was windy on the south side of the pines, so we ate lunch in The Lookout today.

Afterwards, we had a quick look over the grazing marshes further west. Several Marsh Harriers circled up and there were lots of geese out on the grass. We got the scope on a distant flock of White-fronted Geese over at the back, bathing in a pool. A Great White Egret stood out, even at that distance.

Then we drove back east to Blakeney. We thought we would combine a look at the Red-breasted Goose out on the Freshes with scanning for owls, as it was getting towards that time of day again now. The Red-breasted Goose has been the birding highlight here the last few days, so we should really not drive past it today without at least having a look!

A couple of Curlew and two Little Grebes were out in the harbour channel as we passed. Walking up onto the seawall, we could see a Red-breasted Goose in the wildfowl collection behind the fence below. That one doesn’t count, but now at least we knew what we were looking for!

Further out on the seawall, we could see a large flock of Brent Geese out on the grass in the middle of the Freshes now. It was hard to see, as we were looking through reeds and the birds had their heads down, but we found the Red-breasted Goose in with them. After a bit of moving up and down the path, we managed to get it so we were looking through a gap in the reeds and had a much better view now.

Red-breasted Goose – with the Brents (recent photo!)

We kept scanning but there was no sign of any Barn Owls out yet this afternoon. It was very windy out here though, not ideal conditions for them, and as we had seen this morning they are not really hungry enough to come out in less than ideal conditions in daylight, at the moment. Several Marsh Harriers were floating in the wind up over the reeds.

We carried on up to the corner, where we could see a nice selection of waders out in the harbour – lots of Knot, Grey Plover and Dunlin. Then we dropped down to the path through the middle where it was more sheltered. The Brent Geese were now hidden from view behind the next fence, so we walked back to the road and back to the minibus.

We drove round to where we had seen the Barn Owl this morning, but there was no sign of it coming out again to hunt now. So we decided to check out some owls boxes instead, but it was all quiet there too – it was probably just too windy now to encourage them out in daylight hours.

Everyone was getting cold now in the wind too. We would normally head out to see the Tawny Owl emerging at dusk, but having enjoyed such great views this morning, we figured that there was no point in making everyone stand around in the cold again this evening. We had done very well for owls today, and had seen a load of other birds too afterwards, so given we had an earlier than normal start, we decided to call it a day half an hour early and head for home. It had been a great day.