30th June 2019 – Summer on the Coast

A Private Tour today in North Norfolk. It was a lovely sunny day and pleasantly warm in the fresh westerly wind (which meant it was thankfully not as swelteringly hot as yesterday!).

After meeting up, we made our way west along the coast road to Holme. As we parked and got out of the minibus, a family of Sedge Warblers was feeding in the low reeds opposite. The male did a couple of short song flights and the young ones were calling to be fed. We got a good look at their bold pale superciliums. A Cetti’s Warbler shouted at us from the bushes nearby and a Common Whitethroat was singing further back.

Sedge Warbler – we watched a family feeding this morning

A Common Cuckoo flew across over the grazing marsh just beyond the reeds and disappeared over the entrance track into the dunes. It might have been a female, because it wasn’t calling – this was the first day we haven’t heard them here in the last few weeks. Some have already gone, but the remaining adults will be heading off soon on their way back south, leaving the surrogate parents to raise the young.

A couple of juvenile Marsh Harriers came up out of the bushes in the middle of the grazing marsh and flew round, exercising. When they landed back in the bushes, we got one of them in the scope – we could see its tawny orange head contrasting with its dark chocolate brown body.

Up on the seawall, a small number of Common Swifts was on the move, heading west low over the dunes. As one group came right past us, we could see their scythe shaped wings and dark, cigar-shaped bodies. A trickle of Swallows was moving through too this morning.

Common Swift – small numbers were moving west this morning

A large flock of Starlings flew up from the saltmarsh and whirled round before dropping down again. These are post-breeding gatherings of mainly juveniles here at this time of year, good to see that some are still breeding successfully. A Kestrel was hovering out over the saltmarsh too. As we made our way out towards the beach, we could hear Meadow Pipits singing in the dunes. We watched them fluttering up, rather like a Skylark initially but not going as high and without the melodic song, before parachuting back down again.

Out at the beach, the tide was out. There were several Curlews down on the exposed mud, at least a dozen. Like many waders, they are returning already from their breeding grounds on the continent. One summer plumage Bar-tailed Godwit, with its rusty underparts extending right down under the tail, was feeding in the shallow water nearby and there were lots of Oystercatchers too. Several Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls were loafing on the shore and a steady procession of Sandwich Terns flew past out over the sea.

We had seen a couple of Little Terns in the distance over the beach as we walked out. As we made our way along the sand, one came up from the cordoned off area by the dunes and circled over us calling. We weren’t close to the rope, but we backed off a discrete distance and it landed again so we could get it in the scope. We could see its black-tipped yellow bill and white forehead. The pair then turned their attention on an Oystercatcher which was walking over the shingle nearby, flying over it calling.

Little Tern – circled over us before landing back on the beach

A little further on, we could see a small roped-off area outside of the main cordon. Sure enough, a Ringed Plover had chosen to nest outside the protected area and had to be provided with a fence all of its own. It was very well camouflaged but through the scope we could see its black and white ringed head and black-tipped orange bill. An adult Mediterranean Gull flew past over the dunes, its white wing tips translucent against the bright sky.

As we walked back through the dunes, a couple of Skylarks flew up from the grass. We saw the white trailing edge to their wings as they landed again. We stopped to admire some Cinnabar moth caterpillars on the ragwort, brightly striped yellow and black to warn any potential predators that they are unpalatable, having absorbed toxic chemicals from the plants on which they feed. A little further on, we spotted a Bee Orchid growing by the edge of the path.

Cinnabar moth caterpillar – brightly coloured to warn off predators

It was rather breezy up on the seawall. As we walked down towards the old paddocks, we could see a couple of Shelducks and one or two Avocets on the pools out on the saltmarsh. A Redshank flew up from one of the channels calling and a Curlew stood up on the vegetation looking round. A Little Egret flew past and dropped down out of view into another channel.

The paddocks were rather quiet at first, perhaps due to the breeze, but as we got down towards the golf course we heard a Turtle Dove purring in the bushes. We stopped to listen to it and it purred a couple more times, but then it went quiet before we could work out where it was. A couple of Common Whitethroats were singing here and we had a good view of them perched up on the top of the brambles. A Lesser Whitethroat flew past but typically disappeared into the bushes. Several Linnets were flying round calling and we got a good look at a smart male sporting a bright red breast.

After making our way back to the minibus, we headed round to Titchwell next. We still had a bit of time before lunch, so we decided to walk out to Patsy’s Reedbed first. On our way down to the Visitor Centre, a Blackcap was singing from deep in the sallows. A mixed flock of Long-tailed Tits and other tits was feeding in the trees and on the roof of the buildings behind the Visitor Centre and for some reason known only to it, a Song Thrush chased a Chaffinch through the bushes.

Round the other side, at the start of Fen Trail, we bumped into the tit flock again. We noticed a Chiffchaff with them too this time. A little further on and a Red Kite flew lazily over the trees just above our heads. A Reed Bunting was singing from the top of a bush out in the reeds just beyond Fen Hide.

From the screen overlooking Patsy’s, we could see a couple of juvenile Marsh Harriers up over the reedbed. Like the other ones we had seen at Holme this morning, they seemed to getting some exercise, and some practice in. A few Common Swifts and House Martins were feeding over the pool.

There were plenty of ducks on Patsy’s, mostly Mallard and Gadwall. The drakes are already mostly in drab eclipse plumage, looking rather more like females. Two female Common Pochard both were accompanying their ducklings, one with just one but the other with five. They are a rare breeder here, so it is always good to see them breeding successfully. There was no sign of any Red-crested Pochard on here today though. A female Tufted Duck was busy diving, a Great Crested Grebe was snorkelling right at the back, and a smart summer plumage Little Grebe drew admiring glances right down at the front.

Little Grebe – looking very smart in breeding plumage

We went back for lunch in the picnic area and afterwards, headed out to explore the main part of the reserve. As we walked out past the reedbed, a Sedge Warbler was singing in the sallows and a couple of Reed Warblers were flitting around the edges of the pools below the bank. It was probably a bit too windy for Bearded Tits here though. A few of the commoner ducks were out on the reedbed pool and a male Marsh Harrier flew towards us over the reeds, before circling up into the blue sky.

We stopped in at Island Hide to have a look at the Freshmarsh. There are lots of Avocets on here now. An adult and a well-grown, brown-backed juvenile were feeding on the mud in front of the hide, presumably local birds, but lots more were loafing on the islands further back. Many will have come here to moult, and lots have arrived in the last few days, with recent counts of well over 300.

Avocet – numbers have increased as birds gather here to moult

There was a nice selection of godwits out here today – both Black-tailed Godwits and Bar-tailed Godwits. Several were still in their bright rusty breeding plumage, the colour on the Black-tailed Godwits stopping half way down, with a black-barred white belly. A small group of Knot was feeding in amongst them, coming barely up to their knees. Most of them were in grey non-breeding plumage, but one or two were brighter orange still. Five Dunlin, still sporting their black-bellied breeding plumage, were feeding in the shallow water nearby.

Black-tailed Godwit – still in bright rusty breeding plumage

The male Ruff are also starting to return already, having finished their breeding duties and left the females to incubate the eggs and raise the young. There were several moulting males out here today, in a bewildering variety of different plumages. No two were alike! Most had already lost their ornate ruffs and had rather scruffy necks, but one was still carrying most of its ruff. Similarly the Lapwings are losing their crests already.

The early returning Spotted Redshanks are generally females – unlike the Ruff, they leave the males to tend to the young. There were six out on the freshmarsh today, still in mostly in their striking black breeding plumage. Very smart-looking birds! There were several Common Redshanks too, but no sign of the Lesser Yellowlegs which had (re?)appeared yesterday. It had been seen earlier in the morning, but had flown off when something had spooked all the birds on the Freshmarsh and not returned.

Spotted Redshank – still mostly in its striking sooty black breeding plumage

The breeding season for the gulls is gradually coming to an end and there seemed to be much fewer still nesting now on the fenced off ‘Avocet Island’. There are still plenty here though, with lots sleeping on the islands out in the middle. We managed to find one or two adult Mediterranean Gulls still, easy to pick out with their jet black hoods, compared to the (ironically!) chocolate brown heads of the so-called Black-headed Gulls. A couple of scaly grey juvenile Mediterranean Gulls looked very different from the brown juvenile Black-headed Gulls. There were two or three Common Terns out with them too.

It is not really the time of year for looking at ducks, but numbers of Teal are steadily increasing now as birds return from the continent after the breeding season. A flock of Shoveler whirled round and dropped back down on the water over the back. There were a few Shelducks as usual.

The edge of the reeds from Island Hide is often a good place to look for young Bearded Tits in summer and we were not disappointed today. Two rather tawny-brown juveniles, with black lores and black mantles, worked their way round in and out of the bottom of the reeds, giving us a great look at them through the scope.

Bearded Tit – one of two on the edge of the reeds from Island Hide

There were more waders in front of Parrinder Hide, Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits and a rusty male Ruff. A total of six Little Ringed Plovers were down on the muddy edge just to the left of the hide, looking very nervous – unusual to see so many together here. Five adults were standing in a group, where we could get a really good look at their golden-yellow eye rings, and a single juvenile was tucked in below the edge of the reeds nearby.

Little Ringed Plovers – four of the six outside Parrinder Hide

Then suddenly, as if by magic, the Lesser Yellowlegs appeared. It flew in and landed with the godwits out in the middle. We got the scope on it and could see its yellow legs. It was a very distinctive shape, long-legged and long-winged, distinctly elegant. At one point it was feeding together with a Common Redshank and was noticeably smaller and slimmer, with a finer bill, as well as having different coloured legs!

Lesser Yellowlegs – flew back in and landed on the Freshmarsh

The Lesser Yellowlegs caused some noticeable excitement in the hide. It is a very scarce visitor to the UK from North America – it should be migrating down to South America not Norfolk! Interestingly, one turned up here last year in mid-July and stayed for several weeks. It seems very likely that this may be the same bird, which is now migrating north and south, but on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

All the birds on the Freshmarsh were very nervous, partly as the young Marsh Harriers had been working up and down over the banks during the afternoon. Suddenly everything spooked more than usual, and we looked out of the hide to catch a glimpse of a Hobby as it zipped past.

We had one more place we wanted to visit this afternoon, so we made our way back. A Common Lizard was basking on the fence by the path to Island Hide as we passed. We stopped for a quick look at the reedbed pool, where a couple of drake Red-crested Pochard were swimming in and out of the reeds at the back. One was already in eclipse and the other was looking rather tatty, but their bright coral red bills really stood out.

When three juvenile Marsh Harriers started to circle together, we realised the male was coming in with food for them. It circled above and as the youngsters gathered below, it dropped whatever it had been carrying. One of the juveniles went to catch it but missed as the others homed in on it too. As it dropped towards the reeds, another two juveniles raced in too. We didn’t see if one of them managed to get it. The juveniles landed again in the bushes and we had a look at one of them in the scope – much darker-headed than the ones we had seen at Holme earlier, with just a small tawny patch on the back of the neck.

Our last stop was back at Wells. As soon as we got out of the minibus, we could see six Spoonbills at the back of the pools. Two were adults, with longer yellow-tipped black bills, but the other four were recently fledged juveniles with shorter, not yet fully grown, fleshy-coloured bills – ‘teaspoonbills’.

Spoonbills – four of the six at the back of the pool

At least those Spoonbills were awake. We realised that there were more in the vegetation on one of the islands, doing what Spoonbills seem to like doing best, sleeping! The original six walked over to join them, and some of them woke up. A couple of the juveniles then decided they were hungry and started begging their parents for food, walking after them, bobbing their heads up and down, flapping their wings. Relentlessly!

There were several Little Egrets asleep in with the dozing birds too,  more white blobs in the grass, so it was hard to count exactly how many Spoonbills there were in the vegetation. When most of them put their heads up at one point, we counted at least 18. It is the time of year when they gather on the coast, the young creched at convenient pools close to where the adults like to feed out in the saltmarsh channels. It was getting on for high tide now, which is why they were all loafing around.

Over the other side of the track, we found a Greenshank roosting in with the Redshanks. There were several young Avocets still, and adult birds not too far away which were presumably their parents, although their childcare skills leave much to be desired. A group of Black-tailed Godwits was feeding down in the front corner.

A Marsh Harrier flew in and circled over the wheat field beyond. It was a female with green wing tags. It seemed to be after the Woodpigeons, and kept stooping down towards the crop, but the pigeons just flew off and it never really got close. Two adult Common Gulls flew in but landed out of view at the back of the pools. They are not exactly common here at this time of year. Then it was time to finish and head back.

16th Sept 2017 – Three Autumn Days #2

Day 2 of a three day Autumn Tour today. It was forecast to be cool and showery today, with the possibility of some more organised and heavier rain around the middle of the day. As it was, we saw very little rain and even some brighter intervals.

With the possibility that there might be some autumn migrants from the continent today, we stopped at Warham Greens first on our way east along the coast road. As we walked down the track, we could hear a Chiffchaff singing in the hedge.

Some of the fields here are edged with strips of wild bird seed mix and we stopped to look down one of the strips which ran down alongside a thick hedge. There were lots of birds which flew up from the vegetation and up into the hedge – Chaffinches first, then several Yellowhammers too, a couple of Dunnocks and a Common Whitethroat. The hedges are very leafy now and it was hard to see the birds in the bushes, but we did eventually get a look at a Yellowhammer perched in the top. There were a couple of Brown Hares running around in the middle of the field too

Yellowhammer – hard to see up in the thick hedges

A little further along the track, we heard a Long-tailed Tit calling and soon after we were surrounded by a tit flock. There were Blue Tits and Great Tits too, and at least one Chiffchaff with them, but we couldn’t find anything more unusual.

The old barn had several Stock Doves on its roof and the stubble field beyond held a large gaggle of Canada Geese and a single Curlew. As with yesterday, Pink-footed Geese were a feature particularly of the morning. There were not as many arriving as yesterday, but as we walked down towards the saltmarsh we heard the first of several small skeins which would fly over us today. We could hear their high-pitched yelping calls long before we could see them. They were all heading west, towards Holkham.

Pink-footed Geese – one of several small skeins to fly over us today

When we got out through the gate at the bottom of the track and out into the open, we stopped to scan the saltmarsh. There were a couple of Little Egrets out there, a few Redshanks and several Curlew. A Marsh Harrier appeared away to the east, flying towards us over the saltmarsh, the first of several we would see hunting out there. It flushed all the waders beneath it as it flew across.

While we were watching the Marsh Harrier, a Peregrine appeared in the same view. It was a juvenile, brown-backed and streaked below. As it raced across over the saltmarsh, it flushed a Redshank, which it turned and stooped at. It missed, banked, climbed and stooped again, the Redshank crashing into a pool to evade it. The Peregrine lost interest in it and  had a little tussle with the Marsh Harrier next. All this action was scattering the other birds in all directions, and as the Peregrine started to fly off, a Little Egret flew up beneath it. The Peregrine decided to have a little stoop at that too, it was clearly lacking in experience of what to hunt!

We were still watching the aftermath of all of this when we spotted a Short-eared Owl hunting out over the back of the saltmarsh. It was a little distant, but we got it in the scope and had a good view of it as it quartered over the grass. It landed a couple of times, but came back up again a short while later to resume hunting. Eventually we lost sight of it out over the dune ridge. It was nothing but raptor and owl action for at least 15 minutes!

When the action had died down, we had another scan of the saltmarsh. Way off in the distance we could see several large white blobs and through the scope we could see they were Spoonbills. We had a quick look at them and then started to walk east along the coast path for a closer view. We checked the hedges on the way, but there was no sign of any fresh migrants here, just Goldfinches, Linnets and more tits. A couple of Blackcaps called from the bushes.

When we got to the whirligig, we could see there were five Spoonbills. For once, they were not asleep, but were feeding actively. Despite their size, they were hard to see once the walked down into the saltmarsh pools and put their heads down to feed. From time to time, they would climb out again and we could get a better look at them.

Spoonbill – 1 of 5 out on the saltmarsh today

There were lots of Golden Plover here today, but they were mostly up in the fields behind us. We had seen a couple of small groups, when suddenly several larger flocks appeared, first one away to the west, then another in from the fields behind us. The latter circled overhead and looked like they might land out on the saltmarsh, but instead flew off west to join the others. There were a couple of Greenshanks feeding out on the saltmarsh too, which flew off calling as we got to the whirligig.

Another Marsh Harrier appeared, slightly to the east of us and again started to flush all the Curlews and Redshanks as it flew towards us over the saltmarsh. The Spoonbills heard the commotion and all came out on the pool they were feeding in, standing upright, looking round. The next thing we knew, four of them were off. They flew up, circled round, and headed off east, presumably to roost at Stiffkey Fen. One Spoonbill was left behind and remained standing where it was while the others took off, looking slightly lonely.

Spoonbills – these four flew off east

With the Spoonbills having departed, we decided to make our way back. One of the group had lost a lens cap, so we searched the lane as we walked up the lane, eventually finding it when we were almost back to the car. The tit flock was still in much the same place as it had been earlier this morning, when they were presumably the reason for the dropped lens cap. The birds were coming out into the sunny side of the hedge, so we stopped to watch them. Several of the Long-tailed Tits landed in the bush right in front of us, as they worked their way first one way up the hedge and then back down the other way.

Long-tailed Tit – in a mixed tit flock along the track this morning

While we were watching the tits, a Peregrine appeared in the sky in front of us, flying straight towards us. It was a young one again, heavily streaked below, possibly the same bird we had seen out over the saltmarsh earlier. When it got to the track, it started to circle, right over our heads. Great views! Then it drifted off away over the fields. Photos of the Long-tailed Tits taken as the Peregrine circled over show them looking nervously up towards the sky!

Peregrine – this juvenile circled right over out heads

Our next destination was Cley. While we had been at Warham, news had come through that there was a Red-necked Phalarope on one of the scrapes. Thankfully we were informed it was still present when we arrived so we headed straight out to Daukes Hide.

The Red-necked Phalarope was towards the back of Simmond’s Scrape at first, running around in the shallow water next to one of the islands, picking at the surface for food. It was a juvenile, mostly white below with a black bandit mask, dark cap and darker back. In good light, it was possible to see a pink tinge to the breast, lacking the red neck patch shown by the adults in summer plumage.

Red-necked Phalarope – a juvenile, at Cley today

All the waders were very jumpy today, and kept taking off and flying round, before landing again. The Red-necked Phalarope would join them each time, but kept returning to roughly the same place at first, remaining over the back. Then all the waders flushed again and the Red-necked Phalarope flew off on its own and landed on Pat’s Pool. It started to come closer to us, flying and landing, stopping to preen, then flying and landing again. We thought it might land in front of Teal Hide, but instead flew back to Simmond’s Scrape and landed in the middle, much closer than it had been. The water was deeper here, so it started to swim, spinning round in characteristic fashion, trying to stir up food to the surface where it could pick at it.

Other than the Red-necked Phalarope, there was a nice selection of other waders on here today. There was a small flock of 30 or so Dunlin and in with them were two Little Stints. Next to the Dunlin, we could see just how small the Little Stints were, with a short bill and cleaner, paler underparts. A third Little Stint flew in and joined them.

There were several Ringed Plovers on the grassy islands and a single juvenile Little Ringed Plover still too. A flock of Golden Plover flew in and landed on Pat’s Pool, nice to see them on the ground after seeing them in flight this morning. Through the scope we could see that several still had the remnants of their summer black belly feathering. There were a couple of Ruff and Black-tailed Godwits here too.

When everything flushed yet again, this time there seemed to be more urgency to it and we looked across to see a Hobby streaking low across the scrape, before disappearing away over the reedbed. It went through so quickly, some of the group couldn’t get onto it. But once it had gone, it immediately became clear that many of the waders had gone too. There was no sign of the Red-necked Phalarope now.

We decided to head back for lunch. It had been forecast to rain from 1pm-3pm and roughly on cue it did start to rain. It was just a shower though, and we didn’t have to wait long – after a couple of minutes it cleared through on the brisk wind. It was still spitting a little as we walked back and when we started to eat, but it didn’t amount to much, certainly not what was forecast. A Grey Heron flew in high from the east over lunch, and continued straight on across the reserve. It looked like it was a migrant on its way through.

After lunch, we made our way the short distance along the coast to Kelling. When we got out of the car, we could see a Spitfire flying over the edge of the ridge beyond, part of the 1940s weekend in Holt and Sheringham today. It was pulling some impressive manoeuvres, but was not the sort of bird we were looking for. As we made our way down the lane, a Chiffchaff was calling in the bushes and a Greenfinch flew out. It was sunny now, and there were a few dragonflies and butterflies out – Common Darters, Migrant Hawker and Red Admiral.

Common Darter – there were several out in the sunnier spots this afternoon

There was no sign of any freshly arrived migrants either in the lane or around the copse, so we continued on to the Water Meadow. It seemed rather quiet at first, just a couple of Ruff and a single Redshank at the top end. There had been a Curlew Sandpiper here earlier, but it wasn’t until we got to the other end that we found the flock of Dunlin and there was the Curlew Sandpiper with them.

It was hard to see the waders over the hedge at first, so we continued on towards the corner and found a large gap where we could set up the scope. Here we had a great view of the Curlew Sandpiper feeding with the Dunlin. The Curlew Sandpiper was a juvenile, clearly slightly larger and longer billed than the Dunlin, and cleaner below with a peachy wash across the breast and white belly.

Curlew Sandpiper – the juvenile with a Dunlin

Curlew Sandpipers breed in central Siberia and winter in Africa. This one has stopped off on its way to feed up. We get them here every autumn, in variable numbers depending on how successful the breeding season has been.

There had been a couple of Little Stints here too earlier, but we couldn’t see them at first. That was because they were hidden behind the short sedge and reed along the edge of the pool, out of view, until they came out into the open. It was great to see them together with both the Dunlin and Curlew Sandpipers. They were both juveniles as well, on their way from the arctic tundra to the Mediterranean or Africa for the winter.

Little Stint – one of two at Kelling WM today

A Hobby zipped through in a blur, spooking all the waders, before continuing up over the field beyond. There were some hirundines feeding at the top of the ridge and the Hobby powered towards them and through them, zooming up into the air before turning sharply and plunging back through them. More impressive than the Spitfire we had seen earlier! It disappeared off behind the ridge, but a few minutes later, it or another Hobby made another pass over the Water Meadows.

We wanted to make one more stop before we finished today, so we made our way back up the lane to the car. On the way, three Grey Herons flew high overhead, dropping from the ridge down towards the coast. These looked sure to be migrants, making their way west, further suggesting the one we had seen at lunchtime was on its way too.

There had been a Snow Bunting on the beach at Cley this morning and this was one species that members of the group had asked whether we might see this weekend. They are fairly common here in the winter, not at this time of year normally, but this is an early returnee.

We set off along the beach to look for it. There were quite a lot of people out enjoying the afternoon sunshine and a running race along the coast so every few minutes a runner ran off along the beach. It seemed unlikely the Snow Bunting would still be there. We worked our way carefully along the edge of the vegetation, and suddenly it hopped out in front of us at the top of the beach.  It was very close – Snow Buntings can be very tame and this was a young one so had possibly never seen people before. We got the scope on it, even though it wasn’t really necessary, and had frame filling views of it.

Snow Bunting – feeding on the beach at Cley

The Snow Bunting was feeding on the low seedy plants growing in the shingle on the edge of the beach, creeping around on the ground. We had great views of it until one of the runners came along the beach and ran across right in front of us, almost treading on the poor Snow Bunting. At the last minute, the bird hopped back and disappeared down onto the beach. We waited a couple of minutes to see if it would come back but time was getting on so we decided to head back.

The Snow Bunting was a great way to end the day, although we did also manage a couple of Gannets and three Sandwich Terns over the sea as we made our way back to the car.

 

Summer 2015 – Awesome Orchids

As well as the opportunity to see a wide variety of birds, East Anglia boasts a great selection of orchids as well. We often run into these on our regular birding tours, but we can also go to find particular species on request, if there is any interest.

Some of the species are truly spectacular and the sight of a field full of orchids is something to behold. A few floral highlights from recent weeks are shown below:

Orchids – an amazing drift of orchids in the dunes

Southern Marsh Orchid – one of our commoner species

Early Marsh Orchid – often found in similar places to the Southern

Man Orchid – a rarity in Norfolk

Military Orchid – only found at four sites in the country

Lizard Orchid – the first in Norfolk for 60 years, otherwise seen in Suffolk

Bee Orchid – always a favourite and not uncommon in the right areas

Pyramidal Orchid – with striking pink or pinkish-purple flower spikes

Fen Orchid – not the most spectacular species, but with a very restricted range

25th December 2014 – Season’s Greetings

With Best Wishes for Christmas and for a bird-filled 2015

A Christmas Robin

No tours until November due to broken ankle

Unfortunately, I have broken my ankle and have had to cancel all tours for the next few weeks. I expect to be back running tours at the start of November.

Please excuse the lack of posts on here in the interim. I will put something up as soon as I can get out birding again.