9th March 2024 – Winter & Brecks, Day 2

Day 2 of a 3-day Winter & Brecks tour today. It was a lovely, bright and dry day with plenty of sunshine. The forecast cold E wind didn’t really pick up until later in the morning and even then was nowhere near as blustery as predicted. We spent the day along the North Norfolk coast.

With the wind lighter than forecast, we decided to head first down to the cliffs at Weybourne. As we walked along the clifftop path, several Skylarks fluttered up singing from the grass and one landed on the top of a small clump of bright green alexanders. There were a few gulls out on the sea – a Great Black-backed Gull, a few Herring Gulls and a young Common Gull – and a winter adult Common Gull flew past close in below the cliffs.

Walking up to the edge of the cultivated field next along, we suddenly realised there were several Snow Buntings hunkered down right in front of us, just a few metres in from the edge of the grass. They started feeding, picking around on the bare ground, great views. Then a Meadow Pipit flew over and they took off, whirling round before landing further back.

Snow Bunting – feeding in the field

We continued to scan to see if we could find the Lapland Buntings which have been here for the last few weeks. We could see more birds further over, including more Skylarks, but we were looking into the sun from here, so we decided to walk on up the path. One of the locals who had walked on ahead of us waved us over now. He had found a couple of the Lapland Buntings but they were right over the far side of the field and tricky to see, disappearing in and out of the shallow furrows, so we got our scopes on the right area and concentrated on getting everyone onto them.

There were several Rooks and Carrion Crows along the back edge of the field too, which at times provided useful markers for the buntings! A few Curlew were feeding in the back of the block of fresh green barley nearby and a pair of Grey Partridge were feeding in front of the bank over the far side, very well camouflaged in with the clods of grey clay earth. We couldn’t find the large flock of Linnets here today, but there were still some little groups of them feeding in the field and we managed to locate a very distant Twite briefly too at one point. There were more Skylarks and Snow Buntings feeding here as well, which made it even harder to pick out the Lapland Buntings. A couple of adult Gannets flew east low over the sea behind us.

It was nice here in the sunshine this morning, but it took some time for everyone to get views of the Lapland Buntings that they were happy with. Many of the birds were now starting to work their way closer across the field so we stayed and continued to scan, eventually locating a Lapland Bunting a bit closer. Unfortunately it flew up with a couple of Skylarks before everyone could get a look at it and landed over a ridge in the middle of the field.

Lapland Bunting – came a bit closer

We decided to start walking back along the path, in the direction it had flown. As we got over the ridge, the local we had spoken to earlier now waved us over again, as he had located another Lapland Bunting out in the field. This one was quite a bit closer and easier to see and now, finally, everybody got a good look at it, before it flew again and disappeared.

We walked back along the clifftop. The flock of Curlews flew over and seemed to be heading out to sea, before turning back overhead and dropping back down into the fields. Scanning the sea, we picked up a small flock of Brent Geese flying east close in over the water, presumably starting off on their long journey back to Siberia for the breeding season. They were joined briefly by a drake Common Scoter, which quickly changed its mind and peeled away, flying back west.

Curlew – flew over

Back at the minibus, we drove back west to Cley. We stopped at the Visitor Centre to use the facilities and had a quick scan from the terrace. There were lots of Avocets out on Pat’s Pool, along with Black-tailed Godwits, a flock of Dunlin and a couple of Ruff. Two Lesser Black-backed Gulls were in with the Black-headed Gulls. A Marsh Harrier swept in and out low over the reeds, landing a couple of times but mostly out of view. We could see some Brent Geese distantly out on North Scrape, but couldn’t see anything in with them. Some more Brents flew in from the direction of Blakeney and dropped down with them, but there was nothing different with them either.

The young Red-breasted Goose which has spent the winter ranging widely along the coast had reappeared at Cley a few days ago and then spent a couple of days feeding with the Brent Geese on Blakeney Freshes. It hadn’t been seen yesterday, but we wondered whether anyone had ventured out to look in the blustery wind, so we decided to try our luck there. As we drove down along Back Lane, a Brimstone butterfly flew over the road in the sunshine, our first of the year. Down by the quay, a male Marsh Harrier flew round out over the grass right next to where we had parked, having a tussle at one point with a Kestrel which had been hovering nearby. Lots of Wigeon were feeding out on grass, whistling.

Marsh Harrier – a male

We saw a small flock of Brent Geese flying over and they dropped down with a larger feeding flock out in the middle of the Freshes. We decided to have a quick look from the top of Friary Hills, just in case the Red-breasted Goose might be in with them. A Greenfinch was wheezing away in the hedge and a Common Buzzard drifted over the trees. Up at the top, there is a great view out across the grazing marshes to Blakeney Point beyond. We could see the flock of Brent Geese clearly now and there was nothing with them. We could also see more Brents over towards the bank by the harbour, and although most of the flock were hidden behind some reeds, a Pale-bellied Brent stood out even at that distance amongst the regular Dark-bellied Brents we could see.

Our initial plan was to walk out on the harbour wall so we walked back down and past the duck pond, which is largely empty now after an outbreak of bird fly last year. Out on the bank, the wind had picked up noticeably now and it was decidedly chilly here. We walked out until we could see the Brent Geese here, but again nothing was with them either. There were a few Redshanks and Curlew in the muddy creeks and a Great White Egret flew over, dropping down out of view on the saltmarsh. It was very busy here now, too many people, everyone seemed to be out walking their dogs today! It meant as well as being cold it was very disturbed, which meant it was rather quiet for birds. We decided to try our luck elsewhere.

Curlew – in one of the creeks

We drove on west and had just pulled up to scan the floods east of Stiffkey when we got a message to say that the Red-breasted Goose was back at Cley with the Brent Geese there (which would be why we couldn’t find it at Blakeney!). We did a quick u-turn and headed back. As we got to Beach Road and got out, all the Brent Geese flew up but thankfully landed again just one field back. We could just see the Red-breasted Goose from the side of the road but from up on the to of the West Bank we had good views of it feeding with the Brents. A very smart goose! A scarce visitor here, which should be wintering in Romania, and one of the highlights of the last few months here.

Red-breasted Goose – taken previously at Cley

When all the geese flew up, one of the group who was looking the other way asked what was the large bird flying over. We turned round and looked up to see a Common Crane in the sky! It flew straight through without stopping and continued off east, later being tracked all the way along the coast as far as Trimingham at least. A great bonus and a proper wild bird here, the Cranes which spend the winter in The Broads often start to wander further afield on sunny days in early spring.

We drove round to the Visitor Centre for lunch. It was a bit breezy in the picnic area, particularly as all the bushes which give it some shelter have been cut right back down, but thankfully it was not too bad in the sunshine. Afterwards, we headed back west along the coast to Holkham. As we got out of the minibus on Lady Anne’s Drive, there were lots of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler on the grazing marshes in front, along with a couple of scaly-backed Ruff.

The Shorelarks had been feeding west of the Gap this morning but on our way out through the pines we met someone coming back who told us they were not there now. So we decided to try down in the cordon instead, along the path to the east. There were several Meadow Pipits feeding on the saltmarsh as we walked past and we were almost there when we met someone else walking the other way who told us they had just seen four Shorelarks back in the cordon. Good news!

As we arrived at the fence, we saw a Shorelark scurrying towards the deeper vegetation out in the middle, so we turned towards the dunes and scanned from the fence there, but couldn’t see it now. Then we realised there were five more Shorelarks further over, closer to main path. After a quick look from here through the scopes, just in case they flew, we walked round to the other side where they were feeding. We stopped and got the scope on four of them, then noticed another Shorelark was right in front of us, just a few metres away. We had great views now, their yellow faces glowing in the low sunshine. Then the rest of the Shorelarks flew out from the thicker vegetation in the middle of the cordon and joined the five, and now we watched all thirteen feeding together.

Shorelark – stunning views

We walked on to the dunes now and had a quick look at the sea. The Common Scoter flocks were very distant in the mist – we could see long lines of black dots bobbing on the water, too far out to make out anything else in with them today. A Great Crested Grebe in breeding plumage was on the water much closer in and when three ducks flew past, we could see they were a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers followed by a female Pintail.

After walking back to the minibus, we drove round to check the grazing marshes the other side. In one of the grassy fields by the road, we could see several Barnacle Geese in with the Greylags but no White-fronted Geese here now, but at our next stop, we did manage to find some White-fronted Geese, feeding on the grass in the distance over in front of the remains of Joe Jordan hide. We could see the white surround to their bills and their black belly bars. Most of the Pink-footed Geese which spent the winter here have departed Norfolk already and headed north, but we did manage to find three very distant Pinkfeet now, over on Burnham Overy Grazing Marshes.

A distant white spot in the trees was a Spoonbill, doing what Spoonbills like to do best and sleeping – we could see its bushy nuchal crest but not its bill. Several more were even better hidden in the sallows but after a while one or two flew round and eventually one perched awake in the open so we could see its spoon.

There were several black-hooded Mediterranean Gulls on the large pool along with a small group of feeding Pintail. A couple of distant Great White Egrets were out on the smaller pools on the grazing marsh, one with a Grey Heron alongside for size comparison. Several Common Buzzards drifted overhead from the trees behind and two Red Kites circled over. Then it was time to head back for tea and cake again, but we still had one more day to look forward to tomorrow.

1st Dec 2023 – Early Winter Tour, Day 1

Day 1 of a 3-day Early Winter Tour in Norfolk. After a very frosty start, we had some nice bright sunny spells but also some heavy wintry showers, which were not really in the forecast. We managed to largely dodge them until later in the afternoon.

We are currently enjoying an influx of Waxwings, so with a group reported in Holt the last few days we decided to swing round via there on our way to the coast first thing. It was a very cold and frosty morning, and when we got out of the minibus there was no sign of any Waxwings – were we still too early? We walked up to the top of the Close, where a Coal Tit was calling in the trees at the far end as we walked underneath.

We figured we might have to try again later, but as we walked back towards the minibus we noticed a shape perched in the top of a tall tree between the roofs of the houses. A lone Waxwing! It dropped down to feed on the berries on a smaller tree, right next to where we had parked, and then flew up into the top of another tree further up. We had a nice view of it here through the scope, as it perched looking round. Perhaps it was looking for the rest of the flock?!

Waxwing – just one to start

We were just thinking we might have to settle for only the one when a flock of birds appeared flying in low over the roofs. More Waxwings, another 17 of them. They landed on the TV aerial of one of the houses, quite a sight packed in tight together, then started to drop down to feed on the berries below.

Waxwings – on the TV aerial

They didn’t stay long, and then flew back up, some moving on to a nearby tree where they perched preening in the early winter sunshine. Great light now, through the scope. A Red Kite flew in from the other direction and over the Waxwings, which barely batted their spiky crests. Then an ominous dark cloud drifted over and it started to snow. We decided to get back in the warmth of the minibus and move on.

Waxwing – in the sunshine

By the time we got down to Cley, the sun was out again and the skies were blue. We parked at Walsey Hills and as we walked past Snipe’s Marsh, the sun was catching the tops of the reeds, a classic winter scene. Up onto the East Bank, a pair of Gadwall were down in the Catchwater Drain, looking very smart in the low winter sunshine.

Gadwall – in the catchwater drain

A rather grey-backed Robin was flitting back and forth across the start of the Skirts path, presumably a continental bird arrived to spend the winter here. As we walked on, a couple of Marsh Harriers flew round low over the reedbed and while we were watching one of them, a Kingfisher shot past and dropped down into the ditch beside the bank ahead of us.

It seemed like a perfect morning for Bearded Tits, but they were a bit slow to get going this morning. About half way up, we heard some calling close to the path but there was no sign in the tops of the reeds. We stopped to see if they might appear – a Cetti’s Warbler called in front of us and another shouted from back along the bank, a Reed Bunting called further ahead, but the Bearded Tits had gone quiet. We thought we might stand a better chance on the way back.

We scanned out across the Serpentine towards Pope’s Pool. There were lots of Wigeon whistling on the grazing marsh and more Teal and Shoveler around the edges of the water. A couple of small flocks of Pink-footed Geese flew over calling. There were lots of Lapwing in the grass too and we turned the scope on a group to admire their metallic green upperparts which glowed in the sunshine. A small group of Dunlin were feeding around the mud in front of them.

Continuing on, we heard the Kingfisher again and it flashed across the path ahead of us and disappeared off out over the reedbed. Up to the main drain, and a Curlew was feeding on the bare mud where the diggers have sculpted the new cut. A Little Grebe was in the water in front.

Kingfisher – on the brackish pools

We could see more ominous clouds out to sea and it was clearly sleeting away towards Sheringham already, so we decided to stop here and scan rather than continue on to the beach just yet. There were lots more ducks on the brackish pools but we couldn’t dig out a Pintail this morning. Another Kingfisher was hovering over the water close to the path further up – it kept hovering and then moving position, then hovering again. It landed in some dead plant stems just beyond the water for a quick break, then resumed its fishing, eventually catching something and then disappearing off over the reeds.

As it started to sleet, we moved into the shelter overlooking Arnold’s Marsh, where there were more ducks but nothing we hadn’t already seen. Still no Pintail! A Weasel occasionally appeared out of the long grass in front of the shelter as it made its way past. At least we were out of the weather – the wind picked up and it was driving sleet for a few minutes, but thankfully the dark clouds moved through fairly quickly. Once it stopped, we headed out to the beach for a quick scan of the sea.

The shingle ridge has taken another battering from the storm last week and moved another few metres inland. Looking out to sea, four Common Scoters flew past, followed shortly after by five Eider, but otherwise there was very little out on the sea. We could see the heads of a couple of adult Grey Seals in the water and looking left, we could see a Grey Seal pup on the beach, which flopped down into the breakers. A Turnstone landed on the shingle in front of it.

There was a bite to the cold out on the beach, so we decided to walk back. Four Avocets had dropped in on Arnold’s Marsh while we were looking at the sea and when we stopped to look at them we finally found a pair of Pintail too, over in the far corner. It was still sleeting, although light now, so we made our way back quickly to the warmth of the minibus.

By the time we got to Wells, we could see blue skies again to the north-east and after a quick break to use the facilities, the sun was out again. We walked up past the lifeboat station to scan the harbour. Groups of Brent Geese were feeding on the near edge of the channel and a Grey Plover and a Curlew were in amongst them.

Bar-tailed Godwit – in the harbour

There were lots more waders on the mud beyond – lots of Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits, small flocks of Knot, Sanderling running up and down, Ringed Plovers, Turnstones, Dunlin and Redshank. A couple of Common Gulls were picking around on the stones on the low ridge opposite and a Herring Gull was trying to smash its way into a mussel by repeatedly flying up with it in its bill and dropping it on the stones.

A Razorbill surfaced in the channel in front of us a couple of times and was then carried by the outgoing tide further out to the outer channel. We could see a couple on Red-breasted Mergansers a bit further up so we walked round to the site of the old lifeboat station. We had great views of them here now, diving in the shallow water. Several flew off downstream but then came back – after a while we had seven Red-breasted Mergansers together. The males started displaying to the females, pointing their heads skywards and then throwing their rear ends up out of the water. Great to watch.

Red-breasted Mergansers – displaying

There is usually a Greenshank around in the harbour, but we hadn’t found it yet. After a while, it flew in from further up the channel, past us and landed further down on the small pools which had formed in the sandbar.

It was time for lunch. The picnic tables at the beach cafe were still very wet, so we headed round to Holkham, where the tables in front of the Lookout were a bit drier. As we drove up Lady Anne’s Drive, a couple of Marsh Harriers, a Red Kite, and several Common Buzzards were flying round in the sunshine. There were lots of Wigeon on the grazing marshes either side, but no sign of any Grey Partridge again – they seem to have largely deserted their favoured corner this winter.

Wigeon – in the sunshine

It was definitely a day where the weather couldn’t make up its mind today – blue skies and wall to wall winter sunshine now, we ate outside. A large flock of Pink-footed Geese came up from the grazing marshes behind the Lookout, flushed by one of the stockmen driving out, and they circled round yelping. A Mistle Thrush flew over and landed in the pines.

The Shorelark had been reported in the cordon just before lunch, but we asked some birders just coming back from the beach and they told us that they had only been seen there briefly and had flown off again. We walked out through the pines and as we got to the saltmarsh we scanned any likely areas as we walked east. We hadn’t gone far when we picked up some very distant small birds on the shingle on the east side of the Gap. They were partly hidden behind the bushes but they were the Shorelarks and from up on the edge of the dunes we could see them distantly through the scope.

The channel out in front of the Gap still looked to have quite a bit of water in it and we didn’t want to get feet wet, so we decided to go the long way round. We walked down to the start of the cordon and cut across towards the beach, before walking back on ourselves in the lee of the dunes. We could see more dark clouds now out over the sea, so we quickened our pace. The Shorelarks were still feeding on the beach and we got the scope on them. We had some lovely views in the low afternoon sun, their yellow faces catching the light.

Shorelarks – in the sun, before the sleet arrived

The dark clouds eventually caught up with us and it started to sleet again. We were in the lee of the dunes and could see some brighter sky beyond so we hoped initially that it might be another brief shower. However, a quick look from the top of the dunes and it was clear the bright sky was not enough to make a sailor a pair of trousers and was rapidly being covered away to the north of us. There was some very ominous thick cloud approaching. We decided we had to make a run for it, and head straight back. We found a shallow place to cross the channel and at least we had the wind largely at our backs as we crossed the saltmarsh.

We tried to have a quick scan of the grazing marshes from the warmth of the minibus, but it was hard to see much in the driving sleet now. It was brightening up away to the east, but the light was starting to go now, so we decided to head back and dry out.

11th Nov 2023 – Late Autumn Day Tour

A group Late Autumn single day tour in North Norfolk today. It was a cloudy start, but with some nice spells of late autumn sunshine. There was a brisk WNW wind with a bit of a chill to it this morning, but it eased off during the day.

There had been some Waxwings at Wiveton yesterday, and with the news that a small group was still present there this morning, we decided to call in first thing on our way to the coast. As we got out of the minibus in the car park, we could see the Waxwings perched in the top of a large tree on the other side of the green. We got them in the scope and had a look from here, just in case they should fly off before we got across.

Waxwing – a nice start to the day

Once everyone had a look at the Waxwings, we walked across the green and got the scope on them again. It wasn’t long before they dropped down to feed in the cotoneaster in the back garden of the pub, a couple of them landing on the wires above first, before joining the others. They quickly gobbled down some berries and then flew back up to the top of the tree. A Mistle Thrush flew past too. Then suddenly the Waxwings were off – they flew up and away over the green, six of them at first, but joined by two more which seemed to come up from the other side. We lost sight of them as they flew off calling over the trees. Perfect timing – they would not be seen again until late afternoon!

It looks like we are about to have a Waxwing Winter, the first for several years, when large numbers of Waxwings come over here from Scandinavia, normally in response to a failure of the berry crop over there. Fingers crossed, that will mean lots more Waxwings to come in the months to come! One of the locals had told us there was a nice bank of Wrinkled Club fungus on the other side of the green, so we walked round for a quick look on our way back to the car park.

Wrinkled Club – fungus

Then we dropped down to the coast and parked in front of Walsey Hills. A pair of Gadwall were on Snipe’s Marsh and a Cetti’s Warbler shouted from the ditch across the road.

Gadwall – the connoisseurs’ duck!

Up on the East Bank, a couple of Marsh Harriers drifted out across the reedbed. There was a nice selection of wildfowl out on the grazing marsh – we stopped to look at some of the Wigeon and listen to them whistling. There were lots of Teal too, plus a few Shoveler and a pair of Shelduck on Pope’s Pool, along with a single female Pintail. There were fewer waders here today – still a few Lapwings out on the grass, four Dunlin on the edge of the Serpentine and a lone Black-tailed Godwit on Pope’s Pool.

Marsh Harrier – flew over the reedbed

We bumped into a couple of birders from the village by the main drain and were joined by George the Warden from Cley Marshes. We could see all the machinery and piles of spoil out towards North Scrape and as we hadn’t yet discussed the works which are currently underway, George very kindly gave us a short explanation. It all sounds very exciting, particularly the prospect of a new hide overlooking a rejuvenated North Scrape!

A drake Pintail flew over the bank and dropped down on the Brackish Pools and as we walked on we could see several around the water. One drake was busy upending and we could see that it had not yet finished growing its long pin tail. Twelve Little Grebes were out on the water too. Arnold’s Marsh is very full with water at the moment, and apart from more ducks, all we could add was a Curlew asleep at the back.

There were a few birds moving this morning. As we walked out, a succession of small flocks of Starlings flew over and continued on away to the west, presumably freshly arrived from the Continent for the winter. Several Skylarks flew over too and a single Rock Pipit – they have all been coming in off the sea in recent days too, so at least some of them were presumably active migrants.

It was cold out on the beach in the breeze. We had a look out to sea, but despite the WNW wind there was very little apart from gulls moving now. A Great Crested Grebe and a single Razorbill flew past, but there didn’t seem to be anything much on the water today. We had a good scan up and down the shingle bank but all we found was a single Stonechat. There were quite a few people walking up and down and no sign of any Snow Buntings. We decided to head back and get out of the wind.

Glossy Ibis – still at Stiffkey

Next, we drove west and stopped just before Stiffkey. We walked down along the permissive path to the corner of the flood and scanned, quickly locating the Glossy Ibis which was feeding out on the wet grass. It was joined at one point by a Curlew – we admired both their long, downcurved bills. Otherwise, there were lots of Wigeon and Teal and a small gaggle of Greylags out on the flood. We had a quick look further down the footpath, put could only find a pair of Egyptian Geese and half a dozen Redshanks, so decided to move on west.

Our next stop was at Wells. After a short break to get a coffee at the Beach Cafe and use the facilities, we walked up to the harbour. The tide was out but we could immediately see the two Common Scoter asleep down in the channel. Scanning further up, we found two Shags and after a while, a single Red-throated Diver appeared too, all diving continually. One of the Shag eventually walked out onto the shore just beyond the channel and we could see that it was colour-ringed. There have been lots of Shags displaced south down the North Sea this winter so far, most that have been ringed have been from colonies in the Firth of Forth, so it will be interesting to find out where this one had come from. A single Common Seal was floating out in the middle.

Common Scoter – these two are lingering in the harbour

There were lots of waders out on the mud. The highlight was a single Greenshank in the edge of the water opposite, a scarce wintering species here, with a small group of Redshanks. There were a couple of smart Bar-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover on the near bank in the sunshine. Scanning the other side of the water, we could see lots of Oystercatchers and Turnstones, a few Knot and Dunlin, and a few Ringed Plover. There were several Sanderling on the sand way out towards the beach, then one appeared on the edge of the water the other side of the entrance to the moorings, where we could get a much better look at it as it ran around on the sand like a clockwork toy.

Bar-tailed Godwit – in the harbour

There were lots of Common Gulls and Herring Gulls out on the mud across the harbour, and several of them were picking up shellfish from the beach. They kept flying up a short way and dropping it onto the shingle below, hoping to break it. It seemed to take several goes before they managed to crack into them. Five Red Kites were chasing each other round over the edge of East Hills.

There were lots of Brent Geese loafing around in the channel back towards town – we had a quick scan through them as we drove past the quay earlier, to see if one of the Red-breasted Geese might be with them. Now we walked back halfway along the harbour wall towards Wells to have a better look, but we still drew a blank. There were more Brent Geese on the saltmarsh beyond, but we couldn’t see anything different in with them either. It was time for lunch, so we headed back to the Beach Cafe and made use of the picnic tables there.

After lunch, we drove on west to Holkham. Scanning the grazing marshes, the first thing we found was a Great White Egret out on one of the small pools. After a while it flew, chasing a second Great White Egret up from further over and the two of them flying back to the trees. Most of the cattle seem to have been brought inside already, but we could see a distant herd still. We scanned around the feet of those we could see, but there was nothing white obviously with them. Then a little while later, we picked up a Cattle Egret flying past in the distance, which then passed another one heading in the opposite direction.

Looking through the Greylags we found a few White-fronted Geese in with them. Through the scope, we could see the white surround to their pink bills and the black belly bars on the adults. A small group of Pink-footed Geese flew over calling and disappeared off inland. There were several Chinese Water Deer out on the grass too and we saw several Common Buzzards and a couple of Marsh Harriers, plus two Sparrowhawks which came out of the trees.

White-fronted Geese – in with the Greylags

A few finches kept flying round and landing briefly in the tops of the trees, before dropping down out of view, presumably to feed. At one point, a single Brambling appeared with a Greenfinch, and then a small flock of Siskin dropped in. A tit flock came through the bushes and past us too, Long-tailed Tits, Blue Tits and Great Tits, and a Goldcrest flew between us into the hedge the other side. A flock of Stock Doves came up too and circled round, before disappearing off east.

Our last destination for the afternoon was Warham Greens. As we got out onto the edge of the saltmarsh, there were already several people scanning. Apparently, no one had managed to find either of the Red-breasted Geese with the Brent Geese out here either. We walked a bit further east, stopping to look at a Redwing which perched up briefly in the hedge. Several small flocks of Golden Plover came up from the fields inland and overhead, before dropping down out on the saltmarsh. There were also Little Egrets, Curlew, Redshank and three Grey Plover around the pools, as well as several more small groups of Brent Geese.

There were a few Marsh Harriers out over the far edge of the saltmarsh, but otherwise little raptor activity at first this afternoon. It seemed like, with the nice weather, the birds were taking advantage to stay out hunting later. We did have a brief Merlin which shot out low over the saltmarsh, before turning and disappearing off east.

We made our way back to where the others were standing, and were just walking up when someone called out ‘it’s up’. We turned to see a ringtail harrier heading straight away from us, before landing out on the saltmarsh again. The Pallid Harrier had apparently reappeared a little earlier and just flown up again. We got the scope on it, before it took off again, flying further back and this time landing out of view.

A few more Marsh Harriers came in, but there was no further sign of the Pallid Harrier for a bit. We figured it still needed to fly to its roost site, so we waited a little longer. Then we heard Pink-footed Geese calling behind us and as they got louder we realised there were skeins and skeins, several thousand of them. They came high overhead before whiffling down towards the sands. We watched them landing on the beach through the scope. Amazing to watch.

Pink-footed Geese – thousands came over our heads at dusk

The Pallid Harrier came up again, and flew back further again, dropping down out of view presumably to roost. The light was starting to go now, so everyone decided to call it a day and we walked back to the minibus. There were still more Pink-footed Geese to come though, and as we got back to the concrete pad we stood and watched another huge succession of waves of geese fly over calling. Even as we eventually managed to tear ourselves away, there were still some smaller skeins of Pinkfeet coming in to roost. A stunning end to the day.

3rd Nov 2023 – Late Autumn, Day 1

Day 1 of a three day Late Autumn Tour. We were blessed with nice weather today, dry with some sunny intervals, with a fresh SW breeze in the morning which dropped steadily through the afternoon.

We were just loading up the minibus outside the guest house in Hindolveston first thing this morning, when we heard ‘glipping’ calls above and looked up to see a flock of about ten Common Crossbills flying low overhead. Unfortunately they didn’t drop into the fir tree next to the minibus, despite it sporting some very nice cones, but carried on and they were quickly lost to view over the neighbouring houses. Very scarce birds here in the village most years, so a big surprise here, and a nice way to start our tour.

Our first destination this morning was Cley and we headed for the beach car park. There were a few Gannets flying past offshore as we got out of minibus. There had been a big movement of Kittiwakes offshore yesterday afternoon, thousands strong, so we wanted to see if this was continuing and if anything else was moving today. The Kittiwakes had largely dried up, although we did eventually pick up a few distant ones passing this morning, but there was still a good variety of other birds moving.

Pink-footed Geese – coming in

As we stood and scanned, a succession of small flocks of Pink-footed Geese flew in over the sea, presumably coming down from Scotland or NW England where they had stopped first having left Iceland earlier in the autumn. As they came in overhead we could hear their yelping calls. A trickle of Brent Geese and small groups of Wigeon and Teal flew past too, with a few Tufted Duck with them, plus some Common Scoter, and a single pair of Gadwall, all coming in from the continent for the winter.

A few Red-throated Divers flew past close in and a Great Crested Grebe headed west offshore. A Razorbill flew east just off the beach, catching the morning sunlight. A handful of waders were coming in too – a lone Curlew, a couple of Knot, a single Redshank, a couple of small groups of Dunlin.

Red-throated Diver – flew past

There were fewer passerines arriving today – a single Skylark came past well offshore and a Rock Pipit flew along the beach. We picked up a small bird coming in, quite a long way out, and we followed it for a while until it got closer and we could see it was a Reed Bunting. Eventually it came in over the beach next to the shelter, close to where we were standing. Amazing to think it had just made it here from Scandinavia.

Most of the terns are summer visitors and have long since left us for warmer climes, but we had seen a single late Sandwich Tern fly past us earlier. We had just packed up our scopes when someone shouted to let us know a juvenile Arctic Tern was coming, so we put the scopes up again and managed to get on it, as it turned and went back east. We were about to go again and spotted a larger flock of Dunlin flying past just beyond the beach. We noticed a darker bird in with them, a single Purple Sandpiper. Then another shout and we turned our attention to a flock of swans coming in – there were eleven of them, they looked like Whooper Swans, but they were very distant away to the NE.

Finally we managed to tear ourselves away. We decided to head to Salthouse Beach Road to look for the Long-tailed Duck which has been lingering on the pools there. However, we were just driving towards the village when we noticed a group of swans on one of the pools out on the back of the grazing marsh. We parked on the verge in front of the Dun Cow and got out to check. They were eleven Whooper Swans – the birds we had just seen flying in off the sea! They spent a bit of time swimming round and preening, before they went to sleep – very tiring, flying in all that way. They had probably just arrived from Iceland.

Whooper Swans – just flown in

There was lots of activity here too. A couple of Marsh Harriers flew back and forth over the reeds and we found a single Ruff in with the Lapwings out on the grass. Four Common Snipe flew over high, possibly fresh in. There were lots of Wigeon and Teal on the pools, flushed by the Marsh Harriers, and a couple of Canada Geese. A lone Redwing dropped out of the sky and into the grass but disappeared from view. A Stonechat kept perching up on the reeds briefly.

We drove on to Beach Road and walked west along the shingle towards Little Eye. While we were scanning the pools, one of the group spotted a Woodcock coming in over the beach and we watched it as it headed straight in across the grazing marshes and dropped down in one of the gardens in the village. Lots of Woodcock come here for the winter, some from way over deep into Russia – it would be fascinating to know where this one had just arrived from.

Long-tailed Duck – still on the pools

We quickly picked up the Long-tailed Duck on the pool. It was diving continually, but we eventually all got a good look at it in the scopes. A young bird, it lacks the long tail which is only seen on adult males, but a nice bird to see and normally found out to sea at this time of year. A Little Grebe was diving on the far edge of the water.

A small flock of Snow Buntings flew up over Little Eye, but immediately dropped down again behind. We figured they might have landed on the beach the other side, so we walked on and up to the top, and found the Snow Buntings feeding out on the shingle beyond. We walked down for a closer look – they were scuttling round in smaller groups and often impossible to see against the stone, but we eventually counted ten together. They are just arriving for the winter now – this is the biggest flock we have seen so far this autumn.

Snow Bunting – 1 of 10 today

Scanning the sea from the top of Little Eye, we picked up a female Eider diving just off the beach with Cormorants. It came up with a shellfish at one point which it was crunching on which allowed us to get it in the scopes. A single Guillemot appeared too, on the sea just beyond the beach, preening. There were still a few ducks moving offshore, and several more flocks of Pink-footed Geese flew in overhead as we were standing here.

We packed up to go and watched first a Meadow Pipit feeding on the shingle just along the edge of the grass and then a pair of Stonechats, which flicked from stem to stem ahead of us and perched up nicely as we walked back. There was some other wildlife to see here too – a late Migrant Hawker dragonfly over the grass and some large Parasol mushrooms in the field opposite back where we had parked.

Parasol – an impressively large one!

We had a bit of time still before lunch, so we decided to head back to Walsey Hills and walk in along the footpath. The NOA staff were just doing some tidying up, but we were surprised to find they had taken down the feeders here. There have been reports of rats here recently. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bushes were quiet and there were no finches today.

We continued on along the footpath and had a quick look out over the fields at the back. It was bright and sunny and a Common Buzzard was circling up over the front of the Hangs. We noticed another bird circling above it, a Short-eared Owl! It flew back towards us, high up, with its distinctive stiff-winged rowing flight action, before we lost sight of it over North Foreland plantation heading towards the reserve. Possibly another fresh arrival looking for somewhere to feed. A Common Darter dragonfly was basking in the sunshine on a nearby post.

Common Darter – enjoying the sunshine

Walking back to the road, we crossed over and had a quick scan of the grazing marshes from the start of East Bank. As we walked up, a House Martin flew away over the reedbed. Most have long since left us for Africa, but there are increasingly records of lingering birds into November. A Little Grebe was down in the catchwater drain.

Little Grebe – in the catchwater drain

Two Marsh Harriers were hanging in the air over Pope’s reedbed, one with orange wing-tags but too far off to read, and they kept drifting over and disturbing all the birds on the pools. There were lots of ducks – Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler, Gadwall, a couple of Shelduck, and we picked out a small group of Pintail on Pope’s Pool. A couple of Ruff were feeding out on the grass with Lapwings. Three Dunlin and two Black-tailed Godwits were flushed by the harriers and flew off over the bank.

We drove round to the Visitor Centre for lunch and a hot drink. Someone has chopped the trees which provide shelter from the wind in the picnic area right down again (including the willows where we watched the Willow Emerald damselflies earlier in the autumn), but thankfully it wasn’t too windy today and we were still able to sit out to eat our packed lunches – in the sunshine in November!

After lunch, we headed back east again along the coast to Kelling. At the start of the lane, a Fieldfare flew over and landed in the top of the big fir tree by the path. We stopped and got it in the scope, with several Chaffinches dropping in too. As we started to walk on, under the fir tree, we could hear a Chiffchaff now calling above us. We stepped back out from under the tree and could see it perched in the sunshine on the edge of the branches.

There were lots of Blackbirds still in the lane, which flew back and forth across the track ahead of us. There had been a big arrival of thrushes in the last few days, coming in from the Continent for the winter, and although most had moved on, some had stopped to feed up on all the berries in the hedges. There were a few more Chaffinches here too, another species which breeds here but also sees numbers increase significantly in winter.

Egyptian Geese – on the Water Meadow

Down to the gate beyond the copse, and a pair of Egyptian Geese and several Moorhen were out on the flooded grass. The Estate here is a shooting estate – so there were several Pheasants at the front and lots of Red-legged Partridges in the field beyond, all released to be shot. A Redwing flew over and another Fieldfare landed in the trees on the edge of the copse briefly.

There was not much on the pool today – a few Shoveler and Mallard. A colour-ringed young Mute Swan had been ringed at the nest at a pond just a couple of miles inland in August 2022, and remained there until at least March this year, after which presumably it was evicted by its parents. It had only been seen once since, at Cley in mid October, before appearing here.

The path was flooded but we just managed to get around and down to the beach. A few Linnets were flying back and forth but otherwise the bushes were quiet, so we walked up onto the shingle for another quick look at the sea. The usual small group of about 20 Common Scoter were still on the sea just offshore, but a single female Tufted Duck with them was more of a surprise. Two drake Goldeneye were on the sea too, before they flew off west.

Time was getting on and we had one more thing we wanted to do this afternoon, so we made our way back to the minibus and drove round to Blakeney Freshes. We were hoping there might be a Short-eared Owl here, so some of the group elected to stay at the gate to scan the rest of us walked out to check the grazing marshes. There were lots of Marsh Harriers gathering before heading in to roost, and Common Buzzards of various shades, including both a very dark one and a very pale one perched in bushes. A large flock of Starlings was feeding in wet grass, and kept flying round in a mini murmuration, back and forth from the reeds on the other side of the bank.

Starlings – feeding in the wet grass

There have been a good number of Cattle Egrets here in recent days and now they came up from behind the reeds, from one of the fields were the cows were feeding. We counted 22 as they swirled round, before they dropped down again out of view. A Hen Harrier came up briefly, very distant over the back of the beach, so we walked on to see if we could find it again. Before we got too far, the Hen Harrier appeared again, this time lingering in view so we could all get it in the scopes. A ringtail, we could see the white square at the base of its tail as it turned. At one point, a Marsh Harrier appeared next to it, the Hen Harrier noticeably much smaller and slimmer.

Cattle Egrets – some of the 22

We carried on until we could get the scopes on the Cattle Egrets through a gap in the reeds. We could see them feeding around the feet of the cows now. We heard Bearded Tits calling in the reeds the other side of the bank, and had a quick glimpse of one as it disappeared in, but it was breezy and they were keeping down. The light was starting to go too – time to head back. As we walked back, those who had stayed at the gate picked up a Short-eared Owl which flew round over the grass briefly behind the rest of us, but by the time we had got back to them it had disappeared again.

It had been a very good first day – hopefully more to come tomorrow.

20th Oct 2023 – 4 Days of Autumn, Day 4

Day 4 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. Wet and very windy today due to Storm Babet, though perhaps not quite as bad as forecast, it was still not a good day to be out birding. We gamely made a half day of it, before the vote was to abandon play just after 1pm and head for the warm and dry.

With the wind gusting 45-46mph this morning, we headed down to Sheringham where we could find some shelter along the prom and see what was passing out to sea. The visibility was poor, with all the cloud and spray it was impossible to see out past the flags which mark where the crab pots are. Still, we quickly picked up a small group of three Little Gulls offshore – their dark underwings flashing alternately with their pale silvery grey upperparts as they fluttered into the wind, dipping down to the water’s surface. It was hard to tell how many Little Gulls we saw this morning, as we couldn’t tell whether the same birds lingered offshore throughout or they were passing through (lots of Little Gulls were displaced by the weather today though and there would be big numbers moving tomorrow).

Rough Sea – and poor visibility today

There was a trickle of wildfowl passing offshore too, despite the wind. Several small groups of Wigeon and Teal arriving from the Continent for the winter and a small number of Common Scoter past too. More surprising was the White-fronted Goose which appeared in front of our shelter, battling into the wind. It was possibly trying to come in but put off by the cliffs, eventually turning into the wind and disappearing off to the west. Shortly after, a Greylag Goose flew past offshore too. A few small lines of Brent Geese were more expected, arriving for the winter.

There seemed to be fewer passerines making it in over the sea today, although we did pick up a flock of Starlings coming in over the waves at some point. Ideally, we would have wanted N winds to bring in some more seabirds this morning, but the wind was due E today which seemed to limit the possibilities somewhat.

After a while, we decided to head along the coast to Cley to see if we could get into the hides. When we got to the Visitor Centre, we decided a coffee break was in order first, to warm up. A Marsh Harrier circled up a couple of times out of the reeds opposite. It was raining steadily but not too hard so after wrapping up we headed across the road and the short distance along the Skirts path to Bishop Hide. The path out to the hide was very wet – hopefully it is finally going to be sorted out next month – but we made it out and settled in out of the weather.

Common Snipe – looking wet

We had been told that a Common Snipe had been showing very well right in front of the hide earlier. It was up on the top of the bank off to the left when we arrived, facing into the rain. It fed for a while, probing into the wet grass, before something spooked it and it dropped down over the far side of the bank, to the edge of the scrape out of view. What was presumably the same Snipe came back up a little later and flushed another from where it was hiding in a tussock of grass. The latter flew off and landed in the reeds in the middle of the island in front of the hide, while the first dropped back over the bank out of view.

There were several Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the water in front of the hide too and more further back. Several Dunlin were feeding around the various grassy islands along with a couple of Avocets.

There were plenty of ducks here too – they didn’t seem particularly worried about the weather, the water flowing off their backs. Three female Shoveler were feeding in the channel in front of the hide and were joined by a male still in partial eclipse plumage which started to display to one of them at one point, bobbing its head up and down. There were more Shoveler on the scrape itself, the drakes in a variety of different plumage stages, some almost back into full breeding plumage now.

There were various Wigeon, Teal and Shelduck scattered around too and a smart drake Teal which was also almost back in full breeding plumage swam across in front of the island out from the hide at one point. A lone Pink-footed Goose dropped in briefly at the back.

A Kingfisher flashed across right in front of the hide in a streak of electric blue. It landed in a sheltered corner of the ditch on the edge of the reeds, out of the wind, and from the far end of the hide, we realised we could see it perched on a curled-over bulrush stem. We had some lovely views of it before it flashed back across in front of us and disappeared round the reeds out to the left of the hide. A very nice bird to enjoy on such a dull day as this.

Kingfisher – brightened up a very dull day

It was lunchtime now, so we decided to head back to the Visitor Centre. Heads down we made our way back along the path. The rain was heavier again now and when we got back to shelter we had another look at the forecast. There had been an outside suggestion on the breakfast news that the rain band might clear through during the afternoon today, but looking at the rainfall radar now it was very slow moving and that looked increasingly unlikely. We had managed to make a morning of it, and had enjoyed three much better days beforehand, so after putting it to a vote we all decided to call it a day and head for home.

17th Oct 2023 – 4 Days of Autumn, Day 1

Day 1 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. It was a bright day, with some nice sunny intervals at times, though with a rather blustery E wind.

We were heading for Cley this morning, but as we drove along the coast road at Salthouse, we could see two white shapes in with the cows out on the grazing marsh. We turned the minibus around and parked opposite the Dun Cow. Looking across, our suspicions were confirmed, they were two Cattle Egrets. Through the scope, we could see their small size, hunched appearance and short yellowish-orange bills.

Cattle Egret – 1 of 2 this morning

There were a couple of Grey Herons in the field, hanging around the cows too. At one point, one of them chased off one of the Cattle Egrets from the cow it was trying to follow. Two Marsh Harriers flew across at the back, over in front of the shingle, and a Greylag x Canada Goose hybrid was out on one of the floods. After a while, the Cattle Egrets flew off west so we decided to continue on our way.

We parked in front of Walsey Hills. There were just a few Moorhen in view on Snipe’s Marsh this morning, so we set off to walk up the East Bank. Looking over towards Pope’s Marsh, there were lots of Cormorants drying their wings on the islands and several Avocets and a few Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the water.

We stopped to look at the ducks scattered around the grazing marsh beyond the Serpentine, mainly Wigeon, Teal and a few Shoveler, the drakes still mostly in dull brown eclipse plumage but some starting to regain their brighter breeding attire. We heard the yelping calls of Pink-footed Geese and turned to see a large flock come up over the fields inland before dropping back down out of view. A Kingfisher called and flashed past as it dropped behind the reeds into the ditch, heading back towards the road.

From time to time we just managed to catch the sound of Bearded Tits calling ahead of us and as we walked on a small group flew up from the reeds beyond the grazing marsh and across the path in front of us. Some more dropped into the reeds lining the ditch on the edge of the grazing marsh and we could hear the two groups calling to each other. Three Bearded Tits appeared in the top of the reeds in the reedbed briefly, but quickly dropped down again out of view. We stopped to watch and listen and had several more views as birds zipped across over the reeds calling, before they went quiet.

On over the main drain, a Greenshank flew over calling and landed towards the back of the Brackish Pool, with a single Redshank. We got it in the scope, the whiter underparts of the Greenshank striking in the morning sunshine. A lone Ruff dropped in to the saltmarsh behind and a raft of ten Little Grebes was swimming together out on the water.

After the recent big tides and northerly winds, Arnold’s Marsh was full of water. We could see a Curlew on the saltmarsh, and lots of Redshank along the far edge of the water with another Ruff. A single Pintail was in with the other ducks at the back.

Razorbill – lots on the sea

Out on to the beach, and the first thing we noticed were all the Razorbills on the sea. We got the scope on a raft out in front and then a couple drifted past diving just behind the breakers. We got the scope on a Red-throated Diver out on the water too. A trickle of Gannets passed by offshore.

Little Gull – a 2nd winter

A melee of gulls was feeding over the water away to the east, and we realised they were quickly working their way towards us. They were mainly Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls, but we picked out three Little Gulls in with them, a 1st winter with black ‘w’ across it upperwings, a 2nd winter with black spots in its wing tips, and an adult winter with much blacker upperwings. A single Mediterranean Gull was in there too, a 2nd winter also with some black still in its wingtips. The melee came right past in front of us, with two juvenile Gannets joining in and plunge diving into the sea in the middle of the group. Great to watch!

Gannet – one of two juveniles which joined the gulls

We had seen one flock of Starlings flying west as we walked out along the East Bank, but it is can be hard to tell whether they are local birds of migrants coming in. From out the beach now, we picked up several flocks flying in over the sea, confirming our suspicions that they were arriving from the Continent today. A few Skylark came in off the sea too. There was a trickle of wildfowl arriving too: a few small flocks of Wigeon moving, Teal coming in, small groups of Brent Geese and a single Shelduck passing offshore. We picked up a single drake Common Scoter on the sea, which we got in the scope, and another female flew west.

There was a lot to see out to sea this morning, but eventually we had to tear ourselves away and walk back. Looking across to Pope’s Pool, we could see more Black-tailed Godwits out there now, but nothing with them. A Little Grebe was in the middle of the weed out on Don’s Pool. A Water Rail was calling in reeds by the road back at Snipe’s Marsh and when we stopped to look back along the edge to check if we could see it, a Kingfisher shot across. It landed in the reeds at the back where we got it in the scope. Eventually it flew again, round over the reeds, then disappeared across the road.

Kingfisher – on Snipe’s Marsh

We had a quick look at the feeders in Walsey Hills from, the footpath. A succession of tits and Goldfinches dropped in and there were several Chaffinches calling in the bushes. Then a Sparrowhawk shot through, spooking everything, and afterwards it went rather quiet.

We headed round to the Visitor Centre next and, after a quick loo stop, we made our way out to Bishop Hide. There were still quite a few Black-tailed Godwits out on Pat’s Pool, but no sign of the Dowitcher which had apparently been here until it was flushed by a Buzzard and flew off east. Most of the Godwits were in grey non-breeding plumage but one very orange Icelandic bird still largely in juvenile plumage was feeding in front of the hide. There were several Ruff out on the scrapes further back and two Common Snipe were hiding in with the ducks sleeping on the bank away to our left.

Common Snipe – hiding in the grass

There were lots of ducks on here today – lots of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. We picked up three Pintail in with them, a moulting drake and two females, before they flew off. Another Sparrowhawk flew over and disappeared off towards the village.

We headed back to the Visitor Centre for lunch and it was sheltered enough from the breeze that we were still able to sit out in the picnic area in the sunshine today. We kept one eye on the scrapes and picked up three Golden Plover which dropped in on Pat’s Pool over lunch.

After lunch, we made our way along the coast to Stiffkey. As we walked along the permissive path by the road, a flock of Long-tailed Tits flitted ahead of us down the hedge. A Red Kite hung in the air over the wood inland. We found another mixed flock of tits along the river, with two Blackcap and a Goldcrest in with them. A Comma butterfly basked in the sunshine on the blackberries.

Comma – basking in the sunshine

We could hear a Spotted Redshank calling from the Fen as we walked out, and from up on the seawall we got it in the scope, busy preening. It was low tide, so there were not so many other waders on the Fen this afternoon, just a few Ruff and Lapwing. There were lots of ducks, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and Pintail, a white farmyard Greylag and an Egyptian Goose.

As we walked down along the seawall, there were more waders in the harbour channel, lots of Redshank and a single Grey Plover with them. Scanning inland, we noticed a Raven up over one of the small woods, chasing a Common Buzzard. There was not a lot of difference in wingspan between them and when the Raven was then chased by a Jackdaw it looked tiny by comaprison. A second Raven came up out of the trees briefly, and we watched the two of them tumbling together in the wind before they dropped back down out of view. Raven is still a fairly scarce bird in Norfolk, although numbers now seem to be increasing.

Continuing on to the corner overlooking the harbour, we could see lots of gulls of various sizes loafing out on the mud. We took advantage to talk a little about gull identification, looking at a couple of Common Gulls in with the Black-headed Gulls, then turning our attention to the Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls with their pink legs, before we managed to find a single smaller yellow-legged Lesser Black-backed Gull out there too. There are increasing numbers of Brent Geese out in the harbour, as more birds return here for the winter.

There were more waders out on the mud in the harbour – lots of Oystercatcher, Curlew, a few Knot, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. The first surprise of the afternoon was a Whimbrel which flew over from behind us before dropping down out on the saltmarsh out of view. This is a late record of this species for here, around the typical date for the last of the year in Norfolk, as they mainly pass through earlier on their way south in the autumn.

Whimbrel – a lingering late bird

Then a Land Rover pulled up behind us and someone walked straight out across the harbour with two dogs which flushed everything. Most of the gulls settled again further over. The Whimbrel flew up and back past us, landing out of view again back the way it had come towards the Fen. We noticed a couple of Stonechats on the bushes out on the saltmarsh behind us too.

Back to the minibus, and we headed back along the coast to Cley and out along the boardwalk to the main central hides. We thought if we tried here later today we might stand a chance of the Dowitcher having returned and also of picking up some gulls coming in pre-roost. There was not much on Simmond’s Scrape – the water level is high now after the recent rain – and looking over to Pat’s Pool – there were more Black-tailed Godwits back, but still no sign of the Dowitcher (it would return later this evening, but after we had left).

At least the gulls were starting to come in. Scanning through the hordes of Black-headed Gulls we found a single white-winged adult Mediterranean Gull in with them. Through the scope, we could see its winter black bandit mask and heavier red bill. A few larger gulls starting to drop in too, and it didn’t take long to pick out a 1st calendar year Caspian Gull (although breaking with our advice to start off focusing on adult large gulls only!). It preened for a while in with the other gulls, then flew up and disappeared off west over the hides.

Caspian Gull – a 1st winter

The second surprise of the afternoon was when a large group of Cattle Egrets dropped in onto one of the islands, again ahead of going in to roost. There have been a small number here the last few days, and more further west along the coast, but there were a lot more here than usual. We couldn’t get a clear view, as there were some behind the grass, but we counted a minimum of 18 Cattle Egrets and a single Little Egret with them (later, others managed to count 19 Cattle Egrets).

Cattle Egret – some of the 18 or 19

It was time for us to head back, or we would be late for dinner. As we got back to the car park, more Pink-footed Geese came up from the fields beyond the Visitor Centre and flew overhead calling. A wonderful sight and sound, so typical of here in Norfolk at this time of year, and a nice way to finish our first day.

23rd Sept 2023 – Autumn Day

A 1-day Autumn Tour today on the North Norfolk coast. There were a few showers about first thing, which was not in the forecast, but we mostly managed to avoid them, then it brightened up late morning and there were some nice sunny spells in the afternoon.

We were heading for Cley first this morning, but as we drove west along the coast road from Salthouse we noticed a white shape in with the cows on the grazing meadow, a Cattle Egret. We stopped in the small parking area at Iron Road and got the scope on it, so we could see its short yellow bill. A Grey Heron flew in and landed with the cows too, and then a second Cattle Egret appeared with the first. A nice start to the day.

Cattle Egret – with the cattle

We looked down towards the pool but could see it was very full of water after the recent rain, no mud for any waders left, and just a few Teal and a pair of Egyptian Geese. A small group of Gannets flew past over the sea just beyond the shingle ridge and one or two Sandwich Terns were in with the gulls. It was starting to spit with rain, so we decided to carry on to Cley. By the time we had got to Walsey Hills and parked, the rain had stopped again.

A quick look at Snipe’s Marsh produced two Green Sandpipers, which we got in the scope for a closer look. We could hear Pink-footed Geese calling and looked up to see a small flock flying towards us over North Foreland plantation and we watched as they headed off inland to the south-east, possibly heading down to the Broads. A Cetti’s Warbler shouted at us from the reeds. Crossing over to the East Bank, the Little Grebe on Don’s Pool was skulking in the reeds today and hard to see. A Marsh Harrier flew across the bank further up, a female, then carried on over the top end of the Serpentine and Pope’s Marsh, flushing everything.

There were several Canada Geese and Greylags out on the grazing marsh and a single Canada x Greylag hybrid. More Pink-footed Geese flew in over the reserve behind us and started to whiffle down onto the scrapes. Another group of Greylag Geese flew in low over the reeds towards us, their industrial honking in farmyard fashion, very different from the yelping calls of the Pinkfeet.

There were lots of ducks out on the grazing marsh and Serpentine too. The drake Mallards are already emerging from their dull eclipse plumage and back into their smart colourful breeding plumage, whereas the Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler are all still rather brown. A couple of Pintail were feeding in one of the ditches towards the back.

We caught a glimpse of some movement in the top of the reeds out in the reedbed and stopped to look. A female Bearded Tit climbed up into view, which we managed to get in the scope before she disappeared back down. The male we only glimpsed and we heard more Bearded Tits calling nearby, one of which zipped over the reeds briefly, but then they went quiet. Further up, there were several Reed Buntings perched more obligingly in the reeds the other side of the path.

The water level on the Serpentine is very high now too and we couldn’t see any waders on here. Two Common Snipe flew over calling. So we continued on, stopping to look at a more accommodating Little Grebe which was in the middle of the blanket weed in the main drain. A Stonechat was hovering over the bank beyond.

There were more waders on Arnold’s Marsh – a nice selection including three juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits on the saltmarsh at the back, singles of Knot and Grey Plover, a Greenshank feeding with the Redshanks, a couple of Curlew and three Dunlin. We were just enjoying all the waders when the sound of gunfire started to ring out from south of the road – the Pheasant shooting season has started! The ducks on the grazing marsh went up first, and everything else followed. We watched as most of the waders flew off west, so we decided to head on to have a look at the sea.

Gannet – a fresh juvenile

There were a few Gannets offshore, with one or two dark juveniles plunge-diving in front of us, and as we stood and scanned a trickle drifted past. We could see a couple of feeding frenzies of gulls and Sandwich Terns out over the sea off to the west, and the Gannets seemed to be joining in with them. We had already seen one distant Manx Shearwater flying east, but when we looked back at the closer feeding frenzy we noticed another Manx Shearwater in with them. It was flying round in circles then landing on the sea repeatedly, presumably feeding, until suddenly several of the gulls decided to chase after it. Presumably it had caught something they wanted, as they caused it to splash down on the water several times before we lost sight of it.

There are still a lot of Razorbills offshore, so we got a small party in the scope as they bobbed on the waves preening. A single Guillemot drifted east closer in. There were a few Red-throated Divers moving east in the distance and then a smart adult still largely in breeding plumage appeared in front of the Razorbills on the sea. It was diving continually but we managed to follow it, and it came closer inshore away to our right where it stayed on the surface a little longer so we could all see it in the scope.

There were a few ducks and waders moving offshore today, always great to watch migration in action. We saw a couple of flocks of Wigeon and Teal and a single Common Scoter passing. A flock of Knot and a couple of small groups of Dunlin flew past too and we turned around at one point to see a Bar-tailed Godwit coming in over the shingle behind us. All winter visitors here, just arriving from their northern breeding grounds.

Knot – migrants arriving

Eventually we had to tear ourselves away and head back. Another small flock of Dunlin had dropped in on Arnold’s Marsh while we were out at the beach, but we couldn’t see anything different in with them. Two Black-tailed Godwits were on the Serpentine now and we stopped to look at a group of Linnets which dropped down for a drink on the edge of the water. It had brightened up now and it was starting to warm up nicely, so we had to shed our coats now back at the minibus.

After a quick stop at the Visitor Centre to use the facilities, we headed out for a quick look at Pat’s Pool from Bishop Hide before lunch. When we got to the Skirts path, we heard Pink-footed Geese calling again – a bit of a recurring theme today, the sound of the winter to come here. This time we looked up over the village to see skein after skein flying in from the fields, a rough count suggested around 1,500 Pinkfeet. We watched them fly over to the scrapes and start to whiffle down, some landed, several hundred circled round and headed off west towards Blakeney and a smaller number flew over our heads and off inland. Fantastic to watch! A single Swallow flew over, the only one we saw today – summer departing as winter arrives.

Pink-footed Geese – over the hides

There were several Black-tailed Godwits feeding in front of the hide and a number of Ruff, a larger group feeding in the water at the back and a white-headed male walking around on one of the closer islands. A Common Snipe was dozing in the edge of the reeds on another of the islands and then a second Snipe flew in and landed on the mud where we could get it in the scope and watch it feeding. A juvenile Little Stint landed on the muddy edge of one of the smaller islands over towards the back.

A couple of darker clouds appeared just as we got back to the Visitor Centre but thankfully they passed over and we ate our lunch in the picnic area in the sunshine. A Willow Emerald damselfly was flying around the sallows by the picnic tables and a Grey Dagger moth caterpillar was feeding on the leaves.

Willow Emerald – in the picnic area

Grey Dagger – moth caterpillar

After lunch, we headed back out to look at the central hides. There were a couple of smart drake Gadwall on the island in front of Dauke’s Hide – like the Mallard, they are already emerging from eclipse. We got one in the scope for fill the frame views of the amazing patterns of its plumage. Not just a grey and black duck! There was a flock of Dunlin feeding in the water in the back corner of the scrape but nothing different in with them today.

Gadwall – smart

Some of the Pink-footed Geese which we had seen drop down here earlier were still sleeping on the grass off to the left of the scrape. We got them in the scope – a couple were awake and preening, so we could see their dark head and more delicate bills, dark with a pink band. They were sitting down, so we couldn’t see their pink legs and feet though. Still, nice to see some on the ground after all the ones we had seen flying over earlier.

Pink-footed Geese – dozing

Turning our attention to Pat’s Pool, a beige-brown Pintail was feeding in the water just beyond the bank. While we were scanning across, we picked up a Yellow Wagtail flying over, so we followed it until it dropped on the edge of one of the islands over the far side. We got it in the scope and although it was tricky to see at first in and out of the reeds, eventually everyone managed to see it. The Little Stint was still on here, but we had a much closer view of it from here.

We couldn’t see anything else which we hadn’t already seen, so we decided to walk back and have a look elsewhere. We headed west along the coast now and stopped at Stiffkey Fen. A Speckled Wood butterfly landed on the hedge ahead of us as we walked down along the permissive path, and six Common Buzzards and two Red Kites were circling up over the wood just inland in the sunshine now.

Speckled Wood – in the sun

Down along the path by the river, a Chiffchaff was calling in the trees and flitted in and out of a hawthorn ahead of us. Further along, we stopped to watch a flock of Long-tailed Tits in the sallows and another Chiffchaff was with them, along with a Goldcrest which we could only hear calling.

From up on the seawall, we had a better view of the Spoonbills which were roosting on the Fen still. We counted twenty-one this afternoon, though we were several hours after high tide now. They were mostly doing what Spoonbills like to do best – sleeping! – but a couple were awake and preening, flashing their spoon-shaped bills. There were lots of ducks and geese on the Fen, but not so many waders now – they had mostly moved back out into the harbour, on the falling tide. There were a few Ruff in among all the wildfowl.

Spoonbills – sleeping!

We walked round and down to the edge of the harbour. We could see lots of Oystercatchers out on the mud, and smaller numbers of godwits, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Turnstone and Knot. Five Brent Geese swimming out in the remaining water in the Pit were our first returning birds of the autumn. We could see all the Grey Seals hauled out on the sand beyond the water. It is a lovely place to while away the afternoon here in the sunshine, but we had one last stop we wanted to make this afternoon so we made our way back.

We drove on west through the village and stopped at the pools just before Wells. The Pectoral Sandpiper which has been here on and off for the last ten days or so was back this morning, so we thought we would have a quick look to see if we could find it now to finish the day. We had just started to scan the east pool, which was where it had been earlier, when two people walking back along the track told us it was not on the back of the pool the other side.

We scanned with the scope from the gate and sure enough, there it was with a juvenile Ruff. It was tricky to see at first, creeping around in the small puddles in the grass, and rather distant, but eventually everyone got to see the Pectoral Sandpiper. A scarce but regular visitor here, possibly more likely in Norfolk from the eastern Siberian population than North America, a nice bird to round off the day.

16th Sept 2023 – Autumn Tour, Day 1

Day 1 of a 3-day Autumn Tour and Wader Spectacular. After a cloudy start, the cloud burnt back and it was bright, mostly sunny and pleasantly warm. Nice weather to be out birding. We spent the day along the more easterly end of the North Norfolk coast.

To start the day, we headed up to Salthouse. As we drove along the coast road from Cley, we could see a Marsh Harrier over the reeds and as we parked at the Iron Road and got out, it flew over the grazing marsh towards us and then cut across the road. We walked down along the track to view the pool. There were lots of Teal and Shoveler on here today, including a good number of drakes in dull eclipse plumage, all looking rather brown – a recurring theme with ducks at this time of year. Three juvenile Dunlin were in with them, but there was no sign of any other waders on the pool today. A small flock of Dunlin, with a single Common Snipe in with them, flew round over the marshes but headed out towards beach and disappeared off towards Cley.

A Kestrel flew in over the grazing marsh and landed briefly in the top of a tree next to us, before it saw us and flew off again. A juvenile Spoonbill came in high over the marshes from the direction of Cley and carried on west past us. A large flock of Goldfinches was feeding on the thistles and several Swallows and House Martins were hawking over the marshes.

Kestrel – flew in

Back to the minibus, we drove round to park at Walsey Hills. There was no sign of any Green Sandpipers on Snipe’s Marsh this morning, so we walked over to the East Bank. A Little Grebe was diving in the water weed on Don’s Pool. Looking out over the grazing marsh, we picked up a Hobby over the Pope’s reedbed, chasing after a small bird. It was, joined by a second Hobby, then both of them were chased off by one of the local Kestrels.

Up to the Serpentine, there were lots of ducks here too, more brown Teal and Shoveler. Out on Pope’s Pool we could see lots of rusty brown Wigeon and several juvenile Shelducks. The water level has gone up a lot after the heavy rain earlier in the week, and it is now too high for waders, unfortunately. The surprise of the morning was looking across to see an Arctic Skua fly in over the Serpentine past us, flushing all the ducks, before cutting across the reedbed and disappearing off inland. Very odd to see one away from the sea, over the land!

Arctic Skua – flew in over the Serpentine

Continuing on, an adult Mediterranean Gull flew past and disappeared off towards the beach. We could hear a Greenshank calling on Arnold’s Marsh and found it asleep on a small island. Several Redshanks were feeding around it. Looking out the other way, a second Greenshank flew up from the reeds behind us, right past and out onto the middle of Arnold’s where we had a better look at it before it too fell asleep. Otherwise, there were several Curlew on here and a flock of Ruff which dropped in, had a quick feed, then went to sleep, presumably fresh arrivals tired after a long journey. Three Spoonbills were asleep too, more typically.

Looking out towards the sea, we could see a few Gannets flying past beyond the shingle ridge. We set off to have a look from the beach and on the way, we stopped to admire a Grey Heron and a Little Egret which were feeding on the pools right below the path.

Scanning from the shingle, we could see lots of Razorbills out on the sea, and we got a small group of five in the scope. A lone Guillemot swam past very close inshore, but didn’t look well. We picked up a Red-throated Diver on the sea just to the east, making its way towards us just off the beach, diving repeatedly. As we waited, it came right past us, in almost full summer plumage, though its red throat was hard to see unless it turned its head.

Red-throated Diver – close in

It was a very productive stop out here, and every time we thought about heading back, we picked up something else. There were small numbers of birds moving, a couple of small groups of Sandwich Terns came past heading east and we spotted a distant Great Skua heading west. A few ducks arriving for the winter included a flock of Wigeon, and a mixed flock of Common Scoter with a single Pintail and one Teal. We heard Golden Plover and Ringed Plover calling overhead and turned at one point to see a small flock of Knot and Dunlin flying west over the Brackish Pool. A juvenile Marsh Harrier working its way slowly east some way offshore was presumably a migrant too – amazing to watch migration in action.

Eventually we managed to tear ourselves away. We had looked for the regular Pintail on the Brackish Pool on the way out but it had now reappeared. Then back to the minibus, we made our way round to the Visitor Centre to use the facilities and sort out permits for the reserve. We had a little time still before lunch, so we made our way out for a quick look from Bishop Hide.

From the hide, we had good views of several close Black-tailed Godwits feeding in front. There was a large flock of Lapwings just behind, looking stunning in the sunshine, their metallic green upperparts shining blue, purple and bronze. Two Avocet were further back. A Common Snipe flew in and landed on the edge of the reedy island in front of the hide, giving us great views through the scope.

Common Snipe – in front of the hide

There were a few gulls on the scrape, including several adult Great Black-backed Gulls, which allowed us a good comparison with an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull alongside.

The long-staying local celebrity Long-billed Dowitcher had apparently been with the godwits earlier but had now disappeared. Scanning round the scrape carefully, we found it asleep hunkered down on one of the islands, looking like little more than a small grey lump in the grass. Not the best of views, we knew what it was mainly because we have seen it sleeping in almost exactly the same place on previous occasions!

We had turned our attention to other things, when one of the group glanced back to see that the Long-billed Dowitcher had woken up. It walked to the edge of the island, where it had a quick preen, then it took off and flew towards us. It landed in the middle of the Lapwings and then walked closer, heading towards where the godwits were feeding. A great view now through the scope. Then something spooked all the waders and they all took to the air – presumably a false alarm, they flew round briefly, then landed again. The Dowitcher landed with the godwits in the middle and promptly went back to sleep!

Long-billed Dowitcher – woke up for a while!

It had been a very productive visit to the hide here too, so we headed back for lunch at the Visitor Centre now. Keeping one eye out over the reserve from the picnic tables, we noticed three more Spoonbills flying past, an adult followed by two juveniles. Afterwards we headed out to the central hides. Walking in through the reeds along the boardwalk, we could hear Bearded Tits calling, but they were keeping down in the breeze.

We headed for Dauke’s Hide first. Apart from more brown ducks, there were a few drake Gadwall which had already emerged from eclipse and were now looking smart, grey and black again. The water level is up here too now though, and the only waders were a couple of Ruff and a lone Curlew. Looking across to Pat’s Pool, we could see five Pintail on the bank on one side, the drakes in eclipse, all beige. Five more Ruff, included four males and a single much smaller female – good to see alongside each other, so we could appreciate how different they are in size. Otherwise, there were just four Dunlin over the far side, up to their bellies in the water with the longer-legged godwits.

There were several Swallows still flying around the hides, so we had a quick look in Avocet Hide, where three juvenile Swallows were still resting on one of the beams right above our heads. While we watched, the adults made a couple of visits in and out to feed them. They should be fledging soon and then will head off south for the winter.

Swallows – still three juveniles in the hide

As we started to head back, we heard Bearded Tits calling and turned to see two fly back past us over the reeds. We walked back to the circular boardwalk and glimpsed one in the reeds briefly, but the others moved deeper into the reeds away from us calling and then went quiet. Typical Bearded Tits! Back towards the Skirts path, there were lots of Common Lizards basking in the sunshine on the rail on the edge of the boardwalk.

We drove round to Kelling for the last stop of the afternoon. As we walked down the lane, there were lots of Goldfinches and tits in the brambles opposite the school and a House Martin overhead. A succession of Chiffchaffs in the hedge were calling and one even singing, taunting us, as they were not doing much in the heat of the afternoon and were hard to see in the trees. Lots of Ivy Bees, Red Admiral and Comma butterflies, Migrant Hawker and Common Darter dragonflies were enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

Spoonbill – a short-billed juvenile

There were just a few Mute Swans on the Water Meadow pool, but from round on the crosstrack we had good views of a juvenile Spoonbill which came up out of the ditch on the Quags with two Little Egrets, possibly even the one we had seen flying in this direction first thing this morning. A Stock Dove was on the grass.

We continued along the path to the Hard, where several Stonechats and Linnets perched up in the brambles as we passed, then turned up towards the gun emplacements, to see if there were any migrants around. Unfortunately there were a couple of people walking round the guns and in and out of all the bunkers, so there were no birds to be seen.

Stonechat – on the brambles

It was time to call it a day and head back now. We would be out again tomorrow.

28th-29th August 2023 – Private 2-day Tour

A 2-day Private Tour in North Norfolk, for a couple of recent recruits to birdwatching, looking for a broad selection of our regular birds. The weather was on 28th was much better than expected, with sunshine all day and no sign of the forecast showers in the afternoon. It was cloudier on 29th, still bright in the morning but darker and more threatening, and windier with it in the afternoon. Thankfully the rain didn’t arrive until later in the day, long after we had finished.

On our first morning, we headed for Cley. There were three Green Sandpipers and a couple of adult Water Rails on Snipe’s Marsh and as we set off up the East Bank, an adult and a fully grown juvenile Little Grebe were on Don’s Pool. A Reed Bunting perched obligingly in one of the small willows in the reeds, where a Reed Warbler flicked around in the leaves too, but a Cetti’s Warbler was only heard and remained typically out of view. We looked and listened for Bearded Tits along here today, but it was perhaps a little too breezy.

Six Spoonbills flew west over the bank ahead of us and appeared to drop down on the main scrapes. There were quite a few waders distantly on Pope’s Pool which we scoped from the bank. Most notably a Wood Sandpiper and a single juvenile Curlew Sandpiper in with the small flock of Dunlin. A juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit dropped in too. Further up on the Serpentine, we had much closer views of two more Curlew Sandpipers with more Dunlin, and several nice scaly juvenile Ruff. A single Common Snipe was feeding along the reedy edge.

Curlew Sandpipers – in with the Dunlin

On Arnold’s Marsh, there was a large flock of Sandwich Terns over towards the back. We could see the Long-billed Dowitcher out in the middle, asleep in a group of Black-tailed Godwits, but we figured it would be a better view from the old shingle ridge. A single Ringed Plover was on the Brackish Pools the other side and a Little Egret and several Redshanks on the pools below the bank as we walked up to the beach.

We had a quick look at the sea, but there was not much out here now, so we walked a little further east and had another look at the waders. The Long-billed Dowitcher eventually woke up and flashed its long bill, and we also found a Whimbrel, three Knot and two Greenshank on Arnold’s Marsh from here. Several Linnets and Meadow Pipits flicked around in and out of the grass. On the way back, three more Curlew Sandpipers dropped in with the Dunlin and the other two on the Serpentine giving us some very nice views.

We stopped for lunch back at the Visitor Centre, and in the afternoon we made our way along the coast to Stiffkey. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth flew off ahead of us as we walked along the permissive path by the road. There were a few birds by the river, a couple of Bullfinches flew out calling as we walked along the path, several Chiffchaffs were scattered around the bushes and a small mixed tit flock with a Goldcrest in with them was in the sallows above our heads.

Spoonbills – roosting on the Fen

From up on the seawall, we had a good view of the Spoonbill flock – we counted at least 40 on here today, with some still coming and going on the rising tide, including several juveniles. There were lots of Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks roosting on the pool and three Avocets, including two which we watched bathing in the water. A couple of Green Sandpipers flew round and a Common Sandpiper was feeding on the mud, before flying off past us and disappearing up the creek behind. In among all the geese, we found a few Wigeon and a couple of Pintail, though none of the ducks are looking their best at this time of year.

Spoonbill – one of the 2023 juveniles

Looking out towards the Harbour, a flock of fourteen Whimbrel flew round over the saltmarsh, at least four Stonechats were flitting around on the suaeda bushes and we picked up a very distant Marsh Harrier hunting the edge of the Point. From further up the seawall, we could see four Greenshanks out on the Fen too. There were a couple of Turnstones on the edge of the harbour channel as we made our way round and more on the edge of the Pit. A huge flock of Oystercatchers was trying to roost on the far side of the water but kept getting disturbed, and a large mixed flock of Bar-tailed Godwit and Knot flew round too.

We could see lots of gulls in the harbour and looking through, we managed to pick out a single juvenile Caspian Gull. A couple of Guillemots out on the water were a bit of a surprise, and one in particular didn’t look particularly well as it was carried into the mouth of the channel. A pair of Great Crested Grebes were more expected here.

We could see all the Grey Seals hauled out on the end of Blakeney Point from here and there were lots of Sea Aster Bees (Colletes halophilus). on a bank on the edge of the harbour so we stopped to watch them, lots of males swarming over the holes and pouncing on any emerging females. Then it was time to call it a day and walk back.

Sea Aster Bees Colletes halophilus

The following morning, we headed for Titchwell first thing. A quick look round the overflow car park before it got too busy produced more Chiffchaffs, several Blackcaps, a single Common Whitethroat and a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker which dropped in to a dead tree briefly before continuing on its way east. There were lots of Swallows and House Martins hawking overhead and two Red Kites distantly in the dead trees looking across from the gate by the paddocks.

Out onto the reserve, we walked slowly out past the reedbed, scanning the edges of the pools below the path. There were a few Gadwall in the channels, a couple of Common Pochard on the reedbed pool and two Marsh Harriers quartering over the reeds. Two Bearded Tits appeared and showed very well, as they worked their way round the back of one of the pools, a blue/grey-headed male and a browner female. Two Spoonbills flew over the path and off towards Thornham Harbour, as did most of the Golden Plover which had been roosting on the Freshmarsh. A Greenshank flew round calling and disappeared off west too.

Bearded Tit – the blue/grey-headed moustachioed male

We called in at Island Hide, which gave some very close up views of Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits, particularly a nice smart juvenile Icelandic bird, and Ruff. A Common Snipe was preening on the edge of the bank. We had a look through the ducks, which added Shoveler to the trip list. There were two more Spoonbills out in the middle, one of which was awake and allowed us good views of its bill through the scope.

Black-tailed Godwit – an Icelandic juvenile

From back out on the main path, there were several more adult Ruff in non-breeding plumage and we stopped to admire the Lapwings on the edge of the bund. Along the path to Parrinder Hide, we found a couple of Wasp Spiders still on their webs in the vegetation on the bank. We scanned the back compartment of the Freshmarsh from the viewing area beyond the hide but could not see the American Golden Plover in the remaining flock of European Golden Plovers now. A pair of Common Terns were still flying in and out bringing food for their young. A juvenile Spoonbill was chasing after its parent begging incessantly.

Wasp Spider – on its web

Continuing on out to the beach, there was not much on Volunteer Marsh – just a couple of Curlews and two Redshanks in the channel on the far side. There were some very nice tame Black-tailed Godwits on the Tidal Pools which we stopped to photograph.

At the beach, the tide was out so we walked down for a closer look at the mussel beds. There were lots of waders, including some smart Bar-tailed Godwits, Turnstone and Grey Plover all still mostly in breeding plumage, along with several juvenile Knot. A small group of Sanderling and a single Ringed Plover flew past. We couldn’t see much out to sea now – a few Gannets flying past in the distance and some closer Sandwich and Common Terns.

We had seen a large flock of Golden Plover behind us from the beach, so we had a quick look back from Parrinder Hide, but there were still not the full flock on the Freshmarsh and no sign of anything different in with the ones which were there. A Whimbrel flew round calling and then disappeared off towards the beach. As we made our way back to the Visitor Centre for lunch, a Yellow Wagtail flew over the path ahead of us and off towards Thornham.

After lunch, we diverted inland. There were lots of Red-legged Partridges along the roads – recently released for the shooting season, they are typically very tame and many were reluctant to fly even ahead of the minibus. There were lots of Linnets and several Pied Wagtails bathing in the puddle in the farmyard. A couple of Common Buzzards were over the fields beyond and a lone Marsh Harrier standing in the stubble. A single Stock Dove was in the middle of a groups of Woodpigeons.

We cut across to the Wash coast. It was not a big high tide today, but we hoped still to catch some waders on the rising tide. When we arrived at Snettisham, there were dark clouds rolling in off the Wash and the wind had picked up. We cut in through the Coastal Park, where the bushes were rather quiet. Lots of Mediterranean Gulls of various ages were streaming overhead, heading down the Wash. As we got up onto the outer seawall, there was still a strip of mud beyond the beach which was covered in waders, large number of Bar-tailed Godwits and Knot and a mass of Oystercatchers gathered further up.

The tide was coming in quickly and they were made more nervous by a dog along the shoreline, taking to the air and flying off past us, further down the Wash. Further out, we could see a much larger dark slick of Oystercatchers out on the mud and some huge smoky clouds of Knot which whirled round from time to time making shapes in the air, presumably stirred up by a raptor of some description.

There was still a nice selection of waders on the beach, and and we thought they might be slowly pushed down towards us by a couple walking along from Heacham. We walked down to the sand but the Whimbrel and remaining Oystercatchers flew off calling before we got there and most of the the Turnstones and Sanderlings flew straight past us before doubling back round and landing further up again.

Sanderling – like clockwork

There were still a few birds which were working their way back in our direction along the shoreline so we positioned ourselves ahead of them. We had some lovely views of a young Turnstone which came close past us and a couple of the Sanderlings were just coming towards us when an off-the-lead spaniel came running past and chased all the birds off. Its owner was standing behind and lamely calling it back.

With the weather looking increasingly threatening, it was time to head back. We had enjoyed a very nice couple of days and seen an excellent selection of Norfolk’s birds.

14th July 2023 – Summer Tour, Day 1

Day 1 of a three day Summer Tour. We could have chosen a better weekend, as it wasn’t going to be like summer on this one. The weather would be the problem – wet and “unseasonably windy” to quote the Met Office – and although the forecast would prove to be unduly pessimistic as ever, it was unfortunately not wrong enough! Today, the rain and wind wasn’t forecast to arrive until mid morning, so we had to make the most of this morning.

As we drove out of the village, we noticed a Grey Partridge on the verge. A nice start to the day and a scarce bird in intensive arable farmland like it is round here.

Grey Partridge – on the verge

We headed down to Trimingham to see the Bee-eaters first this morning. Their first breeding attempt failed, and while they are showing every sign of having another go, there are no guarantees they will go through with it. Thankfully when we arrived in the car park, we could see them still on the wires behind the quarry with a load of Woodpigeons.

Bee-eaters – on the wires

We walked down to the viewing spot and set up the scopes, getting a nice view of the Bee-eaters where they were still perched. They flew out from time to time, catching mostly bees and landing again, beating them on the wires to remove the sting. After a while, they flew down into the quarry calling and landed on the brambles, then down to the sandy face where they started to excavate. They have been in and out of the original burrow since their first breeding attempt failed but as we watched the male initially spent some time working on a new hole, before flying round and investigating an old one and then picking for a while in a completely new spot. It didn’t seem to have decided where to focus on, so perhaps a new breeding attempt is not imminent.

Bee-eater – excavating

There were a few Goldfinches and Linnets around the quarry too, and a family of Magpies. When the Bee-eaters started calling and flew up, we looked up to see a Hobby flying fast over the quarry, before disappearing off towards the coast. The Bee-eaters quickly settled back down to work. A Kestrel was hovering behind the quarry too.

Having enjoyed some good views of the Bee-eaters, we decided to move on and make the most of the weather. We drove back along the coast to Salthouse, and it was already starting to spit with very light rain by the time we arrived. We parked by the Iron Road, and walked down to check out the pool, which is starting to dry out but that is producing some very nice wet mud at the moment. As we walked out, a small cloud of Sand Martins and Swallows flew up from where they were feeding around the cows.

It was a very productive stop – there were three Common Sandpipers in the top corner and a Wood Sandpiper feeding along the north edge. A Greenshank was next to a Redshank nearby, a nice comparison of the two species, and at one point they were together with the Wood Sandpiper. A Common Snipe appeared from the low reeds at the back of the pool next to them and four Dunlin were feeding in the middle, still sporting their black summer bellies. It may still seem like early summer to us, but most of these (with the exception of the Redshank) are returning migrants, heading back south for the winter, their breeding attempts possibly in Scandinavia already over, maybe having failed.

Wood Sandpiper – and Greenshank

There were a few of our breeding waders on here too – a pair of Avocets had two tiny fluffy juveniles over towards the back, and were keeping the other birds away. There were a couple of Lapwing in the grass behind the pool and three Ringed Plovers and two fully grown juvenile Little Ringed Plovers on the mud in the middle.

As we walked back, a young Sedge Warbler, still with a partly grown tail, was lurking in one of the small sallows next to the path, and from time to time its parent would fly in to feed it. We stopped to watch and there were more young Sedge Warblers in the vegetation behind and a Reed Warbler flew up into the same sallow and hopped around, checking the leaves for caterpillars. We could see the bold pale supercilium on the Sedge Warblers, compared to the much plainer Reed Warbler. One of the group spotted a rather bare looking ragwort plant next to us which had been almost completely stripped by the bright yellow and black Cinnabar Moth caterpillars.

Sedge Warbler – a juvenile

It was still only spitting with light rain on and off, so we drove towards Cley and stopped again at Walsey Hills. Snipe’s Marsh is starting to dry up too, at least ahead of any rain, so we stopped to scan the mud at the back. There were three juvenile Water Rails, still rather brown and not yet with fully grown bills, feeding on the edge of the reeds. Two Green Sandpipers were remarkably hard to see at first, stationary with their backs to us, coloured very like the greeny-brown mud and water, but one did than start to feed on the mud where we could see it better. More returning migrants.

We decided to have a go and see how far we could get up the East Bank, before the rain set in. A Little Grebe swam across Don’s Pool and our first Spoonbill of the day flew over the grazing marshes, the southernmost of which are already quite dry, and disappeared into one of the deeper ditches in the middle. A Reed Warbler was feeding in the tall vegetation along the bank and kept flying ahead of us as we walked on.

We could hear Bearded Tits calling and stopped to scan. After a while, three tawny juveniles climbed up the reeds on the other side if the ditch, perching in the tops for a few seconds before flying off back over the reedbed. We heard several more as we walked along, mostly juveniles but a female flew across the path in front of us at one point. Another juvenile perched in the top of the reeds for a while, looking round. We needed to make the most of the opportunity today – with the forecast wind this weekend, they will be harder to see in the coming days!

Bearded Tit – a juvenile

The Spoonbill eventually appeared out of the ditch and stood for a while on the bank. We got it in the scope so we could see the yellow tip to its long black bill, before it took off and flew back to the plantation across the road. Scanning the fields beyond, we picked up a Marsh Harrier hunting and a Common Buzzard perched on a telegraph post in the distance.

There is still water in the Serpentine, but not many waders on here today. There were more on Pope’s Pool further back, quite a few Black-tailed Godwits, some fresh returning birds still in bright rusty breeding plumage, and several Ruff in various states of moult. Another Greenshank was asleep in the middle. A small flock of Curlew flew in from the direction of Arnold’s Marsh and landed in the grass in front of the pool.

A Little Gull appeared from behind one of the islands, walking around in the shallow water, picking for insects, a 1st summer, lacking the black hood of a summer adult. A couple of times, it walked into the same view as a Black-headed Gull, at which point we could appreciate just how little the Little Gull really was.

Sandwich Terns – gathering on Arnold’s Marsh

We had heard Sandwich Terns calling from the direction of Arnold’s Marsh as we walked out, and when something spooked all the terns, all the waders on Arnold’s and Pope’s took to the air too. They whirled round, but we couldn’t see what had disturbed them. One of the Ruff landed on the Serpentine, close to the bank, where we had a much better look at it. After mating with the females, the male Ruff take no part in raising the young, so they are always early to set off south. They arrived here from mid June and the first thing they do is lose their ornate ruffs, after which they look rather scruffy, with moulted heads and necks but still breeding plumage bottom halves.

Ruff – scruffy!

There were two freshly fledged juvenile Swallows on the fence by the main drain sluice, the adults flying in from time to time to feed them. Looking over Arnold’s from the bank just beyond, we could see all the Sandwich Terns gathered now and got them in the scope, to better see their yellow-tipped black bills. The breeding colony on Scolt Head has been badly hit with avian flu again this year, so perhaps many of these were failed breeders. There more Little Gulls were on the mud in the corner.

We pressed on to have a quick look at the sea. There was a large feeding frenzy of gulls over the sea away to the west, over towards the beach car park, a mixture of mostly Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls. Looking through, we did manage to pick out a couple of Mediterranean Gulls too, and a young Great Black-backed Gull. There were one or two Sandwich Terns fishing offshore and a Grey Seal surfaced just off the beach, but nothing else moving today, so we headed back for lunch. The Spoonbill was back out on the grazing marshes.

The rain was still not really getting started, thankfully much later than forecast, so were thought we could sit and have lunch on the picnic tables. It had to be a quick lunch though, as the rain started to get a little heavier, and once we had finished eating most of the group retired to the Visitor Centre for a hot drink. It was still not too wet afterwards, so we walked out to Bishop Hide to have a look at Pat’s Pool.

Someone was in the hide when we arrived, and pointed out the Long-billed Dowitcher, which was hiding in the back corner at first. We could just see it through the reeds on one of the islands. Helpfully, it started feeding after a while, coming into full view behind the island, and later working its way round the end and out onto the front edge. We could see its long bill, rather like a Snipe. It is now looking very smart, in bright rusty breeding plumage, very different from the grey winter plumage it was in through the winter.

Long-billed Dowitcher – and Black-tailed Godwit

At one point, watching the Long-billed Dowitcher, a male Bearded Tit appeared on the mud at the base of the reeds behind. After a while, the flew round calling and landed with a Black-tailed Godwit. Then when the Godwit flew, the Dowitcher followed it and flew back over the reeds behind the scrape, dropping down out of view.

There were other waders on here too. As well as more Godwits, there were several more Ruff in different states of moult. When one walked across one of the islands to where a Little Ringed Plover was incubating, the plover leapt up and started its distraction display, feigning a broken wing and trying to lead the Ruff away. The Ruff was having none of it, despite at one point attracting the attention of three different Little Ringed Plovers. We could see why, when two tiny juvenile Little Ringed Plovers appeared from where the adult had first been, little more than balls of fluff on legs!

There were a couple of Ringed Plover on here too, and several more Dunlin. A Whimbrel dropped in – through the scopes, we could see its short bill and humbug striped head, different to a Curlew. An adult Spoonbill was initially asleep over in front of the central hides but woke up when a juvenile flew in and started demanding food, chasing it round and round, flapping its wings and bobbing its head up and down. The adult tried to feed it, but it was not enough and eventually flew off towards Blakeney Harbour, presumably to feed. The juvenile flew off after it at first, but then turned and landed next to another juvenile Spoonbill still on the scrape. We could see their still not fully-grown short ‘teaspoon’ bills.

We were planning to head round to the central hides to finish the day, but the rain had finally picked up, so we stayed put, waiting for a weather window when we might be able to get out there without getting too wet. There was a brief spell when it brightened up a little, but the rain never stopped. We contented ourselves with watching the birds on Pat’s Pool. Apart from a Caspian Gull and a Kittiwake, it didn’t sound like there was much we were missing, so eventually we decided to call it a day and head for home. Better to stay as dry as we can today, on our first day!