Day 3 of a 3-day Winter & Brecks tour today. After two days of nice weather, it was perhaps no surprise that today was different – grey, damp and rather breezy. Thankfully, the rain was only light, spitting with drizzle on and off and only up until 11am this morning after which it stopped, and the wind was nowhere near as bad as forecast. And we had a very successful day, despite the weather, to wrap up our tour.
With the forecast of rain, we headed over to Titchwell this morning, where we would at least have the benefit of the hides if we needed shelter. We cut across inland and as we dropped back down towards the coast, lots of birds flew up from a wild bird seed crop behind and landed in the hedge beside the road. We pulled up and could see they were mainly Brambling, including several smart, black-headed males, with smaller numbers of Linnet and Goldfinch too.
Song Thrush – in the car park
When we arrived at Titchwell, the car park was unusually quiet – probably something to do with the weather today! A succession of Mediterranean Gulls flew over calling as we got out of the minibus and a Song Thrush flew up from the middle of the car park and perched obligingly on a branch on the edge. As we walked up towards the Visitor Centre, we scanned for Woodcock under the trees but it was all rather along wet here today and we then had to pick our way round the flooded path to get past the Welcome Hub.
There weren’t many birds on the feeders today, so we carried on round onto Fen Trail. More scanning this side finally produced a single Woodcock hiding under the sallows. It froze, watching us, relying on its camouflage, while we got it in the scope. It was a fill-the-frame view! Obligingly it waited just long enough for everyone to get a look at it through the scope before it finally decided it had had enough and scuttled off further in.
Further on along Fen Trail, the Tawny Owl was in its usual tree again but today we could at least see more of it. From the first place we set up the scope, we could just see its breast and belly feather, marked with dark streaks. We adjusted position and after a couple of attempts found somewhere we could see a half its face and a dark eye staring back at us from between the ivy leaves.
Tawny Owl – hiding
We continued on round to Patsy’s Reedbed. A couple of Common Pochard were diving over towards the far corner, a couple of Tufted Duck were out in front and a Little Grebe was lurking in the reeds at back. There was a pair of Gadwall too – we got the drake in the scope to admire its intricately patterned plumage. A single Common Snipe was hiding in the cut reeds, before it flew off. There was not much activity out over the reedbed, not a surprise given it was still spitting lightly with rain, although a lone male Marsh Harrier did come up briefly at one point but quickly dropped back in
We walked back round and out via Meadow Trail to the main path. It was windy out when we got out of the bushes and the rain seemed to be getting heavier again. We made our way quickly on to Island Hide. There were not many birds on the Freshmarsh again today. A few Avocets were trying to feed up to their bellies in the deep water. A small group of Black-tailed Godwits was feeding further back, and at one point three flew in and landed closer in front of the hide. Three Dunlin were picking round the muddy edge of the nearest island.
Avocet – wading
There are not many ducks left on the Freshmarsh either. We did find a pair of Pintail upending over towards the back, along with a few Teal and Shoveler. Gull numbers are down too, at least on the islands closest to the hides, with just a few Black-headed Gulls on the nearest compartment, although a pair of them were displaying.
We braved the weather and walked quickly round to Parrinder Hide. A Scandinavian Rock Pipit was bathing by the bricks as we walked into the hide, then flew up on top briefly before flying off. Then another dropped in right in front of the hide and, after hiding behind a small alexanders plant growing out of the mud, worked up the courage to walk down to the water’s edge to bathe. Nice to see it up close, the Scandinavian Rock Pipits are starting to get pink on the throat and breast, more like a spring Water Pipit and a pitfall for the unwary.
Scandinavian Rock Pipit – starting to turn pink
There were a few more gulls on the islands over on the back compartment, including several smart adult summer Mediterranean Gulls with the Black-headed Gulls. We got them in the scopes, admiring the more extensive jet black hoods and thicker white eye-liner on the Mediterranean Gulls, along with their heavier red bills and white wing-tips. There were a couple of Dunlin on the mud in front of the hide and two Knot dropped in to bathe in front of Avocet Island.
It had stopped raining again, so we headed out to brave the path on to the beach. A large flock of Brent Geese was feeding out on the saltmarsh and several Redshanks, Curlews and a couple of Grey Plover were on the muddy channel on Volunteer Marsh.
Grey Plover – on Volunteer Marsh
The tide was out so there were no waders on the Tidal Pools, but we did stop to admire several close Pintail, which even started to display at one point. There was a pair of Red-breasted Merganser here too, the male preening on a tiny island before going to sleep and the redhead female diving along the far edge.
Pintail – a smart drake
Out at the beach, we got ourselves into the shelter of the dunes. There were a few waders down on the shore – several Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderling and Turnstones. A small raft of Common Scoter were just offshore, but kept disappearing in the waves. One of the volunteers was seawatching and got a message on his radio to say that there was a Spoonbill on Thornham saltmarsh. We couldn’t see it from here but as we made our way back, we kept scanning and picked it up when we got to the Freshmarsh, feeding in one of the saltmarsh pools. It was hard to see, feeding most of the time with its head down, but we got it in the scope, and it lifted its head from time to time so we could see its bill.
Further back, we stopped to look for some Pink-footed Geese which had been reported on Thornham grazing marsh, and quickly found three of them in the grass. We could compare them with some Greylag Geese in the same field too. We turned the scope on a Chinese Water Deer out on the saltmarsh as well.
We were just saying that it was not a good day to look for Bearded Tits, it was too windy, when we heard them calling and turned to see four climbing up the reeds just behind us. They were moving quickly along the back edge of the borrow pits, but we had great views of them out in the open, particularly when one of the males stopped to climb up a reed stem and perched in full view for a few seconds, giving us a good chance to admire its black moustache.
Bearded Tit – despite the weather
Back at the Visitor Centre, we were planning to have an early lunch on the picnic tables, but we found that the picnic tables by the Centre were standing in water and the picnic area was flooded too. We decided to head back east and find somewhere else. We had a quick stop at Brancaster Staithe first, adding Ringed Plover to the list, and getting closer views of Bar-tailed Godwits. We watched the Oystercatchers picking through the discarded mussels, and Turnstones running around the car park too. A 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull was standing on the mud with three Herring Gulls.
Mediterranean Gull – a 2nd winter
Continuing on, there was no sign of any Cattle Egrets in the fields at Burnham Norton, but a quick look from the layby at Burnham Overy Staithe revealed several closer Pink-footed Geese in with the Greylags by the road. We had a much closer view now and could see their pink legs! Further on, seven White-fronted Geese were in the field by the road at Holkham today, so we stopped and got out. Again, it was a much closer view compared to yesterday. Three Barnacle Geese flew in again too.
White-fronted Goose – much closer today
We stopped at Lady Anne’s Drive and walked up to The Lookout for a later than planned lunch. At least we could get out of the chilly wind, even if it wasn’t raining any more. Afterwards we drove round to Wells beach car park. We thought it might be very windy out on the edge of the harbour today, looking out to the east, but it was actually not as bad as expected. There were a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, a Grey Plover and a Curlew on the near edge of the channel and lots of Oystercatchers on the sand beyond.
Two male Red-breasted Mergansers came swimming quickly up the channel, one chasing after the other. The chasee swam on, and then started displaying to itself, while the chaser eventually turned back and joined up with two females which had appeared behind.
Red-breasted Merganser – a drake displaying
Round at the old lifeboat station, there were more waders on the mussel beds and mud opposite – a distant flock of Knot and Dunlin was feeding at the top of the beach, along with Ringed Plovers and Grey Plovers, and a flock of Bar-tailed Godwits whirled round the other side of the channel and landed again, but we couldn’t find any Greenshank today.
Back to the minibus, and we still had time for one last stop this afternoon. The Glossy Ibis had been seen on the flood east of Stiffkey village for the last couple of days, so we decided to have a look for it. We parked in the layby and crossed the road onto the permissive path the other side of the hedge. We were just walking down the path and turned round to answer a question from one of the group when we noticed a large bird of prey flying over the trees behind us. It looked big for a Buzzard and then we realised – it was a juvenile White-tailed Eagle!
White-tailed Eagle – the Dutch-ringed juvenile
We watched it fly across the road and out over the field the other side, stopping to do a quick circle, before it then continued on inland. Over the wood beyond, it flushed all the corvids and a Common Buzzard came up too for a nice size comparison. The White-tailed Eagle really was huge!
This bird is a Dutch-ringed juvenile White-tailed Eagle which was born in 2023, and then taken into care following a collision with a wind turbine and ringed, before being released. At some point it crossed over to the UK and spent most of the winter in Suffolk, before setting off north a couple of weeks ago. It has since been wandering the North Norfolk coast, though often disappearing inland. We had hoped to see it this weekend, but there had only been a couple of brief sightings of it flying over different places on the last couple of days so we were very lucky to catch up with it here now.
We continued on down to the corner of the footpath to view the flooded grazing marshes. As we came out of the trees, we realised the Glossy Ibis was very close, feeding in the pool right by the path. We edged out slowly, being careful not to spook it or all the other birds feeding on the pool and then we were able to watch it feeding in the shallow water. It caught a stickleback, washed it and then swallowed it. Then it flew slightly further back.
Glossy Ibis – with stickleback
The flood waters have started to recede a little now, and there were lots of waders here enjoying the fresh mud. Lots of Black-tailed Godwits included some smart rusty ones getting into breeding plumage already. There were groups of Ruff too, one striking bird with a buff head was probably a white-headed bird which had somehow stained its feathers. There were lots of ducks as well, Wigeon and Teal, and a couple of Pintail asleep further back.
With everyone heading off this evening and with long drives ahead, it was time to head back now. It had been a great way to wrap up, with a White-tailed Eagle and the Glossy Ibis, and it had been a very enjoyable three days with lots of good birds.
A 3-day Private Tour, with some specific targets we wanted to see. It was cloudy and cold on Monday, though the wintry flurries were thankfully brief and light, but with a very blustery and cold NE wind which hampered us at times. Tuesday and Wednesday were much brighter with some nice long spells of winter sunshine, though the wind only eased slowly.
Monday 8th January
Our primary target today was to see if we could locate the Red-breasted Goose. Figuring it didn’t fly out from the saltmarsh to the fields until around 10am yesterday, we decided to head down to Wells first and have a look in the harbour. We could see the trees being lashed around when we arrived in the car park and as we got up past the lifeboat station, we were face on into the biting cold wind. We had a quick scan from the slipway – four distant Red-breasted Mergansers were in the outer channel, and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover were feeding along the near edge in front of us. A Curlew was on the shore the other side, and lots of Dunlin were running around on the wet sand behind.
Red-breasted Merganser – in the channel
We walked back and round behind the new lifeboat station and managed to get some shelter from the wind behind the groynes. Three more Red-breasted Mergansers were in the channel much closer here, two males and a female, and the males started displaying briefly.
There were more waders opposite here, a few Knot, Ringed Plover, more Bar-tailed Godwits. A Greenshank was in the mouth of the small channel opposite before it disappeared round behind the sand. Further up, lots of Oystercatchers were roosting on the sandbar, with a big group of Knot in a tight flock in amongst them. A group of Shelducks were sleeping on the sand too.
Oystercatcher & Knot – roosting
We got a message now to say that the Red-breasted Goose was already in the fields where we had looked for it yesterday afternoon, so we walked straight back to the minibus and drove over. Before we got there, apparently the farmer had already been out and flushed all the Brent Geese. Most had flown off, but there were still a few hundred there, though unfortunately they were super nervous now and took off again as soon as we drove up, landing out of view behind a hedge.
We drove round to the next road over and looked back. We couldn’t see the field where the flock was at first, but there were lots of Lapwings in the field in front of us and several Fieldfares feeding in with lots of Starlings. The Brent Geese came up again, off in the distance, and whirled round, before dropping down again out of view. We wouldn’t be able to see them from this side.
We made our way back round to where we had started, and the Brent flock was back in a field visible from the road now. They were more distant from the road but once again they took off as soon as we slowed to pull up. It felt like it might be another frustrating wild goose chase, but thankfully this time they landed again still in view just a little further back, far enough that we could even get out of the minibus to look through with the scopes.
The Red-breasted Goose was in the flock with the Brents but it was very hard to see at first, as it sat down in the middle of the group. Before we even had a proper chance to look the farmer was back on his ATV to flush the geese, presumably attracted by our presence. Kindly he at least allowed us a couple of minutes before he drove, and all at least had a quick look at the Red-breasted Goose before the Brent flock took off of their own accord and flew off over the road further up.
Red-breasted Goose – taken elsewhere recently!
A good start, but we wanted to see if we could get better views. The farmer rode off and we continued on down the road to see if we could find where the Brents had landed. They were a couple of fields over, behind a hedge, and pretty much out of view. But we noticed a gap in the hedge, found somewhere to pull off the road, and set up the scope. Remarkably, there was the Red-breasted Goose in the gap! We had a better view of it now, for a minute or so, before all the geese moved further back in the field out of view again.
There were some light wintry flurries and it was very cold in the wind, so we got in the minibus and made our way back down to the coast. We stopped at Holkham – the Shorelarks had been reported again this morning, so we thought we would look for those, and we particularly wanted to look for Velvet Scoters too. When we got out to the saltmarsh, people walking back told us the Shorelarks had been flushed by a Merlin and flown off high west. We scanned the beach around the Gap, but couldn’t see anything out there, so continued on out to the dunes.
We managed to find a spot out of the wind and quickly located the Common Scoters. They were quite close in, several thousand of them, but the sea was rough, so it was tricky to pick out anything in with them on the water. Thankfully, they had split into several groups and birds were flying between the flocks. The Velvet Scoters were easy to see in flight, with the bright white flash in their wings, and we eventually counted at least 15 of them before the scoters all settled down again.
On our way back, we had a quick look out on the saltmarsh west of the Gap, but there were no birds there at all, so we cut back in through the pines to the Lookout for lunch. After lunch, as we drove back up Lady Anne’s Drive, we could see lots of waders feeding on the flooded fields, so we got out for a closer look. We could see a good number of Ruff and Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, and a couple of Dunlin too.
Barnacle Geese – probably from the Park
Back out on the main road, we stopped to look at the geese in their usual field. There was a big flock of Barnacle Geese in here today, at least a couple of hundred, which seem to be the feral Holkham breeders which have returned early this year. There were at least 50 White-fronted Geese too, mostly over the back of the field but a small group were much closer. A couple of Pink-footed Geese and the usual Greylags made for a very good goose selection! We made our way on west, with a quick stop to look at four Grey Partridges in a field by the road, and on to Titchwell.
White-fronted Geese – by the road again
The car park at Titchwell was remarkably quiet. Once we got out of the trees on the main path, we could see why – the bitter wind was gusting 36-37mph in off the sea and across the open marshes. We couldn’t see any Water Pipits on the reedbed pool, just a few Pied Wagtails, but it was just too cold to linger long here this afternoon. The Freshmarsh was pretty much empty, as birds had presumably sought shelter elsewhere. We continued on to check the Tidal Pool and were rewarded with another Greenshank. There were lots of ducks roosting on here, but no sign of any Pintail. It was hard to keep the scopes still, so we decided to head back to shelter.
The light was already starting to go. We had a quick look at Thornham Harbour, hoping we might pick up something coming through, heading to Titchwell to roost, from the shelter of the minibus but it was too blustery. Time to head for home. We had one last surprise – as we drove back inland, what looked like a piece of white rubbish blowing across the road ahead of us turned out to be a Stoat in full ermine as we got closer and we could see it in the base of the hedge next to the road.
Tuesday 9th January
We had a particular request to try to see a Long-eared Owl, so we headed over to the Fens this morning. It was a lovely sunny morning for the long drive with wall to wall blue skies, and just a light frost. When we arrived and disembarked, it was nice to find that the wind was a lot lighter inland too. As we walked in along the track, a Fieldfare flew up from the verge and landed in the hedge beside us. A Green Woodpecker laughed behind us and landed in the top of a dead tree.
Fieldfare – in the hedge
We walked down to the hide and opened the flaps. A quick scan revealed a Long-eared Owl tucked in the ivy, very close to the hide. We could see two eyes staring back at us, until it went back to sleep, and most of one of its ear tufts, between the leaves. There was probably a second Long-eared Owl deep in the ivy too.
Long-eared Owl – trying to hide
There were not so many ducks as normal on the main lake, only a few distant Goldeneye and no sign of any Goosander, as well as the regular Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal and Tufted Duck. There were a couple of distant Common Pochard too.
Goldeneye – on the main lake
There has been a Glossy Ibis on site for the last week or so, so we went on to look for that now. Out on the riverbank, the pools it had apparently been on were frozen over, so we walked downstream to look at the west pit. The wet grass around the edges of that were frozen too, and there was a work party out there over the far side, cutting trees and having bonfires, so probably no chance of it feeding on there today. We walked back up and another birder appeared who pointed out that that the Glossy Ibis was along the side of the river further upstream. You had to stand in just the right spot to see it between the trees, but we got it in the scopes now and had a good view.
Glossy Ibis – on the edge of the river
We made our way back to round to the hide, and the Long-eared Owl we had seen earlier had shrunk back into the leaves. We could see another one more clearly now, but where it had chosen to perch, we could see its bottom half but its head was completely hidden.
We had options to spend the rest of the day exploring the Fens, but with nothing on the particular target list elsewhere here, the decision was made to head back in to Norfolk. As we were passing, we stopped briefly on the King’s Lynn bypass to check the Hardwick flood lagoon. There has been a Black-throated Diver on here for a couple of weeks, but we couldn’t find it now. It may have been out of view in one of the bays or behind the reeds. It had been much calmer inland but we were back in the blustery wind now, and it was time for lunch, so we decided not to hang around.
We only had a couple of hours left this afternoon, so we made our way up to Titchwell again, to see if we could find some of the birds we had missed in the weather yesterday. After a quick lunch in the picnic area, we headed out onto the reserve. It was very windy out on the main path beyond the trees again, if anything worse than yesterday, though at least it was still bright and sunny today. There was no sign of the Water Pipit again and the Freshmarsh was empty – probably a combination of the wind and diggers working on the marsh at the moment, currently fixing the east bank sluice.
We continued on out past the Volunteer Marsh. Four Pintail flew in past us, circled over the Freshmarsh behind us, and then headed back out towards the beach, a nice addition to the trip list. Out at the Tidal Pool, there were lots of birds but it was next to impossible to keep the scope stable enough in the wind. The birds were all facing away from us too, into the wind. There were more Grey Plover sheltering on here today, and more Common Redshanks, but we still couldn’t find any sign of the Spotted Redshank. We had a quick look at the sea from the lee of the dunes, which was cutting up quite rough. The Sanderling were still running up and down along the shore.
Woodcock – hiding in the sallows
We headed back to the shelter of the sallows and cut in along Meadow Trail. There have been some good counts of Woodcock coming in to roost very early in the mornings here in recent days, so we thought we might be able to find one roosting under the trees. The first bird we found was a Water Rail feeding on the edge of a small pool deep under the trees. Then a little further on, we found a Woodcock too. Success! It was tucked in amongst the branches, but by moving around we could get a good view of most of it, We spent some time watching that, before it moved deeper in. Then a little further on, we quickly found a second Woodcock too, feeding close to the path. It was a little too close though and quickly disappeared back in between the branches.
A member of staff walking past told us that the Water Rail was back in the ditch by the main path, so we walked round to see that. Good views even if the light was now starting to go. A very successful couple of hours here, and the sun was setting now as we walked back to the car park.
Water Rail – back in the ditch
Wednesday 10th January
On our way down to the coast, we drove round via Wiveton. A lone Cattle Egret was still in one of the flooded fields by the road, despite the absence of any livestock. We wanted to look for the Velvet Scoters along the coast east of Cley this morning, as they have been close in at times. The wind was meant to drop today, which would make viewing ducks on the sea easier, but it hadn’t gone down as much as forecast and it was still rather blustery when we got out of the minibus.
We had a quick look at Salthouse first, as the scoter flock had been down this end yesterday afternoon. We couldn’t see any off the beach here – a young Grey Seal was hauled out near the top of the shingle and looked up at us as we came over the crest. A flock of 11 Red-throated Divers flew past out to sea, catching the early morning light.
Grey Seal – on the shingle
The scoter are more regularly off Kelling, so we headed round there next. As we parked in the village, a Grey Wagtail flew up out of the beck. The top part of the lane was quiet – the verges have been mown to within an inch of their lives, all the seedy vegetation is gone along the beck, and the hedges shredded back again. Presumably so it looks ‘tidy’! As we got down to the crosstrack, two Grey Partridges flew out of the field ahead of us, landing briefly on the path before flying off again. There were lots of Rooks feeding out on the Quags, which looked particularly smart in the low winter sunshine.
There was a nice selection of ducks on the Water Meadow pool. As the high water levels of recent days are receding, there is some nice wet grass appearing round the edges. As we looked over the hedge in the far corner, a Common Snipe came up from the vegetation. Just beyond, a couple of Brown Hares had taken shelter from the wind behind a small bramble clump and were warming themselves in the morning sun.
Brown Hares – sheltering from the wind
As we climbed up to the top of the shingle, there was a large raft of Common Scoter quite close inshore, but they were very nervous and flew before we could down from the skyline the other side. There was no sign of any Velvet Scoters in with them, and they landed further east with another larger raft. We scanned through them, several hundred strong, but they were mostly facing into the wind, so away from us, and diving continually. We picked up a smaller group just to the west of us, which was easier to look through and found a smart drake Eider in with them. We had some really nice views of the Common Scoters now too.
The scoter started to drift back inshore and gather in front of us, but were flushed again by two people walking along the shoreline and went off east again. We waited and scanned, and gradually they returned once more. We could see them much better now and finally we started to find the Velvet Scoters in with the Commons, at least three of them though it was hard to keep track. Lovely views new, quite close in, with the Eider alongside them at one point too.
Eider & Velvet Scoter – with the Common Scoter
It was cold out on the beach, so we decided to head back and warm up. A Water Rail scuttled across between clumps of rushes as we passed the pool. We had a couple of options now – we could go back to Holkham to have another go for the Shorelarks, or we could head out to Stiffkey Fen to see if we could relocate a Glaucous Gull which had been seen earlier, distantly out on Blakeney Point. We knew the latter would be a long shot, but the preference was to have a walk out there.
As we got up onto the seawall, a Greenshank was on the mud in the channel in front of us, along with several Redshanks and a tight flock of Dunlin which flew up and whirled round. The water level on the Fen is very high, so we made our way straight round to the corner of the coastal path overlooking the harbour and found a sheltered spot out of the wind.
There were lots of gulls out in the harbour, but no sign of the Glaucous Gull. We could see several groups of Great Black-backed Gulls out on the sands beyond, feeding on a number of seal carcasses, and those were just the ones we could see from here so there was plenty of food around. More gulls were roosting in larger groups on the mud closer to us. The light was really good and there was a nice selection of waders out in the harbour, plus a good number of roosting Pintail and several distant Red-breasted Mergansers out in the Pit.
It was time for lunch, so we made our way back. A Stonechat was getting chased around on the seawall by a Robin now. We decided to head round to Stiffkey Greenway where we could look out over the saltmarsh. On the way, we pulled up briefly in the village opposite the Red Lion. The Glossy Ibis was feeding out on the grass on the near edge of the flood today, so we had really good views of it as it probed its long bill into the grassy tussocks, better than the views we had yesterday.
Glossy Ibis – better views than yesterday
When we arrived at Greenway, a Red Kite was hanging in the air over the saltmarsh and drifted across right in front of us. We could see its was carrying a white wing tag and managed to grab a couple of photos so we could read the code. It turned out to have been ringed further east in Norfolk last June. There was a bit more raptor action while we ate – a juvenile Peregrine chased a small wader round and round high over the saltmarsh for a while, but showed its inexperience, as it kept missing it; a female Marsh Harrier flew past in front of us too.
Red Kite – wing tagged
It was heading for 2pm, so given the raptor activity, we decided to go straight round to Warham Greens now to see what we could catch up with there. We had just pulled up on the concrete pad, and were looking through the birds in the nearby hedge, when we had a glimpse of a harrier over the field behind. It was a ringtail, so we leapt out and got to the field entrance where we could see it going away from us over the field – a ringtail Hen Harrier. It banked over the hedge and we lost sight of it as it went round behind the old barn. A good start!
Down at the edge of the saltmarsh, one person was already there. Apparently we had just missed a Merlin and as we scanned back and forth it was now rather quiet. There were one or two distant Marsh Harriers over the back of the saltmarsh and a Peregrine briefly over East Hills. As we got closer to 3pm, raptor activity picked up again. A few more Marsh Harriers flew in and then a smart grey male Hen Harrier drifted across and landed out on the saltmarsh. A ringtail Hen Harrier flew past over the back of the saltmarsh too.
Just after 3pm, we picked up a ringtail harrier flying out from the fields to our left. As it turned, we could see its slim wings and pointed ‘hands’, with only four visible primary tips, the Pallid Harrier! It flew across low over the saltmarsh towards us, and we could see it had a bulging crop, so it had fed well. Then it dropped down onto the saltmarsh out of view behind some bushes.
Pallid Harrier – flew in early
We waited a couple of minutes to see if the Pallid Harrier might come back up quickly, but it could sit there now until it was time to roost. We had already been here some time and it couldn’t be called warm, so with mission accomplished we decided to call it a day.
As we made our way back up the track, several skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew in over the fields calling. A lovely sight – and sound – against the pink-tinged clouds and a fitting way to wrap up our three days.
Day 1 of a 3-day Winter & Owls Tour. The forecast a couple of days ago was for some nice crisp winter weather, light winds and high pressure, over the weekend, but that had changed and now we had yet more heavy rain overnight which at least cleared through early this morning. We were left with a rather grey and damp day with a more blustery NNW wind than we had been expecting. We made the best of it, even if the birds didn’t all play ball.
On our way up to the coast, we stopped to look at a large flock of geese feeding in a recently harvested sugar beet field. From a distance, it almost looked like there wasn’t anything there, as the geese were the same colour as the mud, but once we got out of the minibus (the geese were far enough away that we wouldn’t disturb them) we could see the back of the field was completely covered in Pink-footed Geese.
Pink-footed Geese – feeding after the sugar beet has been harvested
We set up the scope and scanned through the flock. There were quite a few Greylag Geese in the other geese, perhaps true wild Icelandic birds which had travelled down here with the Pinkfeet. We picked up a pair of Russian White-fronted Geese too, hard to see in the middle of the flock until they lifted their heads and you could see the white blaze around the base of their bills. A juvenile White-fronted Goose was with them, presumably a small family party.
Several Skylarks flew up occasionally from the field too, and a few Pied Wagtails were feeding out on the mud. There were quite a few Lapwings in here as well, and four Golden Plover flew in and looked like they were going to join them but then didn’t land and flew off again.
We had managed to stay out of the worst of the rain, in the lee of the minibus, and it now seemed to be stopping. We moved on, and went to look for our regular Tawny Owl. As we walked in along the footpath, a few Chaffinches flew up from the hedge and a Robin flicked ahead of us. When we got almost to where we could view the tree, we slowed down and walked on quietly until we could look back and see the hole. The Tawny Owl was there, at the entrance, but before we could even get everyone on the hole it dropped down inside, out of view. Sometimes it can sit out in full view and doesn’t seem to care and other times it disappears instantly – unfortunately, today was one of the latter.
Nothing else for it, we would have to try again another time. As we walked back towards the minibus, a flock Long-tailed Tits appeared in the trees by the path. We stopped to look and a Treecreeper was singing further in, followed by a Coal Tit too. It didn’t feel like it much today, but spring is coming – hopefully, eventually! A Nuthatch flew out onto the edge of the wood too briefly and perched in the top of a tree, before disappearing back in. Back towards the road, three Greenfinches flew up out of the hedge calling.
The Red-breasted Goose had been reported in the Eye Field at Cley earlier, and has spent most of the last few days feeding there with the Brent Goose flock, so we headed down to look for that next. As we passed the grazing marshes just before the village, a Great White Egret was standing out in the wet grass. But as we drove down Beach Road, there was no sign of any geese on Cricket Marsh or in the Eye Field now. Some locals already in the beach car park hadn’t seen any geese either, so we decided to have a look in some fields inland where it has been on other occasions.
Initially we couldn’t find any geese at all up the Glaven Valley, although we did come across at least 20 Ruff feeding in some pig fields by the road, with some Lapwings. When we got as far as Holt, we checked one field just south of town, but there was nothing there either, so we came back down the Cley Road. Here we did find the large flock of Brent Geese feeding in some winter wheat. Again, we got out very carefully and gradually, by changing angles, managed to check through the whole flock, but to our disappointment, the Red-breasted Goose was not with them today.
Brent Goose – we found a large flock inland
While we had a quick break to use the facilities in the Visitor Centre at Cley, we scanned the marshes. There was still no sign of any Brent Geese, although there were about a dozen Brents in the field behind. There is a lot of water on the scrapes after all the recent rain and there seemed to be few birds out there today, so we decided to try our luck elsewhere. The Shorelarks which usually winter at Holkham have been very elusive recently, so with a message from someone we know to say they were back in the cordon, we thought we might try our luck.
We diverted inland off the coast road at Wiveton and found lots of egrets in one of the wet grazing meadows. There have been some Cattle Egrets here on and off in recent weeks, and sure enough we found three of them now, in with several Little Egrets. One of the Cattle Egrets had a little bit of breeding plumage, a light wash of orange on its head and back. Two Bullfinches flicked ahead of us in and out of the hedge as we found somewhere to pull in and got out to look at the egrets.
Cattle Egret – left, with Little Egrets
Moving on west, the grazing marshes just east of Stiffkey were almost completely under water and the ones the other side of the village were not much better. We pulled up opposite the Red Lion and expected there to be no sign of the Glossy Ibis but there it was, feeding on the grass the other side of the water. We managed to pull mostly off the road and got out to get the scopes on it. It was not much bigger than the Curlews it was feeding with. There were lots of Wigeon and a few Teal around the edges of the water too.
Glossy Ibis – with Curlew
When we got to Holkham, knowing that the Shorelarks have not lingered in the cordon long in recent days, we headed straight out towards the beach. We hadn’t got far beyond the boardwalk when we met someone coming back who told us they had flown off west half an hour earlier, so we walked up to the top of the dunes, on the edge of the pines, to look across to the Gap. We had only just started scanning when we picked up the fourteen Shorelarks flying round the dunes and out onto the beach out of view.
As we didn’t want to get wet feet for those not wearing wellies, we walked down to the cordon and cut across to the beach on the path there. We couldn’t see anything out on the sand from here, so we walked west on the beach towards the Gap, but we hadn’t quite got there when we spotted the Shorelarks flying out towards the sea further up. They flew up and down over the beach a couple of times, and at one point looked like they might be coming back towards us, but then they turned and headed away along the shoreline. Eventually we lost sight of them as they disappeared off west. At least we had seen them, though not the views we had hoped for.
There were lots of Common Scoter in a huge raft out on the sea, but it was very rough out there today, with the blustery onshore wind. We turned the scopes on them, so that everyone could at least see the flock. There have been up to 20 Velvet Scoter with them, but they were going to be impossible to pick out on the water in these conditions. Then two Velvet Scoter flew in over the Commons, so that we could see the white in their wings, flying round a couple of times before dropping back down on the sea.
There were several silvery grey Sanderling running up and down on the shore and a couple of Oystercatchers flew in and landed on the beach too. We walked back round via the cordon, and the drier path. A large group of Shelduck was out on the saltmarsh but there was no sign of any other small birds out here today – it had probably been too disturbed over the festive period. When we got back to the Lookout, it was time for lunch.
Shelduck – on the saltmarsh
We looked for the Grey Partridges by Lady Anne’s Drive, before and after lunch, but once again this winter there was no sign of them. There were lots of ducks out on the grazing marshes – Wigeon, Teal and a few Shoveler – and when a Marsh Harrier drifted over, they all took to the air and whirled round. A couple of Red Kites were hanging in the breeze either side of the Drive and a distant Common Buzzard perched on a bush. A Sparrowhawk flew over the cafe while we were eating.
There is a lot of water on the grazing marshes here, and as we drove back up the Drive towards the main road, we stopped to look at the gulls feeding in the wet grass. There were several Common Gulls in with the Black-headed Gulls.
We turned right onto the A149 and as we drove west alongside the park, we could see White-fronted Geese on one of the fields next to the road. There were several cars in the layby, but one was pulling out, so we turned around further up and just about pulled off the road so we could get out for a quick look. There were at least 55 White-fronted Geese here when we arrived, closer and better views than this morning, not hidden in a mass of Pinkfeet. We could see the different patterns of black belly bars between the individuals and the pinkish bills, one of the main features which mark them out as Russian White-fronted Geese. Small groups started to fly up and off west, calling as they went.
White-fronted Geese – showing variation in belly markings
There were three Barnacle Geese here too, and one of them was sporting a yellow colour-ring. There is a feral breeding population in Holkham Park and this bird had been apparently ringed there in summer 2022. It seems to commute down to Suffolk for the early part of the winter, and it was a bit of a surprise to see that it was back here so early (although it was seen back here by mid Feb 2023).
We planned to finish the day at Warham Greens but we had timed our arrival around the best period for the Pallid Harrier – we had not wanted to get there too early as it might be chilly standing around too long in the wind. As we made our way over there now, a pair of Grey Partridge flew over the road in front of us.
Down on the edge of the saltmarsh, there were a few local birders already looking. We had missed a couple of Hen Harriers apparently, but there had been no sign of the Pallid Harrier coming in to roost yet. We joined them and started to scan ourselves. Whether it was the cold wind or the odd drizzly shower which blew in, it quickly became apparent that there wasn’t much activity here tonight. We saw a couple of brief Marsh Harriers up, but no further sign of the Hens (which had maybe gone in to roost already) and we couldn’t find any Merlin either. The peak period for the Pallid Harrier to come in came and went without any sign of it.
Some of the others were just leaving when we picked up a Short-eared Owl flying towards us over the near edge of the saltmarsh. We shouted and they turned back round. The Short-eared Owl looked like it might come across right in front of us, but went to land, changed its mind, and turned and headed back off the other way. A nice consolation prize.
Short-eared Owl – taken here a few days earlier
The light was starting to go now, not helped by it being very overcast, and if anything flew in we would not have very good views, so we decided to call it a night. As we walked back up the track, the flocks of Brent Geese were flying in over the fields and out over the saltmarsh to roost. We could hear them chattering as they passed. Hopefully the weather would be better tomorrow.
Day 3 of a 3-day Early Winter Tour in Norfolk. It was forecast to rain for much of the day today and fortunately at least that was wrong. However, there was some light sleet still first thing and some light drizzle late afternoon and it remained very grey all day.
We started the day down at Blakeney. It was still sleeting a little when we parked at the west end of the quay and got a surprise when we got out of the minibus and what we thought was a puddle was actually sheet ice overlain with fresh sleet. The gravel parking bay was black ice and treacherous! We parked again where it was a little better, and kept to the road which was safer, until we got onto the tarmac quay. There were a few Wigeon, Teal and Brent Geese along the edge of the harbour channel and a Grey Plover on the sand the other side.
The National Trust car park was sheet ice too, so we went out onto the road again and up onto the bank the other side. The path was not much better, so we walked gingerly out along the grass either side. There were several Marsh Harriers up over the saltmarsh beyond the harbour channel and we had a quick glimpse of a Merlin chasing pipits in the distance towards Morston, which unfortunately did not reappear. A large flock of Brent Geese were feeding on the saltmarsh close to the path before they were spooked by an alarm calling Curlew and flew out into the middle.
Brent Geese – feeding on the saltmarsh
We made our way slowly out along the bank. There were quite a few Canada Geese out on the grazing marsh behind Little Barnett and another small flock of Brent Geese too. In with the Brents, we could see three Barnacle Geese too so we stopped to get the scope on them. We were aiming to get out to the NW corner of the Freshes bank, but it was getting increasingly icy so we stopped short and scanned the harbour. A couple of Red-breasted Mergansers surfaced briefly in between the boats and we could see lots of waders further up on the open mud, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Redshank and Curlew.
Barnacle Geese – with some Brents
We were hoping to catch up with the Twite here, but at first all we saw was a flock of Linnets which flew round and round out over the saltmarsh and eventually landed so we could confirm what we thought they were. There were a few Skylarks, Reed Buntings and pipits flying round too, but after a while another flock of small finches appeared out by the edge of the channel, bouncing up and down like they were on elastic. They landed on the stays of the mast of a yacht which was sticking up out of the suaeda and we could get the scope on them and confirm they were indeed the Twite we had been waiting for.
The Twite quickly dropped down into the vegetation below, then flew up again and disappeared out into the middle of the harbour. We thought that might be it, but the next thing we knew that were flying back in and landed again on the mast. This time they lingered there a little longer, allowing most of the group a chance to look at them in the scope. The light wasn’t great, but you could just about catch the yellow bill on one or two.
Twite – landed on a mast
Having seen the Twite, we decided to head back to the minibus to warm up. On the way, the ice seemed to have started to melt and it stopped sleeting and began to brighten up a touch from the west. While we stopped to use the facilities opposite the NT car park, we scanned the saltmarsh out beyond the harbour. There were still several Marsh Harriers up and then we noticed a smaller, slimmer one which appeared briefly – a ringtail Hen Harrier. It came up again and we managed to get it in the scope, but it was keeping typically low.
We thought we might have a better view from the bank at the west end of the quay, so we hurried round. As we passed the boats, a Kingfisher shot out from behind one of them and disappeared into a small channel opposite. We found it perched on the rope tying up another smaller boat hidden in the channel. There was no further sign of the Hen Harrier now, but scanning through the goose flocks, we did find an interesting Brent Goose in with one of the flocks, possibly a Dark-bellied Brent x Black Brant intergrade.
Kingfisher – around the harbour
Back in the minibus, we drove west to Stiffkey. The Glossy Ibis had been reported again yesterday on the flood by the coast road, so we parked in the layby on the corner and set off to walk down the permissive path to see if we could find it. A large flock of Woodpigeons came out of the trees and we picked out several Stock Doves in with them. There were lots of Curlews and several Lapwings in the grass field opposite. Down at the flood, we had just started to scan, when the Glossy Ibis walked out from behind the bushes on the east end of the flood, close to the footpath. That was nice and easy!
After a good look at the Glossy Ibis through the scope, we had a quick walk down the footpath to check the pools further along. The Ibis was even closer from here, at least until it was flushed by a cow, but there were not many waders today – just a couple of Lapwing, a Redshank and a Curlew. A flock of Long-tailed Tits was high in the trees above us. We turned to walk back, and a Goldcrest was feeding in the tangled branches above the path.
Glossy Ibis – still on the flood
There was still some time before lunch when we arrived at Holkham. Having had our visit cut short by the heavy sleet on Friday, we thought we might have a quick look at the sea today. As we walked out around the saltmarsh again, the Shorelarks were in the same place we had seen them before, at least until they were flushed by a couple of loose dogs and flew off across the Gap. A couple of Scandinavian Rock Pipits flew up calling and landed again on the saltmarsh, where they disappeared back into the vegetation.
Looking out through the Gap, we could see thousands of Common Scoter which came up from the sea and flew round before appearing to move off west. When we got out to the dunes we could see why – a shrimp trawler was ploughing across the bay, presumably doing considerable damage to the seabed and churning up the shellfish which the scoter had gathered here to feed on. There were still lots of Common Scoter out on the sea, but they were now scattered more widely and most of them were much more distant.
We scanned the sea from the top of the dunes. There were a couple of Great Crested Grebes offshore, fewer than we would normally expect to see here, but initially we struggled to find a single diver. Eventually we picked up a very distant Great Northern Diver a mile or two to the west, and then a single Red-throated Diver just off the beach only a little bit closer.
As the shrimp trawler ploughed off east, the Common Scoter slowly started to come back in a little closer. Now we picked up four Velvet Scoter flying in with them, the white in their wings instantly giving them away. They landed slightly separate to the Common Scoter flock at first, which made them easier to see, but then swam in to where the flock were diving.
The shrimp trawler had turned around and was heading back to where all the ducks were feeding. It was time for lunch too, so we decided to head back. As we passed the cordon, we could see someone scoping the far end. As we scanned across, a flock of small birds flew round – we counted 14, one more than the 13 Shorelarks we had seen earlier, and as they landed, we could see one was a smaller Snow Bunting which had joined with them.
Back at the Lookout, we stopped for lunch on the picnic tables. It was still dry and the temperature seemed to have gone up a few degrees, even if it was still rather grey. Afterwards, we still had a little time before we wanted to be at Warham, so we went to look for White-fronted Geese. As we drove along the coast road, we could see lots of geese in the field by the road so we turned round and parked in the layby. We counted at least 77 White-fronted Geese, with a smaller number of Greylags and a single Pink-footed Goose for comparison. We admired the distinctive black belly stripes of the adult White-fronted Geese.
White-fronted Geese – some of the 77 today
We were hoping to catch up with the Pallid Harrier coming in to roost at Warham this afternoon, so we headed round to Garden Drove. When we got down to the edge of the saltmarsh, it hadn’t been seen yet so we thought we might be in with a good chance. The light was already quite gloomy, but we quickly picked up a Merlin flying across the back of the saltmarsh and scanning with the scope, we found it perched distantly on a bush.
There is normally quite a bit of harrier activity here in the afternoon, but we just had a single Marsh Harrier which flew across the saltmarsh before it started to drizzle. It was only light, but it seemed to put a cap on any more activity – we continued to scan, but it seemed like we were going to be out of luck. We waited until the other highlight of the evening here – we heard the calls of Pink-footed Geese behind us and turned to see several thousand flying in over the fields. They were a bit to the east of us today, as we watched them drop down over the saltmarsh and out towards the beach.
The light was going, so we started to walk back. Another wave of Pink-footed Geese came in over the field beside the track, then another further to the east again. It is always a nice way to end the day, watching and listening to the Pinkfeet coming in to roost, but there was one last surprise tonight. As we drove back down towards the coast road, we could see a shape in the headlights on the track ahead of us – a Woodcock. We slowed and then it flew up in front of us, over the hedge and dropped into the field the other side.
It had not been the best of weather this weekend, but we had made the most of it and had seen a load of good birds too, despite the best efforts of the conditions to put us off.
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.
Day 3 of a three day Late Autumn Tour. It was a much brighter day, with some sunny spells in the afternoon. A very blustery W wind in the morning eased gradually during the day.
With the wind forecast to go round to the WNW and gust up to 40mph this morning, we headed over to Sheringham first thing, where we could find a shelter on the seafront to get out of the wind and see what was passing over the sea. When we got down on the prom, it was very windy already, but perhaps with not as much north in it yet as forecast. A small group of people had already gathered at the shelter, so we joined them out of the wind.
There were a few Gannets passing offshore and we quickly picked up a some Little Gulls too. They were rather distant at first, but eventually one came in much closer where we could get a much clearer view of its black underwings. There were a few lingering terns again too – a couple of juvenile Arctic Terns flew past, the second accompanied by a juvenile Common Tern, so we could see the whiter trailing edge of the wing on the Arctic Tern. A small number of skuas flew past further out – 3 Arctic Skuas and a single Great Skua.
Shelduck – coming back from moult
There was a nice selection of wildfowl moving this morning – small flocks of Wigeon and Teal, a few Brent Geese arriving from Siberia, and more Shelducks returning from their moult holiday on the Continent. Seaduck passing included a couple of Eider, a Red-breasted Merganser, a few Common Scoter and the highlight a single Velvet Scoter.
We saw a small number of waders coming in too – several Knot, a single Dunlin, and a couple of Common Snipe, one low over the waves, the second flying past high. Several Turnstones ran around on the prom in front of us, being buffeted by the wind – unfortunately we didn’t have any chips for them today! A small group of Starlings flew in off the sea and disappeared over the town.
Turnstone – on the prom
The wind still didn’t seem to be going round, so we decided to look for a Purple Sandpiper. A small number spend the winter here, feeding on the sea defences, but speaking to the locals it sounds like just one is here so far, and it has been erratic in its appearances. We walked round to check their favourite spot in front of The Mo, but there was no sign of anything on the rocks. It felt like our luck as out. We started to walk back, and had just stopped to scan through the Turnstones on the shingle beach with the gulls, when the Purple Sandpiper flew in and landed in front of us.
It landed on a small bank in the shingle just in front of the breaking waves at first, and stood there preening. When a wave crashed over it, it jumped and ran up the beach, and started feeding on the tideline right below us. It was almost too close for photos! The Purple Sandpiper then flew up and landed on the edge of the prom with a couple of Turnstones and then ran up and down between us. Fantastic views.
Purple Sandpiper – great views
Back to the minibus, we drove west to Wells. On the way, we slowed down to check the flood by the road at Stiffkey as we passed – there had been a Glossy Ibis out on the saltmarsh nearby a couple of days ago, and this has looked the perfect place for it to end up. There is nowhere to stop along here though, and we had a car behind us now, so we had to press on. It was only when we got to Wells that we got a message to say that the Glossy Ibis had just been found on the flood!
After a coffee break in the Beach Cafe, we walked up to the new Lifeboat Station. There has been a Black Redstart lingering here for the last few days and we quickly located it in the bushes just behind. It was getting chased continually by two Robins and kept disappearing into the bushes. From time to time it flew up and landed on the RNLI roof or the fence below. A Song Thrush, a couple of Blackbirds and two Dunnocks were in the bushes too, some of which were probably migrants freshly arrived from the Continent.
Black Redstart – probably a 1st winter male
We then walked further round to see what we could find in the harbour. Immediately, we could see a Red-throated Diver just off the beach, and two Common Scoter just beyond. A couple of Common Seals bobbed up, daintier looking with a shorter nose than the Grey Seals we see more regularly.
Scanning further out, we found three Razorbills, two Great Crested Grebes, and three Shags. One of the Shags made its way in down the harbour and then swam right up to us on the shore, before turning back.
Shag – swam right up to us
Then a Razorbill appeared in front of us chasing fish just off the beach, which in turn seem to attract the Red-throated Diver which surfaced right in front of us. Amazing views, so close to us. A second Red-throated Diver appeared in the boat harbour behind us, but dived and completely disappeared, presumably having resurfaced in amongst the boats.
Red-throated Diver – surfaced right in front of us
Across the harbour on the sand the other side we could see lots of waders. Some large groups of Oystercatcher and smaller numbers of Bar-tailed Godwit were roosting over high tide. A big flock of silvery grey Sanderling was catching the sunlight, and there were some smaller groups of Knot and a few Dunlin, Curlew and Redshank. Lots of Brent Geese were scattered around the edges of the harbour, and while we were looking through the waders we picked up a single Pale-bellied Brent among the commoner Dark-bellied Brents, a subspecies tick for the trip list. A flock of Starlings flew in from the direction of the sea.
It was time for lunch, so back at the cafe we sat down to eat on the picnic tables. Afterwards, we drove back to Stiffkey. This time we parked in the layby east of the flood and walked back down the permissive path to the north-east corner. The Glossy Ibis had apparently been down the far end with four Little Egrets, but we couldn’t see them initially. That was because they had been disturbed and the Glossy Ibis had flown down to the near end with a single Little Egret. Unfortunately, they were spooked again by something almost immediately and flew back down to the far end where they had been. It was rather distant and looking into the sun now, but we had clear views of the Glossy Ibis in the scopes, feeding in the flooded grass.
Glossy Ibis – on the flood
There were lots of ducks out in the middle too, Wigeon and Teal, and a small group of Greylag Geese. Several large skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew over calling. Three Red Kites circled up with a Common Buzzard over the wood beyond, in the sunshine. A couple of Stock Doves flew over and landed briefly in the wet grass.
We made our way back to Holkham next, and pulled up at the start of Lady Anne’s Drive, where several Cattle Egrets were feeding in with the cows right next to the road. More great views, we counted nine Cattle Egrets and at least four Grey Herons. We watched the Cattle Egrets catching frogs around the cows’ noses.
Cattle Egret – feeding around the cows
There were a few gulls around the flood in the field opposite, Common Gulls with the Black-headed Gulls. A pair of Egyptian Geese was out on the grass beyond. There was a small group of sheep out on here too, and then we noticed a striking silver-grey ‘Brown’ Hare feeding in between them. Also known as a ‘Blue’ or ‘Ghost’ Hare, it appears to be a rare colour mutation which produces a washed out grey coat. Several Red Kites and a Marsh Harrier drifted over.
‘Blue’ Hare – or ‘Ghost Hare’
Continuing on down to the far end, we stopped to look at the grazing marshes. There are lots of Wigeon here now, as more birds have returned for the winter, along with smaller numbers of Teal, Mallard and several Gadwall. Some very large skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew up from further and disappeared off inland over the park. A Sparrowhawk perched on a post at the back of the grass showed nicely in the scopes. We were hoping to find the Grey Partridge here, but there was no sign again today. They have been very erratic so far this autumn, and hopefully they have not been disturbed by the building of a new bridle path for the car park right through their favoured feeding area!
As it was our last day, we had to be back promptly, so we decided to have a quick look at the grazing marshes at the west end of the pines. There were lots of geese out on the grass, mostly Greylags, but looking through we quickly found at least ten White-fronted Geese in with them. Lots of Cormorants were gathering to roost in the trees and lots of Lapwing were scattered around the pools. Several Chinese Water Deer were feeding in the grass.
A flock of Long-tailed Tits came down the hedge past us, and we found a single Goldcrest in with them. A Chaffinch and Siskin flew out from the tree above us. We were hoping we might find the lingering released White-tailed Eagle from the Isle of Wight here, but we couldn’t see it here now. There were mpre Red Kites and Marsh Harriers out over the marshes and then a young Peregrine flew in over the fields and off over the trees inland, a last addition to the trip list and one we had only a little earlier been discussing that we had not come across yet.
Light was already fading and it was time to call it a day. It had been an exciting and varied three days, with good birds and good company.
Day 2 of a three day Summer Tour. It was a bit cloudier than yesterday, though it did brighten up a bit more again in the afternoon, and a cool easterly breeze picked up around the middle of the day, which was not in the forecast. We spent the morning in The Broads and worked our way back in the afternoon.
Our destination for the morning was Hickling. As we got out of the minibus, a Willow Warbler was singing behind the car park. As we walked down the track, a male Blackcap flew up into a tree ahead of us. We couldn’t see any sign of the Glossy Ibis on the first section of Brendan’s Marsh from the corner – just an Egyptian Goose, a few Avocets and Little Egrets. So we walked on down the path to Stubb Mill.
There was a lot of insect activity around the brambles along the side of the track, so we stopped several times to see what we could find. There were plenty of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies nectaring on the bramble flowers and a Painted Lady with them further down. There were lots of blue damselflies in the vegetation too – Blue-tailed, Common Blue, Azure and one or two Variable Damselflies. They were very skittish at first but we eventually got better views of a Variable Damselfly settled on a leaf.
Variable Damselfly – eventually one settled
We took it in turns to climb up to the first viewing platform. There were quite a few Black-tailed Godwits, feeding and loafing on the islands. A Greenshank at the back was a more unusual sighting for this time of year – still waiting to head north or on its way back south already? It is always hard to tell with waders in mid-June! A small group of six ‘Tundra’ Ringed Plover should also similarly be northbound. We could also hear a Little Ringed Plover calling, and eventually found one on one of the bigger sandbanks in the flowers.
Over the back, out in the reedbed, we could see eight Spoonbills perched in one of the dead trees. We had a better view from the second platform, where we got them in the scope. One Spoonbill flew in, circled round and dropped down on the marsh where it started feeding, sweeping its bill side to side in the shallow water.
Spoonbill – dropped it
From up on the top of the bank at the far end, we stood and scanned reedbed. There were a good number of Marsh Harriers up now, and a distant Hobby, but no sign of any Bitterns or Cranes today, or the Glossy Ibis from here. A brief Swallowtail butterfly whipped across over the reeds but disappeared out of view before everyone could see it.
As we walked back, we finally located the Glossy Ibis which had now reappeared on the first section of Brendan’s Marsh. We could see it from the start of the Stubb Mill track, but we had a better view from the viewing mound along the Whiteslea track. We got it in the scope, and watched it feeding along the edge of the reeds and then walking out over the sandbank at the back. A smart Grey Heron was stalking the shallows right in front.
Glossy Ibis – reappeared on Brendan’s Marsh
Another Swallowtail flew in over the reeds and looked like it might drop onto the brambles in front of us, but continued on over the gate. It landed on the top of a marsh thistle briefly, but then flew off again. It turned and came back in, and this time it did land in the brambles briefly before flying away over the reeds.
Swallowtail – landed on a marsh thistle
We walked on up towards Bittern Hide, scanning the reeds to see if we could spot one of its namesake but there was surprisingly little Bittern activity this morning. We did stop to admire three Six-spot Burnet moths feeding on the marsh thistles, and there were a few dragonflies around the reeds, including Norfolk Hawkers and our first Black-tailed Skimmers of the trip. We found a few caterpillars too, several Peacock butterfly caterpillars on the nettles and a couple of very hairy Garden Tiger moth caterpillars.
Six-spot Burnet moth – on marsh thistle
The wind had picked up, not the best for Bearded Tits, but we did see a male perched up briefly and, further up, a couple more flew across over the reeds and dropped in. One of the group who had walked on ahead saw a Common Crane fly low over the reeds, and apparently it had dropped down towards the back of the Bittern Hide pool.
We went into the hide to see if we could see anything, but there were just a couple of Little Egrets here. We did see a single Common Crane in the distance, back towards Stubb Mill, flying off over the wood. A male Bearded Tit flew across carrying some food in its bill and a Common Tern flew over.
Tummies were rumbling, so it was time to head back for lunch. On the way, as we cut across on the path through the wood back to the visitor centre, we did add a Large Skipper to the butterfly list and a Ruddy Darter to the dragonfly list, both on the brambles. We had lunch in the picnic area in the sunshine, where a Willow Warbler serenaded us from the trees.
Willow Warbler – singing in the picnic area
With the wind having picked up significantly now, which was not in the forecast, we decided against walking round the other side of the reserve after lunch. So we got back in the minibus and drove round to Trimingham in NE Norfolk. Four Bee-eaters had been found here on a rainy 5th June, and it turned out that they were prospecting a potential nesting site in a nearby quarry. Fast forward a little over a week and the RSPB were setting up a car park and watchpoint so people could come and see them.
There were already several other cars in the field when we arrived and a small group of people over by the edge of the quarry, in the viewing area. There have been up to 7 Bee-eaters here, but just a pair were here now, the others having flown off along the coast to feed. We watched them perched on some nearby wires, flying round occasionally, catching bees. After a while, they dropped down into the quarry – one went into a small hole on the bank, excavating, while the other perched nearby. After a few minutes digging work, they both flew back up to the wires.
Bee-eater – perched in the quarry
Having watched the Bee-eaters for a while, we decided to move on. As we walked back through the field towards the minibus, we stopped to look at the orchids in the parking area, Common Spotted Orchids and a number of hybrids.
Our next stop was up on the Heath. As we walked out, it was rather quiet – it was a bit sunnier now and the mid-afternoon lull. We found a male Stonechat singing, and another pair further over, and several Linnets. A male Yellowhammer perched up on the gorse briefly.
Walking round, we heard a buzzing call and looked across to see a Dartford Warbler flitting around low in the heather. It flew up onto the top of a large gorse bush, where it perched in full view, looking round. A bright male, we had a good view of it here. Then it flew again, across and into the top of another gorse bush further over where it sang briefly. Then it dropped down out of view. We walked round to where it appeared to have dropped but it had gone quiet and there was no further sign.
Dartford Warbler – a male
We did find a July Belle moth in the heather here, and a single male Silver-studded Blue butterfly, our first of the year. It was time to make our way back, but on our way we checked out another area for Silver-studded Blue and here we found several more males and a female.
Silver-studded Blue – showing its silver ‘studs’
We had to get back in good time today, as we would be heading out again later.
Nightjar Evening
We met again in the evening, after a rest and something to eat. It was still a bit early for Nightjars, so we headed down towards the coast first. On our way, we noticed a shape on the roof of an old barn, silhouetted against the sky, a Little Owl thinking about heading out for the evening. We pulled up nearby and had a great view of it using the minibus as a hide.
Little Owl – on the barn roof
This is a regular spot for Little Owls, and a pair has lived here for as long as we can remember. But unfortunately this complex of barns is in the process of being converted into houses (presumably more second homes or holiday lets!), so the Little Owls will be out of a home soon. The barns at the back have already had their roofs stripped.
We had a quick drive round to see if we could find any Barn Owls, but they have been a bit thin on the ground this year. It was rather cool down towards the coast, with a fresh breeze, too. We had seen one yesterday, so we didn’t spend too much time looking. We drove along the coast road to Salthouse, where there had been a Quail singing earlier in the evening, but that had gone quiet too. So, as the sun was already setting, burning orange across the marshes, we decided to head up to one of the heaths.
We were not even in position, when the first Nightjar started churring, early tonight. A second then started up in the trees nearby. We were listening to that when we heard the first Nightjar call and looked over to see two males chasing each other round gorse bushes, flashing the white patches in their wings and tails. A Woodcock flew overhead, roding.
The two male Nightjars chased each other round and round the same repeatedly, calling and wing clapping. One flew up and landed in a lone oak tree above our heads briefly, but didn’t settle and flew off again. The other Nightjar flew a bit further away and landed on the edge of the heath in the trees that side where it started churring. We walked up to see if we could find it, but it was very dark along this edge and we couldn’t pick it out before it flew again.
The Nightjars resumed chasing each other again now, and then came in to investigate, circling round low just above our heads. Great views!
Nightjar – a male
Having enjoyed stunning flight views of the Nightjars, we decided to call it a night before it got too dark. But as we started to walk back, we heard a Nightjar churring ahead of us and picked it up perched on a dead branch in the top of the trees, against the last of the light in the night sky. Now we could get the scope on it and see it churring.
Nightjar – perched, churring
When the Nightjar eventually flew off, we resumed our walk back. But there was one more surprise in store – as we came off the heath, we noticed a small light glowing in the grass at our feet, a Glow-worm. A nice way to round off the night, and we had an early start again tomorrow, so it was time for bed.
With tours on hold again due to the latest UK Covid lockdown (we hope to restart again as soon as lockdown ends), I thought I would write a blog post about my recent trip to the Isles of Scilly – something to read as the winter nights draw in! This was the 25th year I have stayed on Tresco, with only one or two missed years, and we spent 12 days on the island(s) this year after a couple of unplanned extensions, from 17th-29th October.
This year’s trip started badly. With lots of talk ahead of time about the possibility of a ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown over half term, we brought forward our departure by two days. So we drove down on Friday night and were just having coffee early on Saturday morning, before the heliport opened, when news came through that a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (aka Rufous Bush Chat) had just been found back in Norfolk. Even worse, it was at Stiffkey, about 15 minutes from home and a site I visit regularly, including on Friday morning!
Things didn’t get any better as we checked in for our 8.30am helicopter flight to St Mary’s. This is the first year of the new helicopter service and we thought we would try it out. As we sat in the lounge, the helicopter was towed out onto the landing pad, started up and promptly shut down again. After the engineers had stared under the bonnet for a bit, it was towed back into the hangar. We were then informed that there was a technical fault with the helicopter – although we weren’t told that it had already been out of action for most of the previous two days! With only one helicopter leased to run the service, there is no alternative when it goes wrong – a bit of a disadvantage compared to some of the other travel options available like Skybus.
With it being a Saturday, if we didn’t travel today we wouldn’t get over until Monday, losing two days of our trip. We were offered no other option but to travel on the MV Scillonian (rather than putting us on a Skybus flight instead), which would still lose us the best part of a day. Despite the boat being much cheaper than the helicopter tickets, we were refused a refund of the difference and were told we couldn’t book ourselves on the boat and take a refund on the cancelled flight. Not great customer service and not a good first impression for the new helicopter service – an experience we would certainly bear in mind before booking on it again.
When we got down to the Scillonian, we had to wait on the quay because we didn’t have any tickets. When we finally got on board, we took our seats up on deck as it started to drizzle! Thankfully things improved from there, as the skies cleared from the west as we steamed out of the harbour at 10.25. The crossing was unusually calm – good for those with sensitive stomachs, but it did mean there were not so many birds today, aside from the regular Gannets, Kittiwakes and little flocks of auks, and two Arctic Skuas as we neared the islands.
It was mid afternoon before we finally got over to Tresco and were transferred to the cottage where we were staying. After a very late lunch, there was just time for a quick walk round the island. The first impression was rather quiet bird-wise. There had been a good arrival of American birds the week before, but they had gradually dwindled, moved on in the clear weather. With a run of easterlies since, most of the best birds arriving had been on the other side of the country. Still, there were a couple of lingering rarities remaining on St Agnes, so I resolved to head over there tomorrow.
After a quick walk round early morning, which yielded a couple of Yellow-browed Warblers and a small flock of six Common Crossbills flying over as the highlights, I met fellow Tresco regular Steve Broyd on the quay at New Grimsby for the 10.15 boat to St Agnes, and we were joined by John who was staying in the New Inn.
There was no news of either of our targets by the time we arrived on St Agnes and we made our way down to Horse Point fearing the worst. Thankfully just as we were scouring the area looking for the American Buff-bellied Pipit someone called us over to say they had just refound it. We watched it for some time, feeding on the short grass between the rocks and low stunted clumps of bracken and brambles. The bird was mostly on its own but sometimes loosely associating with Meadow Pipits.
American Buff-bellied Pipit – feeding on the short grass at Horse Point
There have been 48 previous records of American Buff-bellied Pipit in Britain up to the end of 2019, so they are fairly regular here these days. This was the third I have seen on the Isles of Scilly, but the first since 2012, so always good to have a refresher, particularly as they can turn up anywhere, not just in the SW.
While we were watching the Buff-bellied Pipit, news came through that the ‘Eastern Stonechat‘ had been refound on Gugh, the neighbouring island attached to St Agnes by a bar. Thankfully the tide was low, allowing us to cross, so we made our way over there next. There were only a couple of other photographers present and the bird was now showing really well in the tall bracken, flicking round catching insects.
‘Eastern Stonechat‘ is the current term used for two aggregated species – Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) and Stejneger’s Stonechat (S. stejnegeri). Only recently treated as separate species, the authorities currently require a DNA test to determine which is which (and we had neglected to bring a DNA testing lab with us!). But it may transpire that they are fairly easily separable in the field, and some individuals certainly appear to be distinctive enough. This one looked like a slam dunk Siberian Stonechat (maurus) to my eyes, pale and frosty, with a pale peachy-coloured rump.
Siberian Stonechat – a lovely pale frosty individualSiberian Stonechat – with a pale peachy-coloured rump
It was a lovely sunny day now and there seemed to be birds on the move. There were several Chiffchaffs flycatching in the nearby pittosporum and others appeared to be making their way through the bracken and brambles. There had been a report of a Red-breasted Flycatcher on Gugh earlier, so we decided to explore. We didn’t find the flycatcher – it turned out the directions given were not especially accurate and we had looked in the wrong place – but we spent an enjoyable couple of hours wandering round Gugh.
We still had over an hour before our boat back was supposed to leave, so we decided to cross back to St Agnes and circle round via The Parsonage. As we walked along the road towards the front wall, we could hear a distinctive call, a repeated ‘tsk, tsk’ rather like someone tutting, coming from the front garden. It was a Dusky Warbler! It had gone quiet when we got to the wall and looked over, and someone walked round the house and went in through the front door.
We stopped to scan the garden – a Pied Flycatcher and a Spotted Flycatcher were flitting around in the trees above. Further along, from the top of the driveway, there were several thrushes under the apple trees and one or Blackcaps. As I was looking through them, something small shot across through the foreground of my bins. Steve saw where it landed, in the far corner of the garden, and announced it was a Pallas’s Warbler! As I got onto it, I noticed some movement in the pittosporum just behind and the Dusky Warbler popped out briefly.
We watched the Pallas’s Warbler as it fed in the ivy in the sunshine, hovering and flashing its lemon-yellow rump, before it disappeared up into the trees behind the annexe. There was a Yellow-browed Warbler in there too. Then the Dusky Warbler started calling again, from the hedge behind the apple trees and we had fleeting views as it flicked in and out several times, before making its way round behind the house.
Several people had gathered here now, and the Dusky Warbler had disappeared back into the tangles in the front garden, where we could still hear it calling on and off. It was time for us to make our way back to the quay to catch our boat back to Tresco. What an amazingly productive hour it had been at The Parsonage!
There had been several Little Buntings on Tresco over the last week, and one was refound while we were on St Agnes, behind New Grimsby along the track up to Castle Down. By the time we got back, it had disappeared – there were lots of people out walking, up and down the track. But the following morning I found it again, before it got too busy. It was initially in the gardens in front of the Coastguards Cottages, but eventually moved back to the track where it proved to be very obliging.
Little Bunting – this very obliging bird was lingered behind New Grimsby
Things then settled down over the next few days and there seemed to be little in the way of new arrivals. The excitement of yesterday’s Dusky and Pallas’s Warblers did not continue. With a strong southerly airflow from the Mediterranean building, I had high hopes for some overshoots but a lone Glossy Ibis on 21st was the only notable new bird. After touring St Agnes, Gugh and St Mary’s it made the briefest of visits to Tresco mid afternoon. Thankfully it flew in past me and landed on the grassy heliport, just in time for Steve to see it as he waited for his flight off. It only stayed three minutes before flying off towards Carn Near, and was back on St Mary’s soon after.
Glossy Ibis – flew in and landed on Tresco heliport for just three minutes!
The southerly airflow also brought with it a small arrival of Black Redstarts. I usually see them here at this time of year, in variable numbers depending on the prevailing weather conditions. Most of them are grey female/first winters, but a smart male Black Redstart took up residence in the churchyard at Old Grimsby for a couple of days.
Black Redstart – this smart male spent a couple of days in the churchyard
I had taken with me a small portable Skinner 20W actinic moth trap but the southerly airflow failed to produce much in the way of migrant moths on Tresco, despite high hopes. Two Palpita vitrealis (Olive-tree Pearl) were all I had to show for my efforts, despite there being a couple of Crimson Speckled on other islands. This year proved to be rather quiet for moths.
Palpita vitrealis – the only migrant moths I managed to find on Tresco
The next couple of days felt a little like Groundhog Day. There were 5 or 6 lingering Yellow-browed Warblers on Tresco and the variety was provided by which I could find where on different days. A couple of Ring Ouzels were in the fields between New and Old Grimsby at the start of our stay but seemed to move on after a few days in the calm, clear weather.
Ring Ouzel – there were a couple on the island at the start of our stay
There were small numbers of Fieldfares and Redwings on the island throughout and the lull in new arrivals did at least give me a chance to spend some time studying some of the Redwings more closely. Many of them were noticeably darker than the Scandinavian birds we typically get back in Norfolk, more heavily streaked and blotched below and with more noticeable dark markings in the undertail coverts. They looked like Icelandic Redwings, of the race coburni, though there was clearly a lot of variation which only added to the interest.
Presumed Icelandic Redwing – of the race coburni
I have blogged before about the changes I have seen on Tresco over the years. This year, my wanderings around the island were continually disturbed by the grinding noise of the tractor flailing the pittosporum hedges. In places they are now getting very thin, as the flailing goes ever deeper each year (it must be no fun for the tractor driver just to trim one year’s growth – it makes a much better noise if you can really dig it in to the thicker branches!) and the cattle are pushing through and making big gaps. Perhaps this is deliberate – I am sure if the hedges were to die then the larger fields would make it easier for managing the cattle.
Flailing – the hedges on Tresco were taking a bashing again
I remembered fondly my first visit to Tresco back in the 1980s. The fields along Pool Road were still used for growing bulbs and vegetables back then and by October were full of weeds. The fields were smaller and the hedges overgrown, full of brambles. There were lots of birds. Now, with a combination of improved grass and overcut hedges, they are much less attractive to wildlife.
For many years, the fields at Borough Farm were still managed the old way, but since they have been taken back under the control of the Tresco Estate for the last couple of years they are now grassed over and the hedges have been cut back here too. I have fond memories of all the birds I have seen here over the years as well but they are sadly increasingly a shadow of their former selves too. Shame. It really brought it home spending time on St Agnes this year, which is still more like the Scilly Isles of old (as are most of the other islands), with weedy fields and overgrown hedges, full of birds.
There are still some good, birdy places on Tresco though. The areas around the Great Pool and Abbey Pool are some of the most promising still, but despite my best efforts, I hadn’t yet managed to find anything unusual here this year. A Firecrest and a late Reed Warbler in the sallows, along with 2-3 of the Yellow-browed Warblers. Shelduck, Shoveler, Pintail and Tufted Duck put in appearances. The three Black Swans which have taken up residence here this year provided a welcome distraction.
Black Swan – one of three which have taken up residence this year
The wind swung round to the west on 23rd and the weather became more unsettled. It was wet and windy on 24th with the arrival of a weather system straight across the Atlantic bringing a passing weather front. Late in the day a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was found on Gugh. The change in the weather had done the trick and brought with it some new birds from North America!
There was no way to get to Gugh that day, but I resolved to head over to St Agnes on the scheduled boat tomorrow morning. Louis Cross, another Tresco regular and friend of mine, had recently arrived and I told him of my plans that evening. We bumped into each other first thing the following morning and spent an hour or so birding around the Great Pool. An early boat had gone across from St Mary’s to St Agnes and now negative news came back – there was no sign of the Grosbeak. I changed my mind – I figured there would be lots of birders on St Agnes and I had a better chance of finding something good on Tresco, brought in on the same weather system. Louis had arranged to go to St Agnes with his family, so decided he would go anyway.
Needless to day, I failed to find anything on Tresco that morning – a Reed Bunting by Abbey Pool was the only new bird. I was already kicking myself for not going to St Agnes when news came through mid morning of a Red-eyed Vireo there. Then, after heading back to the cottage for lunch, I had a call from Louis on St Agnes. Words to the effect of ‘I’m looking at a bird and I’m not sure what it is’ but with a bit more ‘colour’, I immediately knew it had to be something good!
Louis sent me a photo, taken with his phone off the back of his camera, but it came through upside down and there was a reflection across the screen so it was hard to make out. He had already mentioned the possibility of it being a North American bunting – and when he sent me another, better photo it looked good for Indigo Bunting. I quickly downloaded a photo of the Ramsey Island bird from 1996 and sent it to him, while reassuring him that a 1st winter female Indigo needn’t have any blue in the tail, which seemed to be his main reservation. Then someone he had called over to the see the bird posted a photo on the Scilly WhatsApp group and the news went out.
Cue scramble to get to St Agnes! I could see people over on the quay at New Grimsby waiting for one of the St Mary’s boats, so while I cycled over to see if I could get over via St Mary’s, my wife tried to contact Tresco Boat Services. Despite it being a Sunday, she got through and managed to arrange a jet boat special to St Agnes. The game was on! On my way back to the quay, I scooped up a fellow Norfolk birder who was over on Tresco from St Mary’s and we had a nervous wait as the jet boat failed to appear. ‘Straight away’, turned into ‘3pm’ and eventually at 3.15pm finally the boat appeared.
We were whisked across to St Agnes (despite a big swell once we got out of the lee of Samson) and Louis met us on the quay to lead us to the bird. Several birders over from St Mary’s were leaving but there was still a small group watching the Indigo Bunting which was feeding on the path by the old bonfire with a couple of Chaffinches.
Indigo Bunting – feeding with a Chaffinch
Indigo Buntings breed in eastern North America and winter from southern Florida down to northern South America. They are extremely rare visitors here with only two previously accepted records – apart from the 1996 Ramsey Island bird, one was photographed on a bird table on Anglesey in May 2013 but only identified retrospectively. The adult males are bright indigo blue in summer, but first winters, particularly young females, can lack any blue at all.
Indigo Bunting – only the third record for Britain
A fantastic find by Louis – many congratulations to him – and it was nice to be able to share the moment with him, watching it together. We even had time to nip round and see the Red-eyed Vireo nearby, another vagrant from North America, before our jet boat returned to take us back to Tresco. Not surprisingly, we had a couple of celebratory pints in the New Inn afterwards (before we both had to go back to family duties)!
We were supposed to be leaving the next day, but it felt like there had to be more to find on the islands. With all the excitement on the Scillies, my elder son, Luke, announced that he was coming down from Spurn for a few days with a couple of his friends, Jacob & Bethan. We decided to stay on too, although it required some hasty rearrangement of travel plans and we would have to move cottage in the morning.
I got up early to pack up, and figured I had enough time for a quick couple of hours birding before we had to move cottage at 9.30am. I thought the pools offered the best chance to find something in the time available, so rather than setting off on foot I cycled down to Swarovski Hide. There was no sign of anything on the Great Pool and the bushes along Pool Road were pretty quiet as I cycled down to the far end. I left the bike propped up against the bushes and had a walk round the bushes.
As I started to walk over towards Abbey Pool, I noticed I had a message from Dick Filby on St Mary’s. He had photographed a rainbow which appeared to end on the south end of Tresco and had joked ‘And today’s #ScillyBirds rarity is awarded to….Abbey Pool, Tresco!’. Little did he know how right he was! I had a quick look over the bracken on the east side of Abbey Pool, but couldn’t see anything of note, so cut across round the woodpile and out to Pentle Beach.
When I got back to the SE corner of Abbey Pool, I walked through the bracken to check along the near edge of the water. I could see a wader on the shore now, right up in the NE corner. It seemed to have yellow legs, but I just had my bins and camera with me and it was too far to be sure. I had a pretty good idea what it was, but I spent the next 10 minutes or so working my way carefully up along the shore, using the vegetation as cover so as not to disturb it. I needn’t have worried. As I got up towards it, the juvenile Lesser Yellowlegs turned and walked back along the shore towards me, before walking past about three feet from me! It was too close to focus on!
Lesser Yellowlegs – this juvenile was a nice find on Abbey Pool
So the rainbow and Dick were both right – the Scilly rarity of the day was indeed on Abbey Pool! I messaged him back with a photo. Louis came over to see it and then I headed back rather later than planned. Lesser Yellowlegs is another visitor from North America, not as rare as the others but a nice find nonetheless.
It really felt like there should be more North American vagrants to find on the Scillies, given the birds which had appeared over the last couple of days, but we couldn’t find anything else on Tresco that day and the other islands came up blank too. The Indigo Bunting had flown off before Luke and friends arrived that day, so we went back to St Agnes the following day in the hope it might reappear. It didn’t, but we did finally manage some great views of the Red-eyed Vireo just before we had to leave.
Red-eyed Vireo – finally showed well just as we were about to leave
The sun had come out by the time we got back to Tresco and we figured the light would be great at Abbey Pool. With the last of the birders over from St Mary’s departing as we arrived, we had the Lesser Yellowlegs to ourselves now. The gusty wind had whipped up foam which had piled up along the shore, and it was great to watch the Yellowlegs feeding, picking at the foam, as it made its way up and down the edge of the water, at times just a couple of metres away from us.
Lesser Yellowlegs – feeding in the foam whipped up along the shore
It was very windy the next day, as ex-hurricane Epsilon came in across the Atlantic, bringing with it some huge swells. The combination of the wind and swell produced some impressive waves which were amazing to watch from the top of Castle Down as they battered the north end of Tresco, Bryher and crashed over the lighthouse on the top of Round Island.
Waves – striking the north end of TrescoWaves – crashing up and over Round Island!
On my way back from watching the waves in the morning, I called in at Gimble Porth to catch up with the bunting double – a Lapland Bunting and another Little Bunting were both feeding with the finches in the fields there and eventually showed very well. With no inter-island boats due to the weather, we had them to ourselves today.
Little Bunting – showed well with the finches at Gimble PorthLapland Bunting – also with the finches at Gimble Porth
Epsilon did bring with it some more North American vagrants across the Atlantic, but unfortunately not to the Isles of Scilly. We were almost out of time again anyway and had to content ourselves with a couple of late additions to the Scillies 2020 list – a smart male Golden Pheasant along Abbey Drive last thing that afternoon and the Hooded Crow which had been around all week but finally put in an appearance as we were getting ready to leave the following morning.
Golden Pheasant – feeding by Abbey Drive at dusk
Unfortunately our departure from Tresco was to be no less eventful than our arrival! Not the fault of the helicopter service this time, but Tresco Estate. We had waved Luke, Jacob & Bethan off on the Firethorn in the morning, as they were flying from St Mary’s, and after lunch in the New Inn we walked over to the heliport. We had left our luggage outside the cottage for delivery to the heliport, but when we arrived there was no sign of it. We were repeatedly assured it was on its way, but the longer we waited the more worried we became. Eventually just two of the six bags there should have been arrived!
We were spun a right old web of stories and excuses before eventually it all unravelled. The Estate office had clearly made a mistake and somehow thought all our luggage was Luke and his friends’ (despite them having taken their own bags), so unbeknownst to any of us they had put our bags on Firethorn and we had unknowingly waved them off with Luke earlier! Despite there being no one on St Mary’s to claim them, they had just left all our bags there on the quay. Once they realised the mistake, presumably when we arrived at the heliport, rather than confess and ask us how many bags there were, they had tried to cover it up while they sent a jet boat over to St Mary’s to try to find them. The person sent over had found two bags and assumed – wrongly – that was all of them.
Our helicopter was now due to depart, so I had to send the rest of the family on ahead while I tried to track down the rest of our bags. Another jet boat was dispatched and the rest of lost baggage was eventually found and returned. Luke had run over to the quay on St Mary’s and was able to confirm the correct bags were on their way. I would like to say that the Estate Office staff apologised for all the upset and delay it caused us but instead they pointed out how much it had inconvenienced them having to send two jet boats to collect the luggage they had lost! The best I can say is that in 25 years of staying on Tresco, this is the first time we have had problems like this, so hopefully it was a one-off and will never happen again. And I eventually managed to catch the next helicopter across to Penzance, together with the four bags, and we were only an hour late setting off on the long drive back to Norfolk.
So leaving aside the unusually chaotic travel experience this year, looking back on the trip now and scanning through the great list of birds seen it was well worth the effort again! Perhaps one to think about as a possibility for a future tour, once Covid is behind us?
Day 3 of a four day Autumn Tour in Norfolk. It was meant to be dry this morning, at least at first, but it had already started raining by the time we met up. It remained very grey with drizzle on and off for most of the morning, but brightened up a bit more in the afternoon, with the showers becoming more intermittent and even some sunny intervals.
The forecast for a dry and bright start to the morning had evaporated overnight, but as there seemed to be a window of drier weather coming, we headed straight down to Wells first to try for the Red-backed Shrike again.
The Little Grebes were present as ever, but there was no sign of the Tufted Ducks as we walked in past the boating lake this morning. We made our way quickly along the main track and as we got round and out of the shelter of the trees, we were caught by the wind and realised it was rather breezy already.
It was a bit better along the track down beside the caravan park, with the shelter from the reeds. We had a quick look at the marshes and scanned the fences as we passed. There were several Curlews, Lapwings and Pied Wagtails on the first field again. A Kestrel flew over and was chased away by one of the Pied Wagtails.
There were lots of ducks on the large flood in the second field, mainly Teal, plus a couple of Mallard and a few Wigeon on the grass nearby. Further over, we could see a small group of Pink-footed Geese with a pair of Egyptian Geese.
Pink-footed Geese – out on Quarles Marsh with a pair of Egyptian Geese
It was very windy again as we got out into the open past the caravan site, and already starting to spit with rain. We stopped to scan and found a couple of Stonechats working their way along the fence line where the shrike had often been recently. We walked down the track opposite again, but it was starting to rain properly now, and there was still no sign of the shrike. We figured it would be unlikely to come out in this weather, so we turned back. We could always try again later, but as it turned out it was not seen again.
It was raining more heavily when we got back on the main track, but we cut in round on the east side of the Dell. A Redwing was sheltering from the rain deep in a hawthorn. We did find a tit flock in the birches, but it was hard to see much with the rain dripping from the leaves and we couldn’t see anything obviously different with it.
Redwing – sheltering from the rain in a hawthorn
Back in the car park, we checked the weather forecast and the rainfall radar. It looked like there was likely to be rain on and off all morning here, so we decided to drive over to the Broads in the hope that it would be starting to ease off by the time we arrived.
It was already late morning by the time we got to Martham Ferry, but it had indeed thankfully stopped raining. We walked down to the riverside path and when we found a place where we could see over the reeds, stopped to scan the grazing marshes over the other side of the river. Almost immediately we spotted two large grey birds walking around near the cows, a pair of Common Cranes. They were rather distant but we managed to get them in the scope – a good start.
Common Cranes – we could see a pair distantly across the river
Continuing on down the path, a Cetti’s Warbler called from the brambles in the reeds on the edge of the fishing lakes. A dark shape in the first field was just a Carrion Crow, but in the second field we found our main target here, the Glossy Ibis.
Glossy Ibis – in the fields by the river at Martham Ferry
It was quite close, and we had a great view of the Glossy Ibis through the scope. It was feeding busily, walking and probing in the wet grass, then it stopped to preen. Glossy Ibis mostly breeds around the Mediterranean, heading to Africa for the winter.
The breeding population has increased dramatically in Iberia since the 1990s and the number reaching the UK has similarly grown, with influxes typically occurring after drought in Spain has caused more birds to disperse. Glossy Ibis is now a regular visitor to the UK, but still a great bird to see – even if it does look slightly out of place here on a grey and drizzly October morning!
There was a single Black-tailed Godwit in the field too, which came over to feed alongside the Glossy Ibis at one point. A Common Snipe flew over calling. A small gaggle of Greylags and Canada Geese was in the wet grass further back and two Grey Herons flew in. A rather dark looking Common Buzzard was perched in a bare tree at the back and a male Marsh Harrier flew over.
A large flock of Redwings came up from behind the trees at the back and flew across, disappeared round the back of the fishing pits, followed quickly by a second smaller group. There were well over 100 Redwing in total, presumably freshly arrived from Scandinavia here for the winter and now dispersing inland.
There were rather grey clouds approaching from the west now, so we decided to head back to the minibus. A lone Pink-footed Goose flew over calling.
It was good to get the two distant ones earlier, but we decided to have a quick drive round next to see if we could find some closer Cranes. There were none at the first site we tried. On our way back, we turned down a side road and stopped to scan the fields. It was rather misty, but we could see a large group of tall grey birds in the distance, Cranes.
Common Cranes – 15 of the 21 we found this morning
We realised we could see the Cranes better from a high point on the main road, so we drove back round. We were worried they might be too close to the path, but they were settled in the back of the field and allowed us to view them from the verge at a discrete distance. It was a great view of them here, feeding in a weedy field with a small flock of Greylags. We counted 21 in total, including three families, each pair of adults with a single browner juvenile, raised this summer.
Common Cranes – feeding in a weedy fieldCommon Cranes – one of three families, with a browner juvenile
Having enjoyed great views of the Cranes, we set off to find somewhere for lunch, and a hot drink. The weather was much improved now, brighter, and even with some patches of blue sky, so we sat outside on a convenient picnic table.
After lunch, we headed round on the coast road to Waxham. On the way, we stopped to look through a mass of gulls feeding in a field that was just being cultivated. Amongst the mostly Black-headed Gulls we found a couple of Mediterranean Gulls, and got everyone onto a nice winter adult with pure white wing tips and black bandit mask.
We had been told about a Black Redstart at Waxham earlier, on the scaffolding on the house on the corner, but there was no sign of it now. There were people in the house and lots of people coming and going from the beach, lots of cars on the narrow road. We walked up to the churchyard to see if it might be there, but drew a blank there too.
We decided to have a look at the beach. As we got up to the dunes, a Grey Seal was just offshore and a juvenile Red-throated Diver was diving nearby, very close in. We walked down to the shore and had great views of it as it resurfaced repeatedly in the breakers just in front of us.
Red-throated Diver – this juvenile was diving just off the beach
There was a steady stream of Gannets flying past further out over the sea. An Oystercatcher landed briefly on the rocks. As another shower blew in over the beach, we sought shelter in the gap in the seawall. Another adult Mediterranean Gull flew past just offshore.
There was still no sign of the Black Redstart around the house on the corner. With a long drive back, we decided to set off back to North Norfolk now. The journey was better than expected today, and the weather had now improved, bright and sunny by the time we got back to the north coast. We decided to stop off at Stiffkey for a quick scan out over the saltmarsh.
There a a liberal scattering of Curlew, Redshank and Little Egrets over the saltmarsh. A couple of Marsh Harriers were hunting out at the far edge, towards the beach. We managed to find a small group of Brent Geese feeding in the vegetation out towards Blakeney Pit. A Greenshank flew across calling and dropped down again into a large creek out of view.
A Spoonbill appeared out on the saltmarsh away to the west, presumably coming up out of one of the small pools where it had been feeding. It was joined by a Little Egret, noticeably smaller and slimmer. While we were watching it, a second Spoonbill appeared nearby. Most of the Spoonbills which spent the summer here have gone south already – many normally spend the winter in Poole Harbour – but there are still a small number clinging on here, for now at least.
Spoonbill – joined by a Little Egret out on the saltmarsh
It was a productive quick stop for half an hour, but it was now time to head back. We had managed to see a lot today, despite the weather.
Day 2 of a three day long weekend of tours, and it was down to the Norfolk Broads today. It was a lovely sunny start to the day, although it clouded over late morning and then tried to rain on and off in the afternoon. Thankfully the rain was only light, just spitting with drizzle at times, so it didn’t stop us getting out.
Our first destination saw us driving along the coast road past Horsey. We had hoped we might find some Cranes along here, particularly on a lovely bright morning, but there was no sign of any today. We found a convenient layby to park and stretch our legs. There were lots of Pink-footed Geese out on the grazing meadows but they were very jumpy, constantly flying up and landing again. A light aircraft flew round over the fields, possibly the source of some of the nervousness.
Pink-footed Geese – flying round, very nervous today
There were also lots of Lapwings and a few Fieldfares out on the grass. We could see several Marsh Harriers circling over the reeds behind us. A couple of large herds of Mute Swans were out in the fields. With all the disturbance, there were not as many birds out here as there often are, so we moved quickly on.
Our next stop was round at Ludham. As we climbed up onto the river bank, we could see a small group of swans out on the grazing marshes. A closer look with the scope confirmed there were six Whooper Swans with a similar number of Mute Swans. We could see the prominent yellow wedge running down the bills to a sharp point on the Whooper Swans, and they were not much smaller than the accompanying Mutes.
Whooper Swans – 4 of the 6 out on the grazing marshes again today
Three Stock Doves were out in the field next to the cow barn and a couple of Pied Wagtails were picking around the muddy farm yard. Scanning the grass, we could see lots of Lapwing and Golden Plover and several Chinese Water Deer too. Looking along the river, a pair of Gadwall were swimming with a few Coot. But there were no Cranes here today either. It was a lovely morning and the footpath along the river bank was very busy with dog walkers, which meant there was presumably too much disturbance. Were we destined to miss out on the Cranes everywhere today?
We moved on again and headed south. Looking out of the window as we were driving along the road, we finally found our first Cranes of the day, standing in the field where we had seen a big group the other day. At first we could only see five together, on the edge of the maize strip. Then we looked round behind us, just in time to see another 14 Cranes circling in the sky. They disappeared off towards the river, dropping down behind some trees. We didn’t see where they had come from but someone was shooting pigeons a couple of fields over, so may have flushed them.
Common Cranes – this flock of 14 flew round and headed off towards the river
Looking back at the original group, more Cranes started to emerge from the maize strip. Scanning the surrounding fields, we also found another pair nearby. The more we looked, the more we found and by the end we had 15 Cranes together in the field, and there could easily have still been some hiding in the crop. It was quite a sight!
Common Cranes – several of the 15 which were still left down in the fields
There was even some more action. At one point, six of the Cranes flew up and circled round. There was lots of bugling, the calls echoing across the fields. Two flew off, but four of the Cranes dropped back down with the others again. Great stuff!
Common Cranes – six of the group flew round bugling
Having finally found some Cranes – and enjoyed cracking views of a really good number to boot (it is not often we see large flocks such as this here, a significant proportion of the total Broadland population!), we headed on, down to the Yare valley. As we walked down to the gate and scanned the marshes at Cantley, it was rather disappointing. There were almost no geese here today – just a single Egyptian Goose which doesn’t really count! Otherwise, all we could see were Rooks, Lapwings and a few Mute Swans.
Darker clouds were gathering to the south, so we didn’t hang around here too long and made our way back to the car. As we were loading up, we looked across to the nearby sugar beet processing factory and noticed a small shape on the side of the tall steaming chimney. It was a Peregrine. Presumably it had found somewhere to keep warm?
Peregrine – finding a warm spot on the chimney of Cantley Beet Factory
At this point it started to spit with rain. We decided it would be a good moment for an early lunch, so we made our way round to Strumpshaw Fen. As we walked out to the Reception Hide, we stopped to look at all the tits coming down to the feeders A Marsh Tit made several visits as we watched, mostly dropping down to the ground where some seed had been sprinkled. A Jay came up from the path too as we arrived, and a Siskin flew over calling.
Marsh Tit – making regular visits down to the ground below the feeders
Looking out across the Reception Hide pool, there were lots of Gadwall and Coot on the water today. A little group of Shoveler didn’t linger and a couple of flocks of Teal flew over without landing. The Black Swan was in hiding today. A couple of Marsh Harriers circled over the reeds. As well as providing a very welcome hot drink, the Reception Hide also gave us great views of a very well camouflaged Common Snipe feeding in the cut reeds in front.
After lunch, the rain had stopped, so we headed back out towards the coast. A quick detour off the Acle Straight towards Halvergate produced four Bewick’s Swans out on the grazing marshes. This is a traditional stop off point for swans heading back towards the continent in late winter, so can often be a good place to look late in the season, when the wintering birds have departed. We could see immediately that they were small and short-necked compared to the Mute and Whooper Swans we had seen earlier and through the scope we could see the more restricted, squared off yellow patch on their bills.
Bewick’s Swans – these four were on the grazing marshes near Halvergate
Continuing on to Great Yarmouth, we quickly located the Glossy Ibis in its usual field at Bure Park. It was very busy feeding down in the wet grass, finding a few worms while we watched. A wet grassy park in Great Yarmouth in winter must be a far cry from the marshes of southern Spain, but it seemed to be doing OK with a few Moorhens and Black-headed Gulls for company.
Glossy Ibis – feeding in the wet grassy fields in front of the car park
After a quick stop to catch up with the Glossy Ibis, we made our way on further south again, down to Waveney Forest. It was spitting with rain now but it was relatively sheltered from the wind in the trees. Looking out across Haddiscoe Island from ‘the mound’, it appeared rather desolate at first. The gates and posts where the Buzzards like to perch were conspicuously empty but scanning more carefully, we quickly found our target. The Rough-legged Buzzard was standing down in the grass today, out in the middle.
It was rather distant, and a bit misty now, but we could see the Rough-legged Buzzard’s pale crown and white spotting in the upperparts, contrasting with its black throat and upper breast and black patches either side of its belly. This is a returning adult, which comes back to these grazing marshes each winter, from its breeding grounds in the arctic.
Rough-legged Buzzard – out in the mist on Haddiscoe Island
The cherry on the cake was duly provided when the Rough-legged Buzzard took off and flew low across the grass, flashing its distinctive white tail with a contrasting black terminal band. It turned into the wind and started hovering, like a giant Kestrel in slow motion. It repeated this several times – Rough-legged Buzzards are habitual hoverers when they hunt, unlike the more familiar Common Buzzard which will hover only occasionally. After hunting for a few minutes, the Rough-legged Buzzard flew back across and landed again down on the grass close to where it had been earlier.
We took that as our cue to leave. We weren’t sure whether we would make it out to Stubb Mill tonight, given the weather, but by the time we got to the car park at Hickling the rain had eased off again. We decided to give it a go. We took the direct route out today, along the road. Two Egyptian Geese were in one of the fields and four Cormorants flew over.
When we got to Stubb Mill, we immediately spotted two Cranes out on the grass. We had a good look at them through the scope, walking round, before they eventually flew round and dropped down in the reeds at the back. Shortly afterwards, someone spotted another pair, out in one of the meadows further over. And we could hear more Cranes bugling over towards the reserve – based on the noise, another two pairs at least.
Common Crane – one of two pairs out at Stubb Mill this evening
We had already amassed quite a total of Cranes on our travels today. Then another five flew in, low over the grass in front of the watchpoint, and disappeared over towards the reserve. That took us to a massive 38 seen and several more Cranes heard today!
Common Crane – another five flew in to roost at dusk
There were at least 5-6 Marsh Harriers in already, perched out in the bushes in the middle of the reeds or circling round overhead, but others were probably keeping down given the weather. Several more flew in while we were watching. A male Merlin shot across very low, only briefly breaking above the reeds, unfortunately too quickly for everyone to get onto it. A ghostly grey male Hen Harrier appeared in the distance, flying round above the bushes in the reeds where the Marsh Harriers were gathered for a couple of minutes, visible in the scope despite the gathering gloom.
Given the weather, the light was fading fast tonight. We had fared far better than we thought we might at Stubb Mill this evening, it was well worth coming out here. We decided to call it a night and head for home.
The Bird ID Company 