2nd Dec 2022 – Early Winter, Day 1

Day 1 of a 3-day Early Winter Tour today. There were a few showers around, but thankfully mostly light and brief, and there were some nice bright sunny spells too – not a bad day at all for early December. We spent the day on the coast in NW Norfolk.

As we met up at the B&B in Hindolveston, a couple of skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew over calling. Historically they were rather scarce this far from the coast, but they are increasingly having to look further afield to find their favoured sugar beet fields, as less beet is grown and more fields are ploughed in straight after harvest. A worrying sign.

With a rather grey start, we decided to head for Titchwell first. More skeins of Pinkfeet flew over as we got nearer the coast, a more typical location. Two Fieldfares landed on the top of the hedge beside the road. There didn’t seem to be many birds left in the cover strips at Choseley as we passed, just a small flock of Linnets.

As we got out of the minbus in the car park at Titchwell, a tit flock was working its way through the trees beside us. A Goldcrest fluttered in the back of the hedge. We could hear a Bullfinch calling distantly through the trees. We had a quick walk round the overflow car park, to see if anything might have dropped in overnight, but the bushes here were quiet today.

There were lots of Goldfinches feeding in the alders by the Visitor Centre. We had just started looking through to see if anything else was with them, when something spooked them and they all flew off. We decided to press on and have another look on our way back later.

Out onto the start of the main path, there is still not much water in the ditches. One side is still dry, but we did find a Water Rail lurking in the water in the bottom the other side. They are often rather tame here, but this one was unusually jumpy and ran off up the ditch ahead of us.

Red Kite – hanging overhead

As we got out of the trees, a Red Kite drifted over and hung in the air overhead. It seemed to be checking us out – we were not dead yet! We could see a Great White Egret on the first pool through the reeds and a Marsh Harrier over the back of reedbed. A couple of the group got a brief view of a Bearded Tit, but it was a bit too windy for them today.

We stopped opposite the Reedbed Pool to talk to some of the locals who were just walking back and the (Greater) Scaup appeared from behind the reeds right down at the front. It favours the channel a little further up, so when we lost sight of it we figured it would reappear there. It duly did and we got a much better look at it. The others had pointed out a Whooper Swan which was feeding distantly in the field south of the main road with Greylags, but it was largely hidden behind some trees from here.

Greater Scaup – in the reedbed channel

It started to spit with rain now, so we made for the shelter of Island Hide to scan the Freshmarsh. There is a good selection of ducks on here now, including several smart Pintail. A gaggle of Brent Geese dropped in.

Brent Goose – dropped in

There were still 10 hardy Avocets out towards the back and a small group of Dunlin feeding along the edge of the far bund beyond. A few Black-tailed Godwits were dozing among the Wigeon on the next compartment along.

The rain stopped again quickly, so we made our way back out to the main path. We could see the Whooper Swan now – still very distant, but at least clear of the trees. Out on the saltmarsh, a Chinese Water Deer walked across. Five Common Snipe flew over. Further up, we stopped again by the bund to admire the Golden Plover, looking stunning through the scopes.

Golden Plover – looking golden

The weather had improved significantly now, and it had even brightened up a little, so we decided to make the most of it and head straight out to the beach. At the far side of the Volunteer Marsh, several Redshanks and Curlews were in the muddy channel. A Grey Plover was down in the water in the bottom towards the back and a Bar-tailed Godwit was on the muddy bank nearby. When it walked across to the other side, it joined a Black-tailed Godwit giving us a nice opportunity for comparison.

There was not much on the Tidal Pools today – more Pintail here out on the water. So we continued on to the beach. Here the tide was already coming in and the mussel beds were already covered.

Two Slavonian Grebes were on the sea together, close in, and we had a good view of them in the scopes. There were a couple of Great Crested Grebes too. Two Common Scoter flew past and several Gannets were plunge diving further out.

A couple of Sanderling were running around on the beach in typical fashion, in and out of the waves. Several Bar-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover were feeding along the shore too and some larger flocks of Oystercatcher and Bar-tailed Godwit were roosting out on the beach to the east, towards Brancaster.

We had been told there was a Spotted Redshank on pools out on the saltmarsh behind the dunes earlier, but it had disappeared. We scanned again now, and found it feeding in the water around a Little Egret. Eventually it came out onto the vegetation where it was easier to see – we could see its longer needle-fine bill and neat white fore-supercilia meeting over the bill.

As we walked back, we called in at Parrinder Hide. Another dark cloud had blown in and there was a little light rain on and off. We could see the sky clearing again from the east, even if it took a bit of time to arrive, so waited for the rain to stop. A Great White Egret was stalking around in the water. A couple of Ringed Plovers were feeding with some Dunlin on the grassy island in front of the hide. A Water Rail show out of the reeds just below us but disappeared straight into the denser vegetation on the bund.

Great White Egret – stalking the shallows

When the rain stopped, we continued on our way back. We diverted round via Meadow Trail, as there had been a couple of Siberian Chiffchaffs by the Dragonfly Pool. A Common Chiffchaff appeared in the sallows first, quickly followed by one of the Siberian Chiffchaffs. We could see the latter was much buffier, less olivey green. As it disappeared back into the sallows, it called – a plaintive monosyllable, very different. Another Common Chiffchaff flicked through following a flock of Long-tailed Tits.

We had a quick look out at Patsy’s Reedbed. Several Coot and Tufted Duck were new for the tour list and we had nice views of a couple of Common Snipe feeding on the cut reed. Then it was time to head back for lunch.

Back at the Visitor Centre, we came across another flock of tits and a female Blackcap appeared with them briefly. There were still lots of Goldfinch in the alders, so we collected our lunch from the minibus and ate today on the tables by the Centre (as the cafe was closed). Scanning the trees, we eventually found a single Siskin in with the Goldfinches, the best we could do here today.

After lunch, we drove round to Gypsy Lane. The walk out through the trees was quiet but there were several Redshanks and Curlew, plus Little Egret and Grey Heron on the saltmarsh beyond.

The Hume’s Warbler started calling from across the pool shortly after we arrived, but we couldn’t see it. It was very vocal so we waited to see if it would come out. There were a few Reed Buntings in the bushes and a female Stonechat flycatching.

Our timing was fortuitous as the grey clouds receded and the sun came out now. We had a glimpse of something flick into the sallows further along and then the Hume’s Warbler appeared in one of the bushes right by the bank. We walked up towards it and were treated to some great views. It flicked around for some time on the sunny edge of the sallow, calling constantly – the call distinctly squeakier than a Yellow-browed Warbler.

Hume’s Warbler – showing well

They were far better views of the Hume’s Warbler than we could have hoped for, so when it finally disappeared back deeper in, we decided to walk across to the beach. As we got to the sea, three Fieldfares were just coming in off, fresh arrivals from Scandinavia. Three Slavonian Grebes were riding the waves just offshore and another Sanderling was running around on the sand. We could see a juvenile Peregrine out on the beach on Scolt Head.

We could see some a few ducks in the mouth of the harbour channel, but they were very distant and impossible to see easily in the swell. With the tide pretty high now, we decided to try Brancaster Staithe and see if anything had gone further into the harbour.

The sun was already going down and the temperature was dropping fast as we walked back. A Marsh Harrier was circling over the reeds towards the back of Titchwell, gathering to roost. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew in and landed in the dead trees by the path, calling.

Grey Plover – in the car park

When we got to the Staithe, a Grey Plover was feeding on the edge of the car park as we got out. There were lots of Turnstones picking around where someone was raking up the leftover mussels. One of them had a set of colour rings – ringed locally rather than further afield, it seems to be a regular here. We had nice close views of the Bar-tailed Godwits on one of the islands, but the Red-breasted Mergansers were very distant, right out at the far end of the harbour. Several Pied Wagtails flew in and landed on the boats, coming into roost.

The light was going now and it was time to head back. A very good first day, with the promise of more tomorrow.

13th March 2022 – Winter, Brecks & Goshawks, Day 3

Day 3 of a three day tour in the Brecks and North Norfolk today. It was originally forecast to rain all morning but instead it stayed dry – although cloudy most of the day it was generally bright with a nice sunny spell either side of midday, and although there were some very dark clouds later afternoon thankfully they passed overhead without producing any rain. It was rather breezy again, with a fresh southerly wind. We spent the day in North Norfolk today.

Our destination for the morning was Holkham. We parked at Lady Anne’s Drive and got out to scan the grazing marshes, which are still full of birds. There were lots of ducks around the pools – Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal and a few Gadwall. Further back, several hundred Pink-footed Geese were mostly sitting down in the grass at the back but we got the scope on a couple which were standing up. We could see their pink legs, if not their feet!

Common Snipe – on the grazing marsh

There were waders too. We trained the scopes on several Common Snipe roosting on a small bank, and further up we found lots hiding among the molehills. There were Redshank around the pools and a few Curlew and Oystercatchers out on the grass. A large flock of Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlin flushed from the marshes further to the west and whirled round in the sky.

Several raptors were up enjoying the wind. Occasionally a Marsh Harrier would buzz the marshes, flushing all the ducks. Several Red Kites and Common Buzzards circled up too. We couldn’t see the Grey Partridge in their usual spot this morning, but we figured they would be hiding somewhere out of the wind, which was gusting in across the open marshes. We made our way on and out over the boardwalk towards the beach.

There seemed to be a few birds on the move today – a small flock of Chaffinches whirled over the north edge of the pines and a small flock of Starlings and then seven Fieldfares came in over the beach.

The Shorelarks had been feeding on the saltmarsh west of the Gap the last couple of days, so we walked out that way first. There were lots of Meadow Pipits on the edge of the dunes which flew up ahead of us as we walked west, as well as several Skylarks. A passing dog walker told us that he had seen the Shorelarks along the southern edge of the saltmarsh but there was no sign of them over that side – we weren’t sure whether he was just winding us up or mistaken. We assumed they had gone back to the cordoned-off area further east today. We continued on west.

We stopped to scan the sea and could see lots of Common Scoter scattered over the sea beyond the beach. We had a look through, but couldn’t see anything with them at first. There were a couple of Ringed Plover out on the beach.

We found another small flock of scoter offshore further west and this time we could just make out 2-3 Velvet Scoter in with about twenty Commons. They were diving constantly and distant, but we could see the Velvet Scoters were a little bigger, with smaller, more contrasting white spots on the face. Occasionally one flapped and showed off the white in its wings.

White-fronted Geese – still good numbers here

We cut through the dunes and pines to Joe Jordan hide. Down on the grass below, we could see several groups of White-fronted Geese, but we were looking into the sun. Another twenty or so were a bit more distant around the pools to the west of the hide but were perfectly lit – showing off their white blazes around their pink bills and distinctive black belly bars.

A Great White Egret flew in over the grass and flushed another from one of the ditches, the two of them flying across the old fort with exaggerated deep wingbeats. They landed separately on the marshes where we could get them in the scope and have a better look. There were a few Avocets out on the pools here too.

Great White Egret – one of two here

The big white bird we were really hoping to catch up with here was Spoonbill, as the first birds have already returned to the breeding colony. At first, we just saw one or two fly up and round over the trees at the back and got the scope on a white shape perched deep in the branches.

Then one Spoonbill flew out of the trees and dropped down onto the pool in front of the hide, where it proceeded to start feeding, walking around in the shallow water sweeping its bill from side to side and occasionally snapping it upwards when it caught something. We could see the yellow tip to its bill, its shaggy nuchal crest and mustard wash on its white breast, all indicating an adult coming into breeding condition.

Spoonbill – feeding in front of the hide

Some other people arrived so we decided to free up space in the hide and walk back. There were several Chiffchaffs singing in the trees by the track and we stopped to watch one flitted around in the branches. A Peacock butterfly flew up from the edge of the track past us. The sun was out now and it felt distinctly spring-like out of the wind.

We stopped briefly at Salts Hole. A Peregrine drifted east along the edge of the pines. A single Little Grebe appeared out of the reeds. We got the scopes on a couple of Fieldfare in the grass at the back and a pair of Mistle Thrushes, one of which posed on a fence post.

Sure enough, we had a message to say the Shorelarks were indeed back in the cordon. After a brief stop at The Lookout, we set off for a quick walk down to look for them. When we arrived, there was no sign out in the middle where they had apparently been a few minutes earlier but scanning across we realised they were on the edge, right by the path out to the beach.

Shorelark – nice horns

We walked a little further towards them and set up the scopes. The Shorelarks were ‘dust’ bathing in the bare sandy patches just beyond the fence, which was great to watch. Afterwards, they stood up in the top of the low dunes to shake off and preen. We had great views of them now, their yellow faces perfectly lit in the sunshine. Stunning!

The Shorelarks gradually worked their way further back away from us and then took off and flew down to the very far end of the cordon. They may not be with us for too much longer now, before they head back up to Scandinavia for the breeding season, so it was good to catch up with them. Having enjoyed great views, we set off back for lunch.

We stopped for lunch at the picnic tables outside The Lookout. Looking down from a different angle from here, we could see the pair of Grey Partridges now, hunkered down in the lee of the molehills where they weren’t visible from the Drive. After lunch, they had come out a bit more and we watched them as they fed in the grass.

Grey Partridge – in the molehills

The Red-breasted Goose had reappeared this morning in the Eye Field at Cley, where we had failed to find it yesterday afternoon. We decided to have another go and as we pulled up in the beach car park we had spotted it out with the Brent Geese right in front of us before we even had a chance to get out of the minibus! There were noticeably more Brents here than there had been yesterday.

We got out and got the scopes on the Red-breasted Goose. It had its head down at first, feeding, and was harder to pick out although blacker than the Brents with more white stripes on its wings. Occasionally it stopped and lifted its head, calling. We could hear the Red-breasted Goose’s distinctive squeaky call above the subdued chattering of the Brents.

Red-breasted Goose – calling

There was a single Pale-bellied Brent in with the regular Dark-bellied Brents too strikingly paler on the flanks. We had planned to spend the afternoon at Titchwell, but it was well worth the diversion over here to see the Red-breasted Goose. We still had a bit of time left, so we decided to make a quick dash back west.

It was nice and sheltered in the trees at Titchwell. We had a quick look for the Water Rail but we couldn’t find it in the ditches today. Once we got out of the trees, we were back out into the wind but it seemed to have dropped a little. Coot was an addition to the trip list in one of the channels and there were a few Tufted Duck and a single Common Pochard out on the reedbed pool.

We stopped in Island Hide, where several Avocets were busy feeding in front of the hide and a Common Snipe flew off from right below us and landed on the edge of the reeds with a couple of others. A Turnstone flew in and landed on the edge of the nearest island and a large flock of Dunlin whirled round before landing over in front of Parrinder Hide. A few Black-tailed Godwits were busy probing in the grass at the back, on the old Avocet Island.

There were lots of gulls on one of the islands and we quickly got the scopes on several adult Mediterranean Gulls in with the commoner Black-headed Gulls. They are looking very smart now, with their jet black hoods and contrasting white eyeliner, deep red bills and white wingtips. We could hear their yelping calls too.

Mediterranean Gulls – looking very smart

A smart pair of Teal were dabbling right in front of the hide too and a few more Common Pochard were diving out beyond the islands. We really wanted to try to get out to the beach quickly, so we made our way back out to the main path. We could hear Bearded Tits calling in the reeds but couldn’t see them – they were staying well down in the breeze. A lone Grey Plover was on the Lavendar Marsh Pool opposite.

There were just a few Redshank and Curlew on Volunteer Marsh but we stopped at the Tidal Pools to look at a pair of Red-breasted Merganser diving out in the middle. The drake was looking very smart with its punk haircut. We could see dark clouds approaching from behind us now and rain falling away to the west, so we hurried out to the beach, fearing the worst.

There was a nice selection of waders out on the beach. Several Bar-tailed Godwits were feeding along the shoreline and small groups of silvery Sanderling were running in and out of the waves as they broke on the sand. There were more Grey Plover and Oystercatchers here too. A single Great Crested Grebe was asleep on the sea just beyond the breakers.

Unfortunately, we were out of time. We made our way back, as the dark clouds thankfully passed overhead without dropping any rain on us and we made it back to the car park dry. A whistlestop visit to Titchwell, but a nice way to round off the day and the tour.

29th Oct 2021 – Late Autumn, Day 1

Day 1 of a three day Late Autumn Tour in Norfolk. It was a rather blustery day, bright and even sunny at times, but with some squally showers which we thankfully largely managed to avoid.

We started the day at Holkham. As we drove up along Lady Anne’s Drive, we could see a Great White Egret out on the grazing marsh among the cows. It’s large size was clearly evident, next to the cattle, and when we got out we could see its long yellow dagger-like bill through the scopes.

There was lots of other life out on the grazing marshes. Lots of Wigeon and a Curlew in with them; a distant Common Buzzard perched on a bush at the back; a Red Kite drifted over in front of us.

Small groups of Pink-footed Geese were constantly flying over calling, very much the sound of the winter here in Norfolk. We could see some on the other side of the drive feeding on the grass behind the reeds, so we walked up to the far end where we could get a clear view. Through the scopes, we got a great look at their delicate pink-banded dark bills and pink legs. A pair of Egyptian Geese flew in and landed behind them and a Red-legged Partridge ran across the grass just behind.

Pink-footed Goose – great views by Lady Anne’s Drive

There were a few Blackbirds feeding on the grass below the hedge, but no other thrushes with them today. We did have a small flock of Redwings fly over though, and their were obviously other birds moving this morning – small flocks of Starlings heading on west, Siskins and Chaffinches over calling, and three Skylarks overhead. The Jays flying in and out of the trees too, though it is always hard to tell here whether they are just local birds or travellers from further afield.

One of the regular very pale Common Buzzards circled out of the trees, always a pitfall for the unwary here and regularly misidentified as something rarer. We could see the rather diffuse pale base to its tail as it circled. A more distant Marsh Harrier out towards Decoy Wood was our first of the trip, a young bird, very dark with just a paler head.

As we made our way over the boardwalk and out to the beach, a Goldcrest was flitting around in the bushes in the dunes. We often get migrant Goldcrests here at this time of year, though they have been in short supply this autumn so far and again it is hard to tell whether this one could just as easily have been a local bird dropping out of the pines to feed. Either way, it is amazing to think something so small could make it all the way across the North Sea.

Goldcrest – in the bushes in the dunes

There were more finches moving along the edge of the pines, mainly Chaffinches and Siskins flying over calling as we walked west along the edge of the saltmarsh. A Great Spotted Woodpecker and a lone Redwing flew over too.

The saltmarsh itself here was quiet today. A Little Egret flew up from the channels out towards the dunes and in towards us. A dead Guillemot had washed up along the tideline – there has been a rather worrying wreck of them this autumn, and at this stage it is still not entirely clear why.

At the corner of the cordon, we stopped to scan and immediately spotted the Shorelarks down at the far end. So we walked on a bit further, and got them in the scopes. There were four Shorelarks here today – visitors from Scandinavia and just arrived in the last couple of days, hopefully they will now stay with us for the winter and maybe be joined here by a few more. We had a great view as they picked around the sparse saltmarsh vegetation looking for seeds, working their way slowly towards us and eventually close past us.

Shorelark – one of four here today

With our main target here achieved, we continued on out to the beach. There were three dark juvenile Gannets plunge diving just offshore and a scattering of Guillemots and Razorbills out on the water. A brief shower blew in behind us, but we were sheltered in the lee of the dunes and it passed through quickly before the sky cleared and the sun came out.

Turning our attention back to the sea, we picked up a couple of small groups of Common Scoter bobbing out on the waves, although they were a little distant and not easy to see. A couple of silvery grey and white winter Sanderlings were running up and down on the shore in front of us.

Here too there were birds on the move. Several small groups of Brent Geese flew past out over the sea, and two Shelduck flew past – possibly freshly arrived back in from their moult migration to the continent. Some very distant flocks of Dunlin flashed grey and white in the sunshine as they passed. There was also a constant arrival of small flocks of Starlings coming in from the continent for the winter.

We walked back along the beach, hoping to find some Snow Buntings. We hadn’t gone too far when we stopped to admire a Common Gull on the shore. The auks were much closer here, in the surf just behind. While we were watching those, one of the group spotted a flock of small birds land on the beach further up towards the Gap. Snow Buntings! We turned the scopes on them and watched them scurrying about on the sand, with crowds of people and dogs passing by just beyond them.

Snow Buntings – 12 on the beach

The Snow Buntings flew up into the edge of the dunes, twelve of them, up into the edge of the marram. They didn’t seem to mind the people sitting around here, so we walked up for a closer look. We had great views of them here. One or two Meadow Pipits and a Reed Bunting appeared with them here too.

We stopped here to scan the sea again. There were several Red-throated Divers and Great Crested Grebes close in this end, but we couldn’t find anything else. So we decided to make our way back. As we rounded the corner of the dunes, we realised how much the wind had picked up now. Heads down, we made our way back in over the saltmarsh, where a large flock of Linnets flew up and whirled round before dropping down into the vegetation.

It had been a very successful morning, so when we got back through the pines we decided to break for lunch in The Lookout. It was still nice and sunny here when we finished, but we could see a dark shower cloud away to the west which thankfully missed us.

We scanned the grazing marshes, hoping to find the covey of Grey Partridge which is often here. We couldn’t see any sign today, but we did pick up a Kestrel which seemed to be feeding on something down in the grass. A flock of Greylags flew in honking noisily and landed away to our left. Looking over, we could see they had joined a small group of Pink-footed Geese down in grass, giving us a nice side-by-side comparison. A few Canada Geese further back were an addition to the trip list.

As we walked back to the minibus along Lady Anne’s Drive, two Great White Egrets were now chasing each other around the grazing marshes. The Wigeon and Pink-footed Geese were now very close to the fence, so we stopped for another quick look, admiring the variation in the drake Wigeon at different stages as they emerge from their drab eclipse plumage. Some of them are already looking very smart.

Wigeon – a smart drake emerged from eclipse

We drove back through Wells next, and stopped at the pools just east of town. As we got out of the minibus, we heard a Water Pipit call overhead and looked across to see two or three pipits drop down into the long grass west of the track. We scanned around the pools and found a few Meadow Pipits and a couple of Pied Wagtails here too before eventually two Water Pipits appeared. We managed to get a look at them in the scopes but they were rather flighty in the wind and eventually flew off high over the track and away to the east.

Otherwise, there were lots of Egyptian Geese and Wigeon out on the grass here and a single Redshank on the pools which are still haven’t refilled much. We turned our attention to the larger pool to the east of the track next. There were more Wigeon on here and as we started to scan through a Ruff flew across in front and landed out of view behind the rushes. We were going to walk down the track to look for it, but we could see very dark clouds to the west and it was already raining hard over the fields towards Wells, so we decided to wait. It was a good call, as it soon started to rain here and we took shelter back in the minibus.

Thankfully the rain passed over very quickly with the blustery wind, and it soon brightened up again. A male Marsh Harrier now flew in over the grass to the west and landed briefly for a drink at the pool at the back. Scanning the pool to the east again, a Black-tailed Godwit dropped in briefly before flying off west over the track. A flock of Golden Plover circled over in the sunshine, flashing alternately gold and white, before disappearing off back over the fields towards the saltmarsh. A Brown Hare ran across the grass in front of us.

We could see a line of gulls standing out in the shallow water and scanning through at first we could see mostly Black-headed Gulls and one Great Black-backed Gull. When we got to the end of the line we found a single adult Mediterranean Gull – it stood out noticeably with its pure white wing tips and heavier red bill.

There was a small flock of Brent Geese in the distance in a winter wheat field beyond the pools. In the sunshine, one shone noticeably paler than the others as it turned, so we quickly got it in the scopes. It was a single Pale-bellied Brent Goose, a much scarcer subspecies here, in with the much commoner Dark-bellied Brent Geese which always winter here from their breeding grounds in Siberia.

Pale-bellied Brent Goose – one, in with the Dark-bellied Brents

With the improvement in the weather, we finally set off for the planned walk down the track. A Common Snipe flew past. There were several Meadow Pipits picking around out on the mud, but nothing with them now. A couple of Common Buzzards were perched on the tops of the bushes at the back and a male Marsh Harrier flew in over the fields beyond.

From the far end of the track, we looked back into the far corner of the eastern pool. We could see several Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the deeper water here now, but no sign of the Ruff we had seen earlier. A couple of distant Shoveler were right over at the back.

Continuing on through the bushes and up onto the seawall, we scanned the saltmarsh. There were a few Little Egrets out here, several Curlews on the mud, a group of Redshanks roosting on mud on edge of channel and we picked up a single Grey Plover out on the vegetation. A distant Marsh Harrier quartered out towards East Hills. As we walked down to scan the westernmost pool, an adult Peregrine flew in past us, before disappearing off over Wells.

Peregrine – flew past us

There was nothing of note on the pool, so we walked back along the seawall and continued on along the coast path through the small copse. There were still birds moving at this late stage of the afternoon – a small flock of Siskin flew past us along the hedge line and carried on west, followed by three Chaffinches.

We walked a short distance further before stopping to scan out over the saltmarsh. Several Marsh Harriers were still out hunting, flying back and forth. A Merlin zipped low across at the back, before we lost sight of it in front of the dunes of East Hills. Then we picked up a distant Short-eared Owl circling in very high over the dunes. Not a great view perhaps, but interesting nonetheless – possibly a new arrival, fresh in from the continent.

We were hoping for a Hen Harrier, but we had managed to see everything but instead! Perhaps it was still a little too early in the evening – after the earlier showers, it was bright and sunny but cool now, and the wind had dropped noticeably. They were probably taking advantage of the improvement in the weather to stay out hunting until the last. We would have other opportunities, and it was unfortunately time to head back now.

Back at the minibus, as we were packing up, we heard Grey Partridges calling in the stubble field behind. We walked over and scanned and picked out some heads coming up from time to time out of the cut stubble towards the top of the brow. We got the scopes on them and eventually they came out into view, running across the field, a small covey of them.

It was a nice way to wrap up our first day. We had been very successful today – hopefully more to come tomorrow.

9th Oct 2021 – Autumn 4-day Tour, Day 3

Day 3 of a four day Autumn Tour in Norfolk today. It was a misty start again, and although it brightened up and there were some nice sunny intervals, it remained rather hazy. It was warm in the sunshine though, a lovely day to be out if a little too good for producing migrants.

Our destination for the morning was Holkham. Parking at Lady Anne’s Drive, it was misty looking out across the grazing marshes. There were lots of Greylag Geese close to the road, and a few distant Pinkfeet down in the grass, with more flying over calling. A Grey Heron flew in and landed in the middle, looking very evocative in the mist, amongst the spiders’ webs covered in dew.

Grey Heron – in the morning mist

We managed to find a small group of Grey Partridges out in the grass too, which we got in the scopes. They disappeared into one of the channels, so we walked further up to see if they would come out again closer to The Lookout, but we couldn’t find them again.

Walking west, on the south side of the pines, we could hear a few tits in the trees, particularly the squeaky song of Coal Tits, but none close enough to the path to see. We did see a couple of Goldcrests flicking around in the pines.

Out at Salts Hole, there were several Little Grebes out on the water, diving, chasing each other, and laughing maniacally. A few Gadwall were on here today with the Mallards. We heard a Kingfisher call and looked over to see it on one of the posts at the back, but it didn’t stop long and quickly flew off behind the trees.

Little Grebe – one of several on Salts Hole

Continuing west, we heard Long-tailed Tit calling and thought we had found a tit flock, but it turned out to be just one Long-tailed Tit on its own which came out of the trees and moved quickly on past us. We stopped to scan from the gate – a couple of Linnets and a Reed Bunting flew up into the top of the large hawthorn on the edge of the ditch. A male Pheasant was shining in the morning sunshine. A Marsh Harrier flew across behind the reedbed. Two Great White Egrets came up at the back, one seemingly chasing the other off.

At the boardwalk by Washington Hide, the sycamores were very quiet, so we walked on to the end to look out at the beach. It was a big high tide again this morning, only just starting to go back out now. We could see a line of birds roosting on the sandbar, which had been the high point of the beach just beyond the dunes. Six Sandwich Terns were standing on the edge of a small group of Black-headed Gulls. There was a large huddle of Sanderling nearby, with a couple of Ringed Plover and a few Dunlin with them. Scanning further along, we found more Grey Plover, along with two or three Bar-tailed Godwits.

Looking out at the sea beyond, we could see lots of Red-throated Divers on the water, several Great Crested Grebes, and a scattering of Razorbills and Guillemots. As we had seen yesterday at Cley, there appear to be lots of seabirds feeding unusually close inshore at the moment.

Back to the boardwalk, we had a quick scan of the grazing marshes. There were lots of Pink-footed Geese out on the grass in the distance but no sign of any Great White Egrets now. A Marsh Harrier circled up with two Common Buzzards. One of the Buzzards chased after the Harrier, and as they flew towards us, we could see the latter had something in talons. The Buzzard swooped at the Harrier until it dropped it, the Buzzard then catching it in midair. The two then landed down on the grass, the Buzzard eating, while the Marsh Harrier looked on hungrily.

There were lots of Common Darters basking on the boardwalk handrail as we dropped back down to the track. Three paragliders came west over the grazing marshes, making lots of noise and flushing all the Pink-footed Geese and Greylags, which flew round calling.

Pink-footed Geese – flushed by paragliders

Further on, we could hear Goldcrests and tits in the trees as we rounded the corner by Meals House. As we stopped to look, a Yellow-browed Warbler started calling in the sycamores. It appeared briefly out of the ivy, but promptly flew across the path and disappeared into the garden. Thankfully it quickly came back into the sycamores and we had a better view now, as it flicked around in the leaves, before it disappeared into the trees behind. Our third Yellow-browed Warbler in three days – a pretty good return, given how scarce they have been this year.

Moving on, just before the crosstracks we heard a Mistle Thrush call and looked up to see five flying east overhead. A smaller thrush on the end of the line was a single Redwing. There were Siskins calling over the pines too – we heard them all the way down – but be only had a quick glimpse of one or two as they flew over. There were Jays moving again too today, but fewer Starlings than the previous couple of days. We would have hoped to see more thrushes and finches coming in from the continent at this time of year, but perhaps the weather is just too good at the moment.

Jay – one of three moving high east

We saw some people going into Joe Jordan Hide ahead of us, so we decided to continue straight on past the crosstracks. Another tit flock was in the edge of the pines just beyond, and flew across to the small grove of trees in the reeds just beyond. We could see several Long-tailed Tits preening in the hawthorns and two Treecreepers chasing each other round the trunk of one.

Looking out towards Decoy Wood out on the grazing marsh beyond, we could see a Great White Egret standing on the edge of the reeds. We got it in the scope, so we could see its long, yellow dagger of a bill.

We walked on to the west end of the pines. It was warming up nicely now in the sunshine and there were more dragonflies out, mostly Common and Ruddy Darters, and one or two Migrant Hawkers too. We stopped to scan from the gate, and could see several Stonechats along the new fence line, but nothing else of note.

As we walked in through the trees to the start of the dunes, we could hear several Chiffchaffs calling. There had apparently been a Siberian Chiffchaff earlier, but despite listening carefully and looking in all the most likely trees, we couldn’t find any sign now. We sat down by one of the dells in the edge of the dunes for a rest – they are usually full of sylvia warblers at this time of year, but despite lots of berries on the bushes it was disappointingly quiet today.

Once everyone had recovered, we headed back for lunch. We planned to have lunch in The Lookout. As a few of the group went to get the food from the minibus, a Grey Wagtail flew in calling and dropped down by a puddle under the holm oaks at the top of Lady Anne’s Drive briefly.

Grey Wagtail – dropped in by Lady Anne’s Drive briefly

After lunch, we had a quick walk out to the beach. There were lots of Black-headed Gulls feeding on the wet saltmarsh as we passed, presumably with food washed in by this morning’s big tide. A Rock Pipit flew over the saltmarsh calling and there were several Meadow Pipits feeding on the edge of the dunes.

With a few reported along the coast in the last few days, we were hoping for one of the scarcer divers or grebes here – Holkham Bay is often a good place for them in autumn. There were lots of birds on the sea here. A small raft of seven Common Scoter was just offshore, with a single redhead Red-breasted Merganser close by. There were lots of Red-throated Divers and Great Crested Grebes again, but despite trying hard we couldn’t find anything else. There were lots of auks this end of the beach too.

We were just about to leave, but a last scan through the gulls along the shoreline revealed another young Caspian Gull, once again a first calendar year bird. It was lovely out on the beach, but we had one more thing we wanted to do this afternoon, so we walked back to the minibus.

We drove inland this time, down to the edge of the Brecks. We were looking for Stone Curlews, so we pulled up by a field where they are regularly to be found. Scanning from the first gate, we immediately located our first three, even if they were a little distant. They were just beyond a dip in the ground, and eventually we managed to see six Stone Curlews from here, as more moved into view. There were lots of Starlings and Lapwings in the fields here too, plus Linnets and several Pied Wagtails.

Driving further down the road, we stopped to scan from another gateway. As we looked back, we could see more Stone Curlews now we were looking from a different angle, and while we watched, still more stood up or appeared from behind vegetation. Scanning with the scopes, we could count at least seventeen now. They were closer from here too, a much better view, and we could see their bright yellow eyes.

Stone Curlew – one of at least 21 today

We watched the Stone Curlew for a while. The Brecks is one of their two strongholds in the UK, and they are mainly summer visitors here. Most will soon be on their way down to Iberia or North Africa for the winter. Just as we were about to leave, we had a last scan round all the fields and found another four distantly looking the other way. The ground slopes away here, so there were probably still more out of view. Still, we were happy to settle for at least 21! It was a nice way to end the day, and a new bird for several of the group.

10th May 2021 – Wagtails & Waders

Another socially distanced small group day tour today, where we didn’t use the minibus. We met on site at Cley in the morning for a couple of walks, travelling in convoy onto Wells mid afternoon to finish the day there. It was cloudy at times with some nice sunny intervals in between, with an increasingly gusty wind in the afternoon, and we mostly managed to avoid the showers.

We set off from the Visitor Centre car park along The Skirts path. We hadn’t gone more than a few metres when a warbler flew up from the alexanders by the path into an elder bush nearby. A Garden Warbler, rather plain grey and featureless with a stocky build and heavy bill. Presumably a migrant, which had dropped in overnight and was now feeding up. It disappeared into the bush, and we could just see it from time to time looking out from behind the branches.

Garden Warbler – probably a migrant fresh-in overnight

The breeding warblers are now back in numbers. As we walked on along the path, a Common Whitethroat flew up into the top of a bush, singing . A Lesser Whitethroat was rattling a little further up, in the hedge across the road, and we could see it moving around in the blackthorn. A Willow Warbler was nearby too. A couple of Long-tailed Tits flitted past. When we heard Lesser Redpoll calling, we looked over to see a party of four flying west, more migrants on the move this morning.

Common Swifts have been passing through in the last few days and from the path we could see several distantly over the reedbed. As we stopped to look at them, a Great White Egret flew over too, big and white with long black legs and feet and a dark bill. In breeding condition, a Great White Egret‘s bill darkens so is no longer the long yellow-orange dagger it is otherwise, a pitfall for the unwary. It dropped down somewhere beyond Bishop Hide out of view.

Great White Egret – and Common Swift over the reedbed

From up on East Bank, we could see a steady passage of Swallows going west. More Swifts and lots of Sand Martins were hawking out over the marshes.

Looking out across the grazing marshes, a large white shape distantly behind the Serpentine was a Spoonbill. It was busy feeding, head down, sweeping its bill from side to side as it walked round in the shallow pools. Then suddenly it walked up out of the water and took off, flying off west over the path and away over the reeds.

Spoonbill – flew off west

We could hear a Yellow Wagtail singing and eventually found it feeding amongst the clumps of grass, a very smart canary yellow male. There were obviously others on the move today, and when we heard one call we looked across to see a female Yellow Wagtail drop in with a Pied Wagtail up by the Serpentine. A female Wheatear was running around out on the grass too.

Then a smart male Blue-headed Wagtail appeared nearby, with a grey blue head and prominent pale supercilium. The heads of yellow wagtails vary across Europe, with the British Yellow Wagtail having a yellow head and those from across central continental Europe and southern Scandinavia having blue-grey heads, so this one was probably on its way there from its wintering grounds Africa. It flew up and landed amongst the cows much further back, where we lost sight of it behind one cow lying down.

There were fluffy Lapwing chicks down in the grass along with their parents along with several Redshanks. Both those species breed here, but the two Whimbrel feeding in the grass are migrants stopping off to refuel. A lone Black-tailed Godwit on the Serpentine looked like it might be a young bird which will not migrate up to its breeding grounds in Iceland this year.

Duck numbers have thinned out significantly over the last few days, as many are now heading off back to northern Europe after having spent the winter here. A pair of Barnacle Geese were in with the Greylags and Canada Geese, presumably feral birds rather than genuine wild Arctic breeders.

Barnacle Geese – the first pair, behind the Serpentine

There were more waders out on Arnold’s Marsh – a smattering of Dunlin and Ringed Plovers, several Curlew over on the saltmarsh in one corner, a smart Grey Plover with summer black face and belly and two Bar-tailed Godwits over the back.

Continuing on to the beach, we had a quick look out to sea. There were several Sandwich Terns flying past, along with a single distant Little Tern, and an even more distant Gannet out towards the horizon. But the sea is fairly quiet at this time of year, so we didn’t linger and set off to walk back. A couple more Sandwich Terns flew in over Arnold’s Marsh as we passed, so we could see their yellow-tipped black bills.

Sandwich Tern – flew over Arnold’s Marsh

Somebody who had come out to see the Blue-headed Wagtail we had seen earlier had now found two Grey-headed Wagtails which had dropped in too, so we headed back to see if we could see those too. We just got back in time to see them running around on the grass amongst he cows, before all the wagtails took off and we watched as all six flew off strongly west. It was proving to be a really good day for yellow wagtails! Grey-headed Wagtails breed in northern Scandinavia, a scarce migrant through here and our third yellow wagtail subspecies of the day.

Now we heard a report that a Golden Oriole had been seen flying west past Muckleburgh Hill, just a couple of miles east of us and heading our way. There had been several Golden Orioles seen further east in NE Norfolk too this morning, but none this far west. Still we scanned the sky just in case and after just a few minutes we picked the Golden Oriole up flying over the back of Snipe’s Marsh, presumably having come over the back of Walsey Hills. Unfortunately it was only in view for a few seconds before it disappeared round the back of North Foreland wood. We scanned the other side in case it came out there but it looked like it might have dropped in.

We decided to wait for a bit in case it came out again. An Iceland Gull was reported flying west past Salthouse now, and we managed to see it very distantly before it dropped down out of view, into the fields way off east from us. The Visitor Centre was on the line the Golden Oriole was flying, so we decided to walk back for an early lunch and keep our eyes peeled in case it came out in our direction, but it wasn’t seen again so may have slipped out the back. A male Marsh Harrier circled over as we walked back.

After lunch, we set off back along The Skirts path, past the East Bank and down Attenborough Walk. We stopped to scan through the gulls gathered on Pope’s Marsh, but the Iceland Gull obviously hadn’t decided to join them today. There were now two pairs of Barnacle Geese out on the grazing marsh. We were hoping to find a Whinchat, but just past the gate to Babcock Hide we found a pair of Stonechats instead.

Stonechat – the male

We turned onto Iron Road and walked up to scan the pool. It appeared to be empty at first, but looking more carefully we found several small waders lurking round the edges – two Little Ringed Plovers, and three different Common Sandpipers. An Egyptian Goose was lying down in the grass beyond.

Common Sandpiper – one of three at Iron Road

Continuing on to the bridge over the main drain, we found two female Wheatears on the dry mud on the edge of the channel. It was the wrong time of day really, so perhaps no surprise that there was no sign of any Short-eared Owls here now.

After walking back to the car park, we travelled in convoy on to Wells for the rest of the afternoon. Scanning the pools from the parking area, we could see a couple of Brent Geese out on the grass and two of three Teal on the water, our first of the day. There were lots of Lapwings, with several fluffy juveniles, and a few Redshanks here too.

Walking a short distance down the track, we quickly located one of the Jack Snipe which have been lingering here, on the pool east of the track. It was right out in the open, on the bare mud between the clumps of rushes, probably the best views of it we have had here in the last few weeks. It was busy feeding, probing in the mud. We could see its comparatively short bill and bright golden mantle stripes. Then suddenly something spooked it and it ran back into the rushes out of view.

Jack Snipe – showing very well today

There were several Common Sandpipers here again today, at least four, and two Wood Sandpipers east of the track too, all migrants stopping off to refuel here on their journeys north to breed. Through the scopes, we could see the Wood Sandpipers’ spangled backs and pale superciliums, a little larger, longer legged and longer necked than the Common Sandpipers. Another Wood Sandpiper called behind us and we turned to see it emerging from the thicker clumps of rushes on the pool west of the track.

Wood Sandpiper – one of three here today

There was another Yellow Wagtail here this afternoon, another bright yellow male – they really were an ever-present theme today. This one was quite close to the track, feeding on the mud, at least when it wasn’t being chased off by one of the Lapwings. It obviously thought the Yellow Wagtail posed a grave threat to its young, which were feeding on the edge of the rushes nearby. Lapwings are obviously not the brightest of parents!

Yellow Wagtail – a smart male by the track

Continuing on round to the west pool, the bushes were quiet today, although it was mid afternoon now and the wind had picked up quite a bit. We had a quick scan of the pool from the low bank. There were lots of Avocets on nests on the island, and more Lapwings, but we couldn’t see any other waders on here today. A Brown Hare ran straight towards us along the grass verge on the edge of the pool until it realised we were standing there, froze looking at us for a few seconds, and ran off back the way it had come.

Unfortunately after an action-packed day full of spring migrants it was time to call it a day and head back now.

17th April 2021 – A Socially Distanced Group Walk

A small group day tour with a socially distanced difference today. Rather than using the minibus, we met on site in the morning and walked out to explore the dunes. As there were only a few of us, we then travelled on in convoy in the afternoon to visit a couple of different places. The weather was good – sunshine and blue skies for most of the day, although the light NE breeze had a slight chill to it, coming in off the North Sea.

We met in a small car park looking out over the grazing marshes. A couple of Red-legged Partridges were out in the middle of the field behind us and Skylarks were singing in the blue sky. A Red Kite circled lazily over the field on the other side of the road. We could see a Great White Egret on the grazing marshes way off in the distance.

Heading down the track, a Chiffchaff was singing and a male Blackcap flicked up onto the top of the hedge ahead of us. At the bottom, looking through the gap in the hedge we could see a pair of Grey Partridges in the next field, the male standing upright, its orange face visible above the long grass. A distant Spoonbill flew high west, presumably heading out onto the saltmarsh to feed. We could hear Bullfinches calling in the hedge and a Song Thrush was feeding out on the grass.

Continuing on down the track, the blackthorn is in full flower now, but the Lesser Whitethroats are not in yet. They are late this year, a lot of migrants seem to be delayed by the persistent cool northerly airflow we have had for the last couple of weeks. Out on the grazing marsh opposite, we could see lots of Greylags and Linnets, several each of Avocets and Lapwings. At least the Sedge Warblers are in already and singing – one was belting out its song from a patch of briar next to the path.

Sedge Warbler – singing by the track

Cetti’s Warblers are resident here all year round, but they are always one of the most elusive of species, normally skulking deep in thick cover and heard more often than seen. So it was a surprise to see one perched up in the top of the brambles by the track today and even more of a surprise that it stayed there, out in full view, for several minutes.

Cetti’s Warbler – unusually showy today

We could hear a couple of Mediterranean Gulls calling, and picked up a young bird (in its 2nd calendar year) circling high over the grazing marshes. Around the pools, we could see a nice selection of lingering winter ducks – Teal, Shoveler, a few Wigeon still – plus a drake Common Pochard. A Little Grebe was swimming in the water. A Little Ringed Plover appeared on the mud with a couple of Avocets and we could see its golden yellow eye ring. When it flew round, we realised there were another two Little Ringed Plovers further back and there was a bit of territorial aggression.

Up on the seawall, the tide was in. A small group of waders was visible roosting on a small spit on the saltmarsh, amongst the vegetation. In with a couple of Oystercatchers, Black-tailed Godwit and Redshank, we picked out one paler grey Knot. A Grey Plover further out in the harbour flew across.

Most of the Pink-footed Geese which spent the winter here have long since left, back to Iceland for the breeding season. Most of the geese here in the summer are Greylags, but distantly beyond the reedbed pool and half hidden behind a line of reeds we could just see two smaller geese, with darker heads, two lingering Pinkfeet. One clearly had a very mangled wing, and probably both birds had been shot and winged and are now unable to make the long journey back to Iceland. The Brent Geese always linger longer and there were still quite a few out on the saltmarsh, although it won’t be long now before they too are off, back to Russia for them.

A Reed Bunting perched on top of a bush on the edge of the reedbed calling. A small group of five Golden Plover circled in the distance, dropping down in front of dunes. We walked on to the last corner of the seawall for a closer look. A couple of Lapwings were displaying overhead, always a great sight and sound at this time of year. A big female Sparrowhawk was feeding on a kill out on the grass.

When we got to the boardwalk, we turned east through the dunes. This is usually a good place for migrants and to see migration in progress, but it was disappointingly quiet. There were lots of Linnets and Meadow Pipits but not much else today, not even any Wheatears in their favourite place or any hirundines on the move. The NE wind was obviously holding things back still. We continued on to the end of the pines and scanned out to sea. Two very distant Sandwich Terns were offshore. The view wasn’t bad too!

Dunes – a great view, looking out towards Holkham Beach

There were no obvious migrants in the bushes at the end of the dunes, so we stopped to scan the grazing marshes the other side. A small group of Curlews were feeding out in the grass and a slimmer, darker bird was nearby but obviously separate from them, doing its own thing. It was a lone Whimbrel, a passage migrant which passes through here in spring.

It would be more sheltered on the southern edge of the pines, so we carried on east along the path to see if there was anything fresh in along there. We heard another Sedge Warbler and a couple of Chiffchaffs singing. Then as we got almost to the crosstracks, we heard a Reed Warbler. It seemed to be close to a path in through the reeds, so we headed in to see if we could see it. It was keeping well down at first, but just as we were turning to leave it appeared in a low sallow bush. The first one we have seen or heard this year, a fresh arrival back from Africa just in the last day or two.

As we got back to the main path, we heard a Willow Warbler singing in the sallows ahead of us, and we could see it silhouetted against the sky. Having sung a perfectly normal Willow Warbler song several times, it then sang again and added some Chiffchaff song at the end. It is not unusual to find ‘mixed singers’ sometimes. A bona fide Chiffchaff was singing nearby and the Willow Warbler then set off after it, chasing it round and round, in and out of the bushes and all the way up into the pines beyond, which we haven’t seen them do before. Perhaps its mixed song was also leading to some species confusion!

Willow Warbler – an interesting ‘mixed singer’

All hides are still closed at the moment, but we walked on to Joe Jordan Hide and looked over the wall below. A Great White Egret flew in from the west, low over the pools out in the middle. It had a noticeably dark bill, not the usually bright yellow dagger, which they develop just in the breeding season, a pitfall for the unwary!

Two Spoonbills were already on the further pool when we arrived, busy bathing and preening. After a while, another Spoonbill dropped out of the trees onto the nearer pool and started feeding, sweeping its bill from side to side in the shallow water. We had a good view of it now, we could see its shaggy nuchal crest and, when it lifted its head, its yellow-tipped bill, both indicating it was an adult in breeding condition.

Spoonbill – a smart breeding adult

After a snack and a short rest, we set off to walk back. The Willow Warbler was singing again in the same place we had seen it earlier. We stopped to listen to it, hoping to hear more mixed singing, but at first all we got was the beautiful descending scale of pure Willow Warbler song. Eventually, it switched and we got several variations, of mixed chiffs and chaffs.

Back on the seawall, the two Pink-footed Geese were a little easier to see now. Another Great White Egret flew past, heading out across the grazing marshes, it too sporting an all dark bill with bright facial skin.

Great White Egret – flew past on our walk back

Back at the cars, it was time for a late lunch in the edge of the field, looking out across the grazing marshes, in the sunshine. Afterwards, we headed east along the coast road to Wells.

Scanning from the car park, we quickly picked out a Ruff on the closest pool, disappointingly grey and still not really showing any sign of acquiring breeding plumage. There were a couple of Common Snipe on here too.

At the back of the pool the other side of the track, a large white shape was another Spoonbill, standing preening. There were lots of gulls on here too and in among all the Black-headed Gulls, we picked out an immature Common Gull and two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, their yellow legs catching the sun as they swam past. A male Marsh Harrier drifted over, flushing quite a few birds from the water and attracting the ire of the local Lapwings, which chased it over in our direction.

Marsh Harrier – chased towards the car park by the local Lapwings

Two wagtails dropped in by the cattle pens. They both had grey backs and sharply demarcated black crowns, although one was slightly patchy in the middle. One stopped to bask in the sun and we could see the grey of its back extending down between its wings. Two White Wagtails, the continental equivalent of our Pied Wagtail, stopping off on their way north.

We walked on down the track to the far corner and looked back across the pool to the east. It didn’t take long for the Grey Phalarope to appear in its favoured corner, swimming out from behind the rushes. Still in grey non-breeding plumage, it looked like a diminutive gull from a distance, grey and white and swimming around on the water. Through the scopes, we could see its black mask. These arctic-breeding waders normally spend the non-breeding season out at sea off W Africa, and are rare here in spring. After northerly gales a couple of weeks, several were blown in and have lingered along the coast.

Grey Phalarope – swimming around right in the far corner

We walked on through the bushes, which were rather quiet, a distinct lack of migrants and freshly arrived warblers here too, a recurring theme it seems today. We climbed up onto the small bank overlooking the western pool and scanned the margins. Another male Ruff was over the back, this one starting to moult into breeding plumage with extensively black patterned head and neck.

A Swallow zipped over and was joined by a second over the field beyond. Then two Sand Martins appeared with them. Had they just arrived or have they been lingering here, finding insects around the pools? Our first hirundines of the day, and a very welcome sign that spring migration is still happening, birds are getting through despite the cold airflow.

A small wader flew up from the middle of the densely vegetated island – a snipe, but rather small and with a shortish bill, a Jack Snipe! It landed before anyone could really get onto it and disappeared into the vegetation on the far edge. We scanned the place it had landed and after a few seconds a Common Snipe walked out. Surely we didn’t get that one wrong – the first bird definitely looked too small?

We climbed up onto the seawall, a little further away but we had a better view of the island from up here. We could see the Common Snipe again, and then we saw some movement in front of it and the Jack Snipe showed itself. A bit smaller, and significantly more secretive, the Jack Snipe could completely disappear in the low vegetation but at times we had a great view of the two snipe species side by side. As well as being smaller with a shorter bill, we could see the Jack Snipe‘s more contrasting golden mantle stripes and the different head pattern, lacking the Common Snipe‘s central crown stripe.

We still had a little bit of time to play with so we headed back to the cars and decided to move on for one last stop. Further east still, we parked by the quay at Morston. There had been a Ring Ouzel in the field by the car park, but it had been spooked by a flyover Red Kite before we arrived and flown into the hedge. There were still several Blackbirds and Song Thrushes out on the grass.

While we waited for it to arrive, we walked on to the harbour, where a Whimbrel had been feeding on the mud right down at the front. We arrived just in time to see it spooked by a photographer, but thankfully it landed on the saltmarsh behind. A little later, another one appeared on the mud on the far side of the channel. We could see its striped crown. A Greenshank was busy feeding in the channel a bit further along.

Whimbrel – feeding on the mud in the harbour channel

There was still no sign of the Ring Ouzel emerging from the hedge, but two more Ring Ouzels had been reported earlier, a little further along the coast path, in the horse paddocks. We walked down for a look, but we couldn’t see any there either. Then we received a message to say the Ring Ouzel was back out by the car park. We turned and could already see it distantly on the short grass, so we walked back for a better look.

Ring Ouzel – finally showed well in the field by the car park

The Ring Ouzel performed very well now, feeding on the grass. A smart male, like a Blackbird with a bright white gorget, pale silvery wing edges and scaly fringes below. Ring Ouzels are scarce passage migrants here, these ones probably on their way from their wintering grounds in the Atlas Mountains, up to Scandinavia for the breeding season. They are normally mountain or moorland birds, but stop off here in fields along the coast before heading out across the North Sea. One we had hoped to see today, and we managed to squeeze it in right at the last.

The Red Kite drifted over again and the Ring Ouzel flew back up into the hedge. It was time for us to call it a day and make our separate ways home.

14th Oct 2020 – Private Autumn Day Tour

A Private Autumn single day tour in North Norfolk today. It was mostly cloudy today but mostly dry – we managed to largely dodge the showers, particularly in the afternoon. A brisk NE wind held lots of promise for migrants coming in from the continent.

Our first destination for the morning was Wells. Walking in towards the woods from the beach car park, we could see several Little Grebes on the Boating Lake as usual and a few Coot and Mallard to get the day’s list started.

Little Grebe – there were several on the boating lake as usual this morning

As soon as we got into the birches, we found our first tit flock. There were lots of birds flitting around in the trees overhead – Long-tailed Tits, Blue and Coal Tit, Goldcrests and a Treecreeper. Small groups of Redwings flew back and forth overhead and we could hear their teezing calls.

Walking round the north side of the Dell, we flushed more Redwings and several Blackbirds from the bottom, under the trees. We cut across the middle, over the main track and out into the more open area the other side. There were loads of Redwings here too, feeding on berries in the bushes and out on the grass on the grazing marshes beyond. Looking through them, we managed to find one or two Song Thrushes as well. There had clearly been a big arrival of thrushes here in the last 24 hours, mainly Redwings, coming here from Scandinavia for the winter.

Redwing – there had been a big arrival in the last 24 hours

A couple of Marsh Harriers were flying round over the grazing marshes beyond, a juvenile with bright red wing tags (unfortunately too far away to read the identifying code), and an adult female with much more pale creamy colouring on the leading edge of the wings. Two Red Kites were hanging in the air over the trees in the Park at the back.

The Marsh Harriers kept flushing all the ducks from the grazing marshes, the flocks Wigeon and Teal flying round before settling again around the pools. There were a few Curlew and Lapwing, and several Pied Wagtails out on the wet grass too.

Small groups of Redpolls kept flying back and forth overhead calling while we were scanning the grazing marshes and as we walked on a little further a few flew in and landed in the top of a large birch tree in front of us. We had a much better view of them now, and got one or two in the scope, admiring the red ‘polls’ on their foreheads and black chin patches. These birds looked rather small and brown, Lesser Redpolls. More dropped in to join them and others flew out – there was lots of coming and going.

Lesser Redpoll – several landed in the birches

Continuing round, two Sparrowhawks were up over the pines in the distance, chased by two Carrion Crows, swooping in and out of the treetops. Two male Blackcaps popped up in the top of a large clump of Hawthorn and briar.

Back out on the main track, there were lots of Goldcrests in the birches, as we caught the tail end of another tit flock as it disappeared into the pines. There was nothing of note in the bushes round the Drinking Pool but a couple of Bramblings were calling in the pines and we had a fleeting view high in the trees and then saw one of them flying off.

Goldcrest – there were lots of exhausted migrants in today

Continuing west on the main track, we stopped to watch some more Goldcrests feeding in some sycamores right by the path. We had some great views of them, down at eye level. While they do breed here, numbers are swollen in autumn by arrivals from the continent. We marvelled at how these tiny birds weighing no more than a 20p coin, can manage to fly all the way across the North Sea. When they arrive they are not surprisingly exhausted and hungry and therefore very confiding.

We were just in the process of discussing how you might tell a Firecrest from a Goldcrest when we had a shout from a friend deeper in the trees in front of us that he had just found one! It was very active, flitting around in the oaks, and hard to see. We had a few quick glimpses and then lost track of it. While we were looking round in the trees for the Firecrest, a Yellow-browed Warbler appeared too, but again we only managed frustratingly brief views of it before we lost track of it.

The Goldcrests seemed to be working their way slowly east through the trees, so we walked back out onto the track and followed them. We could hear more wheezy calls from Bramblings a little further along and walked back where a smart male finally gave itself up nicely in some birches, turning round and showing off its bright orange breast and shoulders.

Brambling – this male gave itself up in the birches by the track

There were no Goldcrests this far down – we seemed to have overshot the flock – so we walked back a few metres until we found them again. Suddenly out popped a boldly marked head low in an oak tree right in front of us, like a rather like Goldcrest but with additional stripes, black through the eye and a striking white supercilium above. It was the Firecrest and we had great views of it now as it performed in front of our eyes.

Firecrest – reappeared low in an oak tree right in front of us

We continued to follow the Goldcrests and we were rewarded again when the Yellow-browed Warbler reappeared in a small sycamore beside the track. It fed here for a couple of minutes now, giving us the chance to get a better look at its stripes, a striking yellowish supercilium and double wing bars.

Having enjoyed great views of Firecrest and Yellow-browed Warbler, we decided to start walking back. There was a report of some other birds in the open area by the Dell now, so we cut back in and walked slowly in through the grass and round the brambles and hawthorns.

A Lesser Whitethroat flicked out ahead of us, and we watched it feeding in the brambles. At this time of year, they are mainly ‘Eastern’ Lesser Whitethroats passing through, birds of the race blythi, also known as Siberian Lesser Whitethroats and coming to us from much further east. Sure enough, this was an Eastern Lesser Whitethroat, with the brown of the mantle continuing as a shawl up over the back of the head. We could hear its quiet tacking calls as it worked its way round.

Eastern Lesser Whitethroat – of the race blythi

We found a smart male Bullfinch in the brambles too, and still lots of Redwings and Redpolls, but no sign of the Redstart now which was seen here earlier. As we made our way back to the main track, a couple of Redpolls flew in and landed briefly in the hawthorns ahead of us. A flash of a streaky but pale rump on one indicated it was a Mealy Redpoll, the flammea race of Common Redpoll which comes here from Scandinavia in the autumn.

Cutting back in round the east side of the Dell, we had another look in the birches on our way back to the car park. Several Blackcaps flitted ahead of us and a couple of Bullfinches were in the brambles. There was a tit flock in the trees here again, the light was better this time. We spent some time looking through them – lots of Goldcrests but nothing more unusual.

Back out to the car park, we picked up lunch and walked over to the harbour. Up on the seawall, we ate our lunch while we scanned the channel and the mud and sands opposite. There were a few Cormorants diving in the channel itself and a couple of closer Brent Geese on the far side. We could see lots more Brent Geese further out on the sands and they started to fly back in past us and back into the harbour, presumably to feed.

Brent Geese – flying in past us along the harbour channel

The waders were rather distant at first here today, right up on the back of the mud towards East Hills. Through the scope, we could see lots of Knot, together with several Dunlin and Turnstones. A couple of Ringed Plover were well camouflaged on one of the patches of shingle. There was a scattering of Curlew and a good number of Oystercatchers here too.

A dark shape hunched right out on the middle of the sands, as we thought it might, resolved itself into a Peregrine through the scope, loafing out on a sand bar. Presumably it had been hunting the waders and had stopped for a rest.

So when something flushed all the Knot, we thought at first the Peregrine might be the culprit, but it was still on the sand in the same place. We watched as the Knot whirled round in a tight flock, back and forth, twisting and turning, flashing grey and white. Four larger birds with them were Bar-tailed Godwits. All of them landed together on the edge of the channel, giving us a much better view, the godwits squabbling in the shallow water.

We stopped at the beach cafe for a welcome hot drink. We had a few possible options for the afternoon, but there had been a small number of Pallas’s Warblers appearing along the coast this morning and we thought we would try for the one which had been reported already several times, out at Burnham Overy Dunes. We parked in the car park at the staithe, and walked out along the seawall, hoping to pick up a few waders en route.

Curlew – feeding on the edge of the harbour channel

A close Curlew was feeding down on the near edge of the harbour channel as we set off and more were out on the grazing meadows the other side. Our attention was caught by three Moorhen just beyond the ditch. Two seemed to be fighting, one pinned down by the other, while the third looked on. When the fighting birds separated, one tried to run off but was chased all the way along the bank by the other, pecking at its heels. The third ran along too a few seconds later, not wanting to be left behind.

There were a couple of Grey Plovers down beside the harbour channel further along and two Ringed Plovers out on the sandbank in the middle, along with a few Brent Geese and Wigeon. Looking out over the saltmarsh beyond, we could see a few white shapes, which were all Little Egrets.

Grey Plover – on the edge of the harbour channel

Past the corner on the seawall, there were lots of Dunlin on the open muddy inlet, along with a couple more Ringed Plover, and lots of Redshanks too. A Stonechat perched up briefly on the brambles.

The cattle were rather distant today, out in the middle of the grazing marshes looking over towards Holkham. We did see a few white birds flying round amongst them, at least three Cattle Egrets, but they kept landing out of view behind a line of reeds. The large flock of Golden Plover out on the saltmarsh was very well camouflaged against the other burnt colours of autumn vegetation.

When we got out to the boardwalk, we turned west to walk out to Gun Hill. We had already been told that the Pallas’s Warbler had not been seen again, for at least the last couple of hours, but we thought we should try our luck anyway. We flushed yet more Redwings from the bushes on the way and there were more Goldcrests in the low privet and bramble out in the dunes. The Goldcrests were unbelievably tame – just arrived over the North Sea, exhausted, they simply have to feed and have no time to worry about people. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t find any sign of the Pallas’s Warbler here.

We climbed up onto the higher dunes to look out over the beach. There were lots of Cormorants drying their wings on the sandbank at the entrance to the channel, and a single Sanderling running along the shoreline nearby.

After a sit down, it was time to start walking back. We had a better view of the Cattle Egrets on the return journey. We got a couple in the scope, feeding in between the legs of the cows, and managed to count at least seven out there now. They were still rather distant though, out on the grazing marshes.

As we drove back east, we stopped briefly at Holkham. There were lots of Cormorants loafing in the trees, presumably getting ready to roost. The first Great White Egret was out on a small pool on the grazing marsh. Then we found a second in with the Belted Galloway cows along with a Grey Heron (they probably had an identity crisis and thought they were Cattle Egrets too!). A third Great White Egret appeared further back, and with a bit of careful scanning we found a fourth away in the distance.

Great White Egret – in with the cows along with a Grey Heron

That would have been more than enough, but what may have been a fifth Great White Egret flew in just as we were packing up. This is another species which has colonised in a remarkably short space of time, and gone from being rare to not uncommon now. A couple of Marsh Harriers were circling over the near edge of the marshes, presumably getting ready to go to roost. Unfortunately it was time for us to call it a day too.

23rd Sept 2020 – Private Tour & Wader Spectacular, Day 2

Day 2 of a two day Private Tour in North Norfolk. It was a very different day to yesterday. Heavy rain overnight thankfully cleared through early, but it was much cooler, grey and cloudy, with some showers through the morning. After the Wader Spectacular yesterday, we would spend the day today looking for Autumn migrants and other interesting birds along the coast.

After our failure to even get in the (still partly closed) car park yesterday, we headed over to Titchwell first. There was no problem with parking today – it helped being early, but the weather had an effect too, with many fewer beachgoers clogging it up all day. It was nice that people could actually get in and do some birdwatching today!

The rain had stopped by the time we arrived, so we had a quick look round the overflow car park before it got busy. There was very little at first, until we got right round to the far corner, where we found several Blackcaps feeding in the elders, along with Blackbirds and a Song Thrush.

We headed straight out onto the reserve. We had just got onto the main path, beyond the Visitor Centre, and turned to scan the grazing meadow through the gap in the trees. A very distant Common Buzzard was perched on top of a bush over towards Thornham, but a white dot on the brambles below caught our eye. We were not even sure it was a bird at that range, but we set up the scope to look just in case. A shrike!

Red-backed Shrike – very distant, right over the back of Thornham GM

The shrike looked rather pale-headed at first, perched face on to us, but after a while it dropped down to the ground and came back up to the same bush with its back to us. We could see a bit more of it now and it looked good for a young (1st winter) Red-backed Shrike. Another good find, our second in four days. We let everyone at the Visitor Centre know, and a few of the staff came out for a look.

As we continued on along path, we came across a flock of Long-tailed Tits in the tall willows. We stopped to look through them, just in case, but all we could find today were a couple of Chiffchaffs with them. As we came out of the trees, a Greenshank came up off the dried up pool on Thornham grazing marsh and flew past us, disappeared round the back of the trees behind us.

A quick look out at Reedbed Pool produced a few Common Pochard out on the water, an addition to the trip wildfowl list. A young Hobby was hunting distantly over the back of the reedbed and up over Willow Wood beyond.

It was a still morning and we had just said it might be good for Bearded Tits when we heard their pinging calls ahead of us. A flock of about eight of them flew up and landed again in the reeds quite close to the main path. We walked up and stood opposite where they had landed. After a few seconds they started to climbed up into the tops of the reeds to feed on the seedheads. We had fantastic views, several males with powder grey heads and black moustaches accompanied by a few grey-brown females.

Bearded Tit – great views in the reeds by the main path

A Great White Egret flew out of the reedbed and landed briefly on the Freshmarsh while we were watching the Bearded Tits. Then it flew again and came straight towards us, before turning and flying across the path just in front of us. It was another great view – we could see its long, dagger-like yellow bill, long trailing black legs, and deep slow wingbeats. We watched as it headed out over the saltmarsh the other side.

Great White Egret – flew over the bank & out across the saltmarsh

There were more Bearded Tits in the reeds up by Island Hide – it was certainly a great morning for them. We had a quick look at the Freshmarsh, where we could see a couple of Spoonbills out in the middle, and a large gathering of godwits, including a good number of Bar-tailed Godwits come in to roost over high tide.

Our key target for the morning was to see if we could find any Lapland Buntings out on the beach. More people were arriving on the reserve now, and we were worried that they might get flushed again, so we decided to head straight out to Thornham Point, before it got too busy. We could come back to look at the Freshmarsh at our leisure later.

It was high tide, and the Volunteer Marsh was pretty much completely covered in water. A small group of Common Redshank had gathered on one of the sandy islands at the back of the Tidal Pool. One bird was standing separate from them, in the water, and instantly looked paler. A Spotted Redshank, we could see its long, needle-fine bill and prominent white supercilium.

Spotted Redshank – on the back of the Tidal Pool

A line of birds roosting on the spit a little further up included several Grey Plovers, a couple of them still with their summer black bellies, plus a few Knot, Turnstones, Bar-tailed Godwits and Oystercatchers. They had all come in here from the beach to roost over high tide.

Out onto the beach, we turned left and headed out towards Thornham Point. A Snow Bunting flew in with a small group of Sanderling and landed on the edge of the water ahead of us. It ran up the sand and we watched it picking around on the high tide line. We walked past slowly, so as not to spook it, but we needn’t have worried. It was very tame, as they often are, and allowed us past just a few metres away, unconcerned by our presence.

Snow Bunting – feeding on the high tide line along the beach

There were several small groups of waders on the shore all the way up. Groups of silvery-grey Sanderling running in and out of the waves like clockwork toys. We stood still and one ran straight past us. One or two Ringed Plovers were mixed in with them and several Turnstones were feeding higher up on the high tide line.

Sanderling – the clockwork toys of the beach

A couple of people coming back along the beach told us that a Lapland Bunting was still out on the beach Thornham Point, so we quickened our step. We wanted to get out there before it got disturbed. One person had already overtaken us, and more were coming out onto the beach behind. We bumped into the Snow Bunting again out at the Point – the same one we saw earlier, it must have flown past us with the Sanderlings.

As we walked round the Point, we thought we would find the person who had gone ahead of us watching the Lapland Bunting, but they had disappeared. We would only find out a couple of days later that they had flushed the Lapland Bunting and made a quick getaway before we arrived!

We walked slowly past the piles of debris on the high tide line, unaware that the bird had flown off, when suddenly something flicked up from behind a large pile of dead vegetation just in front of us. Thankfully it landed again a few feet ahead – the Lapland Bunting! It had obviously flown back after the other person had left.

We stood still and got the Lapland Bunting in the scope. It was almost too close, fill the frame views at minimum magnification! Like the Snow Bunting earlier, but even more so, it was totally unconcerned by our presence, busy feeding. It worked its way down to the end of the piles of debris and then came back right past us within only a couple of metres. We had it all to ourselves – we could see the hint of a rusty chestnut collar and its black bib. Stunning!

Lapland Bunting – stunning close views feeding out on the Point

We had seen dark clouds away to the west earlier, and now it started to rain. We were rather exposed out on the beach, so we went to seek shelter round the other side of the Point. We thought we might get round to the tower, but the saltmarsh had flooded over the high tide and was impassable without boots. Thankfully the rain quickly stopped. A Great White Egret was out on the flooded saltmarsh in the middle of Thornham Harbour.

Back out on the beach, the Lapland Bunting was still feeding along the high tide line as we passed by. A couple of Sandwich Terns were fishing offshore. We had seen them flying up and down as we walked out and they were now diving into the water. Several Gannets were plunge diving off the Point too, including a couple of dark juveniles and white adults with black-tipped wings. As we started to walk back, we kept one eye on the sea and picked up an Arctic Skua flying past low over the water offshore. A nice bonus.

We had more great views of Sanderlings again on the walk back. When we got back to the main path, we stopped again for another quick look at the sea. Several Great Crested Grebes were out on the water and a single Red-throated Diver flew in and landed further out. We could see more shower clouds approaching, so we waited on the beach in the lee of the dunes. The worst of the rain passed to the east of us, and just the edge of the rain caught us and was thankfully over very quickly.

As we set off back along the main path, the waders were still roosting on the Tidal Pool. The Spotted Redshank was now in with the Common Redshanks, preening, giving us a good side by side comparison. Two Great White Egrets were now flying round together out over the saltmarsh.

Back at the Freshmarsh, the Bar-tailed Godwits were starting to fly out to the beach in groups, calling, ready to feed on the falling tide. A canteen of Spoonbills was roosting out in the middle now – we counted fourteen. They mostly asleep, as Spoonbills often do, but one was awake and feeding and a couple were preening. While we were standing here, one Spoonbill took off and flew right over our heads, heading out to the saltmarsh to feed.

Spoonbill – one flew out over our heads

There were Bearded Tits calling from the reeds below the bank now, and a female climbed up into the top to feed on a seedhead. A Reed Warbler was flitting around in the reeds too. A careful scan round the reeds on the far side revealed a Water Rail feeding quietly on the edge of the mud.

We had a more careful look through the waders now. There were about ten Avocets still, and a few Ruff. Another Spotted Redshank called and we watched it fly across the bank close to us before heading out over the saltmarsh – a different bird to the one we had seen earlier, this time a dusky grey juvenile.

There was a group of smaller waders on the mud over by the reeds. A look through them reveled two slightly larger and longer-billed juvenile Curlew Sandpipers in with several streaky-bellied Dunlin. We had a good view of them through the scope. They were gradually working their way over close to Island Hide, so we thought we would go in for a closer view. But just at that moment a Kestrel flew in from the saltmarsh, dipped down low between Island Hide and the reeds and spooked them. They landed again but back further out.

Curlew Sandpipers – two juveniles with one of the Dunlin

Looking across the reedbed, we could see two Hobbys now, hawking back and forth over the trees around Fen Hide. We walked back to the Visitors Centre, and decided to have a quick look at Patsy’s Reedbed and along the Autumn Trail before lunch, so turned out along Fen Trail.

A Coot was the highlight on Patsy’s, along with a couple more Common Pochard. Round on East Trail, we came across a flock of Long-tailed Tits on the edge of Willow Wood but again couldn’t find anything with them.

Continuing on down to the far end of Autumn Trail, we stopped to scan the back of the Freshmarsh. There didn’t appear to be much different here at first, but scanning across we noticed a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull in the middle of a long line of gulls on the water. Three nice juvenile Ruff were feeding on the edge of the reeds in front and there were more Bearded Tits here, calling and flying across over the reeds.

It was time to head back – we would already be having a late lunch now. One of the Hobbys was now hawking over the front of Willow Wood, but disappeared round the back and appeared to land out of view. We could see more dark clouds approaching and hoped we might get back before they arrived, but we had only made it as far as Fen Hide when it started to rain. We ducked in, and were very glad of the shelter and our timing because the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour for about twenty minutes.

By the time it stopped and we could make our way back to the bus now it was definitely a late lunch! Afterwards we drove back east along the coast road to Wells and parked in the beach car park. As we walked in towards the Woods, at least ten Little Grebes were out on the boating lake.

In through birches and round under the trees on the north side of the Dell, it all seemed very quiet, and we couldn’t find any sign of a tit flock. Round at the Dell meadow, we met someone just leaving who told us that the Red-breasted Flycatcher was still around, but he hadn’t seen it. We cut in through trees where we had seen it the other day.

There were a few more people in here, under the trees, waiting for it to reappear and as we walked round the Red-breasted Flycatcher flicked across in front of us, up in the trees. We had a quick view of it from beneath, before it moved back further through the trees along the path. We knew it would be following its usual circuit, but someone there objected to us following it down the path, insisting we should wait for it to come back here. No problem. We walked out and round the long way to the other side.

There were a couple of more friendly locals here and we joined them on the bank. After a minute, the Red-breasted Flycatcher reappeared low down in the back of the trees, where we had watched it the other day. It was hard to see until it moved, but we could follow it as it flicked across to the next tree and everyone got onto it.

Red-breasted Flycatcher – still doing its usual circuit round under the trees

When it got to the trees above a small pool, the Red-breasted Flycatcher froze and stayed still. It was not feeding as actively and we soon realised why when it dropped down to the water to bathe. Afterwards it flew up into a nearby tangle to preen and dry itself. Great to watch.

It flicked up again and we lost sight of it in the back of the trees. Then we picked it up again, seemingly going back on its circuit, so we walked back round the long way to where we had first seen it today. The person who had told us we should wait here had given up and gone. We stood in the trees and the Red-breasted Flycatcher flew in and landed right in front of us, just a couple of metres away. Great views! We stood quietly and watched it, perching still in the trees before making little sallies after insects.

The Red-backed Shrike here was reported as still present too, but had moved a couple of fields from where we had found it the other day. As we walked down the track past the caravan site, a flock of Pink-footed Geese flew up off the grazing marshes and disappeared off inland.

When we got to the bales by the cattle field, we found a couple of people watching the Red-backed Shrike on the fence. We got it in the scope and had a good look at it, much better views than the one at Titchwell this morning. A two Red-backed Shrike day!

Red-backed Shrike – our second of the day, still at Wells

We could see some Pink-footed Geese down in the grass in the next field over. Several flocks flew up calling, their distinctive yelping calls the sound of the winter here, and we watched as they headed off inland. There were still some down in the grass, so we got them in the scope, admiring their dark head and delicate dark bills with a variable pink band around.

Pink-footed Geese – flying up from out on the grazing marsh

Unfortunately it was now time to head for home. It had been a great couple of days, with some really good birds, and not to forget the wonderful Wader Spectacular yesterday. Lots to live long in the memory.

20th Sept 2020 – Autumn & Wader Spectacular, Day 3

Day 3 of a three day Autumn Tour & Wader Spectacular, our last day. It was a cloudier day today, though still dry, and the wind though still fresh and from the NE, was perhaps not quite as strong as it had been. Today we would be heading up to the Wash for the Wader Spectacular at Snettisham.

It was an early start to catch the tide, but as we were driving up to Wells to pick the rest of the group up, we found a car across the road with its hazard lights on. We thought there might have been an accident or something, but a woman got out and explained they had decided to close the road to move static caravan. It was obviously not official, and they hadn’t sought any permission to close the road so we were not sure how legal it was, but there was no time to argue and no choice but to go the long way round. The woman just shrugged and gave us a sheepish smile. Consequently, we were slightly later than planned getting away.

On the drive across to the Wash, we passed several large skeins of Pink-footed Geese flying inland to feed, coming up from the marshes where they had spent the night. There was flocks of Rooks and Jackdaws in the fields and a Barn Owl on a post by the road, but we had no time to stop now.

When we got to the Wash and up onto the seawall, the tide was already coming in fast, pushed in ahead of time by the fresh NE wind. We made our way straight down to Rotary Hide today, and stopped in front to scan. Huge flocks of Knot and Oystercatchers were gathered out on the mud, along with smaller numbers of Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover.

Waders – gathered on the mud ahead of the rapidly rising tide

The waders were all shifting nervously, whether driven by the rapidly rising tide or perhaps there had been a predator around normally. There were no small waders down on the near edge today. The Knot on the edge of the flock out in the middle, those closest to the water, were constantly being caught by the tide and they kept flying up and over the others, landing again on the drier mud higher up.

As we walked down towards the far corner of the Wash, it was a struggle to keep up with the tide today. We did keep stopping to watch every time the waders went up. The Oystercatchers started to give up first, flying up in big groups and in overhead calling noisily, before circling down onto the pit behind us.

Oystercatchers – gave up first and flew in overhead to the pit

Before we could even get to the corner, suddenly all the Knot and other waders went up. We couldn’t see any sign of the Peregrine, but they were definitely nervous and put on quite a show, whirling round out over the Wash. The latest WeBS count total of Knot this week was 68,000 – incredible to see them all in the air together.

Waders – suddenly all the Knot spooked and took off

Waders – whirling round in the air

Waders – different flocks going in different directions

It was amazing to watch all the Knot and other waders up in the sky. Some tried to land back on the mud, but were immediately spooked again. Different flocks were going in different directions. Despite the wind, we could hear was the beating of thousands and thousands of pairs of wings. Some of the Knot started to come in, low overhead – mesmerising to look up and watch – while others towered up over the Wash.

Waders – some of the Knot started to come in low overhead

We turned to watch the Knot coming in and start to drop down onto the pit, but for some reason they wouldn’t settle on the south end today. We watched the birds flying round and round, backwards and forwards, low over the pit in front of the new hide, ‘Knots Landing’ (or ‘not landing’ today!). The birds which had gone high turned back out over the Wash. Some of the others went back out and landed again in the final corner of mud.

Waders – the Knot wouldn’t settle in front of the new hide today

We walked on down to the end. Those Knot which had landed again were quickly forced off, and came in over us again. Tens of thousands were still towering high in the sky. Small flocks of Dunlin flew past out over the Wash, presumably now looking to roost along the shore further up.

There was now nothing left out on the Wash and any remaining mud was covered with water. There were still huge flocks of Knot high in the sky, but we decided to go into the hides to see what was on the pit.

Shore Hide was empty – everyone had gone down to see the new hide. Five Spotted Redshanks were roosting on the concrete blocks out in the middle. We got them in the scopes – one was helpfully awake and we could see its long spiky bill with a needle-fine tip. A juvenile Common Tern was still lingering here, standing on one of the other concrete blocks nearby.

A Little Stint landed on the shore of the shingle island in front of the hide. There was nothing else on there today, and we watched it picking around on the shore between the blobs of foam. It was a juvenile – we could see its distinctive pale ‘braces’. After a while it flew off again. Then a Common Sandpiper landed on the island next and walked around on its own in the middle for a bit.

Little Stint – landed on the island in front of Shore Hide

Scanning the islands further up the pit, there were next to no Knot on any of the islands closest to the seawall today. Only one of the islands across on the other side of the pit was packed shoulder to shoulder with them. A lot of Dunlin (mostly) on one of the nearer islands was more socially distanced. We scanned through, to see if we could find anything more unusual in with them, but couldn’t find anything today.

Looking towards the south end, we could see that the Knot which had come in today were concentrated on the bank, with the Oystercatchers. They were still shuffling nervously.

As we walked round to South Hide, a young Peregrine circled overhead and gradually drifted out over Wash. Perhaps this is why everything was so nervous today. We watched it stoping down, flushing all the Curlews and godwits from out on the saltmarsh. There was a lot of water on there today, with only the taller bushes and higher islands still exposed – a combination of the big tide, backed by the blustery NE wind. Three Marsh Harriers were hunting out over the Wash further back too.

Peregrine – circled over as we walked down to South Hide

With social distancing restrictions in force, we had to wait to get into South Hide today, but thankfully not long. When we donned our masks and got inside, we found the two shingle islands at this end still mostly empty. One Little Stint and a small cluster of Knot was on one, but that was it. Two Common Sandpipers flew round calling below the hide.

Most of the Knot were still on the bank. We watched them jostling nervously. They would settle for a bit, then one end would start to move and a wave would pass through the flock.

We went round to have a look at the new hide, ‘Knots Landing’. It was largely empty now apart from a line of photographers in the corner, packed shoulder to shoulder, lying down at the low camera windows. Every time the Knot on the far bank flew up, there was a cacophony as a barrage of camera shutters fired in unison. Perhaps the amount of noise was putting the birds off from landing on the closer islands?

Two Little Stints and the two Common Sandpipers were now running around on one of the islands. A single Avocet was roosting in with the Oystercatchers gathered on one end, a different variation in monochrome. The last bird in the flock, standing in the water at the end, was a smartly marked juvenile Bar-tailed Godwit.

A line of Knot peeled off from the bank and headed back out. It was an hour after high tide already, so we figured we should go outside and back round to the bank to try to catch the birds as they returned to the Wash. But when we got out, there was still no sign of any mud. With the wind and the amount of water today – the path was even flooded in one spot now – the tide was going to be really slow to go out. The Knot which had come up off the bank flew straight back in and dropped down again in to the pit.

Still, we walked down to the edge of the Wash and got into position. We didn’t have to wait too long before some mud started to reappear in the top corner and once it started, the tide began to go out as quickly as it had come in.

Finally, the Knot started peeling off from the pit again. We were in the perfect position, and they came low in lines making a beeline for the mud, came right over our heads.

Waders – the Knot started flying back out in lines, right overhead

Suddenly we heard a loud whoosh and a larger group came up and flew out towards us. The young Peregrine was over the pit, and spooking everything. We watched it stoop down a couple of times towards the bank, but it didn’t have any height and it looked like it didn’t quite know what to do. It flew further up the pit and flushed all the Knot from the island that end too. We watched as they flew out in lines, low over the bank and out onto the Wash.

The Knot quickly settled in big groups out on the mud, but then the Peregrine circled up from the pit and drifted out over the Wash. Instant pandemonium – the waders all erupted again, taking off, whirling round. The flocks made some amazing shapes, as they twisted and turned, alternately flashing dark and light.

Waders – all flushed by the Peregrine

Waders – the flocks made some amazing shapes. Shark?

Waders – flashed light and dark as they twisted and turned

The Peregrine appeared to successfully get one separated from the flock at one point, but despite chasing after it, it lost it. Again, probably showing its inexperience. A second Peregrine appeared further back, flushed everything behind. It was an amazing show, truly spectacular, and we were endebted to the Peregrines for stirring everything up. We just stood and watched transfixed, to the sounds of the flocks’ wings and oohs and aahs from the crowd.

The waders eventually resettled on the mud, as the Peregrines drifted off. We started to scan through the flock nearest to us. There were several pale silvery grey and white Sanderlings with the Knot now, and the very last bird on the end was a lone juvenile Curlew Sandpiper. We could see the pale peachy wash on its breast and its long downcurved bill.

We could still see an adult Peregrine, on a post in the distance, on the saltmatsh beyond the mud. The waders much further back, in the next bay, were still being stirred up. Presumably the juvenile Peregrine was trying its luck back there now. The waders this end were mostly settled, and started to go to sleep. Occasionally a flock would take off and fly further out across the mud, twisting and turning, catching the sun which had started to come out now.

As we turned to head back, a shout went out and we looked out across the Wash to see a Great Skua flying low over the water beyond the flocks of waders.

We planned to spend the afternoon at Titchwell, but we had to take a diversion inland to get there. There was so much traffic on the coast road, it had back up from the traffic lights at Heacham. Unheard of in late September, it was like midsummer! The car park at Titchwell is still partly closed and once again was full – they were only letting one in and one out. We were lucky to arrive just as someone was leaving and get straight in.

We decided on an early lunch in the picnic area. A Marsh Harrier drifted overhead and a Common Darter was basking on the bench in the sunshine. After lunch, we headed out on to the reserve. We could hear Siskins calling in the trees as we filled out the test and trace form at the Visitor Centre.

Thornham grazing marsh was flooded with saltwater where the pool used to be, after the high tide had come in. A single Stock Dove was out in the vegetation and several Curlews were feeding on the saltmarsh beyond.

A large mob of Greylags was on the Reedbed Pool, but scanning through we managed to find a few Common Pochard in with them, and Coot and Little Grebes right at back. A pair of Gadwall was in the channel just beyond.

A young Hobby was hunting low over the reeds, out in the middle, shooting back and forth. It caught something, presumably a dragonfly, and circled up over the trees by the visitor centre. A Sparrowhawk emerged from the trees and chased after it, presumably trying to steal its catch. It was quite a dogfight for a bit, amazing to watch, before the Sparrowhawk gave up. The Hobby finished its meal and we watched it hunting over Willow Wood at the back of the reedbed.

Up by Island Hide, we could hear Bearded Tits calling in the reeds, but it was still rather windy and they were keeping well down today. We stopped to scan the Freshmarsh from the bank further up. There were not as many waders on here today. A few Avocets were still here, feeding over towards the back, along with several Black-tailed Godwits. Quite a few Ruff, paler adults and browner juveniles, were closer to the bank. Otherwise, there were a couple of Dunlin and two Golden Plover on one of the islands, in with the Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls.

Ruff – a juvenile, close to the main west bank path

There are more ducks on the Freshmarsh now as birds return for the winter, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal, and more Gadwall. They are not looking their best at this time of year though – with the drakes mostly in their dull eclipse plumage.

A Grey Heron was standing motionless, fishing out in the middle of the deeper water towards the back. Next time we looked, there was a Great White Egret next to it. It was good to see the two of them side by side, so we could really appreciate the large size of the Great White Egret.

Great White Egret – appeared out on the Freshmarsh, next to the Grey Heron

There had been some Lapland Buntings on the beach this morning, and someone walking back now told us they were still there, although they had apparently flown up the beach a bit further along to the west. We decided to go to try to look for them.

There was not much on Volunteer Marsh as we passed, just a few Curlew and Common Redshanks on the mud by the channel at the far end. A lone Brent Goose flew over. There was still a lot of water on the Tidal Pools, despite it being close to low tide now, and not much on here either.

The tide was a long way out when we got to the beach, and we couldn’t see anything obvious on the sea. There were lots of people around the mussel beds and not many waders. We set off west along the tide line. Unfortunately there was no sign of any buntings now. Several beachgoers were walking out here, and presumably they had been flushed.

We continued on up to Thornham Point, where we found a little group of Sanderling, Ringed Plover and Dunlin on the beach. A party of Brent Geese was loafing out on the sand closer to the sea. Rounding the corner, we found several Spoonbills out in the middle of Thornham Harbour. Two flew off as we appeared, but there were still seven preening out on the saltmarsh.

Spoonbills – preening out in the middle of Thornham Harbour

It was time to head back now – after a very early start, everyone was tired now and still had journeys home ahead of them. The memories of this morning’s Wader Spectacular would linger long, a great final day to end the tour.

15th Sept 2020 – Early Autumn Private Tour, Day 2

Day 2 of a two day Early Autumn Private Tour in North Norfolk today. It was another lovely sunny day, a little bit hazier than yesterday with a slightly cooler light ENE breeze which kept the temperatures very comfortable in the low 20sC on the coast. Perfect weather to be out birding again.

We started the day at Titchwell. There was no sign first thing of the Glossy Ibis which had been here yesterday afternoon, but we decided to go anyway and get in before the car park filled up. When we arrived and got out of the minibus, a Goldcrest was feeding in a pine right above where we had parked.

There were next to no cars in the overflow car park yet, so we decided to have a quick walk round before it got busy. A flock of Long-tailed Tits came out of the trees by the entrance track and flew across in front of us. They had a couple of Chiffchaffs in tow too. We then watched them feeding in the brambles and elders in the back of the car park. along with a couple of Blackcaps.

Long-tailed Tit – we followed a flock into the overflow car park

We followed the flock round to the far side. There were a few finches in the car park too, but the Bullfinches feeding in the sallows in the far corner remained well hidden and hard to see. We were surprised to find a Moorhen clambering around high up in the bushes here too – an odd place for one. A couple of Jays flew up into the top of the tall willows behind. A Red Admiral butterfly feeding on the ivy looked very smart in the morning sunshine.

Red Admiral – enjoying the morning sunshine

We made our way round to the Visitor Centre, through the crowds of beachgoers and dog walkers who were rapidly filling up the car park, which is still partly closed. There had apparently been a Pied Flycatcher earlier by the Visitor Centre, so we had a quick look in the trees back to the picnic area, but there was no sign of it there.

Back past the visitor centre, a small flock of Siskins flew through the trees. We had a quick look in the alders by the main path, but they weren’t there. While we were looking, a small skein of around twenty Pink-footed Geese came overhead calling, possibly fresh arrivals from Iceland, coming here for the winter.

With it being so sunny, we decided to head round to Patsy’s Reedbed first and then have a look at the Freshmarsh from the end of Autumn Trail. As we walked up to the screen at Patsy’s, the first thing that caught our eye was a Great White Egret out in the middle, preening. It was striking how big it was, particularly when it stood with its neck stretched up, and we could see its long, dagger-like yellow bill.

Great White Egret – on Patsy’s Reedbed pool this morning

Another Great White Egret flew across over the reedbed further back. The one we were watching can’t have seen it – perhaps it heard something, because after the second bird landed in the reeds, the first took off and flew back towards it. It chased it up out of the reeds and we lost sight of the two of them behind the bushes.

Otherwise, there were a few ducks on the pool this morning, mainly Gadwall. Coot was an addition to the trip list here, and there were a couple of Little Grebes too. A young Marsh Harrier, dark chocolate brown with a paler head, quartered over the reed behind.

As we made our way round along East Trail and on to Autumn Trail, there were several Common Darters basking on the path which took off ahead of us. A very smart fresh Shaggy Inkcap toadstool was sticking up out of the short grass on the verge. There were a few squashed Bloody-nosed Beetles and a couple of live ones. We picked one up, which had lost a couple of legs, to move it off the path and it duly obliged by exuding the red liquid from its mouthparts from which it gets its name. A couple of Cetti’s Warblers shouted at us as we passed.

Shaggy Inkcap – growing in the grass by East Trail

We had spoken to someone earlier who had suggested that most of the waders were at the back of the Freshmarsh, but apart from quite a few Ruff in the top corner, there wasn’t much up this end now. Out in the middle, we could see a good number of Black-tailed Godwits and just a couple of lingering Avocets today. A smaller wader further back still looked like the Little Stint, but it was a long way away from this side. In the distance, the other side of the West Bank path, five Spoonbills flew up and circled round.

A couple of Bearded Tits were feeding on the mud at the base of the reeds, in front of the watchpoint at the end of the path. We had a nice view of them through the scopes, a cracking male with powder grey head and black moustache, and a browner female. Another small group of 5-6 were calling to each other in the reeds and we saw them fly up a couple of times before crashing back in.

As we turned to head back, we heard the group of Bearded Tits calling again and watched them land again in the reeds close to the path. We walked up towards where they had landed and noticed one Bearded Tit on its own in the reeds. The rest of the flock further ahead flew up and over the bank towards Brancaster Marsh, but the lone bird stayed put. It climbed up the reeds right in front of us, giving us a great view, calling for the rest of the group.

Bearded Tit – came up out of the reeds right in front of us

It was a male, with powder blue-grey head and black moustache, probably a young one as it was moulting and the head was not as well marked as some. The Bearded Tit flew up a couple of times but landed again. Eventually it seemed to work up the courage to cross the path, but simply landed again in a dead umbellifer on the bank right next to one of us! After flitting around there for a couple of seconds, it finally flew up and over the bank.

We made our way back and round via Meadow Trail. We stopped at the platform by the dragonfly pool to admire an apple green and bright blue Southern Hawker, which in typical style kept coming back to hover close to us. It was chased at a couple of times by a Migrant Hawker, and then it decided to chase it away over the tops of the sallows. A tandem pair of Willow Emerald damselflies were trying to perch in the reeds below the platform but struggled to find somewhere they could agree to settle.

Willow Emerald damselflies – this tandem pair were trying to settle in the reeds

Walking out on the west bank path, we could hear more Bearded Tits calling from the reeds. Thankfully, having had such amazing views of the male earlier, we didn’t need to linger to try to see them here. We stopped by the Reedbed Pool and a scan revealed a good number of Common Pochard up towards the back. A Kingfisher called from one of the channels in the reedbed, but didn’t come out.

Looking out across the saltmarsh the other side, we could see a line of white shapes asleep in the grass. Most were clearly Little Egrets, but the end one looked a little larger, a different shape, and more of a dirty yellowish colour. It was a Spoonbill, presumably one of the ones we had seen distantly over here earlier.

A paraglider was flying over Thornham Harbour and flushing everything. Several flocks of Curlew flew up and circled round nervously. A flock of Golden Plover came in over the path, most of them having lost their summer black bellies already. The Spoonbill woke up and flashed its bill, confirming our ID. A second Spoonbill flew in over the saltmarsh towards us, its black wingtips displaying its immaturity, before it turned and flew back the other way.

With the sun out, and nothing much on the drier mud in front of Island Hide, we decided to scan the Freshmarsh from the west bank path further along. As we walked up, we could hear a Spotted Redshank calling, but presumably it was flying off as we couldn’t see it out on the mud. One of the Great White Egrets was now standing on the edge of the small round island, preening.

There were lots of Black-tailed Godwits still out in the middle, and a selection of Ruff around the edges. Looking carefully through the godwits, we found a single Bar-tailed Godwit too – its smaller size, slightly shorter legs and more contrastingly-marked upperparts setting it apart, even before we could see its slightly upturned bill.

Ruff – a juvenile feeding on the Freshmarsh below the main path

There were one or two Dunlin scattered around the islands and edges and a larger group of seven at the far end, below the reeds. We couldn’t find the Little Stint at first, it wasn’t where we had seen it earlier, but scanning carefully we eventually found it on the muddy edge of the island over in front of the fence. It was feeding with its rear end up in the air a lot, which confirmed it was the bird we had seen distantly from the end of Autumn Trail earlier. Odd behaviour, but instantly recognisable as different. A single Common Snipe was feeding just inside the fence.

We wanted to spare our energy for the afternoon, so we decided not to walk on any further and headed back to the car park. There had been a Wryneck earlier seen at Holme, so we decided to have a go to see if we could find it. As we arrived at the pay hut, we were told it had been seen again about 15 minutes before, in the bushes just beyond.

We parked and got out, and the challenge quickly became clear – there was a constant stream of cars up and down the track and people up and down the coastal path the other side of the bushes. Amazing numbers of people for this time of year, albeit it was a beautiful day. We had a slow walk round the bushes, with no success, so stopped to have lunch back at the minibus, before having another go.

We figured it might be worth having a walk through the dunes – no one seemed sure whether there might have been a second Wryneck seen further up towards the Firs, and there are often migrants in here. But as we walked through the bushes, there were very few birds. We did see lots of Small Heath and several Small Copper butterflies.

It was only as we got much closer to the Firs that we started to see things. Several flocks of Curlew came in off the beach, presumably disturbed from where they were feeding, along with a smaller number of Black-tailed Godwits.

Then we came across a Stonechat in the bushes, a female, followed quickly by another two, one a male with a black throat. A rattling call alerted us to a couple of Lapland Buntings passing overhead, but they were high in the bright sky and hard to see as they disappeared off west.

One of the group had lingered further back to take some photographs, and when they walked up to us they thought they had just seen a Whinchat. They weren’t wrong – it had just appeared in the bushes behind us, presumably following the Stonechats. We had a nice view of it, before it flew back further into the dunes – a nice bonus here.

Whinchat – in the dunes with a small group of Stonechats

Everyone was feeling tired now, so the intrepid guide walked back to get the minibus and the others waited at the Firs. We had a quick look at the bushes by the payhut as we drove out, but there had been no further sign of the Wryneck. We decided to head back east to Burnham Overy.

We almost couldn’t get into the car park at Burnham Overy Staithe, but thankfully someone was leaving just as we arrived. We set out along the seawall. There was lots of disturbance in the harbour channel – boats, a paddleboard, swimmers – and we didn’t see many birds until we got to the arm of mud which extends alongside the bend in the seawall.

Scanning the mud, we could see lots of Common Redshanks. Several Turnstones were feeding in alongside the gulls, mostly Black-headed Gulls but with a couple of Common Gulls too. There were a few Dunlin too, and a couple of Grey Plover.

A small group of white shapes were down in the grass on the edge of the saltmarsh further up and through the scope we could confirm they were the Cattle Egrets we had come to look for, nine of them. We walked further up until we were directly opposite and had a nice view as they stood in the vegetation preening.

Cattle Egrets – nine were in the grass on the edge of the saltmarsh, preening

The tide was coming in fast now and starting to fill the arm of mud in front of us. The Redshanks were feeding more actively and the Cattle Egrets started to move. First one or two, then the rest of the flock flew down to the water. They seemed to be feeding on the tide out in the shallow water beyond the open mud, in amongst the Redshanks – unusual behaviour for Cattle Egrets but fascinating to watch. Presumably they had even been waiting out on the saltmarsh for the incoming tide.

Looking inland, the other side, a Red Kite was hanging in the air over the fields in the distance, getting harrassed by crows. A Grey Heron flew across and landed with the cattle out in the middle. A Mediterranean Gull flew in from the harbour and over the seawall, overhead, flashing its pure white wing tips.

It was a great view, looking out across the harbour in the late afternoon sunshine, or inland to the coast road and beyond. A great way to end our two days, watching the Cattle Egrets out in the harbour. It was time to head back.