8th-10th Jan 2024 – Three Winter Days

A 3-day Private Tour, with some specific targets we wanted to see. It was cloudy and cold on Monday, though the wintry flurries were thankfully brief and light, but with a very blustery and cold NE wind which hampered us at times. Tuesday and Wednesday were much brighter with some nice long spells of winter sunshine, though the wind only eased slowly.

Monday 8th January

Our primary target today was to see if we could locate the Red-breasted Goose. Figuring it didn’t fly out from the saltmarsh to the fields until around 10am yesterday, we decided to head down to Wells first and have a look in the harbour. We could see the trees being lashed around when we arrived in the car park and as we got up past the lifeboat station, we were face on into the biting cold wind. We had a quick scan from the slipway – four distant Red-breasted Mergansers were in the outer channel, and a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits and a Grey Plover were feeding along the near edge in front of us. A Curlew was on the shore the other side, and lots of Dunlin were running around on the wet sand behind.

Red-breasted Merganser – in the channel

We walked back and round behind the new lifeboat station and managed to get some shelter from the wind behind the groynes. Three more Red-breasted Mergansers were in the channel much closer here, two males and a female, and the males started displaying briefly.

There were more waders opposite here, a few Knot, Ringed Plover, more Bar-tailed Godwits. A Greenshank was in the mouth of the small channel opposite before it disappeared round behind the sand. Further up, lots of Oystercatchers were roosting on the sandbar, with a big group of Knot in a tight flock in amongst them. A group of Shelducks were sleeping on the sand too.

Oystercatcher & Knot – roosting

We got a message now to say that the Red-breasted Goose was already in the fields where we had looked for it yesterday afternoon, so we walked straight back to the minibus and drove over. Before we got there, apparently the farmer had already been out and flushed all the Brent Geese. Most had flown off, but there were still a few hundred there, though unfortunately they were super nervous now and took off again as soon as we drove up, landing out of view behind a hedge.

We drove round to the next road over and looked back. We couldn’t see the field where the flock was at first, but there were lots of Lapwings in the field in front of us and several Fieldfares feeding in with lots of Starlings. The Brent Geese came up again, off in the distance, and whirled round, before dropping down again out of view. We wouldn’t be able to see them from this side.

We made our way back round to where we had started, and the Brent flock was back in a field visible from the road now. They were more distant from the road but once again they took off as soon as we slowed to pull up. It felt like it might be another frustrating wild goose chase, but thankfully this time they landed again still in view just a little further back, far enough that we could even get out of the minibus to look through with the scopes.

The Red-breasted Goose was in the flock with the Brents but it was very hard to see at first, as it sat down in the middle of the group. Before we even had a proper chance to look the farmer was back on his ATV to flush the geese, presumably attracted by our presence. Kindly he at least allowed us a couple of minutes before he drove, and all at least had a quick look at the Red-breasted Goose before the Brent flock took off of their own accord and flew off over the road further up.

Red-breasted Goose – taken elsewhere recently!

A good start, but we wanted to see if we could get better views. The farmer rode off and we continued on down the road to see if we could find where the Brents had landed. They were a couple of fields over, behind a hedge, and pretty much out of view. But we noticed a gap in the hedge, found somewhere to pull off the road, and set up the scope. Remarkably, there was the Red-breasted Goose in the gap! We had a better view of it now, for a minute or so, before all the geese moved further back in the field out of view again.

There were some light wintry flurries and it was very cold in the wind, so we got in the minibus and made our way back down to the coast. We stopped at Holkham – the Shorelarks had been reported again this morning, so we thought we would look for those, and we particularly wanted to look for Velvet Scoters too. When we got out to the saltmarsh, people walking back told us the Shorelarks had been flushed by a Merlin and flown off high west. We scanned the beach around the Gap, but couldn’t see anything out there, so continued on out to the dunes.

We managed to find a spot out of the wind and quickly located the Common Scoters. They were quite close in, several thousand of them, but the sea was rough, so it was tricky to pick out anything in with them on the water. Thankfully, they had split into several groups and birds were flying between the flocks. The Velvet Scoters were easy to see in flight, with the bright white flash in their wings, and we eventually counted at least 15 of them before the scoters all settled down again.

On our way back, we had a quick look out on the saltmarsh west of the Gap, but there were no birds there at all, so we cut back in through the pines to the Lookout for lunch. After lunch, as we drove back up Lady Anne’s Drive, we could see lots of waders feeding on the flooded fields, so we got out for a closer look. We could see a good number of Ruff and Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, and a couple of Dunlin too.

Barnacle Geese – probably from the Park

Back out on the main road, we stopped to look at the geese in their usual field. There was a big flock of Barnacle Geese in here today, at least a couple of hundred, which seem to be the feral Holkham breeders which have returned early this year. There were at least 50 White-fronted Geese too, mostly over the back of the field but a small group were much closer. A couple of Pink-footed Geese and the usual Greylags made for a very good goose selection! We made our way on west, with a quick stop to look at four Grey Partridges in a field by the road, and on to Titchwell.

White-fronted Geese – by the road again

The car park at Titchwell was remarkably quiet. Once we got out of the trees on the main path, we could see why – the bitter wind was gusting 36-37mph in off the sea and across the open marshes. We couldn’t see any Water Pipits on the reedbed pool, just a few Pied Wagtails, but it was just too cold to linger long here this afternoon. The Freshmarsh was pretty much empty, as birds had presumably sought shelter elsewhere. We continued on to check the Tidal Pool and were rewarded with another Greenshank. There were lots of ducks roosting on here, but no sign of any Pintail. It was hard to keep the scopes still, so we decided to head back to shelter.

The light was already starting to go. We had a quick look at Thornham Harbour, hoping we might pick up something coming through, heading to Titchwell to roost, from the shelter of the minibus but it was too blustery. Time to head for home. We had one last surprise – as we drove back inland, what looked like a piece of white rubbish blowing across the road ahead of us turned out to be a Stoat in full ermine as we got closer and we could see it in the base of the hedge next to the road.

Tuesday 9th January

We had a particular request to try to see a Long-eared Owl, so we headed over to the Fens this morning. It was a lovely sunny morning for the long drive with wall to wall blue skies, and just a light frost. When we arrived and disembarked, it was nice to find that the wind was a lot lighter inland too. As we walked in along the track, a Fieldfare flew up from the verge and landed in the hedge beside us. A Green Woodpecker laughed behind us and landed in the top of a dead tree.

Fieldfare – in the hedge

We walked down to the hide and opened the flaps. A quick scan revealed a Long-eared Owl tucked in the ivy, very close to the hide. We could see two eyes staring back at us, until it went back to sleep, and most of one of its ear tufts, between the leaves. There was probably a second Long-eared Owl deep in the ivy too.

Long-eared Owl – trying to hide

There were not so many ducks as normal on the main lake, only a few distant Goldeneye and no sign of any Goosander, as well as the regular Gadwall, Wigeon, Teal and Tufted Duck. There were a couple of distant Common Pochard too.

Goldeneye – on the main lake

There has been a Glossy Ibis on site for the last week or so, so we went on to look for that now. Out on the riverbank, the pools it had apparently been on were frozen over, so we walked downstream to look at the west pit. The wet grass around the edges of that were frozen too, and there was a work party out there over the far side, cutting trees and having bonfires, so probably no chance of it feeding on there today. We walked back up and another birder appeared who pointed out that that the Glossy Ibis was along the side of the river further upstream. You had to stand in just the right spot to see it between the trees, but we got it in the scopes now and had a good view.

Glossy Ibis – on the edge of the river

We made our way back to round to the hide, and the Long-eared Owl we had seen earlier had shrunk back into the leaves. We could see another one more clearly now, but where it had chosen to perch, we could see its bottom half but its head was completely hidden.

We had options to spend the rest of the day exploring the Fens, but with nothing on the particular target list elsewhere here, the decision was made to head back in to Norfolk. As we were passing, we stopped briefly on the King’s Lynn bypass to check the Hardwick flood lagoon. There has been a Black-throated Diver on here for a couple of weeks, but we couldn’t find it now. It may have been out of view in one of the bays or behind the reeds. It had been much calmer inland but we were back in the blustery wind now, and it was time for lunch, so we decided not to hang around.

We only had a couple of hours left this afternoon, so we made our way up to Titchwell again, to see if we could find some of the birds we had missed in the weather yesterday. After a quick lunch in the picnic area, we headed out onto the reserve. It was very windy out on the main path beyond the trees again, if anything worse than yesterday, though at least it was still bright and sunny today. There was no sign of the Water Pipit again and the Freshmarsh was empty – probably a combination of the wind and diggers working on the marsh at the moment, currently fixing the east bank sluice.

We continued on out past the Volunteer Marsh. Four Pintail flew in past us, circled over the Freshmarsh behind us, and then headed back out towards the beach, a nice addition to the trip list. Out at the Tidal Pool, there were lots of birds but it was next to impossible to keep the scope stable enough in the wind. The birds were all facing away from us too, into the wind. There were more Grey Plover sheltering on here today, and more Common Redshanks, but we still couldn’t find any sign of the Spotted Redshank. We had a quick look at the sea from the lee of the dunes, which was cutting up quite rough. The Sanderling were still running up and down along the shore.

Woodcock – hiding in the sallows

We headed back to the shelter of the sallows and cut in along Meadow Trail. There have been some good counts of Woodcock coming in to roost very early in the mornings here in recent days, so we thought we might be able to find one roosting under the trees. The first bird we found was a Water Rail feeding on the edge of a small pool deep under the trees. Then a little further on, we found a Woodcock too. Success! It was tucked in amongst the branches, but by moving around we could get a good view of most of it, We spent some time watching that, before it moved deeper in. Then a little further on, we quickly found a second Woodcock too, feeding close to the path. It was a little too close though and quickly disappeared back in between the branches.

A member of staff walking past told us that the Water Rail was back in the ditch by the main path, so we walked round to see that. Good views even if the light was now starting to go. A very successful couple of hours here, and the sun was setting now as we walked back to the car park.

Water Rail – back in the ditch

Wednesday 10th January

On our way down to the coast, we drove round via Wiveton. A lone Cattle Egret was still in one of the flooded fields by the road, despite the absence of any livestock. We wanted to look for the Velvet Scoters along the coast east of Cley this morning, as they have been close in at times. The wind was meant to drop today, which would make viewing ducks on the sea easier, but it hadn’t gone down as much as forecast and it was still rather blustery when we got out of the minibus.

We had a quick look at Salthouse first, as the scoter flock had been down this end yesterday afternoon. We couldn’t see any off the beach here – a young Grey Seal was hauled out near the top of the shingle and looked up at us as we came over the crest. A flock of 11 Red-throated Divers flew past out to sea, catching the early morning light.

Grey Seal – on the shingle

The scoter are more regularly off Kelling, so we headed round there next. As we parked in the village, a Grey Wagtail flew up out of the beck. The top part of the lane was quiet – the verges have been mown to within an inch of their lives, all the seedy vegetation is gone along the beck, and the hedges shredded back again. Presumably so it looks ‘tidy’! As we got down to the crosstrack, two Grey Partridges flew out of the field ahead of us, landing briefly on the path before flying off again. There were lots of Rooks feeding out on the Quags, which looked particularly smart in the low winter sunshine.

There was a nice selection of ducks on the Water Meadow pool. As the high water levels of recent days are receding, there is some nice wet grass appearing round the edges. As we looked over the hedge in the far corner, a Common Snipe came up from the vegetation. Just beyond, a couple of Brown Hares had taken shelter from the wind behind a small bramble clump and were warming themselves in the morning sun.

Brown Hares – sheltering from the wind

As we climbed up to the top of the shingle, there was a large raft of Common Scoter quite close inshore, but they were very nervous and flew before we could down from the skyline the other side. There was no sign of any Velvet Scoters in with them, and they landed further east with another larger raft. We scanned through them, several hundred strong, but they were mostly facing into the wind, so away from us, and diving continually. We picked up a smaller group just to the west of us, which was easier to look through and found a smart drake Eider in with them. We had some really nice views of the Common Scoters now too.

The scoter started to drift back inshore and gather in front of us, but were flushed again by two people walking along the shoreline and went off east again. We waited and scanned, and gradually they returned once more. We could see them much better now and finally we started to find the Velvet Scoters in with the Commons, at least three of them though it was hard to keep track. Lovely views new, quite close in, with the Eider alongside them at one point too.

Eider & Velvet Scoter – with the Common Scoter

It was cold out on the beach, so we decided to head back and warm up. A Water Rail scuttled across between clumps of rushes as we passed the pool. We had a couple of options now – we could go back to Holkham to have another go for the Shorelarks, or we could head out to Stiffkey Fen to see if we could relocate a Glaucous Gull which had been seen earlier, distantly out on Blakeney Point. We knew the latter would be a long shot, but the preference was to have a walk out there.

As we got up onto the seawall, a Greenshank was on the mud in the channel in front of us, along with several Redshanks and a tight flock of Dunlin which flew up and whirled round. The water level on the Fen is very high, so we made our way straight round to the corner of the coastal path overlooking the harbour and found a sheltered spot out of the wind.

There were lots of gulls out in the harbour, but no sign of the Glaucous Gull. We could see several groups of Great Black-backed Gulls out on the sands beyond, feeding on a number of seal carcasses, and those were just the ones we could see from here so there was plenty of food around. More gulls were roosting in larger groups on the mud closer to us. The light was really good and there was a nice selection of waders out in the harbour, plus a good number of roosting Pintail and several distant Red-breasted Mergansers out in the Pit.

It was time for lunch, so we made our way back. A Stonechat was getting chased around on the seawall by a Robin now. We decided to head round to Stiffkey Greenway where we could look out over the saltmarsh. On the way, we pulled up briefly in the village opposite the Red Lion. The Glossy Ibis was feeding out on the grass on the near edge of the flood today, so we had really good views of it as it probed its long bill into the grassy tussocks, better than the views we had yesterday.

Glossy Ibis – better views than yesterday

When we arrived at Greenway, a Red Kite was hanging in the air over the saltmarsh and drifted across right in front of us. We could see its was carrying a white wing tag and managed to grab a couple of photos so we could read the code. It turned out to have been ringed further east in Norfolk last June. There was a bit more raptor action while we ate – a juvenile Peregrine chased a small wader round and round high over the saltmarsh for a while, but showed its inexperience, as it kept missing it; a female Marsh Harrier flew past in front of us too.

Red Kite – wing tagged

It was heading for 2pm, so given the raptor activity, we decided to go straight round to Warham Greens now to see what we could catch up with there. We had just pulled up on the concrete pad, and were looking through the birds in the nearby hedge, when we had a glimpse of a harrier over the field behind. It was a ringtail, so we leapt out and got to the field entrance where we could see it going away from us over the field – a ringtail Hen Harrier. It banked over the hedge and we lost sight of it as it went round behind the old barn. A good start!

Down at the edge of the saltmarsh, one person was already there. Apparently we had just missed a Merlin and as we scanned back and forth it was now rather quiet. There were one or two distant Marsh Harriers over the back of the saltmarsh and a Peregrine briefly over East Hills. As we got closer to 3pm, raptor activity picked up again. A few more Marsh Harriers flew in and then a smart grey male Hen Harrier drifted across and landed out on the saltmarsh. A ringtail Hen Harrier flew past over the back of the saltmarsh too.

Just after 3pm, we picked up a ringtail harrier flying out from the fields to our left. As it turned, we could see its slim wings and pointed ‘hands’, with only four visible primary tips, the Pallid Harrier! It flew across low over the saltmarsh towards us, and we could see it had a bulging crop, so it had fed well. Then it dropped down onto the saltmarsh out of view behind some bushes.

Pallid Harrier – flew in early

We waited a couple of minutes to see if the Pallid Harrier might come back up quickly, but it could sit there now until it was time to roost. We had already been here some time and it couldn’t be called warm, so with mission accomplished we decided to call it a day.

As we made our way back up the track, several skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew in over the fields calling. A lovely sight – and sound – against the pink-tinged clouds and a fitting way to wrap up our three days.

3rd Nov 2023 – Late Autumn, Day 1

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

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

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

Pink-footed Geese – coming in

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

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

Red-throated Diver – flew past

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

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

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

Whooper Swans – just flown in

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

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

Long-tailed Duck – still on the pools

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

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

Snow Bunting – 1 of 10 today

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

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

Parasol – an impressively large one!

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

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

Common Darter – enjoying the sunshine

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

Little Grebe – in the catchwater drain

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

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

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

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

Egyptian Geese – on the Water Meadow

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

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

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

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

Starlings – feeding in the wet grass

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

Cattle Egrets – some of the 22

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

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

16th Sept 2023 – Autumn Tour, Day 1

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

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

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

Kestrel – flew in

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

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

Arctic Skua – flew in over the Serpentine

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

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

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

Red-throated Diver – close in

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

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

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

Common Snipe – in front of the hide

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

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

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

Long-billed Dowitcher – woke up for a while!

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

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

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

Swallows – still three juveniles in the hide

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

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

Spoonbill – a short-billed juvenile

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

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

Stonechat – on the brambles

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

9th June 2023 – Early Summer, Day 1

Day 1 of a 3-day Summer Tour. It was cloudy but dry all day, with a very cold and blustery ENE wind which kept temperatures down noticeably on the coast (little did we know how much that was about to change!). We spent the day along the North Norfolk coast.

The Bee-eaters which bred here last year had returned to Trimingham a couple of weeks earlier, so we decided to head over there first thing this morning to see if we could catch up with them. As we got out of the minibus it was decidedly cold in the wind – not ideal weather for Bee-eaters! We walked through the hedge onto the footpath and stopped to scan the wires in the distance and there were two Bee-eaters, quickly joined by the third. We got them in the scope and enjoyed good, if more distant views from here.

Bee-eater – one of the males

We were then met by one of the locals who has been keeping an eye on the birds while the watchpoint was being set up, and we walked up to the next field. We were closer here, and had great views of the Bee-eaters on the wires, flying down and catching bumblebees in the quarry below. We watched the pair courtship feeding, the male presenting bees to the female, and even mating. The other male kept trying to get involved, but when it landed next to the female with a bee, it was chased off by the primary male.

Bee-eater – one playing gooseberry

There were Linnets and Goldfinches flying around and landing on the wires too, and a Common Whitethroat singing from the bushes. In the cold wind, several Swallows and Sand Martins were hawking low over the grass trying to find any flying insects. A Kestrel circled over the quarry and a Common Buzzard flew over the field beyond.

Having drunk our fill of the Bee-eaters, we drove back to Cley and parked at the Visitor Centre. Having arranged our permits, we set off to walk to the hides. A Hobby shot in over the car park and disappeared straight off over the Centre, but a Kestrel was more obliging, hovering over the Skirts path. We could hear Reed Warblers and Sedge Warblers singing, but they were keeping down out of the wind, whereas a male Reed Bunting was perched precariously on a swaying reed stem singing.

We went in to Teal Hide first. There were lots of birds on Pat’s Pool – several Tundra Ringed Plovers and Little Ringed Plovers, lots of Avocets though with few chicks seemingly left now, a single Black-tailed Godwit and two Dunlin in breeding plumage but no sign of the Little Stint which had been here earlier. We heard Greenshank calling on our way out, but there was no sign of them now either, just Redshanks. A Marsh Harrier patrolled over the reeds beyond.

Teal – one of several

Amongst the regular ducks on the scrape were some more unseasonal wildfowl – including several Teal, presumably mostly returning failed breeders, and a female Wigeon swam past right in front of the hide. A pair of Swallows kept coming into the hide and we realised they had a nest on one of the rafters – they were perched just a few feet away from us!

Swallows – nesting in the hide

It was warm out of the wind in the lee of the hides on the boardwalk as we walked back out. One of the group spotted a Drinker moth caterpillar on a reed stem and we then found a tiny Diamond-back Moth nearby (amazing to think that it had possibly migrated here from foreign climes!). An impressive-looking Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn beetle was on the vegetation here too.

Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn beetle

We had a quick look in Dauke’s Hide. The water level has been raised on Simmond’s Scrape and there were not so many birds on here today – three Oystercatchers being the only notable addition, and there was no sign of the other waders on here either. When we heard everything alarm calling over on Pat’s Pool, we looked over to see the Hobby flying through again, before disappearing off over the reedbed beyond.

As we made our way back to the Visitor Centre, a Red Kite drifted in from the fields beyond and past us over to the reedbed. Despite the wind, we could sit on the picnic tables to eat our lunch. A couple of Spoonbills now flew in and out of Pat’s Pool and a nice male Marsh Harrier flew in across the near edge of the reeds. A smart male Greenfinch was singing, and landed in the big hawthorn bush just the other side of the road.

Marsh Harrier – a male flew past

After lunch, we made our way along to Kelling. It was breezy even in the lane today, and apart from several Goldfinches coming down to bathe in the beck at the top of the lane, a couple of Speckled Wood butterflies, and an impressive Hornet Hoverfly (Volucella zonaria), there was not much of note until we got down to the copse, where a couple of Blackcaps were calling. Looking out from the gate, a Brown Hare was on the Water Meadow but ran behind the bushes as we walked up. A Kestrel flew over and there were two more Teal on the Water Meadow pool.

Hornet Hoverfly Volucella zonaria

A Common Whitethroat was singing in the brambles by the track and perched up nicely briefly. We stopped to watch a family of Stonechats on the crosstrack, male, female and one or two streaky juveniles. There were also a few Linnets, Sedge Warbler singing and a Reed Bunting perched up in the bushes. Continuing on down to the Hard, there were more Linnets and Stonechats in the brambles and several Common Blue butterflies in the grassy area behind the beach.

Stonechat – one of the males

We took the permissive path up the hill and stopped to look out to sea. Three Sandwich Terns flew past, and one of the group noticed two drake Common Scoter on the sea, quite close in, which we got in the scope. Up at the gun emplacements, the Wheatear was still present around the pill box below the weather station, but there was no sign of yesterday’s Black Redstart nor Whinchat. As we walked back down, we stopped to look at a lone Bee Orchid which one the group had noticed on the way up.

Bee Orchid – by the path

There had been a Rose-coloured Starling at Titchwell the last few days, but it could be elusive at times and had been reported to have flown off west this morning, so when it reappeared in its favoured garden in the village this afternoon, we decided to head over and see if we could see it. It was a chance to get out of the wind, and we had done a lot of walking already today. When we arrived, it had disappeared into a garden and a small crowd had gathered on the pavement, looking across a field at the bushes on the edge. We joined them and waited a short while.

There were lots of Starlings coming and going, several juveniles, and lots of common garden birds. A couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers flew in and out repeatedly. We watched for about 45 minutes, before we had to call time – enthusiasm was waning and we had to get back for dinner. By the time we got back to base, we could see it was another 25 minutes after we left before the Rose-coloured Starling finally reappeared. We had thought we might get the chance to have another go on another day, but it was the last time it was seen that evening. Still, lots of other birds for us to see instead!

12th May 2023 – Four Days of Spring, Day 2

Day 2 of a 4-day Spring Tour today. In contrast to yesterday, it was a very grey and windy day today, and much cooler. It really didn’t feel like spring! A band of rain was forecast to pass over around the middle of the day, and indeed it did, even if the timing was not quite what was expected. Still, we persevered and had a good day out in which we managed to avoid getting too wet too.

Our destination for the morning was Cley. We parked below Walsey Hills and as we walked along past Snipe’s Marsh, a Reed Warbler was singing from the reeds.

When we got up on the East Bank, a male Marsh Harrier was quartering over the reeds beyond. We stood for a while and scanned the reeds and marshes, keeping one eye on North Foreland plantation behind us. A couple of Little Egrets flew out of the trees and headed out across the reserve. A family of Coot was on Don’s Pool, the young still with bare red heads, and a Little Grebe appeared briefly. A drake Common Pochard was further up the channel in the reeds. Out on the grazing marsh the other side, a couple of Lapwings were displaying and a flock of Black-tailed Godwits flew over.

We looked back to see a Spoonbill fly out of the trees now, and drop down onto a small pool on the grazing marsh. It started feeding, with its head down, then walked out and across to the next pool. We had some nice views of it in the scope, an adult with yellow-tipped black bill and shaggy nuchal crest. It flew further back and walked down into the channel out of view, and a few minutes later, flew back towards the trees. What was presumably a second Spoonbill then flew out and did a similar thing, flying back this time with nest material in its bill.

Spoonbill – commuting to and from the marshes

Continuing up along the bank, the Bearded Tits were keeping down due to the wind today. We heard calling a few times, and had some brief glimpses of birds flying over the reeds. A Sedge Warbler was singing from the channel below the bank.

Up at the Serpentine we spotted a Common Sandpiper feeding along the muddy edge at the far end. By the time we got up there, another two Common Sandpipers had appeared and we watched the three of them running round on the mud together with a Redshank. A couple of Cormorants and a young Great Black-backed Gull were on the islands on Pope’s Pool at the back, but otherwise it was fairly quiet out here today.

Common Sandpiper – 1 of 3 on the Serpentine

We pressed on to the shelter by Arnold’s Marsh and settled onto the bench on the back, out of the wind, overlooking the Brackish Pools. A single female Pintail was still lingering with the other ducks out in the middle. We braved the other side of the shelter briefly, but there was not much out on Arnold’s Marsh today, probably due to the wind.

Continuing on to the beach, there were a few terns feeding offshore, a pair of Little Terns battling in to the wind, three or four Common Terns slightly to the east of us and a single Sandwich Tern which flew west. A couple of adult Gannets flew past further out. It was rather blustery out here and everyone was getting cold, so we didn’t spend too long out here today, and set off to walk back. A few of the Black-tailed Godwits had dropped down onto the Serpentine to feed now.

We had a quick look in the trees at Walsey Hills, where it was a little more sheltered. There were plenty of Goldfinches, plus a few Chaffinches and tits coming to the feeders. The Garden Warbler which had been singing in the trees up by the ringing hut had retreated to the willows this morning. We stopped to listen and compare the songs of Blackcap and Garden Warbler here. We could hear Skylarks singing over the fields beyond, but they had gone quiet by the time we got out of the bushes.

It was spitting with rain already, earlier than forecast, so we made our way round to the Visitor Centre, to get a hot drink and warm up and get permits to use the hides. The rain was already getting heavier by the time we were ready to set off, but we waited for a bit of a lull and then walked out, thankfully not getting too wet in the process.

From Dauke’s Hide, we looked out at Simmond’s Scrape. A small flock of Dunlin was very jumpy in the wind, repeatedly taking off and whirling round, and there were more Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the shallow water. Several Avocets were still down on nests incubating. A female Lapwing was sheltering a juvenile under its breast feathers on the bank right in front of the hide, which then came out and ran around in the grass.

Lapwing – the juvenile

A pair of Gadwall swam across the channel and climbed up onto the bank in front of us, allowing us to get a very close view of the complex patterning of the drake’s plumage. A female Mallard swam across too, with several ducklings.

Gadwall – a smart drake

Scanning over Pat’s Pool, a we found another Common Sandpiper on the muddy bank in the corner. A Little Ringed Plover dropped in on the mud too, but quickly disappeared in behind the humps. A single Bar-tailed Godwit appeared with the Black-tailed Godwits and a Curlew dropped in briefly, before flying on west. Perhaps some migrant waders were moving today, despite the weather.

There were lots of Sand Martins hawking low over the water and several along the far bank, in the lee of the reedbed, even landing on the mud. Probably wishing they had not made the long journey back here from Africa! A Bittern boomed briefly and a male Marsh Harrier flew in with prey, but dropped down into the reeds out of view rather than waiting for the female to come up.

We could see brighter sky beyond Sheringham, and the darker cloud cleared through fairly quickly and the rain stopped. We walked back and it was dry now. We had a quick stop in at the Visitor Centre to use the facilities, but it was too windy for lunch at the picnic area today, so we drove round to the beach car park and found somewhere to sit out of the wind in the beach shelter, looking out over the Eye Field.

We were just finishing lunch, when we spotted a flock of twenty Whimbrel flying west over Eye Field. Looking more closely, we realised there was a single Bar-tailed Godwit in with them. Nice to see migrants definitely on the move today. There were a few terns offshore here too, including two Little Terns and a Sandwich Tern. A distant small flock of Common Scoter flew past.

Whimbrel – mostly, spot the odd one out!

After lunch, we drove east and stopped for a quick look at the pools along Iron Road. The cows were taking an interest in us and followed as we walked out, but despite looking carefully we couldn’t see anything around their feet today. There were just a couple of Redshank on the muddy pool to the east and a pair of Wigeon were the only thing of note on the main pool.

We continued on to Kelling and walked down the lane. Lots of Rooks were flying in and out of the pines behind the school and a large number of Woodpigeons were in the cultivated field to the west. We stopped to admire some Brown Hares hunkered down in the weedy field next to the lane, and found several Red-legged Partridges in there too. There was not much singing in the wind in the hedges along the lane. Down by the gate, we could see more Hares on the slope in the field beyond the Water Meadow.

There was not much on the Water Meadow pool today, just a pair of Egyptian Geese and several Mallard. A Common Whitethroat was singing from the brambles along the path to the Hard and a Reed Bunting was doing its best from the back of the blackthorn. We looked up to see three Hares chasing round at the top of the grassy slope, and saw some brief fighting but not really full on boxing this afternoon.

Brown Hares – fighting

There were lots of Linnets and Meadow Pipits in the bushes behind the Hard and three Stonechats down in the grass below the gun emplacements, but no sign of any migrants here today. We turned round and set off back. A Kestrel was hovering on the edge of the Quags in front of us, so we stopped to marvel at how it still managed to keep its head so still, despite the wind.

Kestrel – hovering

We had a quick look in at Stiffkey Fen to finish. A Lesser Whitethroat was singing by the road as we got out. Taking the house down by the river, there were no House Martins round the house today – hopefully there is still time for them to return. A female Bullfinch and a couple of Long-tailed Tits flicked off ahead of us in the sallows above the path.

Looking over the reeds from the path, we could see a Spoonbill on the Fen, but we had a better view from up on the seawall. At least until it went to sleep – typical Spoonbill!

Spoonbill – asleep

A Whimbrel was preening behind the reeds on the near side of the Fen before it flew off past us and out into the harbour. There were several Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets, but otherwise all we could find here was another Common Sandpiper on here today.

Whimbrel – off towards the harbour

It was still grey and windy and feeling cold, so we made our way back. Hopefully the weather might be better tomorrow.

18th April 2023 – Spring Private Tour, Day 1

Day 1 of a 2-day Spring Tour in North Norfolk today. It was a lovely bright and sunny day, but chilly in the blustery NE wind, coming in off the cold North Sea, and warm out of it.

Our first destination for the morning was Cley. We parked below Walsey Hills and as we got out of the minibus we could hear Little Grebes laughing maniacally from Snipe’s Marsh and Little Egrets bubbling in the wood beyond. A Lesser Black-backed Gull flew over the road and out across the grazing marsh.

It was windy up on the East Bank. Our first Spoonbill of the day appeared over the trees briefly but disappeared back in, whereas a couple of Little Egrets flew out. A Grey Heron flew in over the reeds. A Reed Warbler was singing still from somewhere deep in the reeds, but the Sedge Warblers here seemed to have gone quiet this morning. The chill in the wind was probably not helping. Three Lapwings were displaying out over the grazing marshes.

A male Marsh Harrier flew in over the reedbed carrying something in its talons. We watched and waited for the female to circle up but she barely got above the height of the reeds before the male dropped the food to her. The same thing happened again later – presumably they were keeping down lower today due to the wind.

Further on, we stopped to listen to a Cetti’s Warbler shouting from the reeds just across the ditch below the bank. It flicked along into a nearby sallow, where it perched briefly deep in the branches. We could hear Bearded Tits pinging, and despite the wind had several flight views of them zipping back and forth over the tops of the reeds. Further up, a Sedge Warbler was singing now and we had nice views of it perched in the top of a small elder, swaying around in the breeze. Two or three Reed Buntings flew in and out of the reeds too.

Sedge Warbler – singing

There are fewer ducks on the grazing marsh now, as birds have departed north and east for the breeding season. We did find a few Shoveler and Teal still around the edges of the Serpentine. An Egyptian Goose flew in over the reedbed, showing off its big white wing patches.

There were several Black-tailed Godwits and Avocets on the Serpentine. We got the scope on a male Ruff feeding on the mud on the edge of the water, a rather dark male already well advanced in its moult to breeding body plumage, even if too early for it to be starting to get its ornate ruff yet. A Little Ringed Plover flew in displaying and landed briefly on the mud, before flying off towards Arnold’s Marsh.

Ruff – moulting

We continued on over the main drain and got out of the wind in the lee of the shelter. Scanning the brackish pools, several Pintail were upending, the drakes showing off their long pin-shaped tails. A Turnstone was feeding on the muddy edge at the back, along with a couple of Ringed Plovers, and another Ringed Plover appeared much closer along the far edge. A Whimbrel flew over the path and away west over the reedbed.

There were two Mediterranean Gulls on one of the small islands on the brackish pools, both 2nd summers with jet black hoods and black spots in the their wingtips. A male Marsh Harrier drifted over from the reedbed at one point causing all the gulls to scatter, but it wasn’t long before they were all back again.

Mediterranean Gulls – two, with a Black-headed Gull

A large flock of Curlew flew in over the brackish pools and over the path, landing further back on Arnold’s Marsh. We got the scope on them, and then looked through the rest of the waders out there. There were lots of Redshank and Dunlin, but we couldn’t see anything else in with them this morning. A couple of Linnets were feeding down on the saltmarsh at the front.

We decided to brace the beach. Setting off again, we paused to admire a Meadow Pipit which landed in the alexanders on the edge of the path ahead of us. A pair of Teal dropped in onto the smaller pools just below the bank, the drake looking particularly smart now in the sunshine.

Teal – a smart drake

We had a quick look out at the sea but there was nothing moving offshore today. It was very exposed out here, so we didn’t linger today and turned to head back. A Curlew was now feeding right below the path on the edge of the brackish pools.

Back past the reedbed and we saw more Bearded Tits zipping back and forth over the reeds. A Common Buzzard hung in the air over the fields behind North Foreland plantation. Back to Don’s Pool, a Coot swam across with its bill full of nest material. We had great views of a Little Grebe which was diving in the water just below us. A Spoonbill flew out of the trees, and we watched it disappear off over the hides and drop down into the Glaven channel beyond the West Bank.

Little Grebe – on Don’s Pool

Looked across the road from below Walsey Hills, we could see lots of young Great Black-backed Gulls now on Pope’s Pool. A Bar-tailed Godwit came up from the grazing marsh and we watched it flying away, dropping down towards Arnold’s Marsh. We drove round to the Visitor Centre to use the facilities quickly, then continued on to Morston.

We parked in the National Trust car park down by the harbour and walked up onto the seawall. There were several Oystercatchers and Redshank in the harbour channel but we couldn’t see any sign of the Whimbrel which has been lingering here. A small group of Brent Geese were bathing in the water and there were lots more on the saltmarsh beyond. As we walked east along the path, a Chinese Water Deer was feeding out on the saltmarsh too.

By the paddocks, a quick scan across the grass revealed the Ring Ouzel half way down the field over by the fence. When it turned, we could see its distinctive white gorget. Stopping off on its way to its Scandinavian breeding grounds from North Africa, where it probably spent the winter in the Atlas Mountains, this one has been here for a couple of days now. A nice spring migrant to catch up with here.

Ring Ouzel – still in the paddocks

Once we had all had a good look at the Ring Ouzel, we turned to walk back and immediately spotted the Whimbrel in the channel, between the boats. We had nice views of it through the scope, preening, and then feeding on the muddy bank just behind. Smaller than a Curlew and with a shorter bill, we admired its humbug-striped head pattern.

Whimbrel – in the harbour channel

Back at the car park, a Red Kite drifted over and out across the saltmarsh, flushing all the Brent Geese from the harbour. It was lunch time now, so we decided to make use of the picnic tables here today. A Lesser Whitethroat was singing in the hedge beyond, our first of the year, and a Greenfinch flew round over the toilet block, singing and displaying. Four Swallows appeared, swooping round over the kiosk and the harbour channel several times, before disappearing off over the field behind the hedge. Some spring migrants were still on the move, despite the cold wind.

After lunch, we drove back to Cley and called in at the Visitor Centre to get permits for the reserve. As we walked down the boardwalk towards the hides, we could hear more Bearded Tits calling in reeds, but despite a quick scan from the gate they were clearly keeping their heads down this afternoon. We could see a Spoonbill asleep on Whitwell Scrape, so we headed in to Avocet Hide first. It was only a short walk along the boardwalk through the reeds but by the time we got there, it had flown off. Very annoying of it!

Round to Daukes Hide, the Long-billed Dowitcher was asleep in the grass on one of the islands with the Black-tailed Godwits when we arrived, although we could see the new orange-striped feathers in its upperparts. Suddenly everything spooked and the waders flew round, half the godwits landing in the water in the middle, but the other half flew up to the far end of the scrape, the Long-billed Dowitcher with them. It disappeared behind the island, but started feeding and eventually worked its way further back and out into view again. Now we could watch its distinctive feeding action, rapid bursts of probing into the mud. It has been here for six months now and it will be interesting to see if it leaves us to head north in spring.

A single Bar-tailed Godwit was feeding out in the water in the middle with some of the Black-tailed Godwits. A smart adult male in breeding plumage, the rusty colour of its underparts extended right down under its tail. A Little Ringed Plover appeared on the mud over in the far corner, and we could see its golden yellow eye ring in the scope. A small flock of Dunlin was on here too and kept flying round, jumpy in the wind. We picked up a Common Snipe on the bank on the edge of Whitwell Scrape before it disappeared back into the reeds and we could just see its head.

Gadwall – in front of the hide

A pair of Gadwall were feeding in the channel right in front of the hide, and we had a great view of their intricate plumage details. A small group of Common Gulls were sheltering on the water in the lee of the reeds at the back.

Two Spoonbills flew in and landed at the back of Pat’s Pool so we walked round to Teal Hide for a closer look. One was still awake when we got in, preening. We could see its nuchal crest blowing in the wind, and the yellow tip to its black spoon-shaped bill. Then it walked over to join the other Spoonbill and went to sleep too.

Spoonbills – landed on Pat’s Pool

A Lapwing was on the bank right in front of hide, and looked stunning in the sunshine, its metallic green upperparts with highlights of purple and bronze on the shoulder. There were several more Ruff on the islands, in various different colours and stages of moult. The most confusing wader! A Redshank was feeding along the front edge, much plainer grey upperparts by comparison.

Lapwing – stunning

A pair of Wigeon were on the mud bank along the edge, the only ones we had seen today. The others which spent the winter have departed already for their breeding grounds in Scandinavia or Russia. There were lots of Sand Martins and a couple of Swallows now hawking out over the water.

There were a few large gulls on the islands but when another flew in and landed in the middle of the scrape, it immediately caught our eye. With a persil-white head and small eye, streaked collar, and very pale mantle with restricted black markings, it stood out – a 1st summer Caspian Gull. A nice bonus.

Caspian Gull – flew in

We still had time for one quick last stop so we made our way back to the car par and drove round to Kelling. It was quiet at first as we walked along the lane, just a couple of Chiffchaffs calling in the hedge. On the edge of the Kelling Estate, there were perhaps unsurprisingly lots of Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges. We stopped to admire several Brown Hares sunning themselves out in the fields too.

Brown Hare – enjoying the sun

Down at the copse, the edge by the path was sheltered and in the afternoon sunshine. A Blackcap was singing ahead of us, and flew a little further down where it perched in the bushes preening and we could get it in the scope. A Long-tailed Tit flew in and landed above it. A Chiffchaff was flicking around in the hedge in the sun too and was chased by a second. A Holly Blue butterfly fluttered round over the ivy.

Chiffchaff – in the hedge

From the gate just beyond, we looked out across the grazing marsh. A pair of Egyptian Geese were dozing in the grass and another pair of Red-legged Partridge were on the edge of the rushes just beyond. There were several more Hares in the field behind. A single Swallow hawked back and forth overhead.

Down to the Water Meadow pool, there were a few ducks on the water and a single Little Grebe. One Sand Martin flew over, but there were not so many here today. Perhaps they were the birds we had seen earlier at Cley, which had moved along to feed there in the wind.

From the crosstrack, we stopped to admire a Green Sandpiper feeding on the mud in the freshly cleared beck channel. Another spring migrant stopping off on its way north. A Stonechat hopped up briefly on a fence post distantly on the edge of the field beyond.

Unfortunately we were out of time, and had to head back. It had been a successful and enjoyable first day, and we were looking forward to another day out tomorrow.

11th-13th Oct 2022 – Three Autumn Days

A 3-day Private Tour in North Norfolk, we had some lovely weather with long spells of sunshine and light winds. We enjoyed some very pleasant relaxed general birding up along the coast – just a few of the highlights are summarised in the blog here.

Tuesday 11th October

We started the day at Cley. A quick walk along the footpath failed to produce any obviously freshly arrived migrants, but did give us a nice selection of commoner finches and tits to start the trip list. We then made our way up the East Bank in the sunshine – there were still a few lingering Avocets on Pope’s Pool, and one or two Marsh Harriers over the reedbed, as well as the regular selection of ducks.

There was lots of Bearded Tit activity again, with several small parties zooming back and forth low over the reeds or circling round higher calling, as they tried to work up the courage to disperse. Once or twice they perched up nicely in the reeds for us. There were a couple of Stonechats flitting around in the reeds too. A Kingfisher zipped over the reeds and across the path just ahead of us in a flash of electric blue.

We stopped by the Serpentine to talk a little about wader identification, with some nice close Black-tailed Godwit and juvenile Dunlin to illustrate the talk. Further on, the Brackish Pools held a pair of Pintail, the drake just starting to emerge from eclipse.

A short walk along the old shingle ridge behind Arnold’s quickly located the five Snow Buntings feeding on the short vegetation. We had them to ourselves and they were suitably obliging. They looked stunning in the sunshine – great to watch. On a couple of occasions we heard more Snow Buntings flying over and at one point a sixth landed on the top of the shingle ridge and all six flew out to the beach.

Snow Bunting – on the old shingle ridge

Afterwards, we had a quick look at the sea. There were several Red-throated Divers in various stages of moult just offshore, some still sporting their summer red throats, and several small groups of Razorbills. A trickle of Gannets passed by and there were a few lines of Brent Geese coming in from the continent for the winter. Migration in action!

Red-throated Diver – close inshore

On the way back, one of the Jack Snipe had appeared on Snipe’s Marsh so we stopped for a look through the scope. It was fast asleep, but the Walsey warden then noticed a second Jack Snipe further back which was busily bobbing up and down, as they do, which we had a look at too.

After lunch, we stopped first at Iron Road. There were lots of gulls on the pool, commuting in and out from one of the fields which was being drilled the other side of the road. But the highlight here were all the Ruff, including one juvenile bearing colour rings which had been tagged in southern Norway in August.

From there, we headed to Kelling for a walk down to the Water Meadow to finish the afternoon. Peering over the fence, we could see a Jack Snipe just a few metres from us. It had pressed itself down in the grass and was assuming we couldn’t see it. To be fair, it was extremely well camouflaged!

Jack Snipe – very well camouflaged

There were a few Stonechats on the Quags too, and a quick look at the sea from Kelling Hard produced more Red-throated Divers and in particular lots more Razorbills. There seem to be a lot of them around at the moment. Then it was time to call it a day and head back. More tomorrow.

Wednesday 12th October

Another glorious sunny morning, we started the day at Holkham. We parked at Lady Anne’s Drive and scanned the grazing marshes – a couple of Grey Partridge were feeding out on the grass and we were serenaded by the sound of skeins of Pink-footed Geese flying overhead.

It was a lovely walk west along the track, but small birds were conspicuous by their absence initially, perhaps because there was a bit more of a breeze in the trees today. There had apparently been a movement of finches along the coast earlier, but it seemed to have dried up now and nothing had decided to stop in the sunshine. There were a few Coal Tits and Goldcrests feeding high in the pines. Salts Hole held some nice Gadwall and several Little Grebes again. There were a few insects still out enjoying the sunshine, Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters representing the dragonflies, and a couple of Wall butterflies.

Migrant Hawker – enjoying the sun

Scanning the sea from the dunes, we had good views of about fifty Common Scoter just offshore. Once again, there were lots of Red-throated Divers and Razorbills on the sea, as well as Great Crested Grebes, but we couldn’t find anything rarer in with them today. A few Brent Geese were coming in over the sea again, as was a single Grey Heron which looked more out of place! The highlight here were four Little Gulls which were dip feeding offshore.

On our way back, we finally connected with a couple of tit flocks, and got better views of Goldcrest and Treecreeper in particular. After lunch at The Lookout, we had intended to have a look for the Cattle Egrets but there was nowhere to park. We did see a single Great White Egret out on the grazing marsh as we passed.

We made our way to Wells instead and had a look out in the harbour first. Once again, there was a very nice selection of waders – including lots of Oystercatchers, a nice flock of Knot, close views of Bar-tailed Godwit and Turnstone. The highlight was a couple of Greenshank feeding in the edge of the channel. There were more Brent Geese here today too.

Afterwards, we headed into the woods to finish the day. There were some finches moving now, with several small flocks of Chaffinches passing over. We heard a single Brambling overhead at one point too. There was a nice tit flock in the birches which we stopped to look through, but we couldn’t find anything more unusual with it today.

Our main target in here was to try to catch up with some redpolls (which we had seen here recently) and they gave us the run around for a while in the Dell – we had them fly over calling several times, but whenever we tried to follow them they flew back the other way. We eventually caught up with some in a bare poplar by the back of the boating lake, where two Lesser Redpolls flew in and perched up nicely. Shortly after, a flock of Goldfinches flew in with three Lesser Redpolls now and a single male Siskin with them. A nice way to round off the day.

Thursday 13th October

On our way up to the coast this morning, we stopped first to admire several Yellowhammers in one of the hedges by the road. Several skeins of Pink-footed Geese flew over, coming from the direction of the Wash where they had presumably spent the night. At Choseley, there were flocks of Linnets put up by a Sparrowhawk, along with a few Chaffinches and a couple of Greenfinches.

At Titchwell, there were already quite a few cars in the overflow car park and consequently fewer birds, although a Blackcap did disappear into the apple trees. It felt like a perfect morning for Bearded Tits, sunny and still, but we only heard one or two as we walked out pact the reedbed. Two Great White Egrets circled round and landed down on the reedbed pool.

A lingering Spoonbill was on the Freshmarsh briefly when we arrived, but the real highlight here were the Golden Plover. They were typically very jumpy and kept landing on the new bunds then erupting into the air again, but we counted well over a thousand in the air at one point. They looked stunning the sunshine when they did land. There was a nice selection of other ducks and waders here too, as usual.

Golden Plover – on the new bund

On the way out to the beach, we stopped to look at the Tidal Pools. A Greenshank was asleep at the back and looking carefully through the scope we located the Spotted Redshank roosting with a small group of Common Redshank nearby.

There were eight Snow Buntings out on the beach today, feeding along the tideline to the west. Offshore, it was the recurring theme of lots of smart Red-throated Divers and small rafts of Razorbills, although we did also manage to find a smart drake Eider a little further out.

On the way back, we stopped again to watch the Golden Plovers – stunning! Then as we got to the reedbed we heard Bearded Tits calling and found a small group of about half a dozen feeding in the reeds close to the path. We followed two which flew further down and they ended up coming very close and giving us some fantastic views. It was a very good day for Bearded Tits after all.

Bearded Tit – perfect conditions today

Bearded Tit – showing well

After lunch in the picnic area, we had a quick walk out along Fen Trail. Patsy’s had just a single Common Pochard today and a pair of Pintail. A Grey Wagtail flew west calling, the only migrant we saw on the move here this afternoon. We continued on to the end of Autumn Trail, but apart from the usual Ruff, Avocets, etc, there was nothing more unusual here.

We had a slightly earlier finish planned for this afternoon, so everyone could get away, but we had time for one quick stop on the way back at Holkham and there was no one else there today. The Belted Galloways were hiding in the taller vegetation, but we eventually found the four Cattle Egrets with a different herd of cows further back when they flew round. We could see one through a gap in the reeds in the scope. A Great White Egret flew past.

When a couple of Marsh Harriers circled over the scrape, we noticed a small wader fly up and land again with the Teal. Through the scope, we could just about see it was a Little Stint – a nice bonus late addition to the trip list.

It was lovely here in the sunshine, but unfortunately we had to get back. As we turned to go, a Red Kite circled low overhead, looking particularly stunning in the afternoon light. A nice way to end.

Red Kite – circled overhead

8th Oct 2022 – Autumn Tour, Day 3

Day 3 of a four day Autumn Migration Tour today. It was mostly bright and sunny, with the wind continuing to ease through the day.

To start the day, we headed down to the coast at Cley. We parked at Walsey Hills, but there was no sign initially of the Jack Snipe on Snipe’s Marsh where it had been yesterday – it was probably hiding in the vegetation. The sun was catching the reeds over the far side and we could see several small birds flitting in and out – a couple of late Reed Warblers, a Chiffchaff, a Robin and one or two Blue Tits.

We had a quick walk down along the footpath through the trees. A few birds were coming and going from the feeders, mainly Goldfinches and Chaffinches, plus a few Blue Tits and Great Tits. The Greenfinches were slightly less obliging, mostly flying round overhead and wouldn’t land where we could see them.

We continued on down to the far end. There had been a Yellow-browed Warbler reported here earlier, just heard by someone, but there was no sign now, although we did find a Chiffchaff in the willows at the back. Out into the open beyond the trees, there were lots of Red-legged Partridges at the back of the first field and we could just see lots of Pink-footed Geese in the next field, through the base of the hedge. A Stock Dove flew over with a group of Woodpigeons and two Ruff flew round with some geese.

As we made our way back through the trees, a Greenfinch had now come onto the feeders, so everyone could finally get a look.

We stopped for another quick scan of Snipe’s Marsh, and noticed a Water Rail in the reeds in the corner now. It was hard to see over the reeds so we walked further down to where there was a gap and set the scope up on it. While we were watching it, someone found the Jack Snipe back along the near edge, skulking in the cut reeds, so we walked back and got that in the scopes next. It wasn’t feeding, so wasn’t bouncing, but we got a good look at it.

Jack Snipe – in the cut reeds

From there, we walked over to the East Bank. Several Cetti’s Warblers were singing in the ditch by the road and in the reedbed but remained typically well hidden. All the geese came up from the fields behind North Foreland wood and circled overhead – a few Greylags flew out onto Pope’s but the Pinkfeet headed back down to the fields from whence they had just come.

There was a Little Grebe on the pool by the Skirts path today. We stopped and set up the scopes on Pope’s Pool – there were a few Avocets roosting behind the near bank and lots of Black-tailed Godwits out in the water, along with more Greylags and Wigeon. A good number of Lapwings were hiding in the grass in front. As we walked on, a small group of Canada Geese flew in over the reedbed, a new one for the trip list.

We could hear Bearded Tits calling ahead of us, and looked over to see several perched in the top of the reeds. Before we could get the scopes on them, they flew across, and then dropped back into the reeds again. They were very vocal and very mobile this morning, then they started flying up higher, circling round above the reeds. Several times they erupted from the reeds, before changing their minds and plummeting back in. It was hard to tell if there were several different groups or just changing numbers in the same group, but there was a lot of activity.

Bearded Tits – erupting

It is a feature of Bearded Tits at this time of year – they are not really migrants, but do disperse, particularly after years with very successful breeding. This morning’s display was classic Bearded Tit dispersal restlessness, working up the courage to go. Fantastic to watch!

At one point we looked out across the reedbed, and noticed a pale shape in one of the bushes out in the middle. It was a Barn Owl! It had possibly just come out onto the edge to sun itself, as it didn’t stay long and disappeared deep in, presumably to roost. A nice surprise. There were a couple of male Stonechats in the reedbed too.

There were more ducks on the Serpentine and while we were scanning we noticed a Wheatear on the short grass in front of the water – nice to catch up with an autumn migrant passerine, as they are a bit thin on the ground at the moment.

Wheatear – on the Serpentine

We saw a message to say that the two juvenile Little Stints were still present, up on the brackish pools, so we walked on to see them. We quickly picked up one on the mud towards the back, then the second appeared in among some Shoveler along the north side, where we could really appreciate how small it was as it walked between their legs. It then flew in closer and started picking its way along one of the spits towards the front.

It hasn’t been a particularly big year for Little Stint this autumn, so it was good to be able to catch up with a couple still. There was a single Pintail on here too, and a Common Snipe roosting with a couple of Teal on a small island at the back.

Little Stint – on the brackish pools

The migrant wader theme continued on Arnold’s Marsh with one or two Curlew Sandpipers. One was feeding closer to, but disappeared from view behind the saltmarsh vegetation, and a little while later we picked up the same or another with the Dunlin at the back. A Grey Plover was on the shingle islands too.

Out at the beach, there was a steady movement of Teal today, several small groups coming in low over the sea, as well as a slow stream of Common Gulls past. With a fresh SW wind, the trickle of Gannets passing were rather distant, out towards the wind turbines, although one did come through a little closer. A few Razorbills and Red-throated Divers were out on the sea.

As we made our way back, a Marsh Harrier came in over the marshes, flushing everything. The Jack Snipe was still there, in much the same place as it had been, but it was now fast asleep, its bill tucked in. We made a quick visit to the Visitor Centre to use the facilities, then drove down to Kelling for a quick walk before lunch.

Blackcap – in the lane

It was sheltered in the lane, and warm now out of the wind in the sunshine. A male Blackcap appeared in the top of a hawthorn by the track and a little further on a smart male Chaffinch perched up on the other side, preening. A Chiffchaff flitted in and out of the hedge calling. There were several Ivy Bees still too, enjoying the sun.

There were lots of Rooks and Woodpigeons on the hillside behind the Water Meadow and a few Red-legged Partridges along the fenceline at the bottom. The field opposite the Water Meadow has just been cultivated and more Rooks were feeding in here, looking very smart, there plumage glowing purple in the sunshine.

Rook – in the sunshine

There were a few ducks on the Water Meadow, but nothing out of the ordinary. We stopped to watch a group of at least six Stonechats at the crosstracks, perching on the dead dock heads and dropping down into the grass. Several Linnets flew in and out of the brambles. Then it was time to head back for lunch. A Peacock butterfly perched up in the lane as we passed.

We drove back to the Visitor Centre at Cley for lunch on the picnic tables. There were lots of Lapwings and a few Ruff on Pat’s Pool and when everything erupted we looked over to see a young Peregrine flying over, and watched it disappear off west.

After lunch, we drove down to the Brecks for the remainder of the afternoon. Our main target here was to try to see one of the autumn gatherings of Stone Curlews and we were in luck straight away. We pulled up opposite a field and walked carefully over to the gate overlooking it. We could immediately see several Stone Curlews out in the middle, so got them in the scopes. We could see their large yellow eyes staring back at us.

Stone Curlews – staring back

Some Stone Curlews were standing up and were more obvious, others were sitting down in the furrows and much harder to see. The more we looked the more we saw. We eventually got to a count of at least 60 in the field, and there were almost certainly quite a few more as there is a large dip in the middle of this field. Either way, it was an impressive sight and well worth the drive down to see it.

Stone Curlew – one of at least 60

There were several Tree Sparrows in the hedge nearby too, occasionally dropping down into the field margin. Three Swallows flew over, one stopping just long enough for a drink in a puddle, before heading on south.

The pig fields in the Brecks can be good for gulls and we had a quick look through a large gathering of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in one. They were rather distant, but we could see just a couple of paler mantled gulls in with them. When one stood up, we could see it was an adult Caspian Gull – distinctively shaped, with a long beaky nose and long, parallel sided bill, full breast and long wings.

We still had about half an hour before we had to head back, so we decided to have a quick look to see if any Goshawks were up. But just when we would have wanted it to be windy, the wind seemed to have dropped completely! Consequently, there was no sign of any Goshawks, but we did see a couple of Common Buzzards up. A Sparrowhawk flew past and disappeared into the trees on the other side of the field in front, and later a male came past closer and stopped to have a go at some birds in a cover strip in the middle. A Mistle Thrush flew over the trees at the back, and landed in the top of a lone pine. A large flock of Skylarks flew in.

Then it was time to head back.

12th Sept 2022 – Autumn & Waders, Day 1

Day 1 of a three day Autumn Migration & Wader Spectacular tour. After a cloudy start, it gradually brightened up and was hot and sunny by the middle of the day. It was forecast to stay mostly dry today, but it didn’t – it then clouded over through the afternoon and a band of rain moved in. The most reliable thing about the weather forecast is that it is very often wrong! Thankfully we had already enjoyed a good day by that stage.

Our first destination for the morning was Cley. A Common Buzzard was circling out over the grazing marsh as we got out of the minibus. Walsey Hills can be good if there are migrants arriving, so we went in for a quick look first thing to see if anything had come in overnight. A Cetti’s Warbler was practicing singing ahead of us deep in the bushes.

There were lots of Goldfinches around the feeders, and one or two Greenfinches with them. A succession of Blue Tits and Great Tits came in too. Further in, a Blackcap flicked up briefly in the top of a large hawthorn and we stopped briefly to admire the Ivy Bees buzzing around the ivy flowers by the path. There were lots of Chiffchaffs flicking in and out of the willows at the back, but no sign of anything more unusual in here today.

Ivy Bees – on the ivy flowers

We continued along the path just out beyond the bushes and into the fields beyond. Three Red-legged Partridges flew up out of the stubble, and several Pheasants erupted from the other side of the fenceline. The shooting season is upon us again! We could see some distant Woodpigeons on the wires and one smaller bird with them, a single Stock Dove. Through the scope, we could see it lacked a white collar and had dark spots on its wings.

Back out, we crossed the road and made our way over to the East Bank. A Marsh Harrier was hanging in the air distantly over the reedbed. There were three Little Grebes on Don’s Pool this morning, but all adults and no sign of the small stripy juveniles we have been watching here recently. The pair were diving together but there was no sign of them hurrying to feed anything. Two down to zero already?

Little Grebe – no juveniles today

A little further on, we stopped to scan the grazing marsh the other side. There were lots of brown ducks hiding in the grass, mostly eclipse drake Mallards, and a nice selection of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler further back on the edge of the pool – again all the drakes are currently in their duller eclipse plumage. There were plenty of Greylags too and a flock of Canada Geese flew over the reeds further back presumably heading inland to feed on the stubble fields.

We could see several Lapwings and Curlews in the grass with the ducks. Further back, on Pope’s Pool, there were lots of Black-tailed Godwits and a four Avocets.

On the near end of the Serpentine, there were more Teal and three juvenile Shelduck. A few Pied Wagtails were chasing round on the short grass. Three Black-tailed Godwits were all rusty juvenile Icelandic birds – it looks like it might have been a good breeding season for them this year?

Little Stints – three on the Serpentine today

Further up, we could see a group of small waders in the north-west corner, so we walked up for a closer look. Three juvenile Dunlin were picking around in the shallow water with three juvenile Little Stints, very close to the bank. We had a very nice view of them through the scope, a good size comparison with the two species side by side – Dunlin is already a small wader, but the Little Stints were only about 2/3 the size!

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover was lurking on the mud down in the vegetation at the front too. Through the scope, we could see the ghosting of the pale eye ring which will be golden yellow when it is an adult. A Common Snipe was even better hidden, asleep in the longer grass behind. We could hear Bearded Tits calling on and off behind us, but despite regular turning round to scan, there was no sign of them emerging from the reeds. It was perhaps a bit breezy here this morning.

Little Ringed Plover – a juvenile

Continuing on to Arnold’s Marsh, there were four Sandwich Terns out on the small shingle islands. We got the scope on them and admired their yellow-tipped black bills and shaggy crests. There were plenty of Redshank feeding in the water and lots of Dunlin roosting on here today, asleep on the shingle islands and hiding in vegetation at back, probably pushed out of Blakeney Harbour by big spring tide. We couldn’t find any sign of the Curlew Sandpipers which had been reported here earlier, but they could easily have been lurking in the vegetation too, out of view.

A Wheatear flicked out onto the sand right at the back, but disappeared almost immediately into the samphire before anyone could get onto it. A huge flock of Meadow Pipits flushed from the grass at the back and flew round calling.

Out at the beach, the sea was flat calm today. It looked quiet, but the more we scanned the more we found. A distant Red-throated Diver flew east and a small flock of Common Scoter flew past along the horizon. Three Gannets, an adult and two juveniles, circled out over the sea before continuing on east.

Five Mediterranean Gulls, all 1st winters, were bobbing on the sea to the east of us – we had a look at them in the scope before they took off and flew past. Then we noticed a larger gull coming in off the sea in the distance to the west. It landed on the beach with a couple of Herring Gulls towards Coastguards and through the scope, we confirmed out suspicions – it was a 1st calendar year Caspian Gull (moulting from juvenile to 1st winter). It lingered just long enough for everyone to have a look through the scope, before it disappeared off to the west.

Suddenly several Sandwich Terns started calling and diving down to the sea a short distance to the east. We looked over to see fish jumping out of the water around them – something was obviously attacking the bait from below. Any gulls in the vicinity immediately flew in to join them and two Common Terns appeared, a juvenile begging from the adult ahead of it.

While we were enjoying the action out to sea, we heard a Raven kronking behind us. We turned round to see two flying over the East Bank and out over Arnold’s. A scarce bird here, they are on the increase but still a delight to see and hear.

As we turned to walk back, we could see all the Dunlin flying round on Arnold’s, so we stopped in the shelter for another look. Unfortunately they had landed and gone straight back to sleep and there was still no sign of any Curlew Sandpipers. However, the stop here did produce a Hobby perched on one of the posts at the back.

Hobby – on a post

The Little Stints were still showing well on the Serpentine and there were two Little Ringed Plovers now, both juveniles. Two winter adult Black-tailed Godwits had joined the three juveniles. The Bearded Tits were calling again, but this time we turned round to see four fly up out of the reeds. They landed and disappeared in, but then a male shuffled up to the top of a reed stem. Unfortunately it didn’t stay long, and they were all off again flying away over the reeds.

Black-tailed Godwits – three juveniles and an adult

Back at the minibus, we had a quick look at Snipe’s Marsh. There were lots of birds flitting in and out of the reeds at the back, dropping down to feed on the mud – several Blue Tits, lots of Chiffchaffs, and a single Reed Warbler with them.

We still had a little bit of time before lunch, so we drove round to Cley Coastguards. We thought we would would walk down towards North Scrape to have a quick look for any chats around the Eye Field and in the weedy grass behind the beach, but it was rather quiet here today. We did flush a couple of Skylarks though, which were an addition to the day’s list.

We stopped to scan from the ridge at the top of the Eye Field. A flock of Dunlin flew in and landed on North Scrape, and through the scope we could see a Little Stint in with them. They didn’t linger long and we watched them fly off west past us, over the Eye Field. A Common Buzzard was perched on a post in the middle of the grazing marsh and we looked up to see several more circling up behind. It was warming up nicely now.

We couldn’t see anything else, so we decided to head back and round to the Visitor Centre for lunch in the sunshine. Looking out from the picnic area, we could see a Marsh Harrier quartering over the back of the reserve, flushing all the Rooks up out of the grass.

After lunch, we drove east to Kelling village and took the track down towards the Water Meadow. A couple of Migrant Hawker dragonflies hawked up and down the hedges and a Comma butterfly landed with its wings closed showing off its white comma mark.

Comma butterfly – showing the white comma

We had a quick look from the gate beyond the copse – the hillside beyond the Water Meadow was full of Rooks – but we were on a mission so we didn’t linger here. We were told on the way down that the Barred Warbler had been showing and there were a few people standing further down the track, looking over the fence through a gap in the brambles.

The Barred Warbler had been very difficult to see yesterday – they can be very skulking – but we figured it was worth a quick look to try our luck. We stopped where the others were standing but there wasn’t enough room for all of us to see through the small gap, so we walked on and down to the gate at the far end, on the cross-track. There was more room here and we could all look back at the bush where the Barred Warbler was hiding. We hadn’t been there more than a minute when it appeared on the edge of the bush!

We got the Barred Warbler in the scope and everyone got a look at it before it disappeared back in. The pressure was off now, but we didn’t have to wait long before it came out again and starting eating berries. A 1st winter, it lacked the heavy barring below of adults but did have some scalloping on the flanks and under tail. A scarce drift migrant from the continent, it had originally turned up here yesterday, so it was nice that it had hung around for us to see it.

Barred Warbler – eating berries

When the Barred Warbler flew out of the bush it was in and disappeared back towards the fence, we decided to walk on. Along the path to the Hard, we stopped to watch several Stonechats in the brambles along the fence. A Common Whitethroat flicked in and out with them. We counted at least 10 Stonechats today, a mixture of mainly one or two adult males and several moulting juveniles. We stopped for a quick scan of the bramble field beyond, but there was no sign of the Wryneck which was here last week. It hasn’t been seen for a couple of days and has presumably gone this time.

Stonechats – there were 10 here today

There were lots of Willow Emerald damselflies in the lane today, it seems to be a very good year for them, and the first Wall butterfly of the tour flew past. We walked up the permissive path towards Weybourne Camp but there was no sign of any Wheatears or Whinchats around the gun emplacements today – things can move on quickly. It was clouding over now, and we felt a couple of spits of rain, so we decided to head back just in case.

We stopped for another look at the Barred Warbler, which was back in its original bush again, but it was starting to rain a little harder, so we walked quickly back up the lane. A Sparrowhawk briefly landed in an ash tree ahead of us.

Thankfully the rain was only light, and we were not too wet by the time we got back to the minibus. The rain hadn’t been forecast earlier, but looking at the Met Office weather app now it was suggesting that it could set in for several hours. We drove back round to Cley Coastguards to have a quick look out at the sea from the shelter while we waited to see if it was likely to clear through.

It was nice and dry in the shelter, but quite murky offshore. A Sandwich Tern and a small flock of Cormorants flew past. A lone Knot went west and a single Dunlin east. We only stayed about 15 minutes, and the rain seemed to be getting heavier. It was almost time to finish anyway so we decided to call it a day half an hour early and head back. There was no point getting wet for the sake of it – we would have plenty more time over the next couple of days.

10th Sept 2022 – Autumn Migration

An Autumn Migration single day tour today, on the North Norfolk coast. It was a rather cool, grey and overcast start, but gradually brightened up through the morning, with some nice warm sunny spells developing, particularly out of the cooler NNW wind. There was a forecast for thunderstorms bubbling up during the day, but fortunately we didn’t see a sign of any.

With the prospect of winds off the continent today, we headed over to Wells Woods first thing to see if we could find any migrants freshly arrived. A quick look at the boating lake produced a few Little Grebes and Tufted Ducks. It was still rather cool and damp in the trees as we made our way in – we could hear Coal Tits and a Goldcrest in the pines, but the birches beyond were rather quiet. A Siskin flew over calling.

We cut back out onto the main track and here we found a small group of Long-tailed Tits feeding on the outer edge of the trees. There were a few Blue Tits and Great Tits too, and then a Lesser Whitethroat flew across the path ahead of us and landed in a small hawthorn. The Lesser Whitethroat disappeared deeper in, but then a Common Whitethroat appeared in the same bush before flying up into the branches of one of the birches where we watched it feeding.

While we were watching the whitethroats, we had lost track of the tit flock but as we cut across to the open area south of the track, we could hear the Long-tailed Tits again calling in a lone pine tree. As they flew out one by one, we could see there was nothing following them now, but then the Lesser Whitethroat appeared in the blackthorn behind us, along with a couple of Blackcaps and we had a good view of them all in the tops of the bushes.

There had been a few Redstarts in the bushes here in the last few days but there was no sign of them this morning as we walked on round – there seemed to have been more departures overnight than arrivals. We did get better views of a Common Whitethroat in the brambles and birches, showing off its bright rusty wing panel, and a couple of lovely lemon-yellow Willow Warblers, presumably on their way south from Scandinavia.

Willow Warbler – a migrant

As it started to warm up, a couple of Red Kites appeared low over the pines, flexing their wings and twisting their tails as they circled. There were more hirundines up now too, with a large flock of House Martins hawking for insects over the trees. It won’t be long now before they leave to head south for the winter.

The sun was on the birches now, so we headed back to the south side of the Dell to see if we could find any flycatchers. When we got there, someone had just seen some in the trees but they had disappeared. We walked up and down through that side of the Dell a couple of times – there were lots of Chiffchaffs feeding actively in the trees now, but all we had was a brief glimpse of a Pied Flycatcher, which disappeared again before everyone could get onto it. We heard a Green Sandpiper call overhead at one point and the same or another Siskin flew over. A Water Rail squealed from deep in the reeds by the back of the boating lake.

We decided to check round the rest of the Dell, but it was all very quiet, so we cut back out to the main path on the far side. As we walked back on the main path, past the south side of the Dell again, we finally found the Spotted Flycatcher now. It eventually showed nicely, in one of the birches by the track and high up in one of the poplars by the lake the other side.

Spotted Flycatcher – eventually showed well

It was time to move on, so we made our way back to the minibus and had a short break for elevenses. It was gloriously sunny now and warm out of the wind here.

We made our way along the coast to Cley next. Having just had a bite to eat, we decided on a decent walk before lunch, so we parked at Walsey Hills and walked over to the East Bank. A Marsh Harrier was quartering distantly out over the reedbed. There had been a nice selection of waders along here in recent days but there were no reports of anything this morning, so we thought it might be a short stop. We were to be pleasantly surprised!

First we stopped at Don’s Pool to look for the Little Grebes – there was a pair on here with two tiny stripy-headed juveniles a couple of days before. We couldn’t see either of the adults at first but then noticed one of the youngsters out on the water on its own. After a while, one of the parents swam out of the reeds with something in its bill but the juvenile showed no interest in eating it, despite the adult trying to feed it repeatedly – presumably it was already full!

Little Grebes – adult & juvenile

Eventually the adult Little Grebe gave up and resumed diving, leaving the juvenile on its own out on the water again. We didn’t see any sign of the second young one or the other parent. A Cetti’s Warbler was shouting from the reeds beyond.

Continuing on up the East Bank, we could see a lot of birds over the back of the grazing marsh around Pope’s Pool, so we stopped to get the scope on them. There were lots of ducks, plenty of Mallard and a few Gadwall loafing in the grass, moulting, and a few Wigeon in rusty eclipse plumage. Closer to, there were several Teal on the near end of the Serpentine. None of the ducks are looking their best at the moment, with the drakes all in eclipse. There were loads of Greylags and Canada Geese too.

Several Curlew and Lapwing were hiding in the grass too, and we could see four Avocets and a group of Black-tailed Godwits distantly out on Pope’s Pool. When we heard Sandwich Terns alarm calling out over Arnold’s Marsh, we looked across to see a juvenile Arctic Skua chasing them. It seemed to get bored pretty quickly, and broke off its pursuit, drifting away over the shingle ridge and back out to sea.

As if that wasn’t good enough, it was only when we walked on a little further that we really didn’t know which way to look! We got the scope first on a juvenile Little Ringed Plover which was feeding on the mud down at the front. While we were watching that, we picked up a single juvenile Curlew Sandpiper feeding further back, so we turned our attention to that next. At one point, we had it in the same view as a juvenile Dunlin giving a nice comparison, the Curlew Sandpiper slightly bigger with a longer, more downcurved bill, neatly scalloped above and cleaner white below.

Curlew Sandpiper – a juvenile

Amazing to think that the Curlew Sandpiper had been raised just a few weeks ago right up in Central Siberia and is now migrating alone all the way down to Africa, the adults having departed earlier and left the young to make their own way!

We hadn’t finished looking at the Curlew Sandpiper when a small flock of Dunlin flew in and landed on the near edge of the water. Two smaller Little Stints flew in with them, so we turned our attention to those. We had some great views, at such close range – the Little Stints about two thirds the size of the Dunlin (which themselves are already small waders!). Through the scope, we could see their pale ‘braces’.

Little Stint – with Dunlin behind

Then we heard a Spotted Redshank call a couple of times and after a quick scan we picked it up flying in. It flew across low over the Serpentine and we could see the cigar-shaped white patch on its back. It landed out of view on a small pool further back towards the road but thankfully didn’t like it there as the next thing we knew in flew in again and landed with some Black-tailed Godwits which were feeding across the other side of the water in front of us.

Now we got a proper look at it, a dusky grey juvenile Spotted Redshank. We could see its long, needle-fine bill and and white fore supercilium extending over the bill. When it eventually flew again, it landed further back on the Serpentine where it was joined by a second Spotted Redshank, this time a paler winter adult. We watched the two of them feeding in the deeper water, sweeping their bills from side to side as they walked.

A juvenile Ruff down on the mud at the front edge was almost overlooked in all the excitement. We had seen a Common Snipe in the wet grass by the godwits earlier and only now did we get a chance to get that in the scope for a closer look. An Avocet dropped in on the Serpentine too. The waders were all rather jumpy and when everything at the back spooked again, we looked over to see a young Sparrowhawk chasing round behind Arnold’s Marsh.

All the time we had been watching the waders, we could hear Bearded Tits calling on and off further up, in the reeds beyond the Serpentine. We had managed an occasional scan, but only now did we see one briefly, just as it was dropping back into the reeds out of view. We walked up to see if we could find it but it had disappeared in. It was a bit breezy here today, not ideal conditions for seeing Bearded Tits.

A Greenshank was calling from Arnold’s Marsh, but when we got up there, we couldn’t see it at first. There were lots of Common Redshanks and a few Curlew. There were no Sandwich Terns on here now, but two flew back in just as we arrived so we got the scope on one – we could see the yellow tip to its long black bill. Nearby, in with the loafing Black-headed Gulls, we picked out a winter adult Mediterranean Gull with its brighter red and more robust bill and black bandit mask. There was a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull hiding in there too and a Common Gull. Then we found the Greenshank in with them too.

With all the excitement out here, we had been longer than planned but after our earlier elevenses, no one was worried if we were a bit late back for lunch. So we continued on out to the beach for a quick look at the sea. There was a feeding frenzy of gulls and terns just offshore, and we picked up a juvenile Arctic Skua bobbing on the sea beyond, possibly the same one we had seen chasing the terns earlier. An adult Gannet was repeatedly plunge-diving around the gulls – very impressive to watch! A Guillemot flew past further out.

Then it really was time to head back for a late lunch at the Visitor Centre, with just a quick stop to watch a Little Egret on the brackish pool below the bank, struggling to subdue a fish it had caught.

Little Egret – with fish

After lunch, we made our way east along the coast road to Kelling. There were some Goldfinches in the fir tree by the school and a couple of Chiffchaffs in the lane, but other wise the hedges along the lane were rather quiet this afternoon. We stopped briefly to look at some Ivy Bees buzzing around a big patch of ivy flowers and a little further on for a Migrant Hawker dragonfly which was patrolling up and down the track and stopped for a rest on the vegetation on the verge.

Migrant Hawker – stopped for a rest

There were a few Teal, a couple of Moorhen and a Little Grebe on the Water Meadow pool and, as we rounded the corner, a family of Egyptian Geese on the grass on one side. A couple of Linnets were perched in the brambles over the far side and the grassy hillside beyond was liberally covered with the local Rooks. A Stock Dove flew over the Quags and dropped down onto the shingle behind the beach.

As we got down towards the bramble field, there were several Stonechats in the brambles along the fence line and dropping down into the short grass to feed. We stopped to watch them and then noticed that a couple of people further along had raised their cameras – presumably the Wryneck was showing. We walked quickly on to where they were standing and sure enough, the Wryneck was perched up on top of the brambles out in the field.

Before everyone could get onto it, the Wryneck dropped down out of view, but thankfully we didn’t have to wait too long before it appeared on top again. Now we could get it in the scope and admire its cryptically patterned plumage. Historically a regular breeder, Wrynecks are now no more than scarce visitors here, on their way between breeding grounds in Scandinavia and where they spend the winter in Africa. This one has been here over a week now, but went missing for a couple of days last week, so it can be elusive at times. We were lucky today!

Wryneck – in the brambles

Having seen the Wryneck without too long a wait, we decided to head on down towards the beach to see if we could find any Whinchats. As we walked up the hillside on the permissive path behind the beach, we looked back across the bramble field to see a Whinchat perched on the brambles on the far side, where the Stonechats had been earlier. Through the scope, we could see its bold pale supercilium and paler orange wash across the breast compared to the Stonechats.

There were lots of Goldfinches feeding on the thistles and teasel in the old sand pit behind the beach (where the owner of Weybourne Camp is now dumping builders’ waste where the orchids used to grow!) and a few Linnets with them. We stopped to scan and noticed a Wheatear running across the remaining area of short grass in the bottom. Before we could get the scope on it, it was flushed by a second Wheatear and the two of them flew back to the fence by the beach, flashing their white rumps.

There had obviously been a small fall of Wheatears here – there were at least another three on the track through the longer grass a little further along, including a smart autumn male with greyer back and more obvious black mask. Another Whinchat was perched on the fence behind them, along with a female Stonechat. As we walked up towards the gun emplacements, there were yet more Wheatears here, hopping around on the gravel tracks, perched on the concrete and one even at one point landing on one of the guns!

Wheatear – one of a small fall

It was time to be heading back, but we hadn’t got far back down the hill before we noticed a message from further along the coast to say that three Long-tailed Skuas had just been seen flying east over Cley beach, heading our way. We decided to wait a little to see if they might come past. Three Bar-tailed Godwits flew high over the Camp behind us and disappeared off east.

It didn’t take us long to pick up a skua coming low over the sea but it was another juvenile Arctic Skua. There were several Sandwich Terns just offshore too, and the Arctic Skua diverted in to chase them briefly, hoping for a free meal, before continuing on east. Continuing to scan the sea to the west, after a few minutes we noticed another skua in the distance, off towards Gramborough Hill, coming straight towards us along the beach. It looked much more promising – noticeably smaller and daintier than the Arctic Skua we had seen earlier, and behaving very differently – but it kept disappearing down behind the shingle ridge out of view.

Before it got to the Hard, the skua came up over the top of the shingle and dropped down over our side, onto one of the big puddles at the base of the ridge. It was still some distance away, and we couldn’t see it because the fence was in the way, so we hurried further down to try to get the scope on it. Before we could get set up, a Black-headed Gull had a go at it and the skua was off again. As it flew up over the shingle ridge again, we could see it was a juvenile Long-tailed Skua.

Long-tailed Skua – a juvenile flew past

It dropped down over the other side of the ridge once more, but then appeared along the top as it flew past us out over the beach and disappeared off east. Long-tailed Skua is the scarcest of the four skua species we get here, so this was a real bonus today. A perfect end to a very enjoyable day of autumn migrants. We paused briefly to look at some Red-legged Partridges and a Brown Hare in the stubble by the lane, as we made our way back to the minibus and then headed for home.