Day 3 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. It was a cloudy morning, with a brief shower at one point, but it brightened up around the middle of the day with some sunny intervals in the afternoon and lighter winds. Another pleasant day to be out.
Our desitination for this morning was Holkham. As we got out of the minibus, a very pale Common Buzzard was perched in a bush by Lady Anne’s Drive and we stopped to look at it in the scope. Regular here and a pitfall for the unwary, they often get reported as something rarer. A Marsh Harrier was quartering beyond. There as no sign of any Grey Partridges first thing but there has probably been quite a bit of disturbance from the construction of the new path from the horse box parking which goes right through what has historically been their favoured feeding area. Hopefully the works will only prove to be a temporary deterrent.
Common Buzzard – a pale one
As we walked west along the track before the pines, we could hear a Brambling calling over the trees and a few Redwing and Starling flew in overhead. More freshly arrived migrants, here for the winter. A succession of Jays flew back and forth, presumably looking for acorns. A couple of Red Kites were hanging in the breeze over the edge of the pines.
We stopped at Salts Hole where a couple of Little Grebes were diving just in front of us. There were quite a few Gadwall and Mallard out on the water, and a couple of Teal, but nothing else of note here today.
Little Grebe – on Salts Hole
A little further on, we stopped again at the gate which looks out over the grazing marsh. There were several Curlews feeding in the long grass and a Brown Hare which crouched staring at us for a couple of minutes before racing off. A Chinese Water Deer disappeared into the ditch. A Mistle Thrush was perched in the top of a dead elder on the edge of the reedbed and a male Stonechat was flycatching from the top of the brambles at the far side of the grass.
Fortuitously, we got in to Washington Hide just as it started to rain. It was just a brief shower, but from we sat and scanned and picked up two Great White Egrets and a single Cattle Egret out with the cows.
Great White Egret – with the cows
It quickly brightened up again, so we headed back out again to make the most of it. We walked on down to the end of the boardwalk to look at the beach. There were lots of Common Scoter out on the sea in various rafts, a scattering of Razorbills and Great Crested Grebes, and several Red-throated Divers, including one still largely in breeding plumage with a red throat. A few Gannets flew past in the distance, and we caught the tail end of a Manx Shearwater which flew west. We could see a few lines of Brent Geese coming in out over the water, more small flocks of Starlings (a bit of a recurring theme at the moment), and a couple of little groups of Skylarks arriving too.
Back to the track the other side of the pines, we carried on our way west. With an easterly wind overnight, we were hoping we might find more migrants freshly arrived today, but the trees were disappointingly quiet. It appeared that the tit flocks were also feeding up in the pines and not in the trees along the south edge this morning too. There were still lots of Common Darter dragonflies enjoying the sunshine and a Red Admiral butterfly on the brambles.
The Joe Jordan hide is still closed – we understand that a replacement is planned, but there is no sign of it coming yet. We looked over the wall and had a quick scan of the grazing marsh, but we couldn’t see anything of note in the trees today, so we carried on.
One of the wardens had told us that there had been a Yellow-browed Warbler calling earlier in the sallows just beyond crosstracks but there was no sign of it now, despite the trees here being nicely sheltered from the wind. We did a quick loop of the ‘Bluetail Trail’ then continued on to the west end, hearing more tits calling from up in the pines on the way. A brief look from the gate at the end of the track failed to produce anything, so there was nothing to encourage us to to walk on into the dunes today.
Walking back, some of the tits we had heard on our way out now dropped out of the pines into the sallows the other side of the track, including a couple of Coal Tits and a Treecreeper. We followed the flock back to the trees by the crosstracks. The Yellow-browed Warbler called again but it appeared to come from deep in the sallows. We waited to see if it might show itself, but it had gone quiet again and there was no movement in the trees. A Chiffchaff called from the sallows behidn us. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over our heads and landed in a tall pine nearby where we could see it was a male, with a red band on the back of its neck.
As we walked back to Lady Anne’s Drive, the sun finally came out. We had to go to the minibus to get our lunches, and as we made our way back to the picnic tables by the Lookout, the covey of six Grey Partridges had now flown in. We had some good views of them as they fed in the grass.
Grey Partridges – flew back in
We ate lunch on the picnic tables outside in the sunshine. Another couple of Red Kites drifted past along the edge of the pines, as did two Ravens, one harried by a Carrion Crow. Later we found two Red Kites and what were presumably the same two Ravens on the ground out on the grazing marsh – presumably there was some carrion out there which had attracted them down. There were still a few thrushes and Starlings coming in over the pines too.
Raven – harried by a Carrion Crow
As we were walking back to the minibus after lunch, we noticed a bird drop in on the new scrape out on the grazing marsh and we were surprised to find it was a Green Sandpiper. It didn’t stay long, then flew up and circled round before appearing to land again behind the Lookout Cafe. A nice bonus – most of them have gone south already or moved inland to spend the winter.
We made our way round to the pools the other side of Wells, at North Point. The water levels are up after the recent rain, and there are lots of ducks on here now for the winter – Wigeon, Teal, a few Shoveler and a good number of Pintail. Some of the Pintail started flying up in small flocks and off out over the fields towards the saltmarsh. There were quite a few Black-tailed Godwits and Ruff in with the ducks towards the back of the pool east of the track too.
Black-tailed Godwit – feeding on the pools
We walked down the track to scan the rushy edges of the pool and found a couple of Common Snipe on the edge of the water. Another flew in and dropped down on the near edge, but disappeared into the rushes. A small group of Black-tailed Godwits were feeding in the water along the near edge, where we had a very good view of them.
Six Pink-footed Geese flew over and a short while later we heard more calling behind us and turned to see several thousand come up over the fields inland. An impressive sight. Several hundred flew in overhead, and dropped down over the fields towards the saltmarsh.
Pink-footed Geese – several thousand came up from the fields
We normally like to finish our last day at this time of the year with a trip down into the edge of the Brecks, but with weather for tomorrow forecast to be challenging, we decided to head inland this afternoon to look for Stone Curlews. The number of birds at the closest of their regular post-breeding gathering sites is down this year, probably because some of their favoured fields have tall vegetation in them at the moment making them unsuitable.
After a long walk this morning, everyone was pleased of a bit of a rest as we drove down to the Brecks. At our first stop, we could immediately see one Stone Curlew distantly in the field, but it walked out of view before everyone could get a look at it through the scope. We drove a bit further on, and could see more now – we counted at least 13 Stone Curlews, and there were possibly even more hidden from view. Some were back on, standing facing in to the wind, away from us, but others turned, and we could see their staring yellow eyes.
Stone Curlews – some of the 13+ this afternoon
There were lots of Lapwings in the fields here too, including several close to the road in the winter wheat opposite. There were several Brown Hares and a large number of Red-legged Partridges in the field too. After struggling to import them from France last year due to bird flu, many gamekeepers seem to be trying to make up for it this year by releasing larger than ever numbers – they are everywhere!
Lapwing – in the winter wheat
A Greenfinch flew out of the hedge and round over our heads calling, still a rather scarce bird these days. A large flock of Linnets was feeding in the pig fields, and a good number of Starlings and three Stock Doves landed on the wires above. A huge flock of Jackdaws circled up at the back calling loudly. It was a nice way to end the day here watching all the birds in the sunshine.
Day 1 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. It was a bright day, with some nice sunny intervals at times, though with a rather blustery E wind.
We were heading for Cley this morning, but as we drove along the coast road at Salthouse, we could see two white shapes in with the cows out on the grazing marsh. We turned the minibus around and parked opposite the Dun Cow. Looking across, our suspicions were confirmed, they were two Cattle Egrets. Through the scope, we could see their small size, hunched appearance and short yellowish-orange bills.
Cattle Egret – 1 of 2 this morning
There were a couple of Grey Herons in the field, hanging around the cows too. At one point, one of them chased off one of the Cattle Egrets from the cow it was trying to follow. Two Marsh Harriers flew across at the back, over in front of the shingle, and a Greylag x Canada Goose hybrid was out on one of the floods. After a while, the Cattle Egrets flew off west so we decided to continue on our way.
We parked in front of Walsey Hills. There were just a few Moorhen in view on Snipe’s Marsh this morning, so we set off to walk up the East Bank. Looking over towards Pope’s Marsh, there were lots of Cormorants drying their wings on the islands and several Avocets and a few Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the water.
We stopped to look at the ducks scattered around the grazing marsh beyond the Serpentine, mainly Wigeon, Teal and a few Shoveler, the drakes still mostly in dull brown eclipse plumage but some starting to regain their brighter breeding attire. We heard the yelping calls of Pink-footed Geese and turned to see a large flock come up over the fields inland before dropping back down out of view. A Kingfisher called and flashed past as it dropped behind the reeds into the ditch, heading back towards the road.
From time to time we just managed to catch the sound of Bearded Tits calling ahead of us and as we walked on a small group flew up from the reeds beyond the grazing marsh and across the path in front of us. Some more dropped into the reeds lining the ditch on the edge of the grazing marsh and we could hear the two groups calling to each other. Three Bearded Tits appeared in the top of the reeds in the reedbed briefly, but quickly dropped down again out of view. We stopped to watch and listen and had several more views as birds zipped across over the reeds calling, before they went quiet.
On over the main drain, a Greenshank flew over calling and landed towards the back of the Brackish Pool, with a single Redshank. We got it in the scope, the whiter underparts of the Greenshank striking in the morning sunshine. A lone Ruff dropped in to the saltmarsh behind and a raft of ten Little Grebes was swimming together out on the water.
After the recent big tides and northerly winds, Arnold’s Marsh was full of water. We could see a Curlew on the saltmarsh, and lots of Redshank along the far edge of the water with another Ruff. A single Pintail was in with the other ducks at the back.
Razorbill – lots on the sea
Out on to the beach, and the first thing we noticed were all the Razorbills on the sea. We got the scope on a raft out in front and then a couple drifted past diving just behind the breakers. We got the scope on a Red-throated Diver out on the water too. A trickle of Gannets passed by offshore.
Little Gull – a 2nd winter
A melee of gulls was feeding over the water away to the east, and we realised they were quickly working their way towards us. They were mainly Black-headed Gulls and Herring Gulls, but we picked out three Little Gulls in with them, a 1st winter with black ‘w’ across it upperwings, a 2nd winter with black spots in its wing tips, and an adult winter with much blacker upperwings. A single Mediterranean Gull was in there too, a 2nd winter also with some black still in its wingtips. The melee came right past in front of us, with two juvenile Gannets joining in and plunge diving into the sea in the middle of the group. Great to watch!
Gannet – one of two juveniles which joined the gulls
We had seen one flock of Starlings flying west as we walked out along the East Bank, but it is can be hard to tell whether they are local birds of migrants coming in. From out the beach now, we picked up several flocks flying in over the sea, confirming our suspicions that they were arriving from the Continent today. A few Skylark came in off the sea too. There was a trickle of wildfowl arriving too: a few small flocks of Wigeon moving, Teal coming in, small groups of Brent Geese and a single Shelduck passing offshore. We picked up a single drake Common Scoter on the sea, which we got in the scope, and another female flew west.
There was a lot to see out to sea this morning, but eventually we had to tear ourselves away and walk back. Looking across to Pope’s Pool, we could see more Black-tailed Godwits out there now, but nothing with them. A Little Grebe was in the middle of the weed out on Don’s Pool. A Water Rail was calling in reeds by the road back at Snipe’s Marsh and when we stopped to look back along the edge to check if we could see it, a Kingfisher shot across. It landed in the reeds at the back where we got it in the scope. Eventually it flew again, round over the reeds, then disappeared across the road.
Kingfisher – on Snipe’s Marsh
We had a quick look at the feeders in Walsey Hills from, the footpath. A succession of tits and Goldfinches dropped in and there were several Chaffinches calling in the bushes. Then a Sparrowhawk shot through, spooking everything, and afterwards it went rather quiet.
We headed round to the Visitor Centre next and, after a quick loo stop, we made our way out to Bishop Hide. There were still quite a few Black-tailed Godwits out on Pat’s Pool, but no sign of the Dowitcher which had apparently been here until it was flushed by a Buzzard and flew off east. Most of the Godwits were in grey non-breeding plumage but one very orange Icelandic bird still largely in juvenile plumage was feeding in front of the hide. There were several Ruff out on the scrapes further back and two Common Snipe were hiding in with the ducks sleeping on the bank away to our left.
Common Snipe – hiding in the grass
There were lots of ducks on here today – lots of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler. We picked up three Pintail in with them, a moulting drake and two females, before they flew off. Another Sparrowhawk flew over and disappeared off towards the village.
We headed back to the Visitor Centre for lunch and it was sheltered enough from the breeze that we were still able to sit out in the picnic area in the sunshine today. We kept one eye on the scrapes and picked up three Golden Plover which dropped in on Pat’s Pool over lunch.
After lunch, we made our way along the coast to Stiffkey. As we walked along the permissive path by the road, a flock of Long-tailed Tits flitted ahead of us down the hedge. A Red Kite hung in the air over the wood inland. We found another mixed flock of tits along the river, with two Blackcap and a Goldcrest in with them. A Comma butterfly basked in the sunshine on the blackberries.
Comma – basking in the sunshine
We could hear a Spotted Redshank calling from the Fen as we walked out, and from up on the seawall we got it in the scope, busy preening. It was low tide, so there were not so many other waders on the Fen this afternoon, just a few Ruff and Lapwing. There were lots of ducks, Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler and Pintail, a white farmyard Greylag and an Egyptian Goose.
As we walked down along the seawall, there were more waders in the harbour channel, lots of Redshank and a single Grey Plover with them. Scanning inland, we noticed a Raven up over one of the small woods, chasing a Common Buzzard. There was not a lot of difference in wingspan between them and when the Raven was then chased by a Jackdaw it looked tiny by comaprison. A second Raven came up out of the trees briefly, and we watched the two of them tumbling together in the wind before they dropped back down out of view. Raven is still a fairly scarce bird in Norfolk, although numbers now seem to be increasing.
Continuing on to the corner overlooking the harbour, we could see lots of gulls of various sizes loafing out on the mud. We took advantage to talk a little about gull identification, looking at a couple of Common Gulls in with the Black-headed Gulls, then turning our attention to the Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls with their pink legs, before we managed to find a single smaller yellow-legged Lesser Black-backed Gull out there too. There are increasing numbers of Brent Geese out in the harbour, as more birds return here for the winter.
There were more waders out on the mud in the harbour – lots of Oystercatcher, Curlew, a few Knot, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. The first surprise of the afternoon was a Whimbrel which flew over from behind us before dropping down out on the saltmarsh out of view. This is a late record of this species for here, around the typical date for the last of the year in Norfolk, as they mainly pass through earlier on their way south in the autumn.
Whimbrel – a lingering late bird
Then a Land Rover pulled up behind us and someone walked straight out across the harbour with two dogs which flushed everything. Most of the gulls settled again further over. The Whimbrel flew up and back past us, landing out of view again back the way it had come towards the Fen. We noticed a couple of Stonechats on the bushes out on the saltmarsh behind us too.
Back to the minibus, and we headed back along the coast to Cley and out along the boardwalk to the main central hides. We thought if we tried here later today we might stand a chance of the Dowitcher having returned and also of picking up some gulls coming in pre-roost. There was not much on Simmond’s Scrape – the water level is high now after the recent rain – and looking over to Pat’s Pool – there were more Black-tailed Godwits back, but still no sign of the Dowitcher (it would return later this evening, but after we had left).
At least the gulls were starting to come in. Scanning through the hordes of Black-headed Gulls we found a single white-winged adult Mediterranean Gull in with them. Through the scope, we could see its winter black bandit mask and heavier red bill. A few larger gulls starting to drop in too, and it didn’t take long to pick out a 1st calendar year Caspian Gull (although breaking with our advice to start off focusing on adult large gulls only!). It preened for a while in with the other gulls, then flew up and disappeared off west over the hides.
Caspian Gull – a 1st winter
The second surprise of the afternoon was when a large group of Cattle Egrets dropped in onto one of the islands, again ahead of going in to roost. There have been a small number here the last few days, and more further west along the coast, but there were a lot more here than usual. We couldn’t get a clear view, as there were some behind the grass, but we counted a minimum of 18 Cattle Egrets and a single Little Egret with them (later, others managed to count 19 Cattle Egrets).
Cattle Egret – some of the 18 or 19
It was time for us to head back, or we would be late for dinner. As we got back to the car park, more Pink-footed Geese came up from the fields beyond the Visitor Centre and flew overhead calling. A wonderful sight and sound, so typical of here in Norfolk at this time of year, and a nice way to finish our first day.
A Private Tour today, along the North Norfolk coast. It was a cloudy start, but brightened up through the morning and there was then some nice winter sun at times in the afternoon. It was a very mild day, up to 11C, but didn’t feel quite so warm in the rather blustery WSW wind.
We drove down to Holkham to start. A pair of Grey Partridge were feeding on the grazing marsh by the north end of Lady Anne’s Drive as we walked out towards the beach. A Mistle Thrush was singing from the tops of the trees. The Shorelarks have been very mobile in recent days, and we decided to try the cordon first. There was no sign of them there, but a scan of the sea produced a Long-tailed Duck flying west through the breakers and then a second Long-tailed Duck diving with a small group of Red-breasted Mergansers offshore.
We walked back west and went to have a look at the saltmarsh the other side of the Gap. As we approached, we could see movement and through the scope confirmed that there were the Shorelarks, along with a couple of Skylarks. We headed over to where they were feeding and stopped briefly to watch a small flock of Linnets overhead. When we looked back the Shorelarks had gone. We had a quick look to see if they had gone out to the beach, but there was no sign there – they had probably gone back to the cordon. There were some large flocks of Common Scoter on the sea off this side, but they were too distant today to see anything else in with them.
Treecreeper – with the tit flock
We had seen the Shorelarks and with lots to to today we decided against trying to find them again. As we walked back through the pines, we came across a nice mixed tit flock, with great views in particular of two Treecreepers feeding on a tree trunk right in front of us, and a couple of Goldcrests. We checked the holm oak at the top of Lady Anne’s Drive but it was very exposed here, the branches were being blown about and we couldn’t see anything in there. We stopped to watch a large group of Long-tailed Tits feeding on the path just to the west. As we walked back towards the minibus, a Raven was out on the grass right beside Lady Anne’s Drive, before it flew off.
Raven – by Lady Anne’s Drive
White-fronted Goose was on the target list for the day, but it was a question of whether to walk down to the old Joe Jordan hide and look from the wall or try to save time and view from the road side. We decided to try the latter but when we got round there, a couple of people were scanning but hadn’t seen any. We worked our way through the geese carefully and located four White-fronted Geese asleep in the grass with the Greylags on the other side of one of the pools. Then a large flock of at least 80 more White-fronted Geese flew in and landed on the grass on the old fort. There were three Great White Egrets here too, one showing very well out in the open in the scopes in the sunshine.
A quick stop at Wells Harbour produced a nice selection of waders. We wanted to see Bar-tailed Godwit in particular, and a couple of large flocks whirled overhead calling before we had even got the new lifeboat station. There were also lots of Oystercatchers, Sanderling and Turnstone, Ringed Plover and Grey Plover, Dunlin and a few Knot. A small group of Red-breasted Mergansers diving in the channel further up looked stunning in the sun.
We stopped for lunch at the Visitor Centre at Cley, scanning Pat’s Pool from the picnic area where we could see a few Avocets, lots of Golden Plover with the Lapwings and a few Ruff. Then after lunch we parked again at Walsey Hills and walked up the East Bank. There were lots of Wigeon out on the grass, and a few Shoveler, Teal and some smart Gadwall on the Serpentine, along with a couple of Black-tailed Godwits. We could see a small group of people on the bank so we walked up to join them, just as one had located the Long-billed Dowitcher asleep in the grass. It was not a good view at first – all we could see was its rear end! But then it came out and even better flew right down to the near edge of the water right in front of us – some of the best views we have had since it arrived here first in mid-October.
Long-billed Dowitcher – showing well
The main item on the agenda for this afternoon was to try to see the Pallid Harrier at Warham Greens. We could see the Snow Buntings now distantly on the shingle ridge, to the north of Arnold’s Marsh, but rather than go out for a closer look we decided to keep the eyes on the prize and head back. With the wind, it was not a day for Bearded Tits but we heard one calling behind us a couple of times and then looked round to see it briefly flying over the reeds.
As we walked down the track at Warham the hedges were alive with thrushes – Redwings, Blackbirds, and a Fieldfare came out tchaking ahead of us. A few people were already looking from the far end and had just seen a grey male Hen Harrier. It didn’t take us long to get onto it and we were treated to some great views as it flew up and down over the saltmarsh. There were lots of Marsh Harriers, several Red Kites and Buzzards, a distant Peregrine and a brief glimpse of a Merlin too.
The Pallid Harrier sometimes comes in early and lingers out over the saltmarsh and other times comes in late and goes straight in to roost. It was almost 4.30pm when we finally picked it up flying in low and heading straight for the roost site. Thankfully we all got a good look at it through the scope before it dropped down out of view. We needn’t have worried, as it came up again a couple of minutes later and proceeded to fly up and down over the back of the saltmarsh for the next fifteen minutes, giving us a much better chance to appreciate it. At one point we were watching the Pallid Harrier as the male Hen Harrier flew through the same view, followed immediately by a Barn Owl across in the foreground! A Merlin zipped across the view too at one point, but all eyes were on the Pallid Harrier.
Sunset – to end a great day
The light was starting to go as the Pallid Harrier finally disappeared from view. There was a glorious sunset too, as we walked back to the minibus – a great finish to the day.
Day 3 of a 3-day Early Winter Tour today. It was a mostly rather grey and overcast day with a chilly east wind, but it stayed dry until we were on our way home at the end of another very successful day’s birding.
It was a very grey start and with a gusty east wind still we decided to start with a quick look out at the sea at Cley. There were not as many birds moving as yesterday – fewer auks, some distant lines and several closer Guillemots; a few small groups of Common Scoter flew past; one or two Gannets and a few Red-throated Divers. Were just about to move on when someone called a Great Northern Diver and we managed to pick it up heading east offshore. A nice return for our 40 minutes work.
Wigeon – by Lady Anne’s Drive
As it started to brighten up a little, we made our way along the coast to Holkham. The car park was quite busy (for a weekday in early December at least!), and it turned out there was a 5 mile fun run here this morning. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be disturbing the birds. There were lots of Wigeon on the grazing marsh right beside Lady Anne’s Drive.
A couple of what resembled clods of earth out in the grass were actually Grey Partridges. We found an angle where we could get a clearer view and counted six together. They were busy feeding, mostly heads down, but one looked up occasionally and showed its orange face.
Grey Partridge – two of the six
Scanning the trees in the distance, out towards Decoy Wood, there were a few Marsh Harriers up, and several Common Buzzards mostly perched on the bushes. A Red Kite drifted over and a Sparrowhawk flew across. A Raven flew in towards us kronking, over Lady Anne’s Drive and disappeared off east.
Raven – flew in kronking
From the top of the Drive, we scanned down along the hedgeline to the west. There were several Blackbirds and a Jay out on the grass. Three Bullfinches were feeding on the remains of the blackberries in the hedge – two browner females and a smart pink male. They stayed out in view feeding for a while, giving us plenty of time to admire them through the scopes.
Bullfinch – in the hedge
Out onto the saltmarsh, we turned east and walked down towards the cordon. Not far along, there was a flock of Linnets, pipits and Skylarks feeding out in the vegetation not far in from the path. But we could see some rather ominous dark clouds approaching ahead so we decided to head for the Shorelarks first, just in case the weather deteriorated, and come back to the other birds later.
We were glad we did. When we arrived, the Shorelarks were in the cordon but very close to the fence. We watched as they picked around at the dead flower heads, feeding – great views, some of the best we have had of them this winter. Some were in and out of the vegetation but we eventually saw all twelve of the Shorelarks together that are currently enjoying the hospitality here. Smart birds, with their yellow faces and black masks.
Shorelark – showing well!
After a while, something spooked the Shorelarks and they took off. They flew round for a minute or so and then came back in past us, landing again in the cordon, but a bit further out now. We took that as a cue to move on.
The dark clouds had passed over so we continued on out to the beach to look at the sea. There were lots of Common Scoter offshore but the first bird we got a scope on was a Velvet Scoter. It was quite close in, but a bit further up the beach from where we were standing. Then scanning back along the shore we found more Velvet Scoters closer to us – eventually we saw eight together, but there could have been more as they were diving and kept breaking into smaller groups. Several Red-breasted Mergansers were close in, diving in the breakers too.
We found a Slavonian Grebe close in too, and then a second one a bit nearer. There were several Great Crested Grebes feeding offshore as well, but we couldn’t see anything different out here today. Turning our attention to the beach, there were a few Sanderling running about on the shore, along with one or two Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed Godwits. A large group of Cormorants were lined up on the sand bar further out, drying their wings.
As we made our way back, we stopped to look at the pipits on the saltmarsh now. There was a nice mix of Rock Pipits and Meadow Pipits, giving good side by side comparisons through the scopes, the Rock Pipits larger and swarthier. A group of Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on the saltmarsh nearby.
Black-tailed Godwits – on the saltmarsh
It was just after midday already, so we decided to stop for an early lunch. News had come through that a dowitcher had appeared at Titchwell, which would be a new bird for most of the group, and everyone was keen to try to see it. If it hung around, we could head back that way this afternoon. We stopped at the Lookout for lunch and while we were eating confirmation came through that it was a Long-billed Dowitcher, possibly the bird that was hanging around at Cley for much of last month.
So after lunch, we set off west. On the way, we made a quick stop overlooking the grazing marshes. As we got out of the minibus, we could immediately see at least 40 Russian White-fronted Geese feeding out on the grass in the near corner.
White-fronted Geese – some of the 40
A Great White Egret immediately stood out, out in the middle, but with most of the cattle taken in for the winter now we weren’t sure whether the Cattle Egrets would still be here. We could see a small group of Belted Galloways right at the back, in front of the pines, but they were behind some brambles and in some very tall vegetation. Luckily, we saw a Cattle Egret fly up and land on the back of one of the cows, just like they do with herd animals on the African savannah! It dropped down again quite quickly, but knowing they were there we continued to scan and when some of the cows moved into a clearer space, we could see at least three Cattle Egrets walking around with them now.
A Kestrel was hovering just in front as we pulled up, there were several Marsh Harriers out on the grazing marsh and several Common Buzzards on various fence posts. A Red Kite drifted over. There were hundreds of Lapwings roosting out on the grass, and when something spooked them they all took to the air together and swirled round, an impressive sight.
We didn’t linger long, as we wanted to get to Titchwell. Arriving in the car park, we headed straight out towards the Freshmarsh. Some locals were just leaving, and mentioned to us that a Long-eared Owl had just been found at Brancaster. First things first – we would go out and try to see the Long-billedDowitcher first, then maybe try for that afterwards.
The Long-billed Dowitcher had been asleep on one of the islands earlier, but had woken up and was feeding actively when we arrived. We had some good views of it through the scopes as it fed along the muddy edge of the island. Like a slightly bulky snipe, with a long straight bill slightly tweaked at the tip, although greyer and plainer with just a well-marked supercilium.
Long-billed Dowitcher – awake on the Freshmarsh
After a while the Long-billed Dowitcher flew over to the next island, where it preened for a couple of minutes on the front edge. Then it walked up onto the muddy bank and went back to sleep. We had seen it well, and we had already had a good look around Titchwell on Friday, so we decided we would move on.
Our thoughts turned back to the Long-eared Owl and we managed to get confirmation that it was still on view round at Brancaster. We parked on Beach Road this time and walked along the bank. We could see a small group on the seawall, close to where we had seen the Hume’s Warbler on Friday. They let us have a look through their scopes first and there was the Long-eared Owl lurking down in one of the sallows.
We managed to find an angle where it wasn’t too obscured and then had good views through our scopes too. It was a bit breezy out here, and it’s ‘ear’ tufts were being blown around. The Long-eared Owl had been found by someone looking for the Hume’s Warbler. Presumably fresh in from the Continent, it was roosting here before heading on inland. As with so many Long-eared Owls which arrive off the sea here, it would not be seen the following day, so we were lucky it happened to turn up when we were at Titchwell anyway this afternoon.
Long-eared Owl – a great way to end
What a great way to end a December long weekend with two excellent birds. And both completely unexpected! The light was starting to go now, a little earlier tonight – it was rather grey and we could see darker clouds approaching. It just started to spit as we got back to minibus and started to rain on and off on the drive back. Perfect timing!
Day 2 of a three day Late Autumn Tour. It was originally forecast to rain for much of today, which it thankfully didn’t. It was rather grey and overcast all day though, and it did spit with drizzle around midday before some rain finally arrived just as it was getting dark this afternoon.
On our way up to the coast, we drove round via Choseley. There were a couple of Corn Buntings on the wires but typically another car appeared behind us when we were stopped in the road for a look and they flew off. We pulled up a little further along, but there were just a few Linnets on the wires now. A couple of Yellowhammers flew over and a large flock of Chaffinches was put up out of a field further up by a tractor. Several small groups of Golden Plover flew past high overhead.
A Chinese Water Deer appeared through the hedge at the top of the field opposite, and then we saw that it was being chased by a dog. The chase continued across the whole of that field and the next one, the two disappearing into the trees away on the edge of Choseley village some way off to our left. Two other dogs followed. The owners were probably on the footpath about 1/2 mile away in the other direction, on top of the hill, presumably oblivious to what their dogs were up to.
Pink-footed Geese – feeding in stubble
We could hear Pink-footed Geese calling and looked over to see a succession of small flocks dropping down towards the Thornham Road. We drove round, and found them feeding in a stubble field – presumably they are still struggling to find harvested beet fields locally. We had a good view of them from the shelter of the minibus, along with lots of gulls, Woodpigeons and several Stock Doves and another Chinese Water Deer.
Continuing on down to Titchwell, we walked round to the overflow car park but there were already several vehicles parked there and no birds in the bushes now. Looking over the paddocks beyond, it was interesting to see three Lapwings displaying at this time of year, the two males in tumbling display flight and singing briefly. There were several Blackbirds in the hedge at the back and a single Redwing flew over.
Lapwing – displaying in November
As we made our way round to the Welcome Hub, we stopped to watch a Long-tailed Tit in the sallows right above our heads. There were lots of finches feeding in the alders around the Visitor Centre, mostly Goldfinches but we heard Bramblings calling, and then picked out several in the top of one of the trees. When the Goldfinches all flew to another tree, we could see several Siskins feeding with them too.
Brambling – feeding in the alders
As we walked out onto the reserve, we scanned across the reedbed to see if there were many birds moving this morning. A few Chaffinches flew over, along with a succession of small groups of Starlings, a small flock of Woodpigeon and a group of Lapwings. Two Ravens flying through were a bit more of a surprise – still quite a scarce bird in Norfolk.
A Marsh Harrier drifted over the back of the reedbed, a few Reed Buntings flew across the path and we could hear several Cetti’s Warblers singing from deep in the reeds. Stopped by the reedbed pool, a lone female Goldeneye was diving out in the middle, the first we have seen here this autumn, along with a couple of Little Grebes and a Tufted Duck.
Four Whooper Swans flew in over the Freshmarsh, trumpeting, and came right over our heads. We watched them carry on west towards Thornham. Less than 40 mins earlier, they had been seen passing Salthouse and later they were reported again heading south over Heacham, presumably heading for the Ouse Washes for the winter. A Red Kite was up over the back of the Thornham grazing marsh.
Whooper Swans – heading for the Ouse Washes
As we passed Island Hide, we could hear a Water Rail squealing from deep in the reeds. We stopped on the bank to scan the Freshmarsh – there were several Avocets still here, feeding up to their bellies in the deeper water further back. Wildfowl numbers are growing steadily as birds return for the winter – there were lots of Shoveler, Wigeon and Teal, most of the drakes now starting to emerge from their dull eclipse plumage, and several Shelduck.
There were a couple of hundred Golden Plover roosting mostly on the new bund today, remarkably well camouflaged. Even though the weather was overcast, they still looked stunning close-up through the scope. Several Ruff and a Ringed Plover were on the next compartment of Freshmarsh, beyond the bund.
Golden Plover – on the new bund
As we walked round to Parrinder Hide, a pipit dropped over the hide calling. From inside, we eventually found it on one of the islands, a typically dark and swarthy Rock Pipit. Interestingly it was wearing a red colour ring, although unfortunately it flew off before we could read the code. This is from a Norwegian ringing scheme, the source of many of our wintering Rock Pipits here which are of the Scandinavian subspecies.
Continuing out towards the beach, there were several Curlews, Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks feeding in the muddy channel on the far side of Volunteer Marsh. Another Black-tailed Godwit was feeding very close to the path on the Tidal Pool, but with the tide out at the moment there was not much else on here now.
Black-tailed Godwit – on the Tidal Pools
Out on the beach, the mussel beds were still exposed and most of the waders were feeding out here. We walked down the beach for a closer look. There were several Bar-tailed Godwits on the shore and on the mussel beds which we got the scope on, and at one point had both species of godwit together for a useful side-by-side comparison. There were also several Knot and Turnstone, a couple of Sanderling, and lots of Oystercatchers.
There had been a Spoonbill out here earlier, but it was rather elusive at first, feeding in the pools hidden in the mussel beds. Eventually it appeared and we got a good look at it – a juvenile, with fleshy coloured bill. Most of our summer Spoonbills have long since gone down to the south coast for the winter. When we noticed the waders on the beach all looking skywards, we looked up to see a Marsh Harrier coming in high over the beach, presumably a fresh arrival from the continent.
There were good numbers of Red-throated Divers offshore, many in grey and white non-breeding plumage, but one still had a lot of summer red left on its throat. There were several Great Crested Grebes close inshore and scanning through we found a single Slavonian Grebe with them – much smaller and shorter billed. A large raft of Red-breasted Merganser were further out, over towards the end of Scolt Head.
Curlew – on Volunteer Marsh
On the walk back, as we stopped to photograph a Curlew feeding right next to the path on the Volunteer Marsh, we heard a Lapland Bunting call, but only once and we didn’t see where it was. Then back at the Freshmarsh, we glanced over at the small group of gulls gathered by the small brick island as we passed and noticed an adult Mediterranean Gull in the middle. We had the scope on it, admiring its white wing tips, heavier, redder bill and black bandit mask, when the Spoonbill dropped in right behind.
The Brent Geese were commuting in and out from Thornham saltmarsh, coming into the Freshmarsh to drink and bathe. There seem to be good numbers of stripe-winged juveniles this autumn, hopefully indicating a good breeding season in Siberia this year.
Brent Geese – good numbers of juveniles
It was time for lunch, so we made our way back to the picnic area. Afterwards, we had a quick walk out on Fen Trail. A Goldcrest was feeding with tits by the Visitor Centre as we passed. Patsy’s held lots of Gadwall, a couple of Little Grebe and several Coot, but there was no sign of any snipe in the cut reed down at the front today. As we made our way back, we came across a tit flock with one or two Coal Tits and another Goldcrest. A couple of Brambling landed briefly in the trees.
We made our way round to Snettisham for the remainder of the day. It was forecast to be a fairly big tide this afternoon, although not quite big enough to cover all of the mud, and the brisk southerly wind would hold the tide back a little. Still, we hoped to see some nice flocks of waders gathering.
When we got out onto the seawall, there were lots of Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits and Knot already gathered away to our right, off towards the sailing club, so we got the scope on them. There were also several Grey Plovers on the mud close in, including one still with lots of summer black on its underparts which flew in. Lots of Dunlin were still busy feeding on the edge of the channel beyond. A single Avocet was roosting with the ducks higher up.
The waders were very jumpy today and from time to time all the larger flocks out on the mud took to the air, mostly Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits swirling round in tight groups, twisting and turning, making shapes out over the Wash. Always great to watch.
Waders – swirling flocks
A Rock Pipit on the sea defences dropped down to feed on the edge of the mud. A flock of twenty or so Linnets flew in and landed in the short saltmarsh vegetation. We could hear Pink-footed Geese calling, and looked out to see a couple of large skeins flying in from the far side of the Wash before dropping down onto the mud in the distance. Half of them took off again shortly after and flew in past us, presumably heading inland for a late feed or off to a different roost site for the night.
The tide was rising quickly now. The Bar-tailed Godwits away to our right gave up quite quickly and flew past, landing on the dry mud higher up. Most of the Oystercatchers stuck it out until their feet were wet, before they started to peel off.
It was rather grey and gloomy anyway and the light was starting to go quickly now, so we continued on down to the end. Another huge mass of Pink-footed Geese flew in across the Wash and landed out on the mud to roost. We had planned to walk down to Shore Hide, but a quick scan from the causeway suggested there was not much different to see on the Pit. It was also finally starting to spit with rain now, so we decided to call it a day and make for home. We had enjoyed a very good day and stayed mostly dry!
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.
An Owl Tour today in North Norfolk. It was a cloudy day but stayed dry and mild, although it felt colder in the increasingly blustery wind, which picked up particularly in the afternoon.
We started earlier than usual again, and once more we were glad we did. We started with a quick drive round via several fields where we have seen Barn Owls out hunting in the mornings recently and we were immediately rewarded when we found one perched on a post close to the road, behind some trees. We viewed from the minibus, so as not to disturb it, and edged progressively forward so everyone got a look through a gap in the vegetation in turn.
When the Barn Owl took off, we got out. We watched it hunting now, working its way round over the field. It dropped down into the grass, but came up again quickly – it hadn’t caught anything. Then it flew over the hedge to the next field down.
We walked along the road to where we could see into the next field and had a much better view of the Barn Owl now, out in the open, as it flew round and round over the grass several times. It disappeared behind some more trees a couple of times, but came back out again.
Barn Owl – quartering the grass
The Barn Owl looked like it was going to move on to the next field at one point, but just as we started walking the road again it came back. The second time it did that, it looked like it had landed out of view and we couldn’t see it now. We did walk down to the next gate this time, where we found someone else watching. There was no sign of the Barn Owl though – it had obviously landed where we couldn’t see it. We waited here a while to see if would come out again. There were several Curlews in the wet fields. A Mistle Thrush sang from the wires in front of us and we could hear a Greenfinch wheezing too.
We set off to walk back to the minibus, thinking we would have a drive round, but we hadn’t gone too far when we spotted the Barn Owl on a post in the lee of some bushes. We had a nice view through binoculars now but before we could find a way to get it in the scope it took off. It flew round to the other side of the bush behind and disappeared in. It had gone in to roost.
Barn Owl – before going to roost
As we made our way back to the minibus, a Red Kite drifted very low over the houses beside us and across the road. We had a drive round now to see if any other Barn Owls might still be out but couldn’t find any. It was a clear and sunny day yesterday and a mild and dry night – good weather for hunting. Unless they have a disturbed night or two, they don’t seem to be hungry enough to be out in daylight at the moment.
Red Kite – drifted low over the road
We decided to move on and try our luck finding a Tawny Owl next. We parked by a footpath and set off up along the edge of the field. A Song Thrush flicked up off the path ahead of us and disappeared into the vegetation off to one side.
Before we got too far, we stopped to scan the trees. The Tawny Owl was still there this morning, dozing in the opening of its tree hole. We set up the scopes and had a good view of it from here, if slightly obscured. The Tawny Owl woke at one point and preened for a bit, but then settled back down to doze still in the hole opening.
We edged up a little further, pushing our luck, but surprisingly the Tawny Owl didn’t seem to mind today. We got it in the scopes again, a much better view now. Fantastic!
Tawny Owl – in its tree hole
After admiring it for a while, we decided to leave the Tawny Owl in peace, and walked back down to the minibus. A Kestrel was hovering above the path as we passed.
We drove inland to look for Little Owls next. On our way, we stopped to watch three Brown Hares chasing each other round a field. They looked like they were going to start boxing, but then seemed to lose interest. One ran off and the other two stood staring at each other. Unfortunately a car came along behind us and we had to move on.
There was no sign of any on the first barns we checked, but as we pulled up by the second set we could see a Little Owl tucked in under the lip of the roof. We had a quick look from the minibus, using it as a hide, then drove a little further up and parked out of sight. We walked back round keeping a good distance, and got it in the scopes.
Little Owl – under the edge of the roof
We managed to get a little closer today, and the Little Owl stayed out. At first it was not even watching us. At one point it woke up, stared at us for a bit looking mildly annoyed, as Little Owls tend to do, then went back to dozing and staring out in front. Eventually it turned and disappeared in under the roof.
The wind was already picking up now, and it was increasingly cold out in the open. We drove back down to the coast and headed to Holkham for coffee break. We parked by Lady Anne’s Drive and got out to scan the grazing marshes first. Several Fieldfare were feeding out on the grass opposite.
Fieldfare – feeding on the grass
There was a nice selection of waders out here – several Common Snipe roosting on a grassy bank, a couple of Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew. A Black-tailed Godwit dropped down on the pool in front of us. There were lots of Lapwings out on the grass which spooked occasionally and flew round. A large flock of Golden Plover came up from the fields over towards Wells, and whirled round in front of the pines.
There were lots of ducks too – Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal and one or two Gadwall. A Tufted Duck was diving in one of the deeper pools. Over the other side of the Drive, we turned the scopes on a small group of Pink-footed Geese and a Great White Egret was stalking in the grass beyond. Several Marsh Harriers, Common Buzzards and Red Kites were up in the air, enjoying the breeze today. When something flushed all the ducks at the back, we looked across to see two Raven flying over, still a scarce bird here.
The pair of Grey Partridges were sheltering from the wind over the lip of the bank, by the ditch below The Lookout today. We could only see them once we got level with the end of the ditch but then we had a nice view of them through scope.
We kept getting distracted, but eventually made it to The Lookout for a welcome coffee break and a chance to warm up. Suitably refreshed, when we came back outside a pair of Stonechats were flitting along the fence in the middle of path, seemingly unconcerned by all the people walking past within just a couple of metres of them.
Stonechat – the male
As we walked out through the pines, we caught the tail end of a tit flock – several Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits and Blue Tits moved quickly through the bushes across the Gap. A Goldcrest flicked around in the top of a holm oak by the path then flew overhead into the pines on the other side.
Turning west through the dunes, we noticed a flurry of birds over the saltmarsh which dropped down on the edge of one of the paths. A flock of Snow Buntings and a single Sanderling in with them, looking slightly out of place. We had a good view through the scopes. Then suddenly they were off again, and we watched the Snow Buntings fly off west over the dunes, until they were lost to view.
Cutting across to the beach, there were lots of people out here today, and lots of dogs. It was the first day of half term. Someone was walking their dog right along through the high tide line, weaving in and out of the vegetation where the Shorelarks had been feeding recently. Not surprisingly there was no sign of them now. We carried on a little further and stopped to scan beach, but there were too many people out here too.
A small raft of Common Scoter was out on the sea beyond, and we could see a couple of Velvet Scoter with them but they were hard to pick out from here. It looked very windy further out on the beach, compared to where we were in the lee of the pines, so it wouldn’t be much better trying from there.
We turned and started to walk back, stopping to scan the beach ahead of us. There was some movement now out on the sand, and there they were, the four Shorelarks. They kept running across and then disappearing into little depressions in the beach, digging seedheads out where had only been partly covered with sand. We could see the sand flying! We positioned ourselves, and they gradually came much closer. Lovely views again today.
Shorelark – digging on the beach
Two people were walking their dog on the lead and came round the dunes in front of us. They stopped and looked at us all clearly watching something out in front of them, then walked on straight at the Shorelarks. Not surprisingly, the Shorelarks took off and flew further out, landing in the middle of the beach.
We decided to head back, as it was time for lunch now. Thousands of Pink-footed Geese came up from the fields over towards Wells as we got our bags out of the minibus. It was windy on the south side of the pines, so we ate lunch in The Lookout today.
Afterwards, we had a quick look over the grazing marshes further west. Several Marsh Harriers circled up and there were lots of geese out on the grass. We got the scope on a distant flock of White-fronted Geese over at the back, bathing in a pool. A Great White Egret stood out, even at that distance.
Then we drove back east to Blakeney. We thought we would combine a look at the Red-breasted Goose out on the Freshes with scanning for owls, as it was getting towards that time of day again now. The Red-breasted Goose has been the birding highlight here the last few days, so we should really not drive past it today without at least having a look!
A couple of Curlew and two Little Grebes were out in the harbour channel as we passed. Walking up onto the seawall, we could see a Red-breasted Goose in the wildfowl collection behind the fence below. That one doesn’t count, but now at least we knew what we were looking for!
Further out on the seawall, we could see a large flock of Brent Geese out on the grass in the middle of the Freshes now. It was hard to see, as we were looking through reeds and the birds had their heads down, but we found the Red-breasted Goose in with them. After a bit of moving up and down the path, we managed to get it so we were looking through a gap in the reeds and had a much better view now.
Red-breasted Goose – with the Brents (recent photo!)
We kept scanning but there was no sign of any Barn Owls out yet this afternoon. It was very windy out here though, not ideal conditions for them, and as we had seen this morning they are not really hungry enough to come out in less than ideal conditions in daylight, at the moment. Several Marsh Harriers were floating in the wind up over the reeds.
We carried on up to the corner, where we could see a nice selection of waders out in the harbour – lots of Knot, Grey Plover and Dunlin. Then we dropped down to the path through the middle where it was more sheltered. The Brent Geese were now hidden from view behind the next fence, so we walked back to the road and back to the minibus.
We drove round to where we had seen the Barn Owl this morning, but there was no sign of it coming out again to hunt now. So we decided to check out some owls boxes instead, but it was all quiet there too – it was probably just too windy now to encourage them out in daylight hours.
Everyone was getting cold now in the wind too. We would normally head out to see the Tawny Owl emerging at dusk, but having enjoyed such great views this morning, we figured that there was no point in making everyone stand around in the cold again this evening. We had done very well for owls today, and had seen a load of other birds too afterwards, so given we had an earlier than normal start, we decided to call it a day half an hour early and head for home. It had been a great day.
Day 1 of a three day Early Winter Tour. The weather forecast wasn’t great, but after some drizzle first thing it proved to be better than feared, cloudy and breezy but mostly dry. When we started out in the morning, it looked like it might be a difficult day, but little did we know just what excitement the birding gods had in store for us!
We met in Wells. It was drizzling pretty steadily, so we decided to have a quick look in the Harbour as there had been a Black-throated Diver reported off the Harbourmaster’s Office late yesterday afternoon. As we drove slowly past, we could see a few Brent Geese and gulls on the edge of the water. A glimpse of a bird disappearing under the water turned out to be a Cormorant when it resurfaced.
We turned round and as we headed back the other way we spotted a diver on the water fairly close in, directly opposite the quay. We found somewhere to stop and got out for a look. It was actually a moulting adult Red-throated Diver, not Black-throated. Particularly in the dull light, the remains of the throat patch looked dark and it was impossible to see any red, but the structure immediately screamed Red-throated Diver, rather slight with a markedly upturned bill. Although the head was still speckled with grey streaks, the eye stood out in the the pale face. We had a nice view of it, diving, as it came past us and headed off up the harbour channel.
Red-throated Diver – in the harbour at Wells
The forecast was for rain all morning and if it was going to continue like it had been we would have to head for somewhere with hides for the day, but the rain seemed to be easing now. As it was going to be very windy over the next couple of days, our preferred option was to go to Holkham for the Shorelarks this morning, so we decided to go for it. We drove round and parked on Lady Anne’s Drive.
A small covey of partridges was feeding just beyond the fence directly in front of where we parked, one Red-legged Partridge with four Grey Partridges. As we got out of the minibus, the Red-legged flew off but the Grey Partridges stayed – they looked up briefly, but quickly went back to what they were doing. We had great views of them, just beyond the fence. Another four Grey Partridges flew in to join them.
Grey Partridge – feeding right by the fence
There were lots more birds on the grazing marsh beyond, lots of Wigeon, a couple of Curlew. Further back, we could see a few Golden Plover in with the Lapwings. We could hear Pink-footed Geese calling the other side of the Drive and looked over to see them flying round out over the grazing marsh. Some kronking calls alerted us to a Raven which circled up over the Lookout Cafe, before drifting across the north end of the Drive and over the pines, where it was joined by a second Raven. Still a scarce bird here, so a nice one to see.
Raven – drifted over Lady Anne’s Drive, calling
We walked through the pines and out towards the beach. From the boardwalk, we could see a small group of Brent Geese and a few Shelduck out on the saltmarsh. Several Linnets flew up and circled round. As we walked east on the edge of the saltmarsh, it was rather quiet at first, but at least it was sheltered from the wind in the lee of the pines.
As we got to the cordon, we could see two people looking through scopes, so we headed over towards them. As we got a little closer they waved us over – as we suspected, they were watching the Shorelarks. We could only see two Shorelarks at first, as they were quite well back and hidden in the vegetation. Gradually they worked their way closer towards us and eventually we counted all five together. We had great views of them now, picking around the stunted saltmarsh vegetation for seeds.
Shorelark – one of five still
By coincidence, it turned out one of the group knew the two people on the beach from elsewhere, so while they chatted, everyone stopped to watch the Shorelarks. We could see the sea through the gap in the dunes beyond the cordon and it didn’t look too rough yet, so after a while we continued on for a look out at the Bay to see if we could pick up anything out there.
Out on the beach, it was just after high tide so there wasn’t much exposed sand at the moment. We could see one or two Oystercatchers on the shore. A Sanderling was running in and out of the waves away to our right and eventually came right past in front of us, and more small flocks of Sanderlings were flying past.
We turned our attention to the sea. Even though it wasn’t particularly rough, the combination of the high tide and a significant swell meant birds were constantly disappearing into the troughs. There were several Red-breasted Mergansers offshore, with four close in. We could see a few Eider too, and a group of Common Scoter further out. Another more distant flock of Common Scoter flew up from the sea further back, and we could see that the bird at the front had white wing flashes, a Velvet Scoter. The flock landed again and we lost it in the swell.
There were several Great Crested Grebes offshore, but we couldn’t find any other grebes. The first two or three divers we spotted were Red-throated Divers, but then we picked up a Black-throated Diver not too far out. As well as the swell, it was diving constantly which made it hard to get onto, but it was working its way towards us.
We were just trying to get all the group onto the Black-throated Diver, scanning with the scope, when an auk bobbed up from the swell in front. It was only in view for a second, but it looked just like a Brünnich’s Guillemot. But surely it couldn’t be? Brünnich’s Guillemot is a high arctic species, and very rare further south (there have been 48 accepted records in UK, but no confirmed records for Norfolk and only 4 for England!). It rode up over the next wave and it did look just like a Brünnich’s Guillemot!
It was being carried very quickly east on the running tide. So while we tried to get a quick clip of video through the scope, in the hope we might then have some documentary evidence, we tried to get everyone onto it. Thankfully, it was close in and not too hard to see when it rode up and over the breakers, even if it was only in view for a second or two at a time.
The Brünnich’s Guillemot had a noticeable dark head, with pale speckling on the throat. Most Common Guillemots in winter have very pale faces, although even at this time of year some have darker heads too, a pitfall for the unwary. But this bird had very black upperparts too, and looked hunchbacked with a rather angular head. The bill was too short for a Common Guillemot and we thought we could make out a suggestion of the distinctive pale gape line when it caught the light.
Once everyone had seen the bird, we checked the video and fortunately saw that we did have a few seconds footage of it (as well as several more seconds of empty sea!). We managed to get a videograb and, given the enormity of the call, we quickly sent it to a few locals with the question ‘are we going mad’?!
Brünnich’s Guillemot – the first confirmed record for Norfolk
The Brünnich’s Guillemot didn’t look well, it was not diving or attempting to swim against the current. We followed it as it disappeared away to the east and it looked like it would be swept into Wells Harbour. So once we received suitably reassuring comments back, we put the news out hoping it would get refound. Wow – what a moment! Job done, still slightly shell-shocked, we walked back.
A Rock Pipit flew over calling and landed on the edge of the saltmarsh. Back at Lady Anne’s Drive, while we stopped to use the facilities in The Lookout, we scanned the grazing marshes. A Merlin shot across low, scattering all the Wigeon, but was gone as quickly as it appeared. A rather pale Common Buzzard and a Kestrel were more obliging, perched where we could get the scopes on them. A Great White Egret flew up and across briefly.
We thought we might have a quick walk west through the trees before lunch, but just as we were setting off we received a message to sat that the Brünnich’s Guillemot had been refound in Wells Harbour. We decided to go round there instead for another look.
When we got there, there was already a small crowd gathered by the old lifeboat station. The Brünnich’s Guillemot was on the other side of channel, just on the edge of the sandbar. It was definitely not looking well and as we watched was gradually beached by the receding tide, but at least it was still looking round relatively actively.
One of the other locals was arranging a boat to take a few people across to see what the bird was doing, so we arranged places for the group. It was a bit of a rush to get down to the inner quay and by the time we got there, the boatman said that the tide was probably too low now to get us in close. Still we thought we would have a go anyway.
There were several Brent Geese still on the margins of the harbour channel as we motored out. The Red-throated Diver we had seen earlier by the quay was about half way up now, but from the boat allowed us to get very close for some great views. The light was a bit better too now, and we could see that the patch on its neck was indeed dark red. Two Razorbills surfaced next to it briefly too.
Red-throated Diver – great views from the boatRed-throated Diver – sporting the remains of its throat patch
Out past the lifeboat station, the water started to get a bit choppy and the navigable channel took us further away from the sandbar the other side. We could see the Brünnich’s Guillemot still distantly on the sand, now well back from water’s edge. The boatman offered to drop us over on the other side of the channel further back, from where we could walk out to the sandbar, but we were not all really equipped for it and we still hadn’t had lunch. We had no idea when we might be able to get back. So we got ourselves dropped back at the outer harbour, while a couple of the others went over to investigate.
We stopped at the beach cafe for a late lunch and a welcome hot drink. A steady stream of people came to see the Brünnich’s Guillemot, from all over Norfolk. Then the sad news came through that the Brünnich’s Guillemot had passed away. It was perhaps inevitable, but the speed and the reality of it definitely put a damper on the celebrations.
The weather was still OK, and as we might not get another chance this weekend, we decided to have a look at the raptor roost to finish the day. As we walked up the track, we flushed a Sparrowhawk from the base of the hedge. Lots of Starlings flew over, in and out of the pig fields. We started to flush a few Blackbirds out of the hedges, and down at the far end there were more, along with several Redwings flying ahead of us too, we could hear their ‘teezing’ calls. Migrants in from the continent, stopping here to refuel.
It was a bit more breezy out on the edge of the coast path, with the wind gradually swinging round now. We could see small groups of Brent Geese and a few Curlews out on saltmarsh. There were several Little Egrets, and one of the group picked up a distant Great White Egret too.
There were a few Marsh Harriers already in and still hunting up and down, a nice close male and more further out. One Marsh Harrier feeding on something way out on the beach, and two juveniles were looking on from the sandhills beyond the saltmarsh. Out of frustration, they started playing with a stick instead.
Marsh Harrier – a male out over the saltmarsh
We picked up a ringtail Hen Harrier hunting way off, in front of East Hills, but it was very hard to see and must have dropped down as it disappeared without coming closer. We were just thinking about packing up, when another ringtail flew in from the east. As it worked its way along the back edge of the saltmarsh, a grey male appeared behind it. Presumably the male Hen Harrier had come in early and stayed down, given the wind. The two of them circled round over the spartina for a minute or so, then dropped down again.
It was getting cold now, so we decided to call it a day. What a day it had been!
A two day Private Tour in North Norfolk. Wednesday was very cloudy and grey but dry, with a cool northerly wind which was not as strong as forecast. Thursday was mostly cloudy and grey too, but the wind had dropped further and we had a couple of very brief glimpses of what appeared to be the sun – a very rare sight in the UK this summer!
Wednesday 1st September
With a request to try some seawatching if possible, we headed first to Sheringham this morning. Conditions are all important for seawatching and there was forecast to be a moderate to blustery north wind again today. However, as we drove down, we noticed that the trees were not moving as much as we would have expected. When we got to Sheringham our fears were confirmed and the wind had indeed fallen lighter than forecast.
We decided to have a go anyway, as there has been some significant movements of waders and wildfowl this week which are not so dependent on conditions. There were still a few ducks moving – little groups of Teal, several parties of Common Scoter, and a few Wigeon with them. One Redshank flying west was the only wader this morning.
There were still Gannets passing by and others feeding offshore, plus some distant Kittiwakes and one or two Sandwich Terns closer in. A Great Skua came up briefly up off the sea, probably waiting to attack one of the terns if it could spy one with a fish. Two more flew west along the horizon but were very distant and very hard to see. A Red-throated Diver flying west was easier to see and a Guillemot flew past.
We gave it an hour but it didn’t look like we would get much more of interest this morning, so we opted to move on and drove further east to Cromer. There were not many gulls on the beach or around the pier at first – a few hanging in the air over the east end of the prom, and lots more out chasing behind a distant crab boat. There was a surf school on the beach this morning, so lots of disturbance on the sand.
We stopped on the far side of the pier to scan. A Fulmar flew past offshore and there were still some Common Scoter passing. Then we spotted our target – a juvenile Caspian Gull flying round the end of the pier, but unfortunately it went round behind the lifeboat house and was lost to view. A dark juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull was more accommodating.
As we waited to see if the Caspian Gull would reappear, more large gulls started to drift in from the sea and land on the beach. On cue either the same or another Caspian Gull flew in and landed with them. We had just got the scopes on it, when it was flushed by one of the surfers, and the gulls all scattered. Most seemed to fly off east.
Change of plan, we went to get some bread from the nearby shops to see if we could tempt one in. When we got back, we noticed a few gulls on the booking office at near end of the pier so we walked back to get an angle to have a quick look through them before any food would cause chaos. Lucky we did, as there was a juvenile Caspian Gull standing on the roof.
Caspian Gull – a Dutch-ringed juvenile
We had a really good look at the Caspian Gull through the scopes now. It was wearing a red colour-ring with the code ‘F.E’ – a quick check with one of the local birders confirmed it was a Dutch bird, ringed in the colony where it was born, in May this year. We could see its strikingly pale head, particularly compared to the nearby juvenile Herring Gulls, and dark shawl, long pointed face and long parallel-sided bill.
Mission accomplished here, we moved on again. There had been a Red-breasted Flycatcher at Trimingham yesterday afternoon, but a message came through to say there was no sign of it this morning. So we made our way back to to Beeston Bump to see if we could find any migrants ourselves. We were just walking down the track towards the railway line, when something flicked across in front of us. It landed on the edge of the hedge the other side. A Pied Flycatcher! It flicked back across the track and perched up nicely for a couple of seconds, then flew to the other side again and was lost to view. As we walked slowly up to where it had been we couldn’t find it again now.
Pied Flycatcher – perched in the hedge briefly
Emboldened by our Pied Flycatcher, we continued on across the railway line and explored the bushes in the hope of finding more migrants. There were several Linnets and Goldfinches and a couple of Chiffchaffs calling from the shelter of the bushes, but no other obvious migrants. Perhaps it was a bit too cool and breezy so close to the clifftop, which is why the Pied Flycatcher had moved to the more sheltered lane? A rather tatty Common Blue butterfly was a bit of a surprise, given the cool weather.
As we made our way back to the minibus, a large Hoverfly Volucella inanis, one of the big hornet or wasp mimics, was trying to warm up on a branch by the track. It was time for lunch now, so we drove up to the picnic area at Pretty Corner where we were out of the wind. After lunch, we made our way west towards Wells and stopped at the pools just before town.
As we parked and got out of the bus, we heard Whimbrel calling and looked up to see two flying high west. We scanned the pools from the car park first. The pool to the west of the track is now dry, but there is still lots of water to the east. A single Ringed Plover flew round with a Dunlin and they both landed on the mud at the front. Another small group of Dunlin was feeding slightly further behind.
Four small waders flew up from somewhere at the back of the pools and we watched them as they flew across. As they got closer, we could see they were four Little Stints. They continued on over the track, and we watched as they disappeared off west, round the front of Wells. There were several Common Snipe feeding round the muddy edges of the pool and lots of Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff further back.
Common Snipe – one of several around the pool
We could see a good number of Wigeon in the grass around the pool, with increasing numbers now returning for the winter, as we saw earlier this morning. Through the scopes, we picked out a few Gadwall and Shoveler at back. The other side of the track, there were lots of geese loafing around the dry pools, mainly Greylags but with several Egyptian Geese too.
There were lots of distant hirundines over the edge of Wells and we were just looking through them to see if we could find a late Swift when a Hobby appeared. It shot through them and then disappeared off inland. We could see it circling away in the distance. Several Common Buzzards kept coming up from the pig fields just inland and a Marsh Harrier was hunting briefly over the fields beyond the pools.
We walked on down the track for closer views of some of the waders. As we scanned, we picked up the Hobby again, way off to the east now, harrassing another flock of Swallows over the trees in the distance.
As we were scanning the far corner of the pool from the end of the track, we picked up a Common Sandpiper flying towards us over the water. It flew straight over our heads, and dropped down the other side of the track. There is still lots of water in the foot drain, so we scanned down along the muddy edge and found the Common Sandpiper feeding there with a Green Sandpiper too. At one point we had the two of them side by side, a great opportunity for comparison.
Common Sandpiper – landed on the edge of the foot drain
It was already mid-afternoon now, and we wanted to have quick look in Wells Woods before we finished, to see if we could find any more migrants, so we walked back. A Golden Plover flew round over the pool calling. As we got back to the minibus, all the Greylags in the stubble field over towards Wells were flushed by a small plane which came in overhead, and they all flew in calling noisily.
As we walked into the Woods at Wells, we had a quick look at the boating lake. Three Tufted Ducks and several Little Grebes were additions to the tour list. There were several Mallard on the water, with one drake already moulted back to breeding plumage and looking very smart again.
The trees were rather quiet at first. We could hear a Blackcap calling from deep in the brambles out in the middle, and a Chiffchaff calling as we approached the edge of the Dell. we continued on round the north side of the Dell, where we could hear Jays and Magpies calling too.
It tends to be all or nothing in here, as most of the birds go round together in large flocks, led by the tits. We wrre just making our way round the far side of the Dell when we heard a Pied Flycatcher calling. We came out of the denser trees and as we looked down along the edge, it was suddenly alive with birds – we didn’t know where to look! There were lots of warblers – Chiffchaffs and several lovely lemon-yellow Willow Warblers. A selection of tits with them too. We watched a pair of Goldcrests in a holm oak, as an adult fed a juvenile.
It was hard to tell exactly how many there were, as we had lots of brief views of Pied Flycatchers flashing in and out of the trees, but eventually one showed itself better. A couple of Jays were chasing each other on the ground, below the trees.
We followed the flock as the birds flew across to the south side of the track. The Pied Flycatchers were a little easier to see in the more isolated birches. We could hear several calling, and saw two chasing each other – there were at least two and probably three or more. A Common Whitethroat flicked out of a low bush in front of us and we could see it in a low briar clump. A cronking noise alerted us to a pair of Ravens and we turned to see first one and then the second fly up off Quarles Marsh calling and disappear over the caravan park. As we looked over, a male Bullfinch landed on the top of the hawthorns briefly.
Suddenly everyone felt rather tired now, after all the day’s excitement, so we decided to head back. We had another day to look forward to tomorrow,
Thursday 2nd September
We set off from the accommodation inland to head down towards coast, and on our way we stopped to scan some barns. A Little Owl was perched on the roof of one, rather distant, but we had a nice view of it through the scope.
Continuing on to Stiffkey Greenway, as we drove in along the track down to the car park there were lots of birds in the vegetation – Whitethroats, Goldfinches, Dunnocks. We had stopped to look but another car came in behind us so we had to move. By the time we had parked and got out of the minibus, they had mostly disappeared. We could hear a Greenfinch calling further back.
Scanning the saltmarsh from the edge of the car park, we picked up a Greenshank out in the vegetation and stopped to get the scope on it. A large flock of Golden Plover came up off the saltmarsh and flew past us. Two of three Marsh Harriers were out hunting and a distant Kestrel was hovering.
As we walked west, we could see several Curlew out on the saltmarsh. A Whimbrel flew up from fairly close to the track and landed further back in the vegetation. A Sparrowhawk flew across, mobbed by Black-headed Gulls. It dropped down on the saltmarsh out of view – we could tell it was still there as occasionally one of the gulls would stoop down at it, but it wouldn’t come up again. A lone Spoonbill flew past.
Spoonbill – flew past
The bushes by the path were quiet and even round the whirligig, where there are lots of berries, we couldn’t find anything. We decided to just have a quick look along the path just the other side of the Whirligig then head back, and it was good we did. The bushes here were alive with warblers – Common Whitethroats and Lesser Whitethroat, and Blackcaps. They were hard to see at first, flitting around on the far side of the hedge. A Reed Bunting was more obliging, and perched up on top.
We eventually got good views of several warblers in the top of a large hawthorn. Another bird appeared with them – a Redstart! It only stayed a second, but we all got a look at it before it flicked off back into the bushes.
The flock appeared to be heading along the hedge line so we continued round for a better look. We caught the back end of a flock tits heading inland along the track, which presumably took some of the other birds with it. There were several Common Whitethroats still lingering in the bushes. Someone had a brief flash of what might have been a Pied Flycatcher. Then we had a brief glimpse of what might have been the Redstart again, as it flicked across. But despite waiting a few minutes, nothing came out again.
We walked back round and the bushes where everything had been were now quiet. So we decided to walk back. The Whimbrel was on the saltmarsh just below the path, but flew back as we approached. It landed on the edge of a small pool, near to a roosting Curlew and through the scope we could see the Whimbrel feeding just behind it, another great comparison.
Whimbrel – feeding on the saltmarsh
Given the Redstart hinted at the possibility of migrants freshly arrived, we decided to have a quick look in Campsite Wood. It was disappointingly quiet – plenty of Woodpigeons, as usual, we heard a couple of Great Tits, but nothing else. The wind seemed to have picked up a little compared to earlier, and the wood is very exposed to a north wind. There were also still quite a few people in the wood despite the campsite being much quieter now.
Out the far side of the wood, we scanned and picked up a couple of Common Buzzards hanging in the air in the distance. A Kestrel flew in off the saltmarsh and hovered right above us. Two Speckled Wood butterflies were feeding on overripe blackberries deep in the brambles. We walked back along the front, passing a Little Egret feeding in the channel next to us.
Little Egret – feeding in the channel
When we got back to the minibus, we stopped for a coffee break. Checking the news, there didn’t seem to be much new turning up elsewhere, so we decided to head over to Titchwell for the afternoon, to try to add some waders to the list. It was already midday by the time we got there, so we stopped for an early lunch. A Common Swift passed back and forth over the sallows from the picnic area – the first we have seen for several weeks now, as most have already left us for the winter.
After lunch, we made our way out onto the reserve. There were lots of House Martins and a few Swallows hawking over the reedbed, but we couldn’t see the Swift now. A Marsh Harrier was quartering over the Thornham grazing marsh but there was no sign now of the Whinchat which had been reported here earlier. The reedbed pool held just one Tufted Duck, but we found two Common Pochard diving in the channel just beyond. A Cetti’s Warbler sang a couple of times very half-heartedly in reeds.
The works are still ongoing on the Freshmarsh, with the diggers working out on the edge of the reeds today, but the waders didn’t seem to care. It anything, the low water levels and freshly churned up mud are proving more attractive for them this year. We could see lots of Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff scattered around the scrapes, and plenty of Avocets still too, although numbers are now dropping.
Ruff – feeding on the Freshmarsh
A couple of Common Snipe flew off before we could get the scope on them, but a group of Turnstone bathing and preening on the edge of the new bund lingered a little longer, before they flew off too, back towards the beach. A single Knot was roosting behind a large lump of mud churned up by the diggers and we picked up a couple of Ringed Plovers feeding on the drier mud.
The Dunlin were obviously favouring the area at the back, where the diggers are working. When a group were disturbed and flew round, we could see a flash of a white rump with them. They landed our side of the new N/S bund, and a quick scan confirmed a juvenile Curlew Sandpiper was in with them. We got it in the scope, as it stopped to bathe. There were a couple of Little Stints in the flock too, but the whole flock quickly drifted back and disappeared behind the new bank again.
The variety and number of ducks is steadily increasing now, as birds return for the winter. We could see lots of Teal out here today, along with a few Gadwall and Shoveler, and a couple of Pintail asleep.
We decided to walk round to Parrinder to see if we could get a better look at the small waders. We didn’t go into the hide, but scanned from the balcony beyond, where a bit of elevation meant we could see more of the mud over the fence round Avocet Island. We could see Curlew Sandpiper again from here. It was over on the mud in front of the diggers, and didn’t seem at all concerned. We counted at least five Little Stints too, all fresh juveniles, from here. Eventually a couple came in a bit closer and fed for a while where we could get a good look at them through the scopes. A Common Sandpiper was working its way back along the edge of the new muddy channel by the bund.
Little Stints – two of the five today
There were lots of Linnets, Meadow Pipits and a few Pied Wagtails in front of the hide too, taking advantage of the works to feed on the dried out bits of the new scrapes.
We decided to head out to the Tidal Pools, as it was approaching high tide and we figured there should be some birds roosting on there now. A lone Redshank was on the near channel of Volunteer Marsh as we passed, and a few more plus a handful of Black-tailed Godwits and a couple of Curlew on the muddy channel at the far end.
There were lots of waders roosting on the Tidal Pools – most impressive, there were at least a thousand Knot. A large gathering of Oystercatchers were on the grassy island too. Scanning the edges, we found a couple of Grey Plover, including one very smart one which dropped in briefly. Several Turnstone included two very smart birds still in breeding plumage.
Two Pintail were upending in the water, perhaps the same two as we had seen earlier on the Freshmarsh. Both were drakes in eclipse plumage, so not looking their best.
Having come this far, we decided to continue on to the beach. Several little groups of Sanderling were running in and out of the waves along the shore. There were more waders, including a number of Bar-tailed Godwits further up along the beach, towards Thornham Point. A few gulls and Turnstones were feeding on shellfish which had been washed up on beach. When something flushed all the Knot from the Tidal Pools, we turned to see them fly out over the beach. Half landed out on the shore, but the others flew round and then went back to where they had come from.
Knot – flying out over the beach
There was not much out to sea now – the seawatching had dried up steadily as the wind had dropped further today – just one Sandwich Tern fishing offshore, and a few distant Cormorants coming and going from Scolt Head.
As we turned to walk back, all the Knot went up again. We looked up to see a young Peregrine flying over. It headed out over the beach.
Peregrine – flushed the Knot from the Tidal Pools
That was a nice bird to end the two days – we made our way back to the minibus and headed back inland to the accommodation.
Day 2 of a three day, small group, socially-distanced Early Autumn Tour in Norfolk. It was mostly bright with some sunny intervals and although it clouded over for a bit around the middle of the day, the rain (which wasn’t in the forecast!) skirted round to the west and north of us. Another nice day to be out birding.
Our first destination for the morning was Stiffkey Fen. As we walked down along the permissive path beside the road, a Common Buzzard flapped up out of the copse ahead of us. As we got into the trees, a Chiffchaff was singing – not too unusual at this time of year, and possibly a young bird practicing.
There were more warblers in the trees down by the river, as we came across the back end of a mixed tit flock, Blackcaps, more Chiffchaffs and a brief Reed Warbler. Warblers will often join up with the roving tit flocks at this time of year. The flock was moving quickly through the trees and we tried to follow them. They crossed over to the Fen, where we caught them a couple of times through a gap in the vegetation and at one point we had several Long-tailed Tits feeding in one the sallows above us. A Bullfinch was piping plaintively further back.
It was quite breezy this morning, but sheltered down beside the river. There were lots of insects along here – several Speckled Woods and a smart orange Comma butterfly basking on the bushes. A couple of Migrant Hawkers were hawking back and forth across the path and one of two Common Darters were enjoying the sunshine on the vegetation.
Comma butterfly – basking on the bushes by the path
When we got to the point on the path where you can look across to the Fen beyond, we could see a sizeable collection of large white blobs over towards the far corner. Spoonbills! The vegetation is quite tall now though, so it is hard to see clearly from here, so we continued on and up onto the seawall. There were lots of Linnets and Goldfinches on the bushes as we walked out and looked back across the Fen.
We had a much better view of the Spoonbills from here, and we could see that there was indeed still a good number of them. Most were doing what Spoonbills seem to like to do best – sleeping – but one or two were preening and a juvenile was relentlessly pursuing an adult nearby, bobbing it head up and down and demanding to be fed. It was hard to get an accurate count with so many asleep in a tight bunch, but there were at least 44 Spoonbills here and probably a few more than that.
Spoonbills – we counted at least 44 still on the Fen today
The Spoonbills gather here at the end of the breeding season, with most of the birds probably coming from the breeding colony at Holkham. It has become quite a spectacle to see them at this time of year. They will be heading off south at some point this month, so it was good to find we hadn’t missed them yet.
Close to the Spoonbills, a group of pale looking waders were roosting in the shallow water, ten Greenshanks waiting out the high tide here. There was a big flock of roosting Black-tailed Godwits on the island and a group of Common Redshanks over at the back. A scattering of Ruff were feeding on the muddy edges and scanning round the margins of the Fen, we found two Green Sandpipers. We walked a bit further up and looked back to the other side, which produced five more Greenshanks to add to the total.
There were lots of Greylag Geese on the Fen and plenty of ducks, mostly moulting Mallard, the drakes in drab eclipse plumage, but also with a few Wigeon and Teal. A small group of Shoveler were feeding, heads down, in the deeper water in the far corner.
Black-headed Gulls were coming and going, with a large group loafing on the islands and others preening in the shallow water. A single Common Gull in with them allowed a good opportunity to compare. A grey-winged male Marsh Harrier came up out of the reeds at the back and landed briefly in one of the trees.
Looking out across the harbour, the tide was in. It was a big tide today too, so the saltmarsh was flooded with just the tops of the taller bushes poking out above the water. Two Kingfishers shot across, flashing electric blue, following the course of the channel before cutting across the saltmarsh towards the harbour.
There were a few more Redshank out here, and some Curlew out here, and we could see two Knot trying to roost on one of the shingle islands in the distance. There were lots of seals hauled out on the end of Blakeney Point, and we could even hear one barking at one point.
News came through that the Wryneck had been seen again at Weybourne Camp, so we decided to head over there and have a go for that, and we thought we might possibly pick up some things over the sea at the same time. We parked at Weybourne beach and walked west along the coast path. The sea looked disappointingly quiet, but as we got almost to the small group of people gathered staring over the fence across the Camp, we did come across a single Wheatear in the short grass.
Wheatear – feeding on the short grass on the edge of Weybourne Camp
There was no sign of the Wryneck and we were told it had not been seen for the last hour, but there were lots of other birds. Several Stonechats were flitting between the bushes and the short grass, including a couple of still streaky juveniles. One or two Common Whitethroats and a Lesser Whitethroat popped up out of the brambles from time to time.
A Guillemot was pulled out on the beach, lying on the shingle some distance above the receding tide now. It looked like it might be unwell, but could perhaps have just been resting.
Guillemot – pulled out on the beach at Weybourne
There had been a Spotted Flycatcher seen here earlier, and after a while it reappeared on the front edge of the pines, perching on a dead branch where we could get it in the scope. It kept flying off and coming back. There had apparently been a Pied Flycatcher seen on the Camp too this morning, but it is private land, fenced off with a particularly aggressive barbed wire fence, and the bird was not visible from the coast path.
Still, it all hinted that there were some migrants around today, which was supported by the Meadow Pipits which came in off the sea and or our heads, a couple of singletons and a small flock of seven, fresh arrivals coming in for the winter.
Then someone called that the Wryneck had appeared – it had flown up and was perched in some dead branches sticking out of one of the bramble clumps. We got it in one of the scopes quickly, and it stayed just long enough for most of the group to get a quick look, before it dropped down again. We waited a short while to see if it would reappear again, but it didn’t. Those who hadn’t seen it were not fussed about missing it, so we decided to move on. As we walked back along the coast path, a small flock of Knot flew past just offshore – more migrants on the move.
Knot – flew past offshore as we walked back
We drove round to the Visitor Centre at Cley to make use of the facilities and have our lunch on the picnic tables there. Scanning Pat’s Pool from the picnic area, we could see that the three juvenile Curlew Sandpipers we had seen yesterday were still present, albeit they were very distant from here.
After lunch, we could see some rather ominous dark clouds to the west and it was clearly raining offshore. It was forecast to remain dry here all day (not that this means anything!), and we figured the worst of the cloud should miss us, so we decided to head back to Kelling to walk down the lane to the coast. With some migrants around this morning, we hoped we might find something in the bushes here this afternoon.
It was rather cool in the lane with the grey cloud and the freshening breeze. There is normally a good selection of butterflies and dragonflies along here, but the only thing we came across today was a single Willow Emerald damselfly hanging on an overhanging wild rose branch. A single Chiffchaff hooeeted from the copse, but otherwise there were disappointingly few birds on the walk down.
Willow Emerald damselfly – hanging on a rose branch over the lane
There were a few ducks on the Water Meadow – Teal, Wigeon, Mallard – and a few gulls flying in and out from the water. The best birds on here today were two Little Grebes. Three Egyptian Geese flew over and landed on the Quags as we carried on along the cross-track.
The bushes above the track to the Hard produced just a single Stonechat and there was only one Pied Wagtail out on the short grass on the Quags. We walked a short way up the permissive path towards the gun emplacements, and stopped to scan the sea. Another Stonechat was in the bushes here but we couldn’t see anything passing offshore.
It was clear there were no migrants to be found here, so we decided to head back and try something different. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over and landed in the top of one of the trees by the school when we got back to the minibus.
It was a bit of a drive from here down to the Brecks, but when we got there we pulled off the road to scan a large area of pig fields. Almost as soon as we got out, we could see a Stone Curlew out in the middle. They can be remarkably well camouflaged down in the bare stony ground and there is restricted visibility from here, but the more we scanned, the more we found, until we could see at least six.
One Stone Curlew was not too far out, so we got it in the scope and had a closer look, its bright yellow iris, black-tipped yellow bill and rather knobbly yellow legs all helping to give it a rather prehistoric appearance.
Stone Curlew – one of six we could see from our first stop
The Brecks is the most important breeding area for Stone Curlews in the UK, and they traditionally gather together at the end of the breeding season, so it is another must see sight at this time of year. There was a Wheatear feeding out in the pig field here too.
Driving on, we scanned some other fields but couldn’t see any more Stone Curlews at first. Then we stopped at another gateway and scanned the pig fields from here more distantly. They were a long way off from here, but we counted another 15 Stone Curlews giving us over 20 in total, a respectable total, particularly given there are probably only just over 200 pairs in the Brecks.
There was a huge flock of sparrows feeding in the weedy vegetation on the front edge of the pig field. It was impossible to make out any detail when they were feeding down in the vegetation, and not much easier when they weren’t given the distance and a lot of shimmer coming off the stubble field in front. But when a small group of them flew across and landed in the top of a nearby bramble bush, we could make out several Tree Sparrows in with the fifteen or so birds in view. How many might there be in the whole flock?
It was unfortunately not quite as windy here – either the wind had dropped, or it was not as strong inland as on the coast – but we decided to have a quick look to see if there were any raptors up enjoying the breeze. We stopped somewhere with a good vista looking across the forest and got out to scan over the trees. All we could see from here were just one or two Common Buzzards.
We hadn’t been here very long when one of the group saw a large black bird flying over the field away to our right. A Raven? Unfortunately, it disappeared behind the trees just as the rest of us turned to look. We walked round and scanned the sky the other side and had another glimpse of it as it appeared to drop down to the fields beyond the next hedge. It did look like a Raven, so we hopped back in the bus quickly and drove back up the road.
Sure enough, there was the Raven in the field. We got it in the scope and could see its massive bill. At one point, it was harassed by a Carrion Crow, which looked tiny next to it. It was a nice bonus to end with – Ravens are spreading east but are still scarce birds in Norfolk. With a long drive back, we unfortunately had to call it a day.
The Bird ID Company 