10th March 2024 – Winter & Brecks, Day 3

Day 3 of a 3-day Winter & Brecks tour today. After two days of nice weather, it was perhaps no surprise that today was different – grey, damp and rather breezy. Thankfully, the rain was only light, spitting with drizzle on and off and only up until 11am this morning after which it stopped, and the wind was nowhere near as bad as forecast. And we had a very successful day, despite the weather, to wrap up our tour.

With the forecast of rain, we headed over to Titchwell this morning, where we would at least have the benefit of the hides if we needed shelter. We cut across inland and as we dropped back down towards the coast, lots of birds flew up from a wild bird seed crop behind and landed in the hedge beside the road. We pulled up and could see they were mainly Brambling, including several smart, black-headed males, with smaller numbers of Linnet and Goldfinch too.

Song Thrush – in the car park

When we arrived at Titchwell, the car park was unusually quiet – probably something to do with the weather today! A succession of Mediterranean Gulls flew over calling as we got out of the minibus and a Song Thrush flew up from the middle of the car park and perched obligingly on a branch on the edge. As we walked up towards the Visitor Centre, we scanned for Woodcock under the trees but it was all rather along wet here today and we then had to pick our way round the flooded path to get past the Welcome Hub.

There weren’t many birds on the feeders today, so we carried on round onto Fen Trail. More scanning this side finally produced a single Woodcock hiding under the sallows. It froze, watching us, relying on its camouflage, while we got it in the scope. It was a fill-the-frame view! Obligingly it waited just long enough for everyone to get a look at it through the scope before it finally decided it had had enough and scuttled off further in.

Further on along Fen Trail, the Tawny Owl was in its usual tree again but today we could at least see more of it. From the first place we set up the scope, we could just see its breast and belly feather, marked with dark streaks. We adjusted position and after a couple of attempts found somewhere we could see a half its face and a dark eye staring back at us from between the ivy leaves.

Tawny Owl – hiding

We continued on round to Patsy’s Reedbed. A couple of Common Pochard were diving over towards the far corner, a couple of Tufted Duck were out in front and a Little Grebe was lurking in the reeds at back. There was a pair of Gadwall too – we got the drake in the scope to admire its intricately patterned plumage. A single Common Snipe was hiding in the cut reeds, before it flew off. There was not much activity out over the reedbed, not a surprise given it was still spitting lightly with rain, although a lone male Marsh Harrier did come up briefly at one point but quickly dropped back in

We walked back round and out via Meadow Trail to the main path. It was windy out when we got out of the bushes and the rain seemed to be getting heavier again. We made our way quickly on to Island Hide. There were not many birds on the Freshmarsh again today. A few Avocets were trying to feed up to their bellies in the deep water. A small group of Black-tailed Godwits was feeding further back, and at one point three flew in and landed closer in front of the hide. Three Dunlin were picking round the muddy edge of the nearest island.

Avocet – wading

There are not many ducks left on the Freshmarsh either. We did find a pair of Pintail upending over towards the back, along with a few Teal and Shoveler. Gull numbers are down too, at least on the islands closest to the hides, with just a few Black-headed Gulls on the nearest compartment, although a pair of them were displaying.

We braved the weather and walked quickly round to Parrinder Hide. A Scandinavian Rock Pipit was bathing by the bricks as we walked into the hide, then flew up on top briefly before flying off. Then another dropped in right in front of the hide and, after hiding behind a small alexanders plant growing out of the mud, worked up the courage to walk down to the water’s edge to bathe. Nice to see it up close, the Scandinavian Rock Pipits are starting to get pink on the throat and breast, more like a spring Water Pipit and a pitfall for the unwary.

Scandinavian Rock Pipit – starting to turn pink

There were a few more gulls on the islands over on the back compartment, including several smart adult summer Mediterranean Gulls with the Black-headed Gulls. We got them in the scopes, admiring the more extensive jet black hoods and thicker white eye-liner on the Mediterranean Gulls, along with their heavier red bills and white wing-tips. There were a couple of Dunlin on the mud in front of the hide and two Knot dropped in to bathe in front of Avocet Island.

It had stopped raining again, so we headed out to brave the path on to the beach. A large flock of Brent Geese was feeding out on the saltmarsh and several Redshanks, Curlews and a couple of Grey Plover were on the muddy channel on Volunteer Marsh.

Grey Plover – on Volunteer Marsh

The tide was out so there were no waders on the Tidal Pools, but we did stop to admire several close Pintail, which even started to display at one point. There was a pair of Red-breasted Merganser here too, the male preening on a tiny island before going to sleep and the redhead female diving along the far edge.

Pintail – a smart drake

Out at the beach, we got ourselves into the shelter of the dunes. There were a few waders down on the shore – several Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderling and Turnstones. A small raft of Common Scoter were just offshore, but kept disappearing in the waves. One of the volunteers was seawatching and got a message on his radio to say that there was a Spoonbill on Thornham saltmarsh. We couldn’t see it from here but as we made our way back, we kept scanning and picked it up when we got to the Freshmarsh, feeding in one of the saltmarsh pools. It was hard to see, feeding most of the time with its head down, but we got it in the scope, and it lifted its head from time to time so we could see its bill.

Further back, we stopped to look for some Pink-footed Geese which had been reported on Thornham grazing marsh, and quickly found three of them in the grass. We could compare them with some Greylag Geese in the same field too. We turned the scope on a Chinese Water Deer out on the saltmarsh as well.

We were just saying that it was not a good day to look for Bearded Tits, it was too windy, when we heard them calling and turned to see four climbing up the reeds just behind us. They were moving quickly along the back edge of the borrow pits, but we had great views of them out in the open, particularly when one of the males stopped to climb up a reed stem and perched in full view for a few seconds, giving us a good chance to admire its black moustache.

Bearded Tit – despite the weather

Back at the Visitor Centre, we were planning to have an early lunch on the picnic tables, but we found that the picnic tables by the Centre were standing in water and the picnic area was flooded too. We decided to head back east and find somewhere else. We had a quick stop at Brancaster Staithe first, adding Ringed Plover to the list, and getting closer views of Bar-tailed Godwits. We watched the Oystercatchers picking through the discarded mussels, and Turnstones running around the car park too. A 2nd winter Mediterranean Gull was standing on the mud with three Herring Gulls.

Mediterranean Gull – a 2nd winter

Continuing on, there was no sign of any Cattle Egrets in the fields at Burnham Norton, but a quick look from the layby at Burnham Overy Staithe revealed several closer Pink-footed Geese in with the Greylags by the road. We had a much closer view now and could see their pink legs! Further on, seven White-fronted Geese were in the field by the road at Holkham today, so we stopped and got out. Again, it was a much closer view compared to yesterday. Three Barnacle Geese flew in again too.

White-fronted Goose – much closer today

We stopped at Lady Anne’s Drive and walked up to The Lookout for a later than planned lunch. At least we could get out of the chilly wind, even if it wasn’t raining any more. Afterwards we drove round to Wells beach car park. We thought it might be very windy out on the edge of the harbour today, looking out to the east, but it was actually not as bad as expected. There were a couple of Bar-tailed Godwits, a Grey Plover and a Curlew on the near edge of the channel and lots of Oystercatchers on the sand beyond.

Two male Red-breasted Mergansers came swimming quickly up the channel, one chasing after the other. The chasee swam on, and then started displaying to itself, while the chaser eventually turned back and joined up with two females which had appeared behind.

Red-breasted Merganser – a drake displaying

Round at the old lifeboat station, there were more waders on the mussel beds and mud opposite – a distant flock of Knot and Dunlin was feeding at the top of the beach, along with Ringed Plovers and Grey Plovers, and a flock of Bar-tailed Godwits whirled round the other side of the channel and landed again, but we couldn’t find any Greenshank today.

Back to the minibus, and we still had time for one last stop this afternoon. The Glossy Ibis had been seen on the flood east of Stiffkey village for the last couple of days, so we decided to have a look for it. We parked in the layby and crossed the road onto the permissive path the other side of the hedge. We were just walking down the path and turned round to answer a question from one of the group when we noticed a large bird of prey flying over the trees behind us. It looked big for a Buzzard and then we realised – it was a juvenile White-tailed Eagle!

White-tailed Eagle – the Dutch-ringed juvenile

We watched it fly across the road and out over the field the other side, stopping to do a quick circle, before it then continued on inland. Over the wood beyond, it flushed all the corvids and a Common Buzzard came up too for a nice size comparison. The White-tailed Eagle really was huge!

This bird is a Dutch-ringed juvenile White-tailed Eagle which was born in 2023, and then taken into care following a collision with a wind turbine and ringed, before being released. At some point it crossed over to the UK and spent most of the winter in Suffolk, before setting off north a couple of weeks ago. It has since been wandering the North Norfolk coast, though often disappearing inland. We had hoped to see it this weekend, but there had only been a couple of brief sightings of it flying over different places on the last couple of days so we were very lucky to catch up with it here now.

We continued on down to the corner of the footpath to view the flooded grazing marshes. As we came out of the trees, we realised the Glossy Ibis was very close, feeding in the pool right by the path. We edged out slowly, being careful not to spook it or all the other birds feeding on the pool and then we were able to watch it feeding in the shallow water. It caught a stickleback, washed it and then swallowed it. Then it flew slightly further back.

Glossy Ibis – with stickleback

The flood waters have started to recede a little now, and there were lots of waders here enjoying the fresh mud. Lots of Black-tailed Godwits included some smart rusty ones getting into breeding plumage already. There were groups of Ruff too, one striking bird with a buff head was probably a white-headed bird which had somehow stained its feathers. There were lots of ducks as well, Wigeon and Teal, and a couple of Pintail asleep further back.

With everyone heading off this evening and with long drives ahead, it was time to head back now. It had been a great way to wrap up, with a White-tailed Eagle and the Glossy Ibis, and it had been a very enjoyable three days with lots of good birds.

21st Feb 2024 – Winter & Brecks, Day 1

Day 1 of a 3-day Winter & Brecks tour in Norfolk. It was a rather wet and increasingly windy day, but as usual nowhere near as bad as the apocalyptic forecast from the Met Office and BBC Weather, and we made the most of the opportunities to get out, particularly when the rain stopped in the afternoon.

Given the forecast, we headed for Titchwell this morning where we could get out of the weather in the hides if need be. We cut across inland on our way there, and stopped to look at a flock of finches whirling round over a field corner sown with a bird seen mix. They were all Bramblings, maybe a hundred or so of them – we could see the white up their backs and the brighter orange shoulders of the males as they twisted and turned in flight. Then they dropped into the crop and disappeared. A couple of Stock Doves were on the verge nearby.

It was drizzling when we got to the car park at Titchwell, so we donned our waterproofs. A quick look in the trees on one side produced a brief Woodcock, which unfortunately disappeared in before we could get a proper view and another was lurking very deep in the sallows on the way to the Welcome Hub, too tricky to get an angle on it, so we decided to try our luck along Fen Trail.

The feeders behind the Visitor Centre were quiet, so we carried on round towards Fen Hide. There was no sign of any more Woodcock along here at the moment and the Tawny Owl was hiding in its usual ivy-covered tree but had secreted itself completely today, probably trying to get out of the rain, so the best we could see was half a wing!

Common Snipe – in the cut reeds

The path to Patsy’s has had some new gravel put down so we were able to get round there despite the rain. There were a couple of Common Snipe in the cut reeds in front of the screen, which we got in the scope, and a selection of Gadwall, Mallard, Coot and Mute Swans out on the water, but the Marsh Harriers were keeping down today and there was no activity over the reedbed.

As we made our way back round on Meadow Trail, we found another Woodcock hiding under the sallows. Again, it was not easy to see but we managed to find a spot where we could get the scope on it. Most of the group managed a look before it disappeared deeper in. The Woodcock were still very active this morning, so we figured we might stand a better chance of getting one more static later in the morning.

Woodcock – before it disappeared in

There was no sign of the Water Rail in the ditch by the main path – there was even more water in there this morning, with all the rain, which probably didn’t help. A couple of Cetti’s Warblers shouted at us from the reedbed and a quick scan of the reedbed pool produced a few Common Pochard, Tufted Duck and a couple of Little Grebes.

It was still drizzling steadily though, so we pressed on to Island Hide. There was a digger working out on the main bund today, and the increasing wind didn’t help, so there had been a bit of a clearout on the Freshmarsh. A large group of Avocets were on the island nearest the hide and flew round before landing again. There were a few Black-headed Gulls too and a single adult Mediterranean Gull with a nearly complete black hood dropped in for a quick bathe before flying off inland. A lone Lapwing was on the bund nearest the main path.

Avocets – numbers increasing

There was still no sign of the heavy rain which was forecast, so we decided to press on and see if we could get out to the beach. There were a few ducks, Teal and Shoveler, in the NW corner of the Freshmarsh, as well as a small flock of Dunlin feeding busily in the shallow water. A single Common Snipe was on the bund by the Dunlin and another five flew up from one of the weedy clumps on the island.

There were a few waders out in the channel on the Volunteer Marsh, so we stopped for a quick scan – Redshank, Curlew and a Grey Plover which we got in the scope. There were fewer birds than usual on the Tidal Pools too – a couple of Black-tailed Godwits in a small pool towards the back, more Wigeon on the islands but only a single drake Pintail in with the Shoveler. Turning round, we realised the rest of the Pintail had decamped to the saltmarsh and were feeding on the grass today, presumably to get out of the wind.

Pintail – feeding on the saltmarsh

The dunes provided us with a little bit of shelter to scan the beach and sea. There were several Bar-tailed Godwits along the shoreline and Turnstones and Oystercatchers on the mussel beds. Three Sanderling flew past. Looking out to sea, there were a few Common Scoter close in and a Great Crested Grebe just off the beach in front of us. A couple of pairs of Red-breasted Merganser more distantly off towards Brancaster were harder to see as they kept diving and the scope was constantly getting wet from the drizzle.

On the way back, we were walking into the wind and the drizzle had a sting to it, so it was a case of heads down and make a beeline for the shelter of the trees. Back at the Visitor Centre, there were now lots of birds on the feeders, so we made use of the shelter (which was no being used) to watch the comings and goings. There were several Bramblings on the ground here now, including two or three brighter orange males and a couple of greyer females. A Greenfinch dropped down onto the feeders but the Redpoll we could hear calling in the trees didn’t come in.

Brambling – a male under the feeders

It was time for lunch and it was still drizzling, and we were very kindly allowed to eat our packed lunches inside the cafe at the Visitor Centre. As we walked back to the minibus to collect our lunches, we spotted a Woodcock lurking under the trees close to the path. They can be surprisingly hard to see, as they are so well camouflaged, but we had fill the frame views in the scope now. It was asleep at first, but then woke up and looked at us, assuming it was well protected and we probably couldn’t see it. We could see droplets of water on its back and after a while it shook itself down and walked further in behind some branches.

Woodcock – on the way to the car park

There had been no sign of the heavy rain which was forecast all morning and we slightly worried it might just be late arriving, but after lunch we went back outside and it had stopped. On the way back to the minibus, the Woodcock was back where it had been before. As we drove east along the coast to Holkham, there were more raptors out now – a male Marsh Harrier quartered a field next to the road, a few Red Kites hung in the air, and several Kestrels were perched on the wires.

As we neared the Park, we looked out towards the pines and could see a flock of white birds flying up out of the trees in the middle and gliding round over the grazing marshes. We parked in a layby and got out and confirmed our suspicion they were Spoonbills. They landed on the grass and we got them in the scope, twenty-two of them. There were four different Great White Egrets on the small pools on the marshes too.

Spoonbills – some of the 22 here

Further off towards Burnham Overy, we could see a larger group of up to a hundred Russian White-fronted Geese loafing in a grassy field with some Pink-footed Geese and through the scope we could see their pink bills with the white surround around the base.

Russian White-fronted Geese – out on the grazing marshes

There is a lot of water on the grazing marshes by Lady Anne’s Drive now, and still good numbers of Wigeon and Teal enjoying it, but we couldn’t see anything else in with them. We walked through the pines and out onto the saltmarsh and turned east. The Shorelarks had mostly been on the beach to the west in recent weeks, but had been reported back in the cordon this morning, so we thought we should try there first and hope for the best.

There were lots of Brent Geese out on the saltmarsh, mostly the regular Siberian Dark-bellied Brents but looking through we found a single Pale-bellied Brent with them. A small group of Rock Pipits flew round calling and landed briefly and a few Skylarks were feeding out on the saltmarsh too. It was still rather grey, and it started to drizzle again now but thankfully it was just a shower and quickly stopped again.

Dark-bellied Brent Geese – on the saltmarsh

As we got out to the cordon, a couple who had walked out ahead of us waved us over. There were nine Shorelarks down at the far end and we got them in the scope, getting a good look at their yellow faces and black bandit masks. They were quite mobile and flew up and round several times, landing back each time in a different place. Fortunately we had chosen the right direction to walk!

Shorelarks – out in the cordon

Having enjoyed the Shorelarks, we decided to have a quick look out to sea. There has been a nice mixed flock of scoter off Holkham this winter, although numbers dropped sharply when most of them moved back west towards the Wash two weeks ago. The Black Scoter continues to be reported though, and had been a couple of hours earlier, although all we have been able to locate here since the number of Scoter plummeted have been a couple of lookalike Common Scoter with more yellow than usual on their bills. Still, we hoped we might at least find one or two Velvet Scoter in the flock, but when we got out to the beach and into the lee of the dunes we found the Scoter were very distant and visibility was very poor. There was no chance of picking out a Velvet, let alone a Black! We did have nice views of a couple of female Common Scoter which were very close in and there were several Red-breasted Merganser and a couple of Great Crested Grebes not too far out in the bay too. A few Sanderling were running up and down on the shore.

Looking back at the cordon, the Shorelarks had disappeared now, so we walked back around the far end and over to the lee of the pines and walked back. When we got back to Lady Anne’s Drive, it was still not raining but we were still rather damp from earlier. It was very cloudy and grey though and the light was starting to go. Everyone quite liked the idea of heading back for tea and cake so we decided to call it a day and head for home. We had done remarkably well, given the weather.

8th-10th Jan 2024 – Three Winter Days

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

Monday 8th January

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

Red-breasted Merganser – in the channel

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

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

Oystercatcher & Knot – roosting

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

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

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

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

Red-breasted Goose – taken elsewhere recently!

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

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

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

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

Barnacle Geese – probably from the Park

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

White-fronted Geese – by the road again

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

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

Tuesday 9th January

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

Fieldfare – in the hedge

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

Long-eared Owl – trying to hide

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

Goldeneye – on the main lake

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

Glossy Ibis – on the edge of the river

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

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

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

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

Woodcock – hiding in the sallows

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

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

Water Rail – back in the ditch

Wednesday 10th January

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

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

Grey Seal – on the shingle

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

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

Brown Hares – sheltering from the wind

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

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

Eider & Velvet Scoter – with the Common Scoter

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

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

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

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

Glossy Ibis – better views than yesterday

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

Red Kite – wing tagged

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

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

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

Pallid Harrier – flew in early

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

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

9th Dec 2023 – Winter Tour

A single day group tour in North Norfolk. The weather was challenging – it rained in the morning, though perhaps not quite as hard as had been forecast, and even though it cleared up early afternoon, it was increasingly windy. Still, we made the most of it and by the end, everyone agreed we had enjoyed a remarkably productive day.

It was already spitting with rain when we met and given the forecast, we decided to head for Titchwell first thing where we could make use of the hides. Very unusually, we were the only people in the car park when we arrived. As we walked down past the Visitor Centre, a charm of Goldfinches whirled around above us and disappeared into the alders. There were several Chaffinches along the start of the main path, as we walked along slowly, scanning the ditches. We quickly found what we were looking for – a Water Rail was picking around in the leaves on the edge of the water in the bottom of one of the ditches. Unconcerned by us standing on the path, looking down, we had some very nice views of this usually very secretive species.

Water Rail – in the ditch

There were just a few Mallard today on the reedbed pools and the nearby channels, so with thicker cloud now approaching from the south, we walked up to Island Hide where we could get some shelter. After the recent rains, the water levels are now very high right across the Freshmarsh, but we started to scan round to see what we could find. There was a nice selection of ducks, several on the island closest to the hide, which we got the scope on for a closer look – a pair of Gadwall, we admired the intricate plumage patterns on the drake, several Teal and more Mallard.

Feeding in between the ducks in the flooded vegetation were at least three Common Snipe, which were good to watch, probing their long bills vigorously into the wet mud. There was a Lapwing too, always nice to admire up close. Further back, over in the far compartment, we could see a flock of Dunlin feeding busily on one of the islands and a single Grey Plover in with them.

Common Snipe – between the ducks

The rain was still light, so we took the opportunity to make our way round to Parrinder Hide without getting too wet. There were lots more ducks on the far compartment, mostly Teal but we did put the scope on a male Wigeon and a Shelduck which were both swimming round in the water between the islands. The Dunlin were still running around busily on one of the spits and while there was no sign of the Grey Plover with them, there were two Ringed Plovers with them now. A lone pair of Avocets were standing on the end of one of the islands further back – most of them have left us for the winter, gone south to find milder conditions, but always a handful of intrepid ones try to cling on.

The rain got heavier for a few minutes now, and when it eased a couple of Marsh Harriers came up out of the reedbed and chased round between the bushes. A grey male appeared briefly too – they were obviously not in any hurry to leave the roost today, and who could blame them!

A Curlew dropped in, in front of the other side of the hide, so we moved across to get the scope on it. It had a good bathe, flapping its wings in the water, and then stepped back to the edge of the island to preen. There were a couple of Redshanks on here as well, which we got the scope on too. After a while, when it had finished its ablutions, it flew off again, taking the Redshank with it. Two more Common Snipe were on the edge of the island now, and several Lapwing and the flock of Dunlin were further back.

Curlew – bathing

There was just some misty drizzle now, but the wind had already picked up noticeably. We decided against walking out to the beach this morning, figuring it would be pretty unpleasant out there, so we made our way back out to the main path. The wind was in our faces, so we put our heads down and walked back quickly towards the shelter of the trees. The rain picked up again just as we got past the reedbed, so we hurried on to the Visitor Centre where it was nice to get into the warm, update the staff on what we had seen, and have a quick chance to check out the Christmas stock for those that wanted to.

As we walked back to the car park, the rain had eased off again and it had gone back to spitting. We boarded the minibus and decided to have a drive round to look for geese, so we could remain in the warm and avoid getting too wet again. Cutting inland, we drove round to a recently harvested sugar beet field. There were fewer geese here today than there have been in recent days, but there were still some nice groups of Pink-footed Geese and Greylags. We got out and got the scope on them – a good comparison between the two, the Pink-footed Geese noticeably smaller and darker headed, with a more delicate and mostly dark bill.

Pink-footed Geese – with Greylags

Looking across to the other side of the field and into the next one over, we could see that there were hundreds of Fieldfares and Starlings, feeding on the ground or up in the hedge. The Fieldfares are winter visitors here from Scandinavia, so we turned the scope on them for a closer look.

Moving on, we headed off to another area where we had been told a large flock of Brent Geese were feeding. There has been at least one Red-breasted Goose with the Brent Geese in Norfolk since November, but with the geese now feeding inland on winter wheat, they are hard to find and seldom seen. It doesn’t help that the flocks of Brents get moved on constantly by the local farmers. There were only a couple of small gaps where we could see through the hedge and the geese were nervous so we couldn’t get out, but we eventually all got a view of the Red-breasted Goose in with them.

Red-breasted Goose – with the Brents

It was time for lunch, so we dropped back down to the coast at Holkham. As we parked at Lady Anne’s Drive and got out, it had stopped raining completely now. There were lots of Wigeon, Teal and Shoveler out on the grazing marshes and a few Pink-footed Geese flying in and out of the fields further over. A Red Kite flew across behind us too. As we walked down towards The Lookout cafe, there were lots of Redshanks feeding in the now very wet grass just beyond the new (and annoying, as it spoils the view of the birds) bridlepath fence.

Redshank – behind the new fence

We ate in The Lookout – the group all bought hot drinks and were very kindly allowed to eat their sandwiches in the warm, as the wind had blown straight in through the slats and the tables outside the cafe enclosure were very wet. A lone Tufted Duck was on the pool beyond the cafe. While we were eating an unfamiliar yellow orb appeared in the sky – the sun showed itself through the clouds, which were starting to break up!

After lunch, we headed out towards the saltmarsh to look for the Shorelarks. They hadn’t been seen in the cordon this morning, and as we walked up towards the pines, another birder coming back said there was still no sign of them. A bit disappointing, but we figured we would walk out anyway now we were here – it was drying out a bit, and you never know. We scanned a couple of other places they have liked to get recently, but there was no sign, so we set off to walk down to the cordon.

Out beyond the Gap, we could see lots of black birds flying back and forth over the sea – lots of Common Scoter. Then looking behind us, we could see there were some very ominous dark clouds approaching over the pines – we had hoped we would remain dry now – and then the wind picked up significantly like it does when it is about to rain. We cut into the trees to get some shelter but thankfully the clouds blew quickly overhead and the sun came out again.

Back out onto the path along the edge of the saltmarsh by the start of the cordon, we began to scan across and quickly noticed a group of small birds on the sand over the far side, in front of the dunes. Getting the scope on them quickly, we could confirm our suspicions – they were the Shorelarks! We had a quick look from here, just in case they flew off, then walked out to the far side of the cordon and looked back. The Shorelarks were working their way towards us and with the sun now low in the sky behind us, their yellow faces shone in the late sunshine. We all had a good look, then when we took our eyes off them for a second to talk about them, they disappeared back into the saltmarsh.

Shorelarks – on the saltmarsh

We had a quick look at the sea, but the Scoter were now a long way out and with the wind still very blustery, the water was very choppy. We decided to make our way back and when we got back to Lady Anne’s Drive, there was a dramatic sunset over the park, the light shining between the clouds, flocks of Lapwings and Pink-footed Geese flying across in front. A couple of thousand Pink-footed Geese flew in and dropped down in the distance, the other side of Decoy Wood.

The light was already starting to go, but we figured we had time for one last stop, so we went for a quick look at the grazing marshes. We eventually found some White-fronted Geese, but they were distant, beyond Decoy Wood, and we could just make out their white fronts when they lifted their heads. There were a couple of Egyptian Geese on the grass a bit closer. We found a Great White Egret too and had a nice view when it came up out of the pool where it had been feeding.

Sunset – over the grazing marshes

There were already lots of Cormorants in the trees, and then a couple of huge flocks of Jackdaws flew out and landing in the trees in the wood to roost – an impressive sight in the scope. A couple of Common Buzzards flew past and up into the park – time for bed for them too. It was around the time for the Pink-footed Geese to come in to roost, so we waited to see when they would arrive. They were 5-10 minutes later than usual today, and most came in from the east, still impressive to watch as several thousand filled the sky and then whiffled down onto the grazing marshes.

A nice way to end the day, it was time to head back.

2nd Dec 2023 – Early Winter Tour, Day 2

Day 2 of a 3-day Early Winter Tour in Norfolk. After some more wintry showers overnight, we woke to freezing fog this morning. Depending on which forecast you looked at, either it was meant to be bright with sunny intervals all morning or the fog was due to lift after a couple of hours – unfortunately that was all wrong. The local news last night mentioned that, with light winds, there was a risk any fog could linger, and so it did, all day. Thankfully it lifted a little for periods and we were able to see some good birds, despite the fog.

It was a slow drive up to the coast this morning, the roads treacherous with the freezing fog and an overnight covering of snow which was now turning to slush. When we arrived at Titchwell, it was highly unusual but not a great surprise to see only two other cars already there. We had a quick look in the bushes in the overflow car park and out over the paddocks from the gates at the end, but apart from a few gulls it was quiet. At least the fog seemed to have lifted a bit, so we decided to head out onto the reserve. As we walked down along the path to the Visitor Centre, a Treecreeper landed on a tree in front of us and posed nicely.

Treecreeper – by the path

There was quite a bit of water in the ditches either side of the main path and no sign of any Water Rails there this morning as we passed. Out of the trees, we could see right to the back of the reedbed now. One Marsh Harrier was perched in the dead trees and another two came up out of the reeds and circled round. The pools and channels in the reedbed looked largely frozen, so we pressed on to the Freshmarsh.

Just before we got to Island Hide, we noticed a Goosander on the water behind the closest island. It swam round and straight towards the hide, so we decided to head down in the hope we would get a closer view. Unfortunately, by the time we got into the hide it had flown off, so we set about trying to see what else we could find. Some people in the hide told us there was a Water Rail along the edge of the reedbed, so we got the scope on it. It disappeared back into the reeds, but a little later emerged further along and then followed the edge all the way until we lost sight of it in the corner.

Water Rail – came out of the reeds

There were lots of ducks on the water – Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Shoveler and three Pintail. A small flock of Brent Geese were over towards the back and we noticed a small duck behind which promptly dived under the surface. A distinctive shape, we knew immediately it was a Smew, so we got the scope on it when it resurfaced. A ‘redhead’, a female or immature, we were watching it when we realised there were actually two Smew out there. After a while, they came together and we watched them catching small fish. A rare bird here these days, we put the news out and it caused quite a stir – a succession of the staff coming out to see them.

Smew – two redheads on the Freshmarsh

Back out on the main path, there were more ducks on the next compartment and a Grey Plover and a couple of Dunlin were feeding in with them. We had a better view of the Grey Plover from the path down to Parrinder Hide, before it then flew off.

Grey Plover – on the Freshmarsh

When we got into the hide, a pair of Stonechats were on the new bund, perching up on the tops of the dead thistles and dropping down to the ground to find food. We were hoping there might be a few more waders on here, given it was just after high tide, but there were only more ducks. A Marsh Harrier appeared, hovering over the reeds just to the left of the hide, before turning and heading back to the far bank.

Marsh Harrier – hovering

We had hoped that the fog might continue to lift, but it was now proving to be more stubborn. We decided to head out towards the beach anyway, and try our luck. We heard the Spotted Redshank call a couple of times as we walked out and it sounded like it was still out on the saltmarsh. We stopped to look through the waders in the channel at the far end of Volunteer Marsh – plenty of Common Redshank, some nice close Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Dunlin and Curlew. A single Black-tailed Godwit down towards the back was the first we had seen.

The Spotted Redshank called again and this time it seemed like the sound was coming from the Tidal Pool, so we walked over the bank and scanned its favourite spots but there was no sign of it there either – another Black-tailed Godwit and a couple more Grey Plover and Common Redshanks. A Kingfisher shot across over the water and disappeared in under the bank ahead of us, but quickly flew back out and disappeared over the bank back towards Volunteer Marsh.

Further up, there were more mixed godwits and several Pintail dozing. We were going to have a quick look at them on our way to the beach, but the fog started to descend again, so we pressed on. Quite a few Reed Buntings were perched on the suaeda before the dunes and a flock of Linnets flew in and landed on the bushes by the old pill box.

The tide was going out now but had still not uncovered the mussel beds. There were lots of Bar-tailed Godwits on the beach and lots of Oystercatchers feeding along the shoreline away towards Brancaster. In with them were a few Sanderling and some little groups of Knot. A seal pup had been left behind by the tide at the top of the beach off to the east of us, but it quickly attracted the attention of several paparazzi who had walked down that way and it made its way quickly back to the water.

The fog was coming and going – at one point there was a patch of blue sky and we could see the sun through the clouds behind us. From the top of the beach, we could only see the first bit of the sea and managed to make out a couple of Goldeneye on the water towards Brancaster and a Common Scoter. We were hoping to see more of the scoter flock, so we hung on for a bit but it quickly became clear that visibility was unlikely to improve.

As we started to make our way back, a Weasel ran across the path ahead of us. Two drake Pintail had now woken up and were upending much closer to the path. A nice view, we could see that neither had yet completely regrown its long pin-tailed central tail feathers.

Pintail – now woken up

There was still no sign of the Spotted Redshank, but passing the Freshmarsh, a small group of Golden Plover flew in and landed on one of the islands so we stopped to get them in the scope. Back at the Visitor Centre, after a quick look in the shop we opted for an early lunch and a hot drink from the cafe. A Siskin called and we managed to find it in the top of the alders with the flock of Goldfinches. A Great Spotted Woodpecker flew over calling.

After lunch, we headed round to Snettisham. The fog seemed to get thicker as we got round to the Wash coast and when we got up to the outer seawall, we could barely even see any mud beyond the shore or across the pit to the other side. We walked down to Rotary Hide – a few Dunlin and Redshank were on the nearest pools and we could hear Grey Plovers calling in the mist.

There were some other people in the hide and they were looking through their scope. The first bird we got onto was the drake Long-tailed Duck in the gloom, but it dived and disappeared into the murk. The fog was thickening and thinning slightly, and during the marginally clearer moments, when we could almost see across to the other side, we kept refinding the Long-tailed Duck and got some reasonable views of it in the end.

Long-tailed Duck – in the fog

There were lots of Goldeneye on the pit too and some of the drakes were displaying to the females, throwing their heads back. We could see a few Tufted Ducks too and three drake Common Pochard appeared out of the fog.

Goldeneye – lots on the pits

The people in the hide told us they had not seen the Great Northern Diver earlier but a message came through now to say it was visible again from Shore Hide, so we set off down the path to see if we could see it. They did tell us there had been a couple of Snow Buntings down along the shore, so we scanned the gravel on the way down and found them feeding on the stones. They are always very well camouflaged, and all the more so in the mist, but they were very obliging and allowed us close views as we walked past. One Snow Bunting was paler than the other – perhaps the subspecies nivalis from Scandinavia, with the darker one an insulae from Iceland.

Snow Bunting – the paler one

Down in Shore Hide, the fog seemed even thicker that even. There were more Goldeneye and Tufted Ducks from here and a Kingfisher shot past over the water in front of the hide and disappeared into the bank a bit further up. Eventually, the Great Northern Diver appeared out of the gloom further up the pit and although it was diving continually, we eventually all got onto it. It spent a lot of its time swimming with its head held out in front of it, low to the water’s surface. It would snorkel too, with its head underwater, before diving. It disappeared back into the fog and then reappeared a little closer to the hide, where we watched it catch what appeared to be a small crab, although it was hard to see in these conditions.

Great Northern Diver – in the fog

When the Great Northern Diver disappeared back into the gloom again, we decided to make our way back. With the sun starting to go down and losing any of the limited strength it had today, the fog was definitely deepening again and the light was going. It had not been an ideal day for birding, but we had done remarkably well, given the conditions.

4th Nov 2023 – Late Autumn, Day 2

Day 2 of a three day Late Autumn Tour. It was forecast to rain heavily for most of the morning and into the afternoon, but thankfully yet again the forecast was wrong. There was heavy drizzle for about 15 minutes mid morning, and some short spells of light drizzle at times through the rest of the day too, but nothing like as bad as we were led to expect by the Met Office.

Given the forecast, we headed over to Titchwell this morning, where we could get into the hides. On our way, we could still see clear skies away to the north and the bank of high cloud as overhead as the front arrived from the SW. We had a quick look round the car parks first. Scanning from the gate at the far end, we could see a few Blackbirds and Starlings in the paddocks. A Redwing appeared in the hedge, where we could get it in the scope for a closer look.

Continuing round, several finches flew over – Greenfinches, Chaffinches and a couple of Siskin. A Kestrel was hovering over the edge of the paddocks, and seemed to flush a few Meadow Pipits and a Reed Bunting which came up and over us too. The bushes in the overflow car park were quiet this morning, but we came across a tit flock in the main car park – Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits. A Goldcrest flitted through the oaks. We followed the flock to the far corner where it disappeared quickly into the sallows towards Fen Trail.

It started to drizzle while we were in the car park, which we thought might be the beginning of the forecast rain, but it stopped again almost immediately. We carried on round past the Visitor Centre, and as we walked up along the main path we noticed movement in the ditch below us. A Water Rail was picking around in the bottom of the ditch – we watched it feeding furtively. They can often be found here in the winter, but this might be the first one here this autumn.

Out of the trees, and a Marsh Harrier was up over the back of the reedbed and a Kestrel was hovering in the distance, but there didn’t seem to many birds moving today. Several Coot in the channels and two Common Pochard on the reedbed pool were new for the trip list. There were a few Curlew, Redshank and Little Egrets over the saltmarsh, where several Skylarks and pipits chased each other round too, the latter a mixture of Meadow Pipits and one or two Rock Pipits.

Black-tailed Godwit – on the Freshmarsh

As the weather was still holding off, we decided to head out to the beach first, and then head back to the hides when the rain arrived. We stopped at the freshmarsh to have a quick scan and get the scopes on two Common Snipe which were feeding on one of the islands. There were lots of Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits roosting further back on the first compartment, as well as a selection of ducks, but not much on the next compartment.

Pushing on, the tide was high on Volunteer Marsh now. A Great White Egret was over in front of Parrinder hide. It flew up and landed a little further back, helpfully right next to a Little Egret so we had a great comparison view through the scopes and could really appreciate the size difference between the two.

Great White Egret – with a Little Egret

There were a few Teal in the channels, including a drake displaying to two females already, bobbing its head up and down as it swam after them. There were lots of Wigeon too and a single Great Crested Grebe at the back of the big channel at the far end of Volunteer Marsh. Several Curlew, Redshank and a Dunlin were feeding on the muddy edges. Another Little Egret was down at the front, although its yellow feet were a bit muddy.

Continuing over the bank to the Tidal Pool, and the first bird we noticed was a Greenshank on one of the muddy islands close to the path. It seemed unconcerned by people walking past and we had great close views. A Spotted Redshank was feeding a bit further back, which we got in the scope so we could see its needle-fine bill. Both species are mainly passage migrants through here, in spring and autumn, but small numbers stay for the winter, feeding mostly in the saltmarsh channels at low tide. It was high tide now, so a good time to find them on here.

Greenshank – on the Tidal Pool

Further on, we could see a flock of Dunlin feeding out on the saltmarsh island, along with a few Turnstones, and a line of several Grey Plover roosting on the edge of the water. A small flock of Brent Geese were feeding on one of the pools on the Thornham side of the bank.

We pressed on and out to the beach. With the tide in, a large group of Oystercatchers was roosting out along the beach to the east, and through the scopes we could see a smaller number of Bar-tailed Godwits in with them. A couple of Sanderings and a Turnstone were closer to us on the shore. Looking out to sea, we could see a large raft of Common Scoter offshore, and several Great Crested Grebes. Looking away towards Brancaster, we picked up a Red-necked Grebe just off the beach. Unfortunately it dived and we lost track of it before everyone could get a look.

We could see dark clouds approaching from behind us now and it started to drizzle. The visibility out to sea steadily deteriorated, until we couldn’t even see down to Scolt Head any more. Half of the group decided to head back to Parrinder hide now, but three of us decided to stay a little longer to see if we could find the Red-necked Grebe again.

After a short while, we looked back again and the skies seemed to be brightening up to the south, so we decided to stick it out. A larger flock of Sanderling flew in and landed right in front of us, running past on the high tide line fearlessly. We picked up one or two small passerines coming in off the sea distantly to the east, but we couldn’t make out what they were in drizzle. Thankfully, the rain quickly cleared through, it brightened up and dried out.

Sanderling – feeding on the beach

We scanned the sea again and relocated the Red-necked Grebe, a bit further away to the east now, but a particular target for one of the members of the group who had stayed out through the rain. We looked more carefully through the raft of the Common Scoter, but couldn’t see anything in with them, then found a single Velvet Scoter on its own further over. We could see the white flash in its wings.

We headed back to Parrinder Hide now to meet the others. The Greenshank was still on the Tidal Pool but there was no sign of the Spotted Redshank now. The channel on Volunteer Marsh was still full of water.

In Parrinder Hide, we found the others watching some Teal on the bank in front of the hide. They were repeatedly walking up the bank to break off bits of vegetation in their bills, then going down to the water to wash it. A single Dunlin was on the bank opposite and a Ringed Plover flew across to the island in front. The Black-tailed Godwits were still on the next compartment over, but the Avocets were now scattered all round. A Kingfisher shot across in front of the hide, but disappeared into the bank away to the left.

We had a quick look on the other side of Parrinder Hide, overlooking Volunteer Marsh. Over the last ten or so years the mud on here has become nearly completely vegetated over now – a small open patch in front of the hide held a single Redshank, and a Grey Plover was further back on a small area of mud in front of the reeds. There was no sign of the Great White Egret now.

As we walked back, a smart male Marsh Harrier was perched in the dead trees at the back of the reedbed. We cut in round along Meadow Trail and Fen Trail, which was quiet apart from a few Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits in the trees. A couple of Goldfinches flew up from the edge of the Tank Road and a Reed Bunting perched up in the hedge. We could hear a Greenshank calling as we walked up to Patsy’s, and we found it out in the shallow water with the bathing gulls, before it flew off. A pair of Shelduck were out on the water too and a couple of Marsh Harriers flew back and forth over the reedbed beyond

We headed back to the Visitor Centre for lunch and a welcome hot drink. The tables were damp, but the weather was still dry now so we could sit outside. We had originally intended to head over to Snettisham this afternoon to look for Shorelarks, but a Red-breasted Goose had been found at Warham Greens earlier and last winter’s Pallid Harrier had reappeared there in the roost again last night, so we decided to head over there instead.

As we drove back east, the Warham tracks looked very busy, so we continued on to Stiffkey Greenway, which would be closer for the goose but perhaps not such a good place from which to look for the harrier. As we walked west along the coast path, it started to drizzle again. Several small flocks of Brent Geese were out on the saltmarsh, along with Curlews, Redshank and Little Egrets. Several Blackbirds flew out of the bushes ahead of us – more lingering migrants possibly arrived from Scandinavia.

Red-breasted Goose – with the Brent Geese

The Red-breasted Goose had been reported from the saltmarsh west of the Whirligig, so we scanned first from the tarmac path there. We couldn’t see the goose but we could see a few people standing further down along the coast path, so we headed over there. Before we even got to them, we could see the Red-breasted Goose out on the saltmarsh with a small group of Brent Geese. It was a bit misty at times, due to the drizzle, but we all enjoyed good views through the scope as it fed with the Brents.

Wild Red-breasted Geese are very occasional visitors here, although they are common in captivity and escapes sometimes turn up too. Breeding in Arctic Siberia, they spend the winter mostly around the Black Sea. Our Dark-bellied Brent Geese breed in Siberia too, so lost Red-breasted Geese can sometimes join up with the flocks of Brents and follow them here to the UK for the winter. We had one with the Brents at Cley and Blakeney for several weeks early in 2022, but this is a different bird, a juvenile born this year.

With good views of the Red-breasted Goose secured, we turned our attention to the other bids. A ringtail Hen Harrier flew through low over the middle of the saltmarsh and off east and several Marsh Harriers patrolled up and down further back. A large flock of Golden Plover came up off the saltmarsh over towards Blakeney harbour, but disappeared into the mist as they climbed up.

We could see patches of blue sky behind us, the drizzle stopped and it started to brighten up. Just at that moment, a gas gun bird scarer went off with a loud bang behind us. The geese all took off and flew back away over the saltmarsh, splitting up into several splinter groups. We lost track of the Red-breasted Goose. There were more flocks of waders, large groups of Knot, whirling round over the beach in the low sunlight now.

The Pallid Harrier had first been seen late last night, and then again this morning. It had probably roosted here, as it did for most of last winter. There had already been a report of is again this afternoon, but further to the west of us at Garden Drove. We kept scanning the saltmarsh away to the west, and some of the areas it liked to perch last winter, to see if it might be coming in to roost, but there was no sign yet. We figured it was probably still out hunting, given how nice the weather was now.

We were just watching a Marsh Harrier over one of the old dune ridges to the NE, when one of the group noticed a harrier high over the saltmarsh just in front of us. We looked up, and as it circled round it looked distinctly falcon-like, with very pointed wings. The Pallid Harrier! We got the scope on it, and could see it only had four long primaries, which gives it the more pointed wing than Hen Harrier, which has five. It gradually drifted out over the saltmarsh as it circled, then it turned and flew off west.

Pallid Harrier – circled over

We were doing well for raptors already, and this is a good spot for Merlin at this time of year. We had just said as much when someone to our right said he could see one hunting pipits high in the sky. It was clearly very distant, and he had no reference point, so we couldn’t work out where he was looking. He lost sight of it and we continued to scan the saltmarsh, and quickly fount it or another Merlin on a post out on the edge of the beach. It was distant too, but through the scopes you could see what it was.

It was a lovely early evening now, and the Pink-footed Geese were starting to fly in from the fields inland, dropping down onto the sand bar out on the beach to roost. Half of group decided to start walking back – the path was muddy and it had been slow going on the way out. The rest waited a little longer, taking in the scene. As we eventually headed back, we stopped to talk to one of the locals who was stood beside the path. We looked back and noticed another ringtail Hen Harrier coming straight towards us, hunting the bushes either side of the path. It saw us and flew round behind the bushes on the inland side of the path but when it came out the other side it flew straight past us. Stunning close views!

Hen Harrier – flew past

The light was starting to go now. It had been a great afternoon, and the day had been a long way from the washout which it was predicted to be.

18th Oct 2023 – 4 Days of Autumn, Day 2

Day 2 of a 4-day Autumn Tour. It was a bit cloudier than yesterday, and still rather windy, but it stayed dry all day. We spent the day in north-west Norfolk.

Our destination for the morning was Titchwell. As there were few cars there already when we arrived, as had a quick look round the overflow car park first. A small flock of Redwings flew overhead and dropped into the hedge behind us, and a couple of small groups of Chaffinches flew over calling too. There had clearly been some birds arriving from the Continent overnight.

A small bird flew across and up into the top of one of the big sallows. We couldn’t see it in the leaves, but then it flew up into the sky above flycatching. The elusive Yellow-browed Warbler! Unfortunately it dropped back down into the tree out of view and despite watching for a minute or two there was no further sign. There were a few tits in the hedge the other side, we could see some Long-tailed Tits flitting around which moved quickly back towards the main car park, and it had possibly gone round to follow those.

As we looked over the gate and out to the paddocks beyond, three Fieldfares flew off from the trees at the back and away over the village. There were a few Pied Wagtails and Meadow Pipits in the grass but nothing else of note. A Kestrel landed on dung heap. Several more Chaffinches flew over.

There was no sign of the tit flock in the main car park, so we continued on round to the Visitor Cente. The regular moth morning was underway and several moths had already been potted up from the first trap – seasonal specialities like Merveille du Jour and Green-brindled Crescent, and a larger Red Underwing. We had a quick look while we were passing and checked the bird list in the Centre.

Out onto the main path, we came across another tit flock at the Meadow Trail junction, but it moved through too quickly to see if there was anything with it. Out of the trees, we could see a Marsh Harrier out towards Thornham, along with several Little Egrets, Curlews and Redshanks on the saltmarsh. Two Common Snipe flew up and several Reed Buntings flew across over the path and dropped into the reedbed, where a couple of Cetti’s Warblers were shouting intermittently. A single Little Grebe was out on the main reedbed pool.

Spoonbills – flew over

As we got up to the Freshmarsh, we looked across to see six Spoonbills flying towards us. They flew up over the path and headed off west, circling out over Thornham harbour, where the tide was still high and there was nowhere to land. Most of the Spoonbills which were here in the summer have already left us for the winter, so it was nice to catch up with some still here. A few flocks of Starlings flew over heading west, presumably more fresh arrivals from Scandinavia.

The water level on the Freshmarsh remains high – good for wildfowl, but not so attractive for waders. Lots of Brent Geese had dropped in to bathe on the first compartment, where a selection of commoner ducks were scattered around the edges and islands. A few Avocets were trying to feed out in the middle, up to their bellies in the water. There was nothing at all on the next compartment today, so we continued on round to Parrinder Hide.

We were hoping to find the Little Stint on the back compartment of the Freshmarsh from Parrinder Hide, but just as we arrived, it walked out of view behind one of the islands. There were more Avocets and a few Black-tailed Godwits roosting on the islands here, but no other waders.

A large flock of Greylags flew in and landed the other side of the bund from us. We scanned through and found the resident White-fronted Goose in with them. The geese all swam into the corner, out of sight behind the bund, but then walked across to the east compartment and swam out to one of the islands. We had a good view of the White-fronted Goose through the scope now, the white blaze round the base of its bill and its black belly patch, before it walked back into the Greylags and went to sleep out of view.

Curlew – close to the path

There was still no sign of the Little Stint reappearing, so we eventually gave up and headed out towards the beach. There were two Curlews feeding just below the path on the edge of Volunteer Marsh, a great view as we passed. Up at the far end, the tide had just gone out and there were lots more waders feeding in the muddy channel – lots of Black-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, more Curlew, a few Dunlin, several Grey Plover. We had thought we might find the Spotted Redshank here, but there was no sign of it.

Then we noticed a Red-throated Diver in the water in the bottom of the channel at the far end. A very unusual place to find one, they are normally out on the sea! It swam towards us, diving repeatedly, but when it got to the slightly shallower water, it turned and headed quickly back away from us.

Red-throated Diver – in the Volunteer Marsh tidal channel

On to the Tidal Pools, there were a couple of very close Black-tailed Godwits right by the path. One pale wader was asleep further back and when it woke up and flashed its needle-fine bill our suspicions were confirmed – it was the Spotted Redshank. We were just watching it through the scope when it flew up and over the bank. We walked back and found it again, now in the muddy channel on the Volunteer Marsh where we had just been looking. A Red Kite had been hanging in the wind over the saltmarsh behind us, and now drifted over. The Spotted Redshank flew off first, and then all the waders flushed too.

Black-tailed Godwit – on the Tidal Pool

We continued on out now. We found a single Knot and a couple of Turnstone on the Tidal Pool now. Out on the beach, the mussel beds were still covered but there were lots of Oystercatchers and several Bar-tailed Godwits out on the shoreline. There were a few Sanderling higher up the beach to our left. Three were standing on a wet patch of sand, unusually stationary for here, so we got them in the scope. Several others ran up to the high tide line and then came right past us in front of us – great close views. A Ringed Plover flew in and joined them.

Sanderling – ran past us

Looking out to sea, there were a few Great Crested Grebes, Red-throated Divers and Razorbills out on the water. We got a small raft of Common Scoter in the scope, mainly pale-cheeked brown females/immatures, but one jet black drake was in with them. Once again, there was a trickle of smaller birds arriving over the sea from the Continent, mainly small flocks of Starlings, but at one point we picked up four Bramblings flying in over the beach.

Two Manx Shearwaters flew past close in, just beyond the breakers. Unusual to see them so close inshore when there isn’t a strong onshore wind, as we watched, they started to tack back out to sea. A winter adult Mediterranean Gull was feeding along the shoreline, and we had a good view in the scope.

It was cool out on the beach, so we started to walk back. The other waders were back in the channel on the Volunteer Marsh but there was no sign of the Spotted Redshank with them now. Two Turnstones were feeding just below the path, turning stones and shells over in the bottom of the muddy channel.

Turnstone – turning stones and shells over

We stopped at the Freshmarsh again for a quick scan from the path with the scope, and picked up the Little Stint now, bathing on the edge of one of the new islands. Once again, it wasn’t going to play ball through, and flew before everyone could get a look at it, landing back out of view from here.

As we made our way back for lunch, a Willow Emerald damselfly was perched on the brambles by the path. We collected our bags from the minibus and sat in the picnic area in the sunshine to eat. After lunch, when we went back to the minibus to drop off our bags we were told the Yellow-browed Warbler had been in the sallows here again apparently, but there was no sign now.

Willow Emerald damselfly – on the brambles

We decided to have a look along Fen Trail, so we made our way back round past the Visitor Centre but the sallows were quiet, and it was quite windy out on the Tank Road, round at the back of the car park. We had a quick stop at Patsy’s Reedbed – there were just a few Coot and a single Shelduck on here today – then continued on down East Trail. There were several Jackdaws in the paddocks now, one with a noticeable pale half-collar, possibly with some Nordic genes. A pipit flew over with a shrill call, not quite as sharpas a Rock Pipit and when we looked up we could see it was cleaner white below, a Water Pipit.

Out to the far end of the Autumn Trail, a Kingfisher flashed over path, and disappeared down into the reedbed. We could hear Bearded Tits calling, and three flew in over the bank ahead of us and dropped down into the reeds, followed by another two. The wind was catching the reeds and blowing the heads back and forth, so there was no sign of them perching up today.

We scanned the back of the Freshmarsh from the end of Autumn Trail and finally found the Little Stint in view, feeding along the edge of one of the islands. They are very small, as their name suggests, and it was still hard to see at times creeping around on the mud, but finally we all got a look at it before it flew round to the back of one of the other islands and out of view again.

The Greylags were starting to wake up now and fly off from the Freshmarsh in small groups, over the bank towards Brancaster. The White-fronted Goose woke up and swam out with some Greylags, right towards us. It looked like it might be getting ready to follow the others, but then all the Greylags which had flown out flew back in. The light was better now from this side and we got an even better view of the White-fronted Goose through the scope than this morning. We picked up a pair of Pintail out on the Freshmarsh from here too.

White-fronted Goose – with the Greylags

As we walked back round, there were a few thrushes in the bushes by Willow Wood, Redwings, Song Thrushes and Blackbirds. Back along Fen Trail, we could hear a couple of Chaffinches calling in the trees by the path, and then a Brambling started calling nearby too but flew before we could get on it. There were Long-tailed Tits calling too, but when we stopped to look, the flock passed through too quickly to see if there was anything with it.

Back round at the car park, we were just getting in to the minibus when the Yellow-browed Warbler started calling in the sallows nearby. We walked over for a look and this time it called repeatedly for a minute or so. Unfortunately it remained deep in the bushes and we couldn’t see it, just a Goldcrest and some of the tits. Then everything disappeared back deeper into the trees again. That was as good as it was going to get today!

We had enough time for a quick stop at Brancaster Staithe. Down at the harbour, the tide was out and there were several Curlews and Black-tailed Godwits scattered around. A Grey Plover still in the remnants of breeding plumage, with a dusky face, was on the mud nearby. A single Bar-tailed Godwit was feeding on the sandbar opposite, a Ringed Plover flew past and several Oystercatchers and Turnstones were picking around the piles of discarded mussels. A Herring Gull was trying to crack into one of the mussels by repeatedly dropping it from a height onto the stones.

Rock Pipit – landed on a boat

A Rock Pipit called and flew in, landing on the gunwale of a nearby boat. It dropped down into the boat, possibly there was some rainwater in the bottom, before flying back up again. These are Scandinavian Rock Pipits that we get here in the winter and which like to feed out on the saltmarshes. A large flock of Pink-footed Geese flew in from inland and overhead calling, heading off towards Scolt Head to roost. Time for us to head back too.

14th Oct 2023 – Autumn Day Tour

A single day Autumn day tour today. It was a lovely day, bright with some nice autumn sunshine at times, although there was a rathery blustery and cool west wind. We spent the day along the North Norfolk coast.

Our destination for the morning was Titchwell. We parked in the overflow car park and had a quick look in the bushes, but there were no obvious signs of any migrants having arrived overnight. A Redwing flew overhead teezing and a Siskin called as if passed over too. As we stopped to use the facilities, a tit flock moved through the trees. We watched several Long-tailed Tits enjoying the morning sun, along with Blue Tits and Great Tits, a Coal Tit and a Goldcrest. A Song Thrush and a couple of Chaffinches fed between the parked cars.

Long-tailed Tit – in the sunshine

Continuing on out onto the reserve, we were out in the breeze beyond the trees. A Marsh Harrier quartered over the back of the reedbed, a Kestrel was hovering in the distance and a Common Buzzard circled up out of willow wood. There didn’t seem to be a lot of birds moving this morning, but as we started to walk on, a flock of about 30 Siskin flew past us over the path and we watched as they carried on west towards Thornham. Presumably freshly arrived from Scandinavia for the winter, it is always nice to see some migration in action at this time of year.

We stopped by Island Hide to look at the Freshmarsh. It seemed a bit too breezy for Bearded Tits but when we heard pinging we looked across to see one perched in the tops of the reeds briefly. Unfortunately, but perhaps unsurprisingly, it didn’t linger, but shortly after we saw two Bearded Tits fly up and zip away over the tops of the reeds. A Cetti’s Warbler was shouting from the sallows by the hide but remained typically well hidden.

The water levels are still too high for most waders on the Freshmarsh. There were still a few lingering Avocets on the first compartment, either dozing on the edge of the islands or feeding up to their bellies in the deep water. There were no waders at all on the next compartment over, just a few Black-headed Gulls and Wigeon. We could see a few Black-tailed Godwits further back and a lone Cattle Egret in with the Greylags on one of the further islands. There had been a Little Stint on here earlier, over the high tide, but all the small waders had apparently gone out onto the saltmarsh to feed.

Stonechat – in front of Parrinder Hide

We decided to have a look from Parrinder Hide, where we would be out of the wind for a bit. There were a few more waders on the far compartment – as well as the Black-tailed Godwit, we found several Ruff around the islands. A Ringed Plover dropped in on the grass in front of the hide. We saw the Little Stint fly back in with a Dunlin, but they dropped down out of view behind Avocet Island, where it would be more sheltered. A Stonechat kept flitting up onto the top of the thistles on the bund in front of the hide.

We had a closer view of the Cattle Egret from here. Looking through the Greylags on the islands, we noticed one slightly smaller goose asleep had a very distinctive blackish belly patch, a White-fronted Goose. At the other end of the same island, a single Pink-footed Goose was preening, and we could see its smaller, darker bill compared to the big orange carrot bills of the Greylags.

Cattle Egret – on one of the islands

Back out into the wind, we pushed on towards the beach. With the tide having just gone out, there were lots more waders feeding in the deep channel at the far end of Volunteer Marsh, lots of Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks, a few Curlew and Dunlin, a couple of Grey Plover and Ringed Plover. We stopped and got the scope on them. A small flock of Linnets flew over the bank and a Rock Pipit flew past calling.

Black-tailed Godwit – by the path

After the recent big tides, the (not-so-tidal) Tidal Pool was full of water, so we continued on to the beach. The mussel beds were still covered with water, but there were quite a few waders out on the sand now. Oystercatchers, Bar-tailed Godwits and Sanderling, the latter running in and out of the waves in typical clockwork toy fashion. We couldn’t see anything on the sea itself, although there were some distant Gannets flying past.

It was not the weather to linger out on the beach today, so we turned to walk back. As we got back to the Freshmarsh, there was a small group of Golden Plover on one of the islands now, which we got in the scope, looking very golden in the sun. We had just picked up the Little Stint, on the edge of one of the islands right at the back, when all the waders spooked. The flock of Golden Plover whirled round over the water calling. False alarm, and as they settled down again more Golden Plover flew in from the fields to join them.

Golden Plover – in the sunshine

There was no further sign of the Little Stint at first though, and we had almost given up on it when it reappeared on the same island at the back. This time, most of the group got a look at it through the scope before it flew again, though it was still very distant.

The Yellow-browed Warbler which has been here for the last few days was reported again along Fen Trail while we were out at the beach, so we cut in along Meadow Trail. We hadn’t gone far along the boardwalk when we heard Long-tailed Tits calling in the sallows so we stopped to see what was with them. We did have another Goldcrest which this time picked its way around the sallows until it was right over our heads, but nothing rarer.

Common Darter – in the sunshine

We followed the flock round and lost them at the back of the dragonfly pond. Out of the wind here, there were lots of Common Darter dragonflies basking in the sunshine, and a few Migrant Hawkers still hunting over the reeds. Continuing on round past Fen Hide, there was another report of the Yellow-browed Warbler in the sallows at the back of the overflow car park. We walked on to the Tank Road, which overlooks the back of those sallows, but once again there was nothing in the trees here now.

We had a quick look at Patsy’s Reedbed. There were just a few Coot and a Tufted Duck out on the water, but we caught a glimpse of a Kingfisher disappearing behind the reeds at the front. After a minute or so, it flew out again, across the water away from us in a flash of electric blue, and landed in the reeds at the back. We got it in the scope so we could all have a close look at it. A nice bonus.

Kingfisher – on Patsy’s

It was time for lunch now, so we made our way back round via the Visitor Centre to the picnic area. A Goldcrest was feeding in the ivy as we were eating and we were just finishing up when a tit flock came out of the sallows and flew up into the trees. A Treecreeper flew across with them and we watched it climbing up a tree trunk, but once again there was no sign of any warblers with them.

We decided to move on and head over to Holkham for the afternoon. As we got out of the minibus on Lady Anne’s Drive, a covey of Grey Partridge was feeding on the grass just beyond the fence. There were lots of Greylags out on the grazing marsh the other side, along with a couple of Egyptian Geese, a few Curlew and a Grey Heron tucked in the lee of the brambles at the back. Two Cattle Egrets appeared from behind the brambles, feeding around the feet of the cattle just beyond.

Grey Partridge – by Lady Anne’s Drive

As we walked west, we were at least out of the wind, although it was still quiet at first in the trees. A few Jays called raucously and flew back and forth over the track. We stopped for a quick look at Salts Hole, where there were a few Little Grebes, along with a good number of Gadwall and a few Mallard too.

Little Grebe – on Salts Hole

We came across our first tit flock here just the other side of Meals House. A Chiffchaff was calling rather hoarsely from the holm oaks and posed nicely in the sunshine, but we couldn’t find any other warblers in with them again. Then just before the crosstracks, we noticed several Goldcrests in a large oak by the path so we stopped to check and a Firecrest flew across into a small bush right beside us. Unfortunately it didn’t stay very long, flying back into a holm oak behind and then disappearing into the trees.

Joe Jordan hide has still not been repaired or replaced, so we scanned Decoy Wood looking over the wall. There have been two immature White-tailed Eagles from the Isle of Wight reintroduction project here recently, and one had been reported earlier this morning in the trees. A couple of people we spoke to on the walk out said they hadn’t seen it this afternoon though, and neither could we.

We set off to walk back. There were a couple of Red Admiral butterflies enjoying the sunshine and we hadn’t gone far when we noticed the Firecrest back in the oak tree where we had seen it earlier. It lingered a little longer now, so that everyone had a chance to get a look at it. There were several Goldcrests in the same tree too, their beady black eyes in the middle of a much plainer face than the stripier Firecrest.

Firecrest – back in the oak tree

A nice bird on which to end the day, then it was time to head back to the minibus.

18th Sept 2023 – Autumn Tour, Day 3

Day 3 of a 3-day Autumn Tour, and we were heading up to the Wash for the Wader Spectacular today. It was a very grey start, and we had some blustery drizzle on and off for an hour or so in the morning which was not in the forecast, before the sun finally came out. There were forecast thunderstorms in the afternoon, and we could see them away to the west of us as we were finishing up. Thankfully we were on our way back in the minibus as we drove into some torrential rain.

It was an early start, to get up to the Wash in time for the high tide this morning, and the sunrise was just visible through the clouds as we got out to the seawall. There was still quite a lot of mud still visible from here at first, so we stopped to scan. A large group of Oystercatchers was gathered away to the north, by the sailing club, with a smaller number of Bar-tailed Godwits and Redshanks, which we got in the scope.

There were more Oystercatchers in a big black slick away to our left, and some grey flocks of Knot spread out over mud. There didn’t seem to be so many Knot in view initially as we have seen here recently, but we soon realised why when a huge flock came up in the distance. They were currently roosting further round the edge of the saltmarsh out of view.

Knot – came up in the distance

There were fewer small waders on the close mud on the near side of the channel today, so we set about scanning through the birds feeding on the far side of the channel. There were a few more Dunlin here and lots of Redshank, but they were moving fast ahead of the water which was coming in very quickly now. We managed to find a Curlew Sandpiper in with them, a juvenile. We got it in the scope but it was hard to keep track of, disappearing from view down into the shallow pools, and on the move constantly, before it eventually flew and we lost it.

The Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed Godwits peeled up in waves from over by the sailing club, flying low over the water past us and mostly landing on the drier mud higher up. Some of the Oystercatchers gave up already, and continued in over the path, dropping down onto the Pit to roost.

The tide had passed us now already, so we started to walk down the seawall to try to keep pace with it. A Turtle Dove flew in over the pit ahead of us, across the track and looked like it might land on the beach before it doubled back the way in had come and landed in the top of a hawthorn the other side of the water. We got it in the scope and could see its rusty-scaled back and the black and white barred patch on the side of its neck. We couldn’t afford to stay too long, as we had to keep up with the hide, and as we walked on two more Turtle Doves flew up from the vegetation below the bank and disappeared off over the pit.

Turtle Dove – landed in the hawthorn

It was very grey and rather breezy up on the seawall at first, but as we walked down the seawall we could see some darker clouds approaching over the Wash. A rainbow appeared – at first we could only see the two ends of it separately, then it grew complete before turning into a double rainbow. It was very impressive but of course it meant one thing – the rain was upon us! It was light and drizzly, although rather blustery, so we walked on down to Rotary Hide, thinking we could take shelter if need be.

Rainbow – rain incoming!

All the waders out on the Wash erupted and started to swirl round in the drizzle out over the water. There were huge numbers of Knot now and they started to make some impressive patterns in the sky. Scanning across, we spotted the cause – a Peregrine was chasing back and forth through them. After a while, the Peregrine seemed to lose interest and broke off from pursuing the flocks. As it flew low over the mud, it suddenly turned sharply and dropped down, grabbing something from the surface.

As it flew off, we could see the Peregrine had something in its talons, though we couldn’t make out what it was. It flew in and landed on the beach – we adjusted our position so we could see it around the bushes and set up the scope on it, but unfortunately it took off again before everyone could get a good look at it, heading back out over the mud before turning back in and disappeared behind the Pit.

Peregrine – with prey

We turned our attention back to the waders out on the mud. The tide was still coming in very quickly and the Oystercatchers were walking away from the rising water, the flock appearing to flow over the mud like an amorphous slick, but through the scope we could see the individual birds marching in lines. Always a great part of the spectacle to watch.

Oystercatchers – marching

The rain had eased off, so we continued our way down, but another squally shower blew in so we hastened our pace and walked briskly down to the end. We could see some slightly brighter sky heading our way, and after we arrived, it thankfully wasn’t long before the drizzle stopped. The Oystercatchers were now packed more tightly into the remaining area of mud along the near edge of the saltmarsh, continuing to walk away from the water. Some of them started to take off in small groups and fly in over us, piping noisily, and we thought they would continue to do so as they normally do, but today most of them continued to march back into the last remaining corner of mud.

The Knot which had gathered out over view further round the edge of the Wash took off now, and flew in, landing with the others already packed quite tightly into a vast grey flock on the last uncovered mud. They were getting very nervous now and several times they erupted, tens of thousands of birds bursting into the air. The first couple of times, they settled back down very quickly, but as the area of mud shrank and they squeezed in ever tighter, then they took off and started to whirl round over the water, making some impressive shapes in the air, before they eventually all landed again.

Knot – more flew in

Waders – packed in

Waders – erupting

Waders – making shapes

Waders – huge clouds

Waders – filling the sky

There was a brisk SSW wind, and as we approached high tide, it became clear that the wind was holding back the tide enough to stop it from covering the very last corner of the mud. Still, we thought the Knot would come in to the Pit to roost, as a large part of the flock were now up to their bellies in water. Strangely, all the Oystercatchers were packed into the last corner of mud too today, and they all stayed resolutely put. The sun came out now and they looked even more impressive packed in so tightly in the low sunshine.

Waders – when the sun came out

We could see a couple of Marsh Harriers quartering over the saltmarsh beyond and eventually one drifted in too close, flushing all the Knot again. An impressive sight and sound as they all took to the air and the flocks flew back and forth low over the mud, but once again, they settled back down to roost out on the Wash.

Waders – spooked again

Waders – more whirling flocks

Three Common Sandpiper flew round low over the water in front of us before landing on the top of some low suaeda bushes which were sticking up out of the Wash. There were a few Wigeon swimming around the edges of the bushes and lots of Shelduck now gathered a little further out. A Brent Goose swam in towards us and walked out onto the beach – there are two which have spent the summer here, unable to fly back to Russia for the breeding season with the others, but despite looking not in the best of health they have both survived.

We decided to have a quick look in Shore Hide, and it quickly became apparent what one of the problems was. The water level in the Pit was significantly higher now than when we were last here, after some heavy rain in the last couple of weeks. It also hadn’t gone down as much over the wet summer in 2023 as it sometimes does. As a result, the islands on which the waders normally roost had shrunk considerably. The island which many of the Knot normally like to roost on, as well as being much smaller, was now taken up by the Black-tailed Godwits and Redshanks, which had moved here from the islands at the other end of the Pit. There wasn’t really anywhere for the Knot to go!

There were ten Spoonbills roosting in the rocks in the middle, out from the hide, and just behind them eight Spotted Redshanks roosting with a single Common Redshank alongside. When the Spotted Redshanks woke up, we could see their longer, needle-fine bills and compare the Common Redshank’s.

Spoonbills – and Spotted Redshanks

Scanning through the waders on the island, we could see there were a few Turnstones and Knot in with the Black-tailed Godwits. As they were much smaller, they were quite hard to see. Then, as the flock shifted a little, we noticed a Curlew Sandpiper towards the back. It was nigh on impossible to see at first, but eventually as things settled down, we found we could just pick it out through a narrow ‘v’ between some of the godwits.

As we walked back out to the Wash, our timing was impeccable. A young Peregrine put all the Knot up and we watched as they whirled round in the sunshine. The Peregrine probably didn’t know what it was doing and quickly gave up, but as it flew off over the saltmarsh it stooped down at a Marsh Harrier in the bushes. As it had a go at it, two more Marsh Harriers appeared and then an adult Peregrine. The juvenile Peregrine talon grappled first with one of the Marsh Harriers, then with the other Peregrine, before they all drifted away in different directions.

Waders – put up by another Peregrine

Waders – more shapes

There was quite a bit of mud which had reappeared already and now the waders were spreading out again, we had a closer look at some of them, some smart Grey Plover and one or two Bar-tailed Godwits still largely in their breeding plumage. We picked out a Mediterranean Gull in amongst the Black-headed Gulls out on the mud. There was a steady passage of Swallows this morning – a constant trickle of birds heading south along the shore and a larger flock which paused to feed for a while out over the Wash. We said our goodbyes to them – they won’t be back until next spring.

Everything had settled down again, so we decided to start walking slowly back. There was no sign of the Turtle Doves now, but a couple were walking round out on the beach with their dog. As we got back to where we had started on the seawall, the tide still hadn’t quite got back to where it was when we arrived this morning. A small flock of Golden Plover flew in calling from the fields inland and circled out over the mud.

We headed round to Titchwell next. After making use of the facilities, there was still time before lunch, so we decided to have a quick look for the Yellow-browed Warbler which had been seen yesterday and again this morning. We couldn’t hear it in the car parks, and there were several other people looking, so we decided to head round and try on Fen Trail. We passed two Willow Emeralds and lots of Common Darters enjoying the sunshine. But although there were a few Chiffchaffs calling in the trees, we couldn’t hear anything rarer. Out on the Tank Road, we stopped to listen again, but all we could hear was a typically elusive close Cetti’s Warbler hiding in the sallows and a Blackcap tacking.

Patsy’s Reedbed was very quiet – a small group of roosting Black-tailed Godwits and a single juvenile Ruff with them. The Autumn Trail is open at this time of year, so we decided to have a quick look round at the back of the Freshmarsh – there were more Avocets and Godwits, a few distant Golden Plover and Ruff, but no sign now of the Little Stint which had apparently been on this side of the Freshmarsh here first thing.

We had definitely earned our lunch now, so we made our way back to the picnic area. We could hear Long-tailed Tits calling in the trees nearby, so listened very carefully, but there was still no sound of anything resembling a Yellow-browed Warbler while we ate.

Long-tailed Tits – several in the sallows

We had an early finish scheduled today, after the early start, but we still had an hour or so before we had to head back, so we thought we would have a quick look at the Freshmarsh from the main path. We were just walking up towards the start of the reedbed when we just caught the sound of a bird calling in the trees. It wasn’t easy to hear, with two US Air Force jets just at that moment chasing each other round and round low over the reserve making a dreadful noise, but we immediately stopped to see if we could hear it again. After a few seconds it did, and it was the Yellow-browed Warbler!

We walked back a short way and cut in along the start of Meadow Trail. One of the reserve staff was on the boardwalk and had heard the Yellow-browed Warbler too, in the sallows. There was a flock of Long-tailed Tits in here, along with Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests, but we managed a quick view of the Yellow-browed Warbler in the trees before the flock moved in a little deeper. We tried to follow them, and they came back out and across the main path, dropping down into the trees in the ditch the other side, but the Yellow-browed Warbler had gone quiet now. Eventually, they crossed back over the path and disappeared into the trees towards the Visitor Centre.

We were running out of time now, so we headed out for a very quick look at the Freshmarsh. A Common Pochard on the Reedbed Pool as a late addition to the trip list. We stopped before Island Hide, where we could hear Bearded Tits calling in the reeds, but it was still rather windy and they were keeping well down out of views. There were several Avocets out in the Freshmarsh, where they were trying to feed up to their bellies in the water – the water level here too has gone up a lot after the recent rain.

Golden Plover – great views in the scope

A small flock of Golden Plover flew up from beyond the hide and circled round several times before dropping down again. We walked a little further, up to the bund, and got the scope on them, looking particularly golden in the afternoon sunshine. Another lone Golden Plover was preening on the small island right in front of us, before it got chased off by one of the Ruff. There were at least four Ruff on the edge of the island – two white-headed winter males, a grey winter male and a much smaller brown juvenile female. None of them looked alike!

Black-tailed Godwit – feeding by the path

There were several Black-tailed Godwits feeding just beyond the reeds right below us too. It seemed a good way to wrap up our three days, watching the waders here in the sunshine. We looked behind us, and over towards Holme we could see black clouds and a flash of lightning. There were more dark clouds to the south, heading our way. The forecast thunderstorms were approaching. Thankfully, it was time for us to head back anyway, and we got back to the minibus before the rain arrived. As we headed back inland, we drove into torrential rain – perfect timing!

4th Sept 2023 – Group Spectacular

A single day group Wader Spectacular tour today. There was a small amount of mist first thing but it burnt off quickly and then it was another bright, sunny and warm day.

Every Spectacular is different. When we got out onto the seawall, the waders were much more settled today, sprawled out across the mud in vast flocks. The light was perfect, the slicks of Knot golden in the low morning sunshine.

Waders – glowing in the sunshine

There were lots of small waders on the mud in front of us – checking through them we found three juvenile Curlew Sandpipers and at least five juvenile Little Stints today, in with the commoner Ringed Plovers, Sanderling, Turnstone and Dunlin. The tide was coming in quickly and they didn’t linger, constantly flying off and landing again further down. There was a small flock of Golden Plover out on the mud further back, which came in past us and several Mediterranean Gulls flew past over the edge of the water.

The huge flocks of waders were shifting ahead of the tide too – the Knot closest to the edge of the water occasionally rising up and flying over the others to land again a little higher up, the flocks occasionally twisting into different shapes as they flew, flashing dark and light as they turned in the sunlight.

Waders – occassionally whirling round

Waders – twisting in the light

Waders – making shapes

Walking on down, we tried to keep ahead of the rapidly rising water, but we stopped occasionally to watch the birds out on the mud. Through the scope, we could see that the waders were not static but marching away from the tide, the whole mass appearing to flow over the surface of the mud like mercury, a mixture of mainly Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits and a large mob of Oystercatchers.

Waders – marching away from the rising tide

Gradually, the waders were squashed further and further towards the last corner of Wash. The Oystercatchers started to peel off first, coming up in a succession of small groups, flying in overhead piping noisily. The Knot continued to fly up and land again down into an ever decreasing area of mud, becoming packed ever tighter.

Waders – packed tighter into the corner

Waders – occasionally flying up

Eventually the Knot decided they would have to leave the Wash and a huge flock tens of thousands strong took to the air, an amazing sight. They flew towards where we were standing, between the Wash and the Pit, and came low over our heads. All we could hear was the beating of thousands of pairs of wings. Stunning.

Waders – exploding off the mud

Waders – thousands low over our heads

The airspace over the Pit was very congested – we turned to watch the Knot whirling round into the sunshine behind us. We could see smoky lines of birds descending down onto the islands, out of view, while the huge flocks circled above.

Waders – congestion over the Pit

Another huge wave of Knot came up off the mud and in over our heads, but there was nowhere for them to go, so they towered up into the sky. More birds turned back from the Pit – there was obviously not enough room for them down on the islands. We stood or lay on the grass and watched thousands of Knot criss-crossing high above us. Mesmerising.

Knot – towering up out over the Wash

Some of the Knot headed back out over the Wash, others went ever higher to the point they were only just visible when they caught the sunlight, forming into lines, squadrons high in the blue sky. Higher and higher, further and further out, until they were eventually lost to view. They would probably spend the high tide flying up over the water until the mud reappeared.

Knot – lines going ever higher

A single Brent Goose swam past in front of us. We walked down to the hides, stopping to look at the Sea Aster Bees swarming around the short grass as we passed. South Screen looked pretty full so we continued on to Knots Landing which was not as busy as it had been yesterday.

There were more Knot down this end of the Pit today, packed onto the island in front of the hide. They are very close here, through the one-way glass, so we had a great view of them. Some are still sporting different amounts of their orange breeding plumage still, others already in their grey winter garb.

Knot – some still in breeding plumage

The Knot were shuffling and dozing. Something spooked them and a group flew up from the edge, the remainder with their heads up, pushed round, like a wave going through the middle of the throng. Later a Little Egret came round the edge of the island, fishing in the shallow water, and the Knot on the edge scattered ahead of it, causing more shuffling of the flocks.

Knot – shuffling flocks

There were other waders here too. We had great views of a juvenile Little Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper which were feeding along the edge of the shingle right in front of the hide. A Green Sandpiper flew off from the back of one of the islands.

Common Sandpiper – in front of the hide

A Little Stint dropped in on the water’s edge right in front of us too. Wonderful close up views of this our tiniest of waders. It looked around nervously, then picked its way off round the shore to the left of the hide.

Little Stint – fantastic views

There were a few Bar-tailed Godwits in with the Black-tailed Godwits around the edges of the islands too, juveniles, their sandier upperparts with bold dark markings. A single Spotted Redshank was in with the Common Redshanks along the edge of the water to the right of the hide – through the scope, we had a good view of its longer, needle-fine bill when it woke up. Two more Spotted Redshanks were out in the middle with the Greylag Geese further up the Pit. There were only two or three Spoonbills that we could see here today, roosting with the Little Egrets on the bank on one side and mostly doing what Spoonbills like to do best – sleeping!

It was nearly an hour after high tide already, so we made our way back round to the edge of the Wash. The first wave of Knot came out of the Pit as we walked up, over the bank before dropping down to fly low over the water and out to the corner where the mud was already starting to reappear. We positioned ourselves and more Knot came out, in a smaller number of larger waves today, exploding out over the bank.

Knot – exploding up over the bank

Between the waves of Knot coming back out, we scanned the mud. There were more Grey Plover visible now, over in the corner, some still sporting the remnants of their summer black faces and bellies. Several Common Terns patrolled up and down over the rapidly disappearing water in front of us.

Eventually, the flow of Knot out of the Pit dried up, and we decided to walk back. There were lots of Sanderling gathered on the beach further up, so we stopped for a closer look. From a distance they just looked like lots of white pebbles on the rocky shore.

We drove round to Titchwell for lunch in the picnic area. Afterwards, we had a quick look out on the reserve. There was a bit of a breeze when we got out of the trees now, which was nice as it meant it didn’t feel too hot here on the coast. When we got up to the Freshmarsh, we could see a large group of Spoonbills out in the middle. We counted 32 this afternoon, and some were even awake so we could see their spoon-shaped bills.

Spoonbills – not all asleep

There were lots of Avocets feeding out in the water and a good number of Black-tailed Godwits too. A small group of Ruff were feeding close to the path, below the reeds, adult males in grey non-breeding plumage, one with a much whiter head than the others. The ducks are not looking their best at this time of the year, the drakes in their dull eclipse plumage, but we worked our way through them, Teal, Shoveler, Mallard, Gadwall and Wigeon.

There had been no reports of the American Golden Plover today, and there was no sign of it with the large flock of European Golden Plover which were gathered on the mud on the next compartment up, by the path. We stopped to admire them through the scope, as we double checked. Something spooked them and their whirled round in front of us, before dropping back down – false alarm! We put the scope on a Lapwing on the edge of the new bund, to admire its stunning metallic upperpart colours shining in the sunshine.

The American Golden Plover had been on the further compartment, out from Parrinder Hide, the last couple of days, so we thought we would walk round to double check whether there was any sign of it there. We scanned along the grassy spit and there it was, just where we had seen it yesterday! It disappeared round behind the spit, then came back over the top, having a go at a Golden Plover as it passed and bossing a couple of Lapwings too. It settled down on the near edge of the spit where we all had a good look at it through the scope.

American Golden Plover – in its usual place again

We wanted to have a quick look at the Wasp Spiders by the main path further up (the banks on the Parrinder path have been strimmed and the ones which were along there have now disappeared!). We found a couple of webs on the bank opposite Volunteer Marsh – the first of the Wasp Spiders was on the back side of the web, so we could only see it from underneath, but the second further along was on the right side, even if it was being blown about a bit in the breeze.

There were a couple of nice close Curlew on the mud in the channel at the far end of Volunteer Marsh so we stopped to get those in the scope. Otherwise, we could only see several Common Redshanks in the channel further along. Some locals coming back from the beach told us that there wasn’t much out there today, so with time running out we decided to call it a day and make our way slowly back. Another Spectacular day in NW Norfolk!