'Oldham Birders' 17- 20/05/2024 cont.

17/05
After checking in to our usual accommodation and a nice pub meal we headed out for the evening into Thetford Forest. Out regular location has inevitably become somewhat overgrown with birch, gorse etc, but we found a new spot nearby with more suitable habitat and were soon watching our targets of Tree Pipit and Wood Lark. While we were watching the latter and scanning for the first Cuckoo of the trip, we were surprised to hear some very early churring coming from the woodland edge. We headed up to the path in that area just as a male Nightjar dropped out of the canopy and began a flight display. It was joined by a female both of them showing very well in the remaining daylight. More birds began churring then took to the wing, with 4 flying together over a male churring from the ground. One of the birds broke off and flew off along the woodland edge, prompting two more birds to rise from the ground further away. We were then treated to the best display any of us could remember, with good views of perched churring birds and a doppler effect when two were churring at each other from adjacent trees. As we walked out at least three birds were hawking at tree top height at the far end of the area, so we reckoned at around 8 birds in total.

18/05
After decent weather on the Friday, Saturday was dull and damp when we set off for Weeting Heath. At least it meant we didn't have to deal with a heat haze as we viewed the Stone Curlew there, which were nicely active. We chatted to the wardens as we watched them unpack the moth trap and confirmed our estimates of adults and chicks. 10 birds in all. Several common woodland species were seen from the woodland walk hide and a Spotted Flycatcher heard briefly.

From here we headed to Snettisham, where the continuing cold and damp failed to deter a couple of Nightingales in the surviving scrub. As we headed back towards the car park, Riggers picked up the purring of a Turtle Dove so we made our way round to investigate, finding the bird low down behind gorse bushes. We moved on to where one of the Nightingales was still singing away and were lucky enough to see it move from the centre of one large bush to another. On our way back to the car a Lesser Whitethroat rattled a few times and again showed briefly as it skulked about.

On to Titchwell with a quick stop to tick off Hunstanton's Fulmars. Despite the continuing cold, damp breeze we had reasonable views of Bearded Tits and another brief Cetti's flyby along with a Great Egret as we made our way out to the beach . The only waders there were a group of Sanderling, ticked off along with passing Gannets and Sandwich Terns. A couple of smart summer plumage Grey Plovers were on the most seaward lagoon. The only birds on note from the concrete monstrosity were a couple each of Mediterranean and Little Gulls and a Red Kite.

Having made arrangements for our evening meal, we headed down to Lakenheath, where it was sunnier if not that much warmer. A walk round the reserve added Hobby, Sand Martin and Kingfisher to the list, Riggers had two brief glimpses of a Bittern and we all heard it and the Common Cranes that passed unseen west along the river before we could get up onto the embankment. Another good pub meal and so to bed.

19/05
We decided not to do our usual Sunday trip to Minsmere and try to find Common Cranes in North Norfolk; so of course two turned up on the South Levels! We started Sunday on Kelling Heath with more good views of Wood Lark and then located a couple of Dartford Warblers, to the intermittent purring of two Turtle Doves and the odd hoot from the local private railway. On to Clay for a walk up the East Bank with more views of Bearded Tits, Egyptian Geese, and from the beach a party of 6 Common Scoter.

South to Swanton Novers, where we were too early for Honey Buzzards but had both Gos- and Sparrowhawks. News of a Red-backed Shrike took us to Horsey, where we were lucky enough to see the bird for at least long enough for us all to get on it before it dropped back into brambles and disappeared again for hours. Two Whimbrel over were an unexpected bonus. An early evening pub meal gave us time to go looking for a reported Pectoral Sandpiper, but we had difficulty finding the location let alone the bird! A calling Water Rail was the best we could do.

Sorry for the late post. I have had IT problems. Got back 3 weeks ago. We covered the North Norfolk coast between Cromer and Titchwell. We saw 83 birds of which 36 were new for the year
Little Grebe
Redshank
Shag
Slandering
Turnstone
Whimbrel
Great White Egret
Spoonbill
Ringed Plover
Green Sandpiper
Dunlin
Avocet
Bar Tailed Godwit
Black Tailed Godwit
Curlew Sandpiper
Spotted Redshank
Wigeon
Wood Sandpiper
Twite
Grey Plover
Greenshank
Ruff
Golden Plover
Gannet
Arctic Skua
Long Tailed Skua
Bearded Reedling
Cackling Goose
Pochard
Greater Scaup
Pintail
Little Ringed Plover
Green Woodpecker
Common Snipe

Saturday 9th, Sunday 10th July

Just back from an enjoyable couple of days in Norfolk, some stunning birds and nice weather, very enjoyable. Travelled down on Friday night, Saturday began at the Bee-eater watchpoint at Trimingham. We saw 3 adult birds, they were doing nest changeovers and then flying off in the main, but we had good views of one picking off prey from the overhead wires.
Then Swanton Novers, back on the radar for Honey Buzzards this year after some time out of the limelight. After 2 hours there we had seen a nice Goshawk but no Honeys, we'd missed a good view by 10 minutes apparently. From there we headed to Snettisham, and my first visit to this iconic location. We headed for the pools and got on a singing Turtle Dove right away, which was lovely. We had 2 later that flew up to the fence on the beach side, stunning views.
The main sighting on the pools was a White-rumped Sandpiper, which was never close but was identifiable.
From there we walked out north towards Wild Ken Hill, which was excellent. Hunting Barn Owl and Marsh Harrier were conceivably the birds featured on Springwatch. No sign of the recent Great Reed Warbler, we thought the 8th July report was probably bogus, but we dug out some nice things like Yellow Wagtail and Lesser Whitethroat and it was also brilliant to find 2 more Turtle Doves in this area, with another singer.
We headed inland to some accommodation at Swaffham Heath, in the middle of nowhere really, and heard Nightjar from our little outdoor seating area, before half-light glimpses of Barn and Tawny Owl literally with beverages in our hands! Very nice. The Barn Owl was hunting in a field across the road when we left in the morning.
The first stop was Lynford Arboretum, where we failed dismally to find any Firecrests but enjoyed great views of Siskins and Spotted Flycatchers as some consolation. Then Weeting Heath, where an adult Stone Curlew showed beautifully and a second bird sat quietly, possibly a juvenile we thought, but unable to confirm.
Final stops were on the fens in Cambs, then home as the thermometer was hitting 30 degrees and we were pegging out badly! Great trip though, so much diversity in what you can go to see and/or find yourself

Mike Chorley wrote:

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A dull day weather-wise, which was only occasionally brightened by the birding.

Headed to Cley first, ticking off Red-legged Partridge on route. Walked out along the East Bank, hearing Cetti's Warbler and a suggestion of Bearded Tits "pinging". A first viewing of Arnold's Marsh produced Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin, Grey and Golden Plovers and Redshank. We had good views of a Kingfisher at the sluice, then headed onto the shingle to sea-watch. As we were scoping Red-throated Divers, Karen F, just behind us, spotted the Iceland Gull flying past! It headed down towards Cley Eye and some fishermen, then turned back east along the beach past us and the seal carcass it has been feeding on. Tipped of by a guy who had been photographing it, we followed it for the 3 Snow Buntings in the area, and nearly walked past them, so unconcerned were they. While watching them we noticed that the Iceland Gull, which seems to have an injured foot, was now on Arnold's, along with Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher.

We then moved down to Cley Eye to sift through the large flocks of Dark-bellied Brent and Pink-footed Geese, in the hopes of finding the 2 Tundra Bean Geese. the Barnacle Goose or any Black Brandt. John R located the middle one fairly quickly but we had no luck with the rest.

Lady Anne's Drive was quiet in terms of birds but heaving with people so we decided to pass on the Shore Larks there and continue westwards. Holkham Fresh Marsh was equally quite, with only one distant large flock of White-fronted Geese and a perched Red Kite to provide any interest. Chosely Drying Barns now seems to be the centre of a pig farm, so with no gull flock to check for possible Caspians () and only 1 Brambling among the finches in the untrimmed sections of hedge we headed to an equally quiet Thornham Harbour for a quick lunch before moving on again to Hunstanton to check out the sea there. Half a dozen Red-breasted Mergansers, the same number of pairs of Fulmar, some Bar-tailed Godwits and a good number of Sanderling boosted numbers for the day.

We headed back to Titchwell where the bund in the middle of the freshwater lagoon held uncounted numbers of Golden Plover. We had been commenting that we had seen very few (possibly 2!) since the start of the weekend and it now became obvious why. They're all at Titchwell! Among the usual species of waders and waterfowl we managed to find 1 Spotted Redshank, Ruff and at least 4 Avocet. The Harrier roost was as quiet as the one at Stubb Mill the night before, without even the possibility of a Hen Harrier, but 2 or 3 Great Egrets were flying back and forth and the combined aerobatics of a small Starling murmuration, the Golden Plovers and the Lapwings provided a distraction. Around 18 Woodcock came out of the roost at dusk.

---

More record shots

Spent the weekend at Snettisham RSPB. My first ever visit. The tides werent high enough for the spectacular wader roosts but there was still an excellent display with huge flocks of all species over the Wash. There were three Marsh Harriers over the marsh and plenty of wildfowl on the pools and the estuary. Whilst there was nothing out of the ordinary species wise it was still a really enjoyable couple of days and would highly recommend a visit.

Oldham Birders' East Anglian weekend.

After our Cambs dip, spirits were restored first at Welney and then Lynford Arboretum.

At Welney there were few Whooper Swans around the Main hide, but Black-tailed Godwits were there in good numbers, Pintail added to trip and year lists and Riggers discovered the Bean Geese lurking behind a line of reeds just obscured from the hides. More Whooper Swans were north of the hides, with a pair of Bewick Swans visible from the Friends Hide. The usual scrum of Pochard, a Chiffchaff, Tree Sparrow, assorted commoner water birds and waders, several Marsh Harriers and at least 2 Cattle Egrets (in with the sheep) all noted.

The trip to Lynford provided a bonus bird when a stop to look at some mammals, produced a Great Egret strolling along the ditch behind them.


Arriving at Lynford we were given directions to a group of C15 Hawfinch feeding on the ground in the paddock but they had flown up by the time we got there and we had to content ourselves wit the usual treetop views. On our way back to the car park a feeding/bathing station yielded bonuses when John R picked up a possible, then confirmed, Marsh Tit, Riggers found a Brambling among the Yellowhammers and Chaffinches and Karen spotted a Firecrest bathing in the concrete lined pool. All in all a good start with 75+species seen and heard.

 

Blakeney Point in Norfolk finally beats me! 4^th September 2021

   You can imagine when a very rare bird turns up in Norfolk you always think, Hope its not on Blakeney Point The walk from Cley beach carpark along the shingle to the end is around 3.5 miles and many a fine man has failed even to do it. The bird in question was a Sykess Warbler which would usually be on its way to wintering grounds in India by now. The bird was only about half way along the point when it was first found on Friday afternoon and had been seen very well. A trip was planned with Greater Bolton`s own Phil R and my two twitching friends from Huddersfield Dave W & Rob D. Leaving Yorkshire at around 4-45am and arriving at Cley around 7-45am after a reasonable run down the A1 then A17, only one thing was missing? No news on the bird had been received as we started to walk along the shingle, quite a few other birders were seen heading back, mostly with sad faces, but it was a lovely bright sunny morning! We joined in the search for the bird, but after an hour it was obvious the bird had flown. Between us on the sea we managed to find: - Black Tern, Red throated Diver, 5 Arctic Skua`s, Gannet`s, Common Scoter and lots of feeding tern`s. On the walk back a Common Crane was seen, that later landed on Cley reserve. A Hobby also entertained us as it chased insect prey around. This was the first time that I can remember going to see a rare bird at Blakeney Point and not seeing it, had to happen sometime!

   A walk along the east bank at Cley marshes revealed a close Whinchat and lots of waders feeding up before heading along on their migration. A Barred Warbler had been found at Burnham Overy early this morning, but no more news had been heard, so we drove past it and guess what? It was found again just as we entered Snettisham!  News of a juvenile Dotterel had us walking another mile and a half to see this bird, surely this bird would stay for us? A few birders on the way down told us that the bird was still present. After waiting patiently for half an hour and looking at the point where the bird had been last seen, we abandoned the search. A Peregrine Falcon flew over us and out into the Wash as it selected its evening meal from amongst the large amounts of waders present. Two Turtle Doves sat enjoying the afternoon sunshine brightened up a fairly sombre mood amongst us all. We left Norfolk and called at The Farm Café on the A17 and enjoyed a lovely evening meal. A long day ended with me reaching home by 8-15pm, a great day out nevertheless with good birding mates.

Dave O.   

 

 Rufous Bush Chat, Stiffkey, Norfolk 17^th October 2020

  When a bird as rare as a Rufous Bush Chat (last one 40 years ago) turns up you have to go see it, right? Awakening from my slumbers at 7-30am on a rainy Saturday morning could not have been more different to what was in store for me on that morning. I decided to check out any bird news whilst having my customary brew and got a bit of a shock, Rufous Bush Chat at Stiffkey, Norfolk I knew what my birding chums werent doing, so knowing that Kevin C would go, and I gave him a call. He was up for it and his wife Dorothy was already making his sandwiches, then the bird disappeared onto the saltmarsh, it was found soon after and at 10-30am we left a rainy Castleton in my car. Our lovely network of motorways came up trumps again with a 20 minute delay before we even got 2 junctions. The journey down the A1 was quite good but as we got onto the A17 the regular wagons, agricultural vehicles welcomed us. News that the bird was still present really helped and it had stopped raining. We cut inland from Fakenham and arrived at Stiffkey around 2-50pm and there were lots of cars parked on the coast road and down Green Lane towards the saltmarsh. We managed to park and Kevin C put his wellies on, wise chap I thought, it was really muddy and slippy out there as we negotiated our way to the crowd of around 60 birders. A few Torvill and Dean impressions later and we were both watching the Rufous Bush Chat. The bird sat out sunning itself on the suaeda and all the many identification features were seen and enjoyed as it ran along catching insects to eat. At this point I would like to add that all the birders present kept a good distance apart and most wore protective masks whilst watching the bird. It also helped that seven policemen had been stationed behind the crowd to remind them about their duty to socially distance etc. Other birds seen: Dark bellied Brent Geese, Great White and Little Egret, Skylark, Curlew, Kestrel. We both really enjoyed watching this mega-rarity and it was well worth the effort to come and see it.

   A trip along the coast to Holme next the Sea to try to see the three Red flanked Bluetails that had been seen there was our next stop. We parked on a muddy field and were directed onto the golf course as around 30 birders had assembled and were watching the pines. Eventually two Red flanked Bluetails appeared, what nice birds to end our birding day. No trip to Norfolk can be complete without a call at The Farm roadside café, near Holbeach on the A17 for something to eat. We left there around 6-40pm and arrived back at home at 9-20pm, 400 mile round trip, what a bird!

Dave O.

 

27/01/2020

The tailback from a serious accident on the A17 near Sutton Bridge meant a later than planned arrival home for some of us and an early end to the birding weekend for others. Minor inconveniences compared to what those involved in the accident must have endured.

The day had started well earlier with another visit to the barn between Acle and Billockby (can't wait to see what the auto-correct makes of that last one ) where c14 Common Cranes were flying and feeding in the area, several giving good views both on the ground and in flight. Highlight, though, was a ring-tailed Hen Harrier which suddenly popped over the reeds and settled at the far end of the next field, giving cracking views. We also had minima of 1 Kestrel, 3 Common Buzzards and 4 Marsh Harriers (including 2 males) active in the area. The more distant male at one point produced a vertical dive that would have been really spectacular at close quarters. C1000 Lapwings were also feeding in the area.

The arrival of rain and the end of rush hour provided the impetus for us to set off home, with plans for further birding along the way, curtailed by the aforementioned accident. In the end we added a few more common species to give us a comparatively modest trip total of 105 seen and 3 heard. Given that we connected with species missed last year such as Rough-legged Buzzard, Waxwing, Slavonian Grebe and White-fronted Goose it will be interesting to see which species are missing from this year's list.

Headed off to Great Yarmouth first thing for our traditional bread-chucking ceremony. Among the horde of Black-headed Gulls were a smattering of larger gulls, mostly Herring, with one Great Black-backed Gull keeping its' distance and two, possibly three Mediterranean Gulls popping up briefly. Sliced White processed seems to have lost its' attraction for them, compared to earlier years. Another Mediterranean Gull was seen among a group of Black-headed Gulls 'paddling' for worms on a central reservation as we headed out of county to tick Purple Sandpiper and Turnstone at Lowestoft before heading back north across the boundary.

A quick scan 'behind the barn' produced 5 Common Cranes and 3 Marsh Harriers as we headed round to our eventual destination of Stubb's Mill. Calling in at Ludham, we found 28 Bewick's Swans among the flock of Whooper Swans on the disused airfield. Twenty six Egyptian Geese were also here. Heading on, we had a couple of scans of the Pink-footed Goose flock at Somerton, which produced several Tundra Bean Geese and at least two Eurasian White-fronted Geese. A group of forty Snow Buntings were on the beach at Winterton Dunes, including one showy male. At the Mill visibility was a little poor due to the overcast, but we managed at least one Barn Owl, an over-wintering Chiffchaff and two Common Cranes which eventually showed well as they fed along the edge of a ditch. Two trios of over-flying Cranes and a party of seven Bewick's Swans together with c40 Marsh Harriers completed the items of interest. A further ten Cranes flew over the road back from the Mill and at least two Woodcock were active in the area. After the usual Saturday night 'whale and chips' from our favourite Norfolk chippy we headed back to our digs for an early night

The Alaskan Wagtail still near Ringstead at lunchtime today. A few cropped images attached. 

70 Snow Bunting, 3 Velvet Scoter, 200 Linnet, Great White Egret, Red Breasted Merganser, 2 Red Kite, 200 Brent Geese at Holkolm 

Spent today's leg of our East Anglian weekend entirely in Norfolk.

Much colder this morning with large areas of some Broads and most of the pools at Cley frozen over, so some of the birds we'd hoped to see had moved on or only emerged after we had. Even the Glaucous Gull had finished its' breakfast of raw seal and headed east along the coast. After a short shopping trip we headed to Holkham and had better luck. The flock of Snow Buntings was mobile around the roped off area, we located the Dartford Warbler in the nearby sea-buckthorn and in return were put onto the Shorelarks feeding on the unfenced area, then as we were heading back to the car a flock of about 80 Twite flew through towards the dunes. Among the flocks of Brent and Pink-footed Geese there were 3 Grey Partridge but unfortunately the Russian White-fronts were feeding in an area close to the road with no safe parking or viewing. The news of the Rough-legged Buzzard being at Chosely Barns again this afternoon didn't come on until later so we headed to an equally frozen Titchwell and added another 12 species to today's list including Kingfisher and Cetti's Warbler at Fen Hide, Red-necked Grebe on the sea and a ring-tailed Hen Harrier coming into the roost as the full Super Moon climbed through a lavender and mauve dusk. Another interesting bit of cross-country routing on the satnav failed to turn up any Tawny Owls this year - but Mr Blessed did his best

With our combined total now on 117 seen (plus Crossbill & Bearded Tit heard) let's see what tomorrow brings apart from frost!

Buckenham Marshes this morning; 6 Taiga Bean Geese. Lifer for us. First in the country apparently!

Cley today(my last day)

Sea watch with northerly wind gave:

Gannet... 20 Mainly juvenile 

Manx Shearwater...5

Red-throated Diver....2

plus lots of Cormorants.

On shoreline vegetation:

Linnet...65

Skylark....1

Stonechat....1

Babcock Hide:

Egyptian Goose....3

Pink-footed Goose...42

Greylag Goose..100+

Spotted Redshank....1

Curlew...8

Black-tailed Godwit...1

Lots of Teal

Other Cley sightings today:

Snipe...5 

Wigeon...200+

Marsh Harrier...2 

Kestrel....1

 

 

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Friday 28th of September 2018 05:11:17 PM

Good day at Cley 26degrees centigrade.

Snipes Marsh:

Water Rail...1

Snipe....3

Little Grebe....4

Little Egret...3

Spotted Redshank....2

Teal....6

Grey Wagtail....2 despite no running water.

Grey Heron....1 juv.

Tufted Duck....1

Red-legged Partridge...19

Pheasant....7

 

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Thursday 27th of September 2018 07:37:37 PM

Just back from a fortnights holiday on the North Norfolk Coast.94 birds seen.
24 new birds for the year. As follows.
Sanderling
Great White Egret
Marsh Harrier
Greenshank
Ruff
Little Stint
Bearded Reedling
Curlew Sandpiper
Spoonbill
Bar Tailed Godwit
Black Tailed Godwit
Wood Sanpiper
Twite
Barn Owl
Turnstone
Eider
White Fronted Goose (eu)
Barnacle Goose
Grey Phalarope
Ringed Plover
Arctic Skua
Sandwich Tern
Black Throated Diver
Great Skua

Snipes Marsh this am:

Spotted Redshank....2

Green Sandpiper... 1 (2 earlier)

Little Grebe....6

Little Egret... 2

Grey Heron... 1 juv.

Teal....6

Linnet.... c45

A Bittern  was seen here yesterday but not by me!

 

 

 

-- Edited by Keith Mills on Monday 24th of September 2018 01:44:56 PM

30th August to 2nd September with Colin Rushmer and Chris Chandler. My first visit to Norfolk, ditto for Colin and first trip for a few years for Chris.

We spent most of Thursday 30th at Frampton Marsh in the end; Stilt Sandpiper was a lifer and also Long-billed Dowitcher and Turtle Dove were seen amongst 60 or so species. Our first taste of Norfolk birding was therefore Buckenham Marshes in the evening. It was lovely to be out on the wet meadows and we soon realised we were in Norfolk when a couple of Chinese Water Deer popped up! It looked ideal for Barn Owls and one appeared after a few minutes. This was a lifer for Colin and not a bad way to clock the species up. This was followed first by a nice Marsh Harrier over and then as the birds on the pool went up, we realised an Osprey was cruising over being chased by some crows. Stunning! It was carrying a massive fish that was still wriggling and we tentatively ID'ed a Carp...definitely felt like a 'that's Norfolk!' moment though.

Next morning we walked to Potter Heigham Marshes from the village hall. The village itself had Spotted Flycatcher and lots of other small birds and it was beautiful walking out to the new EA scrapes. We picked up a smart Whinchat and on the first pool the highlight was seeing a couple of Redshanks and then realising that they were actually juvenile Spotted Reds. It's a great spot and no wonder it's hosted some top stuff already. As we reached the edge of Hickling Broad I heard some distinctive bugling in the distance and just saw 7 or 8 Cranes before they dropped. A few minutes later 3 more flew by. Bliss as the dragonflies buzzed around us in warm sunshine. We got over 60 species walking around to the Rush Hill hide and back in to the village.

Decision time; try our luck at Swanton Novers or stay on the Broads for a longer while? We headed for the Raptor Watchpoint but no Honey Buzzards for us; just a week or 2 late we thought. Then Kelling Heath, again off the seasonal pace but the habitat looked brilliant and a visit in May or June would presumably be decent. We did see a Muntjac there. We got back into some birds at Cley NWT with another Whinchat and at least 6 Green Sandpipers standing out. A Barn Owl was hunting Salthouse Marsh as we drove by at about 4pm. 'That's Norfolk'...

On Saturday morning we had an hour on the front at Sheringham; even though conditions were terrible for seawatching we still managed a nice Arctic Skua heading east. The info services were touting 2 Little Stint at Cley so we headed back there. No sign of those birds but the morning was brilliant. 2 Hobbies were terrorising the scrapes and we could hear plenty of 'Pings' but the standout moment was a NWT volunteer shout of "Purple Heron" and a juvenile bird cruised right over our head! 'That's Norfolk!'...nice to find some decent birders as volunteers too. After deciding to move on and heading for the car park, we heard a loud Ping and a pair of Bearded Tits showed well.

We drove to Titchwell next and soon picked up the reported Red-necked Phalarope on the freshmarsh, as well as 22 Spoonbills roosting. On the beach were some nice waders and we also spotted 3 distant Arctic Skua chasing Sandwich Terns. In the sun it was further evidence of the appeal of the area. I don't expect to win the Pulitzer Prize for the journalistic insight of that comment by the way...A bizarre episode was the report at 18.05 of a Glossy Ibis on the freshmarsh. We arrived at 18.22 and it had gone. It was seen again in the morning but not by us. But as we scanned over the freshmarsh we picked up a smart juvenile Curlew Sandpiper as the final highlight of the day

In the morning we were back by 8am. The following few hours were probably the best of the trip for me. We had seen Bearded Tit by 8.30 and walking around to the eastern edge of the reserve saw more. From one position on the seawall bank we saw Bittern, Red Kite and Great White Egret in short order, all new for the trip, as well as enjoying the waders on the marsh and Reed Warblers and Beardies in reeds right in front of us.

Finally we tried Flitcham Abbey for a well-known Little Owl site but no luck there, and it was time to head home. What a great weekend though, with a trip list of around 120 in stunning weather and the promise of much more for other days to come. We saw Marsh Harrier at 7 different sites, 24 species of wader, with Ruff, Avocet and Black-tailed Godwit at every turn and overall the only thing that might have been different was the situation with drift migrants. Even on that score, if we'd fancied it we could have gone to Winterton near Great Yarmouth on Sunday afternoon and seen Wryneck and Red-backed Shrike too!

It was so good being able to visit iconic and wonderful locations. Thanks to the 2 guys for their company and especially Colin for driving the whole trip. Fair to say I can't wait to go back now...

Some pictures of the Ruff at Salthouse, as referred to in previous posts.

Suprised this evening to find a Ruff, by the roadside pond

In Salthouse village. Did not appear bothered by me as I took photos but it was a bit wary of the Brown rodents present.

An afternoon dash down to RSPB Snettisham yesterday where the 1st winter female Snowy Owl showed really well on a post and then great views as it flew around before landing again. 2 Barn Owls also came out and at one point, the Snowy and a Barn Owl were in the same view with the Snowy looking huge in comparison. Who knows where it or if it get reported next!

A bird I've always wanted to see, the "Beast from the East" can be forgiven as we headed back home very happy.

  

 

Just back from a week's non-birding holiday

Best were the nesting Turtle Doves in Titchwell car park (2 adults, 1 chick)

Also seen on the reserve over the week were

Spoonbills 3
Ruff 2 (both resplendent males)
Spotted Redshank 6
Avocets (well into 3 figures)
Grasshopper Warbler 2
Cetti's Warbler lots
Cuckoo
Little Gull 4
Black-tailed Godwits c80 (including a colour ringed individual [Right Yellow/Red. Left Red/Metal]. I will try to discover its origins)
Bar-tailed Godwits 18
Marsh Harrier 3
Bearded Tit 6

Other wildlife highlight was a Lesser Emperor dragonfly

Cheers, John

-- Edited by John Rayner on Sunday 25th of June 2017 12:16:15 AM

Spent a few days camping out by Kelling Heath. The weather was sweltering but the nights cold. I had targets including Nightjar and research paid off on the first night when I had views of several - no displaying but still a lifer. I thought by the churring I could hear (even from my tent) that this is one of the foremost sites in the country for the species. I didn't manage Dartford Warbler or Woodlark, although this was the right area and I had seen them in Berkshire.

Nightingale was another target and although a birder I met realigned my information on good sites (this year) I never made it over and it was logistically a snag - I will try Paxton Pits next spring.

A Turtle Dove had been seen in the vicinity that same evening, which was inspiring but galling as I need to see one.

 

Then it was off to Titchwell, one of the country's renowned RSPB sites - I had Marsh Harriers, Cuckoo, several Cetti's Warblers and a lot of Avocet but I didn't see the reported Red Kite/flyover Spoonbill and the Turtle Dove that had been around recently had found pastures new.

 

I will be back for sure it's a lovely part of the world, all achieved on public transport (I managed 90 per cent of the coasthopper route as I came back via King's Lynn) so next time it could be Snettisham etc

Yesterday mid morning while driving east on the coast road just before Blakeney:
Male Hen Harrier hunting the field below the road; and therfore seen from above.
A scarce bird in these parts despite the winter roost near Wells.