A day’s birding in West Norfolk - January 4, 2013

Dave, Roger and I had a Barn Owl just west of Billesdon as we drove to Uppingham to pick up Ken.  We then set off for Norfolk calling at Abbey Farm first where the highlights were skeins of Pink-footed Geese coming over as they moved to their feeding grounds.  We estimated at least 600 but it likely then this was conservative.  There were also five Egyptian Geese and twelve Red-legged Partridges in the fields visible from the small hide, eight Curlew flew over and a distant Buzzard was perched in a field hedgerow.

From Abbey Farm we continued to Choseley Drying Barns where I found a Brambling but there was no sign of any Corn Buntings.

We drove the short distance to Titchwell where we found three more Brambling on the feeders.  As we began to walk down the track to the sea a Bittern came out of the ditch and flew over the track and landed in the reedbed.  We then saw three female-type Marsh Harriers over Thornham Marsh and a Little Egret flew over and landed in the marsh.  On reaching the fresh marsh we found Pintail, Oystercatcher, ten Avocet and c.2000 Golden Plover.  The Volunteers Marsh produced single Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit and Spotted Redshank and there were quite a few Redshanks feeding as well.

There was very little on the Tidal Marsh and on reaching the shore the tide was high and there were few waders.  There were quite a few Turnstones feeding along the high water mark and a few Sanderling were also observed.  The sea produced a single Long-tailed Duck, c.500 Common Scoter, four Red-throated Divers a single Fulmar and two adult Kittiwakes.

We added very little as we walked back but Black-tailed Godwits were more in evidence.

Little Grebe on the Tidal Marsh

Turnstone on the beach

After some lunch we decided to go to Hunstanton cliff top calling at Thornham first but other than two Little Egrets and two female Marsh Harriers there was nothing of note at Thornham.

From the cliff top we found three Red-breasted Mergansers, a Red-throated Diver and thirty Fulmars on the sea.

We decided to call at Heacham as there were still a few waders we had not seen.

The tide was receding nicely as we reached Heacham and there was a good area of mud exposed.  There were lots of gulls and waders feeding on the mud and we added Ringed Plover and Knot but despite a thorough search we still couldn’t find any Dunlin.

Perhaps not one of our best days in Norfolk but we still recorded seventy-nine species.