David, Malcolm and I decided
we would have day in Norfolk today and after David drove to Malcolm’s, Malcolm
took up the reins and drove to Norfolk.
Dawn was breaking as we left Malcolm’s but we saw very little until we
were approaching Peterborough when we had two Red Kites and a Kestrel. Two Little Egrets stood in a ploughed field
near Wisbech was a bit of a surprise and we then had another Kestrel, a Buzzard
and two Roe Deer before reaching King’s Lynn.
We headed to a site between
Docking and Brancaster where there had been a Bean Goose, a Greenland
White-fronted Goose and a Todd’s Canada Goose amongst a flock of Pink-footed
Geese feeding in a stubble field. We
found the field and we could see a fairly large number of geese but after
parking at the side of the road and getting our kit on they flew off. As they flew to the west there appeared to be
many more geese arriving and most came down in two areas. We decided to do a circuit back to Docking in
the hope we might be able to see them and found one of the flocks at the back
of field we could observe from the road.
After parking we began scanning the flock and initially they all
appeared to be Pink-foots but then David found the Todd’s Canada Goose and got
Malcolm and I onto it. We spent quite
some time going through the flock but couldn’t find anything else and shortly
after we were joined by another birder the flock took off and moved further
west.
We were considering going the
Holkham for the Shore Larks but when Malcolm received a message indicating that
there were also some a Salthouse with both Twite and Snow Buntings and so we
decided to head for Salthouse.
As we made our way to the A149
along Chalkpit Lane we found another party of Pink-footed Geese and we stopped
to take a look. We did see a smaller and
browner goose amongst the flock but they decided to fly off and we were unable
to confirm its identity before they did so.
Two Grey Partridge also obliged whilst we were there and I managed to get
photos of one of them.
Grey Partridge
Grey Partridge
Grey Partridge
We didn’t see a great deal
else between there and Salthouse with a couple of Jay being the best. As we pulled up along the beach road there
was a party of Turnstones feeding on the shingle and whilst most had flown off
by the time we reached the area five were still present and I was able to get
some nice shots of one of them.
Turnstone
Turnstone
We then walked west along the
shingle towards the Little Eye where we found a group of birders watching the
party of Shore Larks and again I was able to get a few shots off before they
became a little flighty and gradually moved further away. We scanned the sea for a while bit there was
very little with ten Knot and a couple of Sanderling being the best. Malcolm then picked up a party of birds flying
over, which turned out to be eleven Snow Buntings but with little else, except
two Fieldfares in off, we started to walk back to the car.
Shore Lark
Shore Lark
Shore Lark
David had started to walk back
before Malcolm and I and when we caught him up he was watching a Marsh Harrier
over the sea, which was presumably a migrant but it appeared to be more
interested in heading west rather than heading for land.
With no sign of the Twite we
headed back west and continued past Titchwell and headed for Thornham Harbour
where we were hoping to catch up with Twite.
As we got out of the car David picked up a Rock Pipit on one of the
wooden jetties but it dropped out of sight and we couldn’t re-find it. There were lots of birds on the distant
shore, mainly gulls but there were also good numbers of Brent Geese and
Shelduck. On the salt marsh there was in
excess of 100 Curlew roosting and we also found a couple of Grey Plover and two
Black-tailed Godwits and several Redshanks.
However all we had seen passerine wise were a few Skylarks and we were
about give up when David noticed another birder who was looking rather intently
into the salt marsh. We walked towards
him and found he had located a number of finches feeding the vegetation and as
we started to look a rather large flock of birds took to flight and flew off
inland. We considered that most were
actually Linnets but then realised that there were still some birds
feeding. These also flew but as they
dropped some perched on taller vegetation and we were able to confirm that at
least twelve were Twite.
Curlew
Curlew
It was now approaching 12:45
and so we drove back to Titchwell for lunch.
As we drove down the entrance road there were a few Pink-footed Geese in
a stubble field but we couldn’t find any other geese amongst them, although
there was at least ten Ruff feeding in the field.
After lunch we went to the
Visitor’s Centre and checked the book and found that there had been plenty of
good birds reported this morning. A
Brambling had been on the feeders and after leaving the centre we checked then
out and Malcolm picked up the Brambling almost immediately.
We then continued down the
west bank and found more Pink-footed Geese in one of the meadows but there was
no sign of the reported Water Pipit on Thornham Pool and so we continued towards
the Freshwater Marsh. There was clearly
more water on the marsh and we were therefore not surprised to find a lack of
waders but we did find six Avocets and four Pintail before moving on to
Volunteer Marsh. There were few birds on
the Volunteer Marsh and certainly no sign of the earlier reported Spotted
Redshanks. There were a few more birds
in evidence on the Tidal Marsh that included a single Ringed Plover, three
Dunlin and several Black-tailed Godwits.
There had been a good
selection of birds reported on the sea this morning but the tide was now on the
way out. As we started to scan we
realised that many of the birds were in quite close and we found a female
Scaup, several female Eiders, seven Long-tailed Ducks, good numbers of Common
Scoter, eight Velvet Scoters and four Red-breasted Mergansers. On the beach there were good numbers of
Oystercatcher, Knot, Dunlin, Curlew, Redshank and Turnstone and smaller numbers
of Grey Plover, Sanderling and surprisingly Bar-tailed Godwit of which I only
saw six. I had picked up a couple of
Guillemots on the sea and I then found a Great Northern Diver, which wasn’t too
far out and I was surprised that we hadn’t seen it earlier. David who was feeling the cold decided to
head back the path, whilst Malcolm and I gave it a bit longer. We didn't find too much else; just a single
Gannet and another Great Northern Diver in flight.
As we started walking back
another group of birders were observing a pair of Stonechats and a little
further on I suggested to Malcolm we should check out the Tidal Marsh again and
found a Spotted Redshank preening at the back.
When we reached the path to
Parrinder Hide the four Whooper Swans were not too far away from the hide and
so we went down the path to try and get some photos. When we got to the viewing area they had
disappeared but Malcolm saw that they had just gone out of sight and were now
swimming back towards us and we were able to get some photos.
Adult and juvenile Whooper Swan
Adult and two juvenile Whooper Swans
Juvenile Whooper Swan
The family party of Whooper Swans; two adults and two juveniles
Drake Teal roosting on the Freshwater Marsh
When we got back to the path
back to the centre the swans had disappeared and on catching up with David he
said that he had seen them fly off. He
had been watching a distant Barn Owl, which did show itself several times but I
only saw it briefly. I suggested that we
should hang on a bit to observe the harrier roost, which we did and at one
point we had at least nine Marsh Harriers on view but are main target was Hen
Harrier. As we continued scanning circa
fifty Golden Plovers were observed in flight over the Freshwater Marsh and I
picked up a Snipe in flight. Another
birder then announced there was a Merlin over the dunes and after missing it
several times I did manage to see as it rose into the air and stall before it
flew off back towards Thornham Point and great speed and then disappeared as it
flew back again. There were a couple of
Sparrowhawks, one to the west of the path and the other to the east and also a
Kestrel.
David then said he might have
a Hen Harrier and almost immediately said it was but unfortunately it then dropped
out of sight and Malcolm and I missed it.
He got us looking in the right direction and after a fairly short wait
Malcolm said it’s up again and we all had reasonable views of a ring-tail as it
quartered the ground for several minutes.
Pleased with our day we set
off back to the car park and after a quick coffee we were on our way home,
seeing another Barn Owl on the far side of Thornham. However when we reached the far side there
was a traffic dam and a quick check on the phone suggested that the road had
been closed and so we made a detour via Docking.
It had been a great day’s
birding and I had recorded ninety-four species, with many highlights and it was
possibly one of the best winter day’s birding I have ever had in Norfolk, with
very little being missed.
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