On the trail of a Bogey

10/01/2009, undisclosed site, James and Simeon

It was absolutely freezing when we got out of the car this morning. I can't remember being so cold - it made a winter seawatch at Holme feel like Barbados! A Kingfisher greeted us, making use of a small patch of unfrozen water. As if we needed more confirmation that the weather was exceptionally harsh, several flocks of Lapwing flapped overhead. A few Bullfinch were flitting about as we walked along a path towards our destination along with a multitude of thrushes, and a Barn Owl added character to the winter scene. A Muntjac and a group of about 20 Roe Deer seemed unaware of us, despite the constant explosions of woodpigeon that marked our movements.

Reaching our destination we scanned for our target - Long-eared Owl. However, it soon became apparent that we were not in luck. We decided to walk towards their favourite haunt, since there was no chance of disturbing them if they weren't there. Our attention was drawn to a shape slinking through a field to our left as 5 Snipe erupted from the grass. The Fox trotted towards us, as oblivious as the deer had been, and disappeared into a ditch. Reaching the Long-eared Owl bushes we scanned the open fields for any owls that may still be hunting. No luck, although we had another mammal surprise in the form of a herd of more than 100 Red Deer, including 2 magnificent stags! What a sight on a misty winter's morning. As if this wasn't enough a large raptor appeared over the top of the woods: a Goshawk!

We left happy, despite not having seen our target. A further 3 Foxes together were an unexpected bonus, evidently a family group. One final surprise came in the form of a Kingfisher which flew along a dyke, crossing our path not 2 metres in front of us. It seemed to be just as shocked as we were, making a violent swerve to avoid us!

More raptors...

23/12/08 North Norfolk Coast, Simeon, James, Connor, Matthew

We finally dragged Matt out birding again and all four of us were together in force once again!

The only problem was, it was winter - finding wasn't really much of an option - neither was twitching anything to be honest! We had a walk at Titchwell and got good views of Peregrine and Marsh Harrier hunting over the marshes. A ringtail Hen Harrier was just visible over Thornham harbour, where we picked out the Peregrine again. A Black Brant on the Fresh Marsh was probably a hybrid, but one on the beach was nice and proper. Seawatching was tedious, with the mist making identification difficult - a probable Red-necked Grebe was the only bird of note, save for an odd Eider. 40 Snow Buntings flew West along the beach and dribbled back in small flocks during our visit to Thornham Point. The bushes held a Dunnock and 2 Magpies - joy to the world!

Back at Titchwell we had a Spotshank with the Blackwits on the Fresh Marsh and delighted in having bacon baps! Perfect presciption for that winter low that lingers for an age.

We then moved on to Salthouse in hope of photographing the Glaucous Gull that had been on the beach there for a few days. Finding the Glauc was one thing - which proved impossible - let alone photographing it! It later showed up at Cley Marshes to roost apparently.

40 Snow Bunts flew East and then a couple of flocks totalling 60 birds flew West, bringing the day total to 100. Brill!

We then checked a large flock of Brents in fields just South of Salthouse but we couldn't find any Red-Breasted Geese.

The last stop was Warham Greens where we were a little late, but still managed 2 ringtail Hen Harriers and superb views of a Barn Owl hunting right in front of us.

A great trip in all, and a good one to end the 2008 birding season - roll on 2009 (especially Spring!)
Merry Christmas everyone - have a good'un!

NOA Christmas Party!

20/12/08 Holme, Thornham and Chosely: Simeon, Connor, James

We decided to get to Holme for first light so we could search for owls before the party, but we couldn't be bothered to check the whole forestry, so instead Connor showed us a new area he recently discovered which looks perfect for rarities - we will definitely be visiting it during the next fall! On the way a Lapland Bunting and a few Rock Pipits flew over, and a Barn Owl was floating over the fields. A pair of Bearded Tits showed amazingly well in a reedbed. At the site itself a male Merlin flew over, and another Barn Owl was nearby. We walked back to the observatory before Jed could eat all the food, and had an unhealthy lunch before doing a seawatch. The seawatch was not one of Holme's best moments, although a few Red-throated Divers were nice. Back at the observatory a Snipe flew up off the marsh, and a Water Rail was squealing in the reedbed close by. Single Brambling and Redpoll flew over the car park.

We left to follow up a report of Waxwings nearby, without much luck. As the dusk began to set in we drove back via Chosely. Just before the turning we glimpsed a harrier and quickly pulled over where we all piled out to watch a lovely male Hen Harrier ghosting over the fields. As we were watching the second Merlin of the day, a female, shot through and we were able to watch it for a few minutes before both birds disappeared over the ridge.

Stopping at Choseley we were out of luck for Corn Buntings, but one last highlight was in store before the close of day - a female Hen Harrier gave us a farewell flyby! A great day on the Norfolk coast, despite missing out on the hoped-for Serin.

Blackborough End Tip

7/12/08, Connor, James and Simeon

Gullwatching was the order of the day for the first Young Norfolk Birders trip since James left for university in the Autumn. Before meeting Connor at 10:00 we stopped at Tottenhill to look for the Smew. A Skylark and a Bullfinch flew over, calling, and several Pintail were on the pit, but there was no sign of the Smew.

Meeting Connor and Billy with David and Ray Roche, we drove to Blackborough End Tip to find Dave Hawkins already there. Despite spending a good hour there we saw nothing unusual, save for a group of Goosanders which David spotted flying over. A Redshank was feeding at the edge of the pit and a Bullfinch called nearby. Eventually we drove to some nearby lakes to try our luck, but there was still no sign of the Caspian, Glaucous or Iceland gulls. A group of about 10 Siskins was searched thoroughly for Redpolls, with no success. However, a couple of Green Sandpipers brightened up the trip, with two adult Bewick's Swans which were later joined by a juvenile.

We ate our sandwiches before leaving for Kings Lynn to meet with Mr Munns about our birding trip to Poland next summer...!

Final stand

27/9/08 North Norfolk - Simeon and James
Today was one of James' very last birding outings before he goes to uni. So it had to be good. With a nice fall during the week things were set for the weekend and rares had already been found. We started early and were at Burnham Overy by 6:30am!
It felt good. We were flushing Robins and Song Thrushes from every bush and also the odd Redwing. Goldcrests called but stayed invisible. By the time we had hit the dunes, we had already seen about 40 Robins and 20 Song Thrushes. Little Egrets seemed abundant with a total of 25 flying over (one flock of 18 birds)!
The dunes seemed devoid of birds for some reason but still a few Robins, Dunnocks and millions of Meadow Pipits. We then headed quickly for the pines after the Radde's came out on the pager for the first time that morning. On arrival about 30 people were positioned in a line and we joined the ranks just in time to see it go up and down again in the bracken! It was calling but we hadn't had good views so we stayed.
Over the past hour or so we eventually got good views of the bird (I saw it on top of a bush for about 10 seconds). We also had a Crossbill flying over and a Yellow-Browed Warbler, but it didn't show very well.
On the way back to the car we met Penny Clarke and after talking for a while we headed back through the fields towards the main road. Just at one of our regular scans James spotted a lovely adult Honey Buzzard flying quite low. It headed East quite quickly and we lost it over the pines.
Once back at the car we left for West Runton to try for the Blyth's Reed Warbler. It had last been seen at 9:35am and by the time we got to the deserted buildings it was 2:00pm.
I thought it rather odd that everyone was talking and no-one was really looking for the bird. A few people had gone round the sides of the buildings to search, but for the majority of the birders present, even if it had showed, they probably wouldn't have noticed. Fed up of "standing in line" James and I went round the side ourselves, only to find it 'tacking' in some reeds in a ditch! The first views I had of the bird were undoubtedly the best, with the bird about 3m away and unobstructed by reeds!
We alerted another birder and once positive of the ID I went round to tell the others. After the hordes decended on the ditch it never showed very well again, but enough for most people to be happy with the ID. The bird called a few times but mostly stayed well hidden at the bottom of the reeds.
Feeling very happy that we had saved some birders' day, James and I headed to our final site for the day, Titchwell.
On arrival we went straight along the path and found loads of birders on the bank. Someone kindly showed me the Pectoral Sandpiper in their scope and I then got James onto it. It was showing well but quite distantly. James then spotted the Red-Necked Phalarope which showed very well on the deck and in flight when it flew closer towards us and showed even better! It was associating with a Little Stint as a bonus.
The day ended with a visit to our old patch where we used to live. We didn't see any decent birds, but memories of finding Ring Ouzels came flooding back as we walked down the path.
A cracking end to a wonderful day with some awesome birds seen!

Titchwell, Sunday 7th September, James and Simeon

Having learnt the basics of pressure chart reading we had been watching the weather forecasts all week and continually changing our weekend plans accordingly (It's astounding how vastly incorrect the forecast can be, even 5 days beforehand!). Simeon wanted to do Blakeney Point as it looked reasonable for migrants, but I managed to persuade him to do Thornham Point, as it is near Titchwell so we could visit the reserve afterwards and seawatch (seawatching looked good for the afternoon). This turned out to be a good decision since the county was almost devoid of rare passerines - all we could come up with was a warbler which flew from a bush, realised it was raining, and promptly dived back into cover never to be seen again. We took shelter in the watchtower (my dream house!), which gives a great view over the surrounding area and has an absolutley amazing garden list! A lone Brent Goose in Thornham Harbour was early.

Realising there were no rarities to be found, and spotting an Arctic Skua flying along the beach, we walked back to Titchwell feeling a little dejected. The mood didn't improve when a couple told us they'd only seen a few Eider, but then Dave Hawkins appeared from behind the dunes and gave us his totals which included good numbers of Arctic and Great Skua and an adult Long-tailed Skua! We joined him out of the wind, and began racking up the skua totals. Simeon locked onto a large pale-brown shearwater but was unable to confirm its identification - in hindsight it was probably a Cory's, which would have been a lifer... The action died down, and we were beginning to get bored, when suddenly Dave located an extremely distant shearwater. I managed to get onto it, though Simeon did not - this time it was definitely a Cory's, though the extreme distance meant that it looked to me more like a Gannet, save for its banking flight. One of the worst ticks I've ever had! However, matters were complicated by the fact that a party of 4 Sabine's Gulls appeared in Dave's scope view as he was following the as yet unidentified shearwater! It was mayhem as he tried to get the 50+ observers onto the birds whilst calling the other wardens. 2 summer plumaged Red-necked Grebes put the finishing touch to a memorable seawatch.

Unfortunately the rain had managed to enter my battered eyepiece and prevented wader watching on the reserve, although the 3 Spoonbills were gorgeous as they demonstrated their characteristic feeding action known as 'spooning'. A false White-rumped Sandpiper alarm had us excited for a few minutes, but it turned out to be a Dunlin (try and get your head around that one!). It was incredibly small and slim-bodied, giving it a vaguely attenuated appearance, although the black underside gave it away.

An amazing day, even if it wasn't what we were expecting!

Scotland!

Scotland 16th-22nd August - James and Simeon

See gallery soon for photos of the trip...

This summer James and I decided to go to Scotland. The aim was to try and see as many British ticks as possible as we had never been to Scotland before. Planning ahead and asking people who either lived there or who had visited before gave us more sites than were possible to visit in the time we were there!
Target species;

Capercaillie
Ptarmigan
Black Grouse
Red Grouse (Simeon only)
Crested Tit
Black-Throated Diver
Scottish Crossbill
Parrot Crossbill
Golden Eagle
Sooty Shearwater
Surf Scoter

Saturday 16th August
We got up quite early and had left home by 7:30am. On the journey up we stopped at Fairburn Ings near Leeds, where there had been a Black-Necked Grebe. It would have been a lifer for me (Simeon), but sadly we had no luck. After an 11 hour jurney we finally arrived near Aviemore, where we stayed the night on a campsite. The journey had been exciting as we got closer and closer to our final destination. The only birds of note on the journey were a small total of 9 Kestrels and a few Buzzards.

Sunday 17th August
We got up when we woke up, as we were very tired after the journey the day before. By about 9:00am we were at Lochindorb for Black-Throated Diver. On arrival there were only a few Red-Throateds on the loch, but before long some Black-Throateds appeared and we counted 4 birds, including 1 juv. Suddenly a strange call behind us alerted us to the presence of a Grouse and on peering over the small crest, we saw 2 Red Grouse quite close to us! Within the first morning we had seen 2 target species.
A trip to nearby Loch Ruthven revealed 4 Slavonian Grebes, 1 Red-Throated Diver, and 6 Red-Breasted Mergansers. 2 Crossbills flew over several times, but we didn't get good enough views to call them anything other than common!
The 3rd stop was the Findhorn Valley where we failed with Golden Eagle, but had amazing views of an Osprey fishing. A female Hen Harrier quartered the long grass for a bit beore moving south. There was also a Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary on one of the hills.

Monday 18th August
If Ptarmigan was to be "had", a climb of Cairn Gorm was in order! On reaching the summit in the afternoon (we didn't start early!) we hadn't had Ptarmigan but there were 3 juv. Snow Buntings hopping around. Seeing a flock on Cley beach is one thing, but seeing juvs. in their breeding grounds was a completely new experience, and a very nice one too.
We walked down a different route from which we climbed, and about 200m above the car park we suddenly came across 4 "moving rocks" - Ptarmigans in summer plumage! It was brilliant to have finally caught up with this elusive species. I would have taken pictures, but let's just say the 70mph winds didn't help the shake...
In the evening we tried for Black Grouse on Tulloch Moor, but to no avail. A walk onto the moor produced 17 different species of Mushroom, but nowt else except a Spotted Flycather!

Tuesday 19th August
After sleeping in the car (much warmer than a tent) we got up early and drove around the roads of Abernethy Forest. We dazzled plenty of Robins, a Woodpecker sp. and a few Song Thrushes, but no Capercaillies, which apparently come for grit there.
The next stop was the Osprey centre at Loch Garten where we sat in the car for 2 hours due to the pouring rain! After it cleared up, we had a quick look at the Red Squirrels and Siskins on the feeders, and took a walk through the forest round Loch Garten. After distinguishing the call of Crested Tit, we eventually had about 6 birds, along with multiple Treecreepers and Goldcrests, and millions of Coal Tits! We also met some birders who told us of a nearby private site at which to get Crossbills. It contained a Loch surrounded by pines. The loch itself had a lovely summer plumaged Slavonian grebe and another Osprey which perched for a while. As we were about to leave, a group of Crossbills perched in the top of a nearby pine, and on getting them in the scope, we could both immediately tell they were Parrot Crossbills, due to the massive "bull-neck" and huge bill! They also called, and as there was a nearby Common Crossbill flying over, we had great comparison between the 2 species. It was great to have finally ticked off one of the most difficult species to get!
Alas, our time in Speyside was over, and that evening we moved on to Deeside, near Balmoral. A quick glance at Glen Muick looked good, but didn't reveal any Black Grouse.

Wednesday 20th August
Getting up relatively early we went to a nearby site called Glen Tanar, where there was a drinking pool for Crossbills, but sadly the only ones we saw were flyovers! We met 2 walkers who also knew a bit about birding. They gave us a nearby top secret site for Capercaillie and said there was a 60% chance of getting them at this time of year! We rushed off in anticipation and after getting lost in the forest, suddenly heard very loud wing-claps from what appeared to be very large birds...we had to get a closer look. Using ultimate tracking skills (the power of hearing) we knew they had flown right. We walked to a fence and just as it started to rain a male Capercaillie flew up about 50 yards off. Then its mate flew up and they both went right, giving ok views, but only in flight. We didn't want to disturb them, so we retreated back to the car, wet, but very happy!
So by now we had both had several British ticks and were feling very pleased, despite the weather!
That afternoon we drove to Peterhead on the East coast of Aberdeenshire, where we stayed the night...

Thursday 21st August
With light onshore winds we had planned a morning seawatch at Rattray Head. On arrival a few birds were moving, some very close Fulmars, Arctic and Great Skuas. From our position in the dunes we had a great vantage point. Suddenly James spotted a Shearwater going North. I got it in his scope and confirmed it as Sooty Shearwater - another British tick for both of us! Another Sooty and a Manx were also seen. Then a small skua went past close in, and brilliant views of the bird for a prolonged period confirmed it as an adult Long-tailed Skua - a British Tick for James. So now we both had 7 British ticks from the trip so far.
A four hour scan at Blackdog in the afternoon revealed plenty of Velvet Scoter, but the sea was too rough to be able to pick up the Surfie that had been present the day before! The odd possibles dived before conclusive views were had.
That evening we started the long journey south, and slept overnight in the car in a quiet village near Scotch Corner.

Friday 22nd August
Today was the final day of the trip and we were to get almost home, but stop at Chapel Point in Lincolnshire for the Audoin's Gull. After about 9 hours we (Connor, Ray Roche, James and I) had walked down the beach a short way to get closer to some distant gulls. We were about 200m from the main crowd and about 1 and a half miles from Chapel Point car park. Suddenly I noticed everyone running along the beach away from us. Something had happened and we knew what. We half ran half walked the distance and eventually caught up with some of the crowd. The gull had come up on the pager from Chapel Point car park. We got there and had brilliant veiws of it standing on the beach on its own. It flew up a couple of times but was on the beach when we left. It was a cracking end to the trip which ended with James and I having 8 lifers each including a 5th for Britain which was very unexpected.

Saturday 23rd August
Sleep... Marsh Sandpiper Hickling Broad! Left early afternoon and arrived at Hickling not actually knowing whereabouts the bird was at the reserve. We met a man that worked at the visitor centre and he told us it was seen from Rush Hill Scrape the day before! We went anyway and on arrival met a birder just coming away from the hide who told us it was still there!!! Our chances had increased dramatically. We got to the hide and scanned. A few Green Sandpipers. Then James saw it fly into an inlet, behind the reeds. I missed it! After about 20 minutes a third Green Sandpiper went behind the reeds and probably chased them all out, I got the Marsh Sandpiper in my scope in flight - lucky - with 3 Green Sandpipers. It landed on the near bank and showed excellently for quite a while before flying back into the inlet about 20 minutes later. See gallery for a record shot in fading light - well thats my excuse anyway.
A cracking round-off to the Scotland trip...it was well worth the effort.
9 lifers each.

Heavy birding...

25-26/7/08 Norfolk Coast - Simeon (Connor and James)
I visited Cley, Holme, Titchwell and Dersingham Bog all between Friday evening and Saturday evening!
My trip started on Friday at Connor's house in the afternoon. At 6:30 we left for Cley for the White-rumped Sandpiper. On arrival we went straight to Pat's Pool where it had moved to, instead of North Scrape. There were a few people in the hide and showed us the bird quickly, otherwise it would have taken us hours to trawl through the 70 or so Dunlin present. A Little Stint often associated with the sandpiper.
Also present were 12 Little gulls, 2 Yellow-legged gulls, 2 Marsh Harrier, and a Bittern flew over the reeds.
On Saturday we started early and were at Holme by 7:00am! Redwell marsh produced 1 Whimbrel (over), 1 Greenshank (over), 3 Green Sandpipers, 1 Common Sandpiper, 8 Ruff, 12 Black-tailed Godwit, 3 Avocets, 5 Turtle Dove, and 12 Common Snipe. Connor and I then walked from the Golf Course to the pines through the forestry and dunes.
By the time we reached the obs. we had clocked up a fair few warblers, there had obviously been a small arrival; 16 Willow Warblers, 7 Whitethroat, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 8 Blackcap, and 1 Chiffchaff.
Other highlights included; 5 female Crossbills in the pines, 4 Green Sandpipers over the marsh, a hirundine passage including 50 Swallows, 50 House Martin, 10 Sand Martins, but just 1 Swift, 7 Goldcrests in the pines, a juvenile Green Woodpecker, 2 female Marsh Harriers, 15 Pied Wagtails (over) and 15 Meadow Pipits (over). The sea was relatively quiet bit held a couple of surprises. In one hour; 13 Gannet, 2 Fulmar, 5 Common Tern, 5 Little Tern, a female Red-breasted Merganser (!), 2 Arctic Skuas, 1 Eider, 3 Guillemot, 1 Razorbill and 56 Common Scoters.
Several Curlews went over throughout the day totalling 26 birds, including one Whimbrel.
At about 3:oopm I went back to Redwell and Connor went home. A Little gret flew over the Marsh on the way down. The marsh itself produced 4 Green Sandpipers and 3 Yellow Wagtails amongst the numerous Pieds.
Then James picked me up and we went to Titchwell for a bit. 4 summer plumaged Curlew Sandpipers were very nice along with 6 Little gulls, 2 Bearded tits and a Little Stint. A small wader had us going for a bit, but it turned out to be a Dunlin (with a shorter bill than usual!).



We then ended at Dersingham Bog where we got 2 Woodcock and a Nightjar.
It was a very nice couple of days and a signal that Autumn is finally here...did spring ever end?

Autumn waders...

24/7/08 Welney WWT - James and Simeon
James and I went to Welney to try and see the Spoonbill reported there. On arrival a volunteer said that it roosts on the reserve but flies out into the fens every morning at about 7am.
So James and I went over to the main hide anyway and the logbook read; "3 Spoonbills this morning..." So there were three.
As it was, there were none visible during our time there (as always) but we had a good time anyway. The new camera they have set up on one of the islands was great! A Black-Headed Gull was standing on top of it so Igot it in my scope. Then I rotated the camera and the gull rotated too! I think it got dizzy because it soon fell off! It was a bit mean, but so funny.
The numbers of Little Egrets was phenominal, challenging Titchwell even! I counted 37 all on the main lagoon!
Other birds of note included; 19 Black-Tailed Godwit, 2 Ruff, 3 Marsh Harriers, a Common Tern, only one female Garganey (apparently there had been up to 12) and a Whimbrel that I found using the camera!
On the journey home we saw 2 Turtle Doves and 2 Corn Buntings. It was a lovely trip and made one thing for certain...autumn has begun!

New areas...

23/7/08 Oxford - James and Simeon
Dad was going to Oxford for the day so we decided to hitch a lift and bird some completely new areas. We started at Farmoor reservoir where there were 2 Yellow-Legged Gulls, 3 Green Sandpipers and 2 Common Sandpipers from the causeway, along with 8 Lapwings and 1 Grey Heron in Shrike Meadow.
We then went to Dix Pit (part of Stanton Harcourt gravel pits). The area looks very good as a winter site, but there were still some interesting birds. 2 Little Egrets and 2 Grey Herons were on the island amongst the Cormorant colony. About 40 Great-Crested Grebes were in a large group on the far side of the pit, and 2 Common Sandpipers landed on the far bank. A Red Kite flew over and disturbed all the gulls.
We then went around to a different side of the it and stood on some concrete blocks to veiw the pit. James spotted some Pochards with the numerous Tufted Ducks, whilst I scanned a group of gulls on the landfill site. The flock of about 70 birds contained at least 10 Yellow-Legged Gulls! Some showed quite well but we didn't have enough time for photos.
On the way home another Red Kite flew from behind a bush in Stanton Harcourt Village, and on the M40 we saw a high of 18 Red Kites, following 12 on the outward journey!
It was a really good day and it was nice to go birding in a completely different setting from the Norfolk Coast!

Skuas and a Shrike!

17/7/08 Sea Palling - James and Simeon
Dad was going to Norwich for the day, so we drove onto Sea Palling after dropping him off! The Red-Backed Shrike showed well eventually but it took a bit of finding (in the rain). See gallery for pictures. We then did some seawatching the other side of the dunes from the Shrike and had 3 Arctic Skuas past in about 30 mins.
So we moved to Waxham to get a better vantage point. The total in 2 and a half hours was 25 Arctic Skuas, including some really close birds - one flew right over Simeons head! Most were adult pale morphs but there were a few juvs and one or two dark morph adults. Other birds of note on the sea were; 1 female Eider, 50+ Guillemots (including several young birds) and a single adult Razorbill along with 13 Gannets.
Whilst standing in the dunes a male Kestrel and a beautiful Hobby went over. Just before a masive raincloud came in, a large passage of hirundines included 70+ Swift and 40+ House Martin.
It was a really good day, despite the rain, and allowed us to get back on seawatching form in time for Wales... (5th-13th August)

Last minute decisions!

22/6/08 Sutton Gault - Simeon and James

After dinner we randomly decided to go for the Spotted Crakes that had been calling recently at Sutton Gault. After the half hour drive we arrived just before 9pm and scanned the marsh as the Crakes were sarting to call at around 9:30 apparently. The totals were; 4 Little Egrets, 11 Grey Herons, 1 Kestrel and 1 Barn Owl which landed on a post.

We then positioned ourselves along the road as far away from trees as possible due to the high winds making a very loud noise!

Then we decided to walk along the edge of the field where they had been calling. At about 9:40 we heard both birds and went back along the bank to where about 5 other birders had gathered. After another 5 minutes or so, listening to the crakes calling, we decided to head home. We reached the end of the causeway and quickly walked down the bank a short distance to where one of the crakes was calling. Luckily, a bird flew out of the field and flew riht past us, but unfortunately, we didn't know it was a Spotted crake until it had gone! At least we saw it!

It was a very nice trip and good to get Spotted Crake on the "BOU List"

Lesser Grey Shrike

Continuing with our twitching spree, we went for the Lesser Grey Shrike at Hickling, spurred on mainly by the fact that Connor saw the one at Holkham. It was a very long journey, not aided by a record low in Simeon's navigational skills! On arrival only a few cars were there, and we were surprised to see such a small amount of money in the bucket - presumably we were amongst the minority in not having seen the Holkham bird. Besides getting lost on the journey we also got lost at the site, but used our expert tracking skills to locate the bird (where there's a Lesser Grey Shrike there's twitchers, and where there's twitchers there's footprints. Genius!). It was showing well but distantly, so we had to use the 'eye of faith' to make out the pinkish hue. A very nice bird, though somehow lacking the thrill that most twitches bring. On the other hand, it was another tick and we had clawed back one more from Connor...

Mixed Weather...

14/6/08 Norfolk Coast - Simeon (and Connor)
I got up early and did some ringing at Snettisham Coastal Park. It was nice weather and we caught quite a few birds - female Bullfinch and a family of Long-tailed tits being my favourites! At about 12:00 Ray Roche kindly gave me a lift up to Holme where we met Connor. The sea was fairly dead - 1 female Eider, 7 Gannets and a Fulmar. A Tope shark had been washed up on the beach. Then it started raining so we hid in the obs for a bit. There wasn't much on the marsh but a Tawny Owl was showing very well in the pines. At about 4:00 we headed back towards the car park where we were to be picked up. A female Common Scoter was on the Broadwater along with 3 Ruddy Ducks - 1 male, 1 female and one young bird! Connor then went to the car park to scan the marsh but I went up into the dunes breifly. The winds had been getting stronger throughout the day and I was eager to scan the bushes for any final migrants of spring. 6 Jackdaws "in-off-the-sea" were nice. Then I spotted something very far away. At first I thought it was a massive gull but as it came closer I got my bins onto it. Realising it was a Heron sp. and it had come in off the sea I quickly got my scope onto it. It was an egret which looked very large, so it could have been a Great-White Egret, but unfortunately there wasn't another bird nearby to compare the size so it remains a possible - the one that got away... It dropped onto the marsh not to be seen again despite extansive searching by both Connor and I. Unfortunately I didn't manage any pictures of it because it was flying but I got several other shots during my visit - see gallery...

Insanity!!!

2/6/08 Blakeney Point - James, Simeon and Connor
With news of a Trumpeter Finch on Blakeney released on Sunday, we were gutted at the fact that we were unable to reach it. However, after staying there for two days, we decided we had to go and see it. So as I arrived home from school I quickly got changed, grabbed my gear and left with James at 5:00pm. We then picked up Connor and were at the site by 7:30. The bird was quickly located and we got reasonable views of it feeding. A couple of record shots were had for memory! The bird was rather plain with a pale pink rump and massive red bill. In the fading light, we could just make out the light grey on the head. It was wonderful! Unfortunately, we had to leave within about 15 minutes as the journey back was long and tiring. We made it back to the car in record time as the tide was going out and some hard sand was revealed. James and I finally arrived home at 10:00pm and had a very late dinner! The trip was brilliant but was made even more insane by the fact that Connor and I had exams the next morning! It was a fabulously exciting trip that I'm sure we will never forget, the bird was truly brilliant, and, as it turned out, the French exam went very well indeed!

Early morning happiness!

29/5/08 Denver Sluice - Simeon

I was all over the place in the last few days so I decided to keep it local today and got up at 5:00am to go to Denver Sluice. The usual stuff was about; Turtle Dove (2), Cuckoo (2), Great-Crested Grebe (5), and the normal warblers; Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Warbler, Blackcap. It was nice, but nothing special. Then, a Roe Deer walked through a field and stopped at the edge of a ditch. It gave really good views and allowed me to get some lovely shots of it:

About half way along the main bank, I heard the "peep....peep" call of Oystercatcher and looked up to see 4 birds going South following the river. At the end of the bank a Grey Heron flew over me and I noticed a Fox walking across the cow field. I quickly set up my scope and got awesome views of it eating something it had cought. I was really lucky to get the views I did and of course, I managed a few shots!

It didn't seem afraid of me at all and eventually wandered into the nearby hedgerow - maybe it had a litter in there? The final highlight was just after I had photographed the Fox. I was standing looking at my photos when I heard a familiar wader call above me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it! Looking up, I spotted two birds and got my bins on them as soon as I could. They were Avocets! Not the rarest of birds, but very nice ones, and they were a first for the Sluice! I returned home after a bit more photography very happy...

Above: Jackdaw

Below: Mallard

End of Spring?

28/5/08 Holme - Simeon, Connor, James
We started late and got dropped off at Holme. James had revision so he returned home. Connor and I stopped at Redwell Marsh first of all. The only bird of note was a male Ruddy Duck. Connor then phoned Ray Roche to see what he had had (he was also at Holme). We were then alerted of an Icterine Warbler at the beach car park! So we raced down there to find one or two others listening to the bird and watching a bush! After about 5 minutes of listening to the bird, I phoned James who was only in Heacham so he turned round and got dropped off at the end of Broadwater Road. After about 5 more minutes, someone got their iPod out and played the song, to which our bird responded by flying right over our heads and into a line of pine trees. After another couple of minutes and some OK views, the bird flew back to a large tree and then dropped into a plum tree next to it. Fortunately, it flew right onto the outside and good views were seen by all eventually.
We were then told about another Icterine Warbler that had been seen early morning on the NOA reserve and had been relocated at the West end of the NWT pines. So Connor and I then walked the back way to the Forestry, flushing a Nightingale out of a bush on the way! The habitat was good, but only common warblers were seen. Just before the NWT pines, we heard the second Icterine Warbler a few times briefly but it was deep in the scrub so we walked to the NOA observatory.
After a rest to have lunch we were about to do the final thrash of the Forestry but the Citrine Wagtail came up on the pager at Titchwell. I hadn't seen it yesterday as I was in Sussex so we got a lift to the reserve. On arrival no-one had heard of it and the report sounded "dodgy" apparently. Never mind... I would have to wait until another day to be able to tick off this species! There were plenty of other birds to keep us occupied though. 3 Temminck's Stints were on the mud along with 27 Little Gulls (some coming into their lovely summer plumage). A male Red-Crested Pochard was in front of the reeds at the back of the marsh.
It had been a great day and the Icterine Warblers had been a life tick for all three of us! Could this be the final push of Spring though?

A change of scenery...

27/5/08 Ashdown Forest - Simeon
My sister was having an outing to Thorpe Park and we were staying in Sussex so I met up with my uncle and a Bird Forum member called Deborah. We drove to Ashdown Forest - the largest area of open Heathland in the country. It was very different from Norfolk and we had a great time. The highlights were; 2 Cuckoo, 1 Kestrel, 2 Woodlark, 15+ Tree Pipit (singing loads and displaying), 3 Redstarts (including a beautiful male), a male Stonechat and a Buzzard.
It was really good but James ruined my day by telling me he had seen a Citrine Wagtail and found a Red-Backed Shrike in Norfolk!!! Oh well...

A twitch and a self find

Bored with memorising the reactions of methylbenzene, but determined to stick at it anyway, I was torn apart inside when I recieved the phone call from Connor about a Citrine Wagtail at Titchwell! Luckily mum managed to persuade me that I needed a break, so I gunned it down to the coast, bagging myself a Connor on the way. I felt bad about going without Simeon (who was in Sussex), but I reminded myself that he has Red-breasted Goose and Great Reed Warbler on his list, both birds I dipped sorely!

However, when we arrived it seemed as though I may not have to overcome my birding morals anyway, as it had been seen once since discovery. Little Gulls were everywhere, with a Garganey, Red-crested Pochard and Temminck's Stints, but no sign of the Wagtail. Things got even more frustrating as we learnt of the Red-throated Pipit at Blakeney! Suddenly Connor went beserk - the Citrine Wagtail had flown in right onto a patch of mud in front of us, what a stroke of luck! It stayed for a minute or so and we even managed to get a few photos!

Next we set off at a brisk pace for Blakeney, but realised that was an incredibly dumb idea (luckily before we reached the road) and decided to stop off at Holme on the way back. At first glance this may appear to be equally dumb, and birdwise it seemed that it was so. However, it was immediately made worthwhile when I found three baby foxes in the forestry! A Cuckoo, Turtle Doves and a Barn Owl were lovely, but no sign of the Icterine Warblers that were obviously staring at us concealed in the thickest of bushes. However, just as we were approaching the car park, our instincts were proved correct. Something flew up from the grass onto a low bush - not an Icterine Warbler, but a female Red-backed Shrike! What a cracking end to the day!

James

Lovely day

11/5/08 Lakenheath RSPB - Simeon and James
James and I were having lunch when a Great Reed Warbler came up on the internet at Lakenheath. After getting indigestion, we set out to Lakenheath, arriving within 25 minutes!
A few questions later, we had found out that the bird had originally been seen at about 12, but had only been heard once since. After 3 hours of waiting I got views of the bird a couple of times, but they were poor and brief. Unfortunately, James didn't! There was also a drake Gargeney and 1 Hobby present.
Just after we left, the warbler came up again but we only found once w3e were nearly home!

Stupidity...

10/5/08 North Norfolk - James, Simeon, Mr. Munns (former English teacher!)
James is sensible, as is Mr. Munns, but I, on the other hand, am the opposite. I went to a party last night and got to bed after 12, so getting up at 3:45 gave me less than 4 hours sleep. Then we walked Blakeney Point.
Surprisingly, I didn't fall asleep and roll down the shingle bank into the sea. Actually I nearly did at one stage - we were sitting on the dunes in front of the seawatching hide watching Little Terns and Gannets go past, when the small area I was sitting on gave way and I reached the beach within seconds! I just hope the National Trust don't read this.
Bird wise, the point wasn't that good at all - the wind was right, but there was no rain to put the birds down! Totals were; Song Thrush 1, Willow Warbler 1, Whinchat 2, Wheatear 1, Yellow Wagtail 1. There was also a lovely adult summer plumaged male Turnstone near the visitor centre, which should probably have been in Norway.
We then went to Choseley and had 7 Dotterel. They were closer than when we visited 2 weeks ago, but the heat haze was very annoying.
The last stop was Snettisham where we had 2 Little Gulls, 8 Med. Gulls and a Marsh Harrier, along with another summer plumaged male Turnstone.
It was a nice day, but we didn't get the hoped for rarity!

Best Spring I can remember!

5/5/08 North Norfolk Coast - Simeon, Connor, James
James and I started early with a stop at Pentney, but the Black Terns had left overnight! We then picked up Connor and stopped at Stiffkey where we found a second Temmink's Stint, but again, no Black Terns. Next stop was Salthouse for the Green-Winged Teal. Knowledge had suggested that the bird was only showing late afternoon, but luck was now finally on our side and the bird showed well on the far side of the second pool. It was distant and the light wasn't too good, but in the end it showed well.
The next stop was Kelling Heath, but after an hour of searching, no Dartford Warblers could be found. We were just about to go to the last possible place when a Subalpine Warbler came up on the pager. It was on Blakeney Point, but none of us had had it before so we went for it. We walked the point with 4 other birders. Reaching the patch of seuda we remembered how big it was and split up to search for the bird, as no-one was there. David Norgate finally found it and in the end we all got reasonable views of the bird. It was very hard though, and it was nearly always seen only when flushed! James, Connor and I eventually got views of it on the deck, so after a while we left. The final stop was Stiffkey where there was no sign of the Stints, but we finally caught up with three Black Terns, and just before we left, they all perched on fence posts for us to get then in the scope!
It was a brilliant day, and certainly the best spring one I can remember!

More migrants...

27/4/08 Denver area - Simeon and James
We went to Denver sluice after a rain shower in the afternoon. Totals included; 6 Yellow Wagtails over, 8 House Martins, 5 Swallows, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Whitethroat, 2 Swift, 6 Sedge Warbler, a male Cuckoo singing, 5 Common Terns and a Common Sandpiper.
James then dropped me off at Whin Common and a Nightingale was singing there.

Spring is here!

26/4/08 Norfolk Coast - Simeon, James and Connor
We started early by walking Blakeney Point. Plenty of common migrants were straeming over but there were very few grounded ones. 43 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Grey Wagtail, 5 Pied Wagtails, 120+ Linnets, 150+ Swallows, 25+ Sand Martins, 25+ House Martins, 18 Swift, 120+ Sandwich Terns, 1 Arctic Tern, and 3 Tree Pipits went West. Grounded migrants included only 4 Chiffchaffs, 6 Wheatears and 1 White Wagtail. 40+ Whimbrel were going West. 2 Greenshank were on the marsh. A Grasshopper was reeling near the West bank at Cley.
We then went to Acle to try and see the 13 Dotterel that were there. On arrival at about 2:15, we heard that they had flown North at 1 o'clock so we then went to nearby Waxham for the Wryneck. It showed (partially obscured) in the same bush for ages. It was obviously very tired as it never left its perch! Another Grasshopper warbler was reeling nearby. James suddenly spotted a Common Crane above us and I spotted another 2 above that! We managed to get good views of them in the scope but they soon drifted South. On our way back to the car, a Swallow flew over us calling like a Red-Rumped but it disappeared behind the dunes before we could see it through optics!
On our way home we popped in at the Great-Grey Shrike at Heacham which showed very well, but the light was poor, so the only picture I managed to get was a record shot! See Connor's site for much better ones!
We were just about to drop Connor at his house when 5 Dotterel came up on the pager at Choseley! We turned round and raced towards them. On arrival 3 were showing distantly in a field south of the drying barns, but they were lovely adult summer plumaged ones so that made up for it!
A cracking day overall but the only annoying thing was that my scope fell to pieces! (literally - at Waxham)

Wow, that was random!

2/4/08 Holme NOA Simeon, James and Connor
We started late at about 8 by walking through the pines. We picked up the male Firecrest and the female showed well too. The male sang a few times in the morning sun. The sea was virtually dead, with only 2 Red-Breasted Mergansers, 300+ Common Scoter, a few Eider, and only 1 Long-Tailed Duck. A walk through the dunes produced a few Siskins and 2 Tree Sparrows over. Sitting at the observatory we ate lunch.
I (Simeon) suddenly picked up 5 large birds flying west over the church which turned out to be Common Cranes! We all managed to get onto them thankfully. 10 minutes later I spotted a raptor circling overhead which turned out to be a ringtail Montagu's Harrier! It was really early (apparently the fourth earliest record) and one of the first in the UK this year!
The male Firecrest appeared on top of the Budlia bush outside the observatory and started singing. It gave amazing views as it fed in a small bush.
The 20 minutes of exitement were over, it had been a random flurry of nice birds!
Troughout the day 12 Sand Martins and 4 Swallows flew over the broadwater on passage, some of the first this year. A Marsh Harrier, 3 Common Buzzzards, a Barn Owl, a Grey Heron and a Little Egret were also on the reserve at different times during the day, and at least 30 Brambling were in the pines.
All in all it was a very good day, signalling the true start of migration!

First few migrants :-)

31/3/08 James, Simeon and Connor.
We left Norfolk early and were at Minsmere by 8:30am. On arrival the Bluethroat wasn't showing (it never did show in the end), but several Cetti's Warblers were singing along with loads of Chiffchaffs. We positioned ourselves along the path where the Bluethroat had been, but the clear skies the night before meant that the bird had probably moved on.
Despite extensive searching we failed to locate it, but we did find some summer migrants in the meantime. 3 Wheatears were on a bank on the edge of a pool, 1 Sedge Warbler was singing near South hide, 1 Swallow and 4 Sand Martins flew over, as did a splendid male Yellow Wagtail. 5 Red-Throated Divers were on the sea along with about 100 Common Scoter and a Great-Crested Grebe.
We then went to Sizewell and found another Wheatear along the beach. At the power plant a Willow Warbler sang briefly along with many Chiffchaffs. On return we split up. Connor went to East hide and found a female Black Redstart in the dunes behind the hide, whilst James and I went to West hide, where we had a Bittern fly over the reeds.
All three of us located a Caspian Gull on the marsh. A Bittern was heard booming.
We then went to Dunwich Heath and had a singing male Firecrest but didn't have time to see any Dartford Warblers.
The next stop was Gorleston, near Great Yarmouth. On arrival the Glaucous Gull was sitting in the sun on its own on a jetty. It showed very well for about ten minutes, allowing us to get brilliant views and several pics (see front page). The bird then flew towards the sea with some other gulls, showing the white wings.
The final stop was a site in the brecks where we got 2 singing male Firecrests and 1 showed very well at the top of a small tree.
It was an awesome day, but annoyingly we returned with no Bluethroat on our lists!

Holme can be good sometimes

Connor had kindly invited Simeon and I round for a sleepover with a spot of birding, so we got down to business on arrival spending 5mins outside the front door counting curlews. Continuing the productive theme we spent the rest of the evening on the PS2.

Generally when we have a birding sleep-over at Connor's we leave with about 27 lifers in the bag. However, Connor had already seen the Bluethroat so that wasn't on the menu, and Norfolk didn't have much else to offer. In view of the situation we therefore decided to go on a migrant finding mission!

The day began exceedingly early with a spot of visual migration at Hunstanton. Between 6:20 and 7:50 we managed to lock onto an incredible 708 Woodpigeons and 193 Meadow Pipits, together with good numbers of finches and Pied Wagtails, with a probable White Wagtail. A Redpoll, Grey Wagtail, 2 Reed Buntings and 11 Tree Sparrows added interest, together with 2 migrating Great Tits! Meanwhile there was a Red-throated Diver and Kittiwake on the sea with 30+ Eider, good numbers of Fulmars and a large flock of Brent Geese. A Black Redstart added a touch of class. Every single bird was moving South. Please see Connor's personal diary for full details.

We moved on to Holme, where the migration continued overhead. A Marsh Harrier and displaying Ruddy Duck were on the reserve, though sadly there was no sign of any Bluethroats lurking in the forestry, or even the elusive Great White Egret. Another Red-throated Diver flew past over the sea. Most of our time was spent tracking (shadows of) Firecrests through the pines, until Sophie saved the day when she located 3 showing brilliantly - most people on the reserve were treated to fantastic views.

There was nothing left to see at Holme, so naturally we decided to go to Minsmere to see the Bluethroat. We realised the foolishness of our plans around about Fakenham, so we ended up at Hempton Marsh where we saw a long-tailed tit with no tail - always good comedy value. As we were in the area we stopped off at an old favourite, Flitcham, which also produced very, very little.

Connor resigned, so we dropped him off in time for the Norwich match and went patchwatching. A call from Connor told of a summer-plumaged Black-necked Grebe on the sea at Titchwell. We knew we wouldn't see it. We went anyway.

On the way back from Titchwell, where we had seen hordes of Red-breasted Mergansers, I finished patchwatching out of a sense of duty. And it delivered! A cracking Whimbrel made for an excellent early yearer, and put the day's rating from 5ish/10 back up to a solid 7.

James

01/02/08, Norfolk Coast

James and Simeon

After a February devoid of lifers we decided to kick start March with a day trip to the coast. We took Nigel as he hadn't seen the White-crowned Sparrow yet, and really needed a break from work. However, the trip maybe wasn't what the doctor ordered, as it was a far from relaxing day!

We set out at 6:30, with the wind buffeting the car and debris all over the road! Somehow we arrived safely at Cley, to find a somewhat smaller crowd than when we went in January! The atmosphere was still there in part however, and Nigel was ecstatic when the bird eventually showed (much better than when it was on the driveway). Next stop was Salthouse where the Snow Buntings showed extremely close, as did the sea - it wasn't far off from crashing over the bank! The Ross' Goose at Holkham showed extremely well from the roadside when we stopped off on the way to Titchwell.

On arrival at Titchwell we were greeted by a flurry of Robins, which seemed to be putting on a show for us in the hope of being fed. We promptly sat down and had lunch inside the car. After lunch we made our way to the feeding station - 3 Bramblings showed extremely well. There wasn't a great deal in the way of variety on the lagoons (perhaps unsurprising considering it was still winter), but a Kingfisher flew over the reeds and Simeon and Nigel had another flock of Snow Buntings through. Moving on to Parrinder hide we were delighted with some showy Spotted Redshanks and a Water Pipit, the latter another lifer for Nigel! The weather had decided to play behind schedule, so the wind didn't die down until very late on - we didn't go to the beach! This turned out to be a great decision - a flock of 9 Redpoll in front of Island hide and a Black Brant in fields on the way back to the visitor centre polished off our visit rather nicely. Of course it wouldn't be the same without bacon butties, which we noticed had dropped in price for once... Feeling generous, Nigel bought a tub of mealworms for the robins on the way back. A Woodcock was skulking near the path in 'the usual place'.

With a bit of time to spare we popped in at Holme as Nigel had never been. 7 Bramblings and a Barn Owl were in the pines (yes, that's right, a Barn Owl!). Jed collared us to play cricket for Holme in the Summer, as he often does around this time of year, and we were also forced to do a seawatch in the interests of science. I won't be doing anything in the interests of science for a long time...

A great day out, despite the crumminess of Holme!

Sweden - Hemavan

Simeon and James

During half term we had the fabulous opportunity of a skiing holiday in Hemavan in the north of Sweden. On condition that Orjan, our host, acted as Hemavan's "Turistprast" (tourist priest - fairly self explanatory) for the duration of the holiday, we could borrow a house next to the church!

We packed our binoculars dreaming of hordes of Nutcrackers and Siberian Jays, but unfortunately the reality was almost more surprising. There weren't any birds! The total number of species seen on the whole trip was about 10...

Magpies and Hooded Crows were the only regular birds. Great tits were fairly common, averaging about 5 individuals per day! Pistewatching (not a recommended activity) produced only Raven, whilst snowballfightwatching delivered a lovely flypast by a male Black Grouse - the star bird of the trip!
A very tantalising "owl sp." made an brief appearance for James; he thought it was a very small Barn Owl, before realising that Sweden has no Barn Owls, and decided it was probably Tengmalm's. Simeon heard a distant call which was possibly a Hawk Owl.

Perhaps the best birding was when we sat in a ditch and watched someone's bird feeders! Blue Tit, (Northern) Bullfinch and several gorgeous Willow Tits were added to the list before we resorted to burying each other.

Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Willow Grouse and Ptarmigan were all seen stuffed in various cafes.

Still, despite the lack of birds we had an amazing holiday with some great friends!

Ring-billed Gull

Welney, 27/01/08, James and Simeon

Secretly hoping that I wouldn't have any work to do so that we could spend the day plover watching, Simeon and I arrived at Welney at 2:00. As usual Sarah wasn't there, so after making sure everything had already been done I went over to the observatory for my 'last resort' job - assisting with Guide in the Hide (ie. bird watching!). There was very little at all, so that after about 5mins everybody had seen pretty much everything there was to see!

We were off the hook, so we made a speedy getaway. Unfortunately our tactics were in vain because, once again, no plovers were to be found. Feeling somewhat peeved we thought it might be worth going back to Ten Mile Bank to inspect a flooded field full of gulls. Simeon predicted boredom and failure, and therefore sat in the car keeping warm. As I got out of the car the whole flock took to the air! Perhaps Simeon had been right. Nevertheless I waited impatiently for them to settle, muttering to myself about Simeon being the world's most annoying birding companion. It appeared that most of the big (ie. interesting) gulls had made off, leaving a pile of Black-headed Gulls. Just as I was giving up hope, I struck gold! At the back of the flock stood an adult winter Ring-billed Gull (I could be certain of this thanks to the lack of birds at Welney which had driven me to gen-up on gulls, in particular Ring-billed!). The light wasn't particularly cooperative, but the bill was diagnostic; a lovely bird indeed! I got Simeon out of the car to get a second opinion, and the look on his face made my day! Who wants to see an American Golden Plover anyway?

Welney, 26/01/08, Simeon and James

The plan was to do the Big Garden Birdwatch in the morning, Simeon would then do the Sluice whilst I went to Wisbech for a hockey match, and then we would race to Welney and refind the American Golden Plover. It didn't work out quite as well as we had hoped.

The Big Garden Birdwatch was a success, though we were annoyed that the rules wouldn't allow us to count Buzzard! Simeon's Sluice trip was somewhat mundane as the flood pools had dried up (last weekend they successfully managed to steal nearly all of Welney's waders). I lost 4-0 to Stamford and our coach didn't even turn up!

Once we reached Welney Simeon decided he wanted to leave, partly because there were no plovers, but also because he hadn't done some vital shopping. I managed to convince him to stay, possibly aided by the fact that Simeon can't drive yet, until a multitude of Golden Plover began to pour in. They were incredibly annoying and we had to leave before they landed. At least Simeon got to the shops in time!

Local birding...

20/1/08 Denver Sluice, Welney WWT and Tottenhill; James and Simeon
I started early and was at the sluice by 8am. The floodplain had become waterlogged with all the rain over the past few days and hundreds of birds had been attracted to it.
Down the road, Welney had flooded completely and all the land was underwater, so all the wading birds had moved to Denver Sluice!
On arrival at the sluice, hundreds of Lapwing were on the fields and 8 Whooper Swans had roosted in the water and were begining to wake up. 5 Wigeon were flying about and 30+ Teal were on the water too. I called James and he came down too, with a scope. We managed to pick out 100+ Golden Plover swirling above us in amongst 700+ Lapwing! When the flocks landed, we found 9 Ruff, a new species for the sluice! 2 Curlews and 2 Black-tailed Godwits (another first for the sluice) were also present. Then a Sparrowhawk zipped across and put everything up. I went home and James shortly followed.
After lunch we headed to Welney and on arrival, we quickly got the three Bean Geese in the field behind the visitor centre near the haystack. The main hide produced nothing of note at all so we quickly moved on to Tottenhill to try for the Smew.
We saw about 10 ducks overall, which is very unusual for this time! There are usually loads of Wigeon, Pochard, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck, Pintail etc. But today there were only about 7 Goldeneye, 3 Tufted Duck and 2 Great Crested Grebes. It was rubbish. It had been good to see so many birds at the sluice in the morning though.
Hurry up spring!!!

More pie please!

19/1/08 Pymoor; James and Simeon
After having pie for lunch we were still hungry... so we went to Pymoor! Sadly there was no pie as the village name would suggest, but after 10 minutes of searching, we came across a lovely Great White egret in a ditch. It showed distantly, but well. Some awful photos of the bird were taken before we left it and continued on our pie-quest.

North Norfolk

(Connor) Another good day in north Norfolk today (12/1/08) produced Lesser-spotted Woodpecker at Holkham Park, Firecrest at Walsey Hills NOA, Lapland Bunting and 50+ Snow Buntings at Salthouse, Water Pipit at Cley NWT and second helpings of the White-crowned Sparrow at Cley Village, having first seen it last Sunday.

On the 5th a day around Holme NOA produced 7 Bramblings, a Rock Pipit and a female Peregrine.

Below are a few record shots of the White-crowned Sparrow.

Now that's what I call twitching!

12/1/08 James and Simeon; Norfolk coast
James and I got up at 5 and were on the road by just after 6. Cutting through Norfolk we were at Cley just before 8. As we got out of the car in the semi-light you could feel the tension. Birders were getting out of their cars in silence and making their way to the crowd opposite a gravel drive. As the light improved, the number of birders grew and soon there were more than 200 of us! Luckily James and I were near the front and we could both see most of the driveway. The first sighting of the White-crowned Sparrow came at about 8:50. However, some inconsiderate birders rushed to the gate on the other side of the road, so we din't get a look in. The bird was flushed into the hedge again, but at least it was still around! No more than 10 minutes later it appeared again and as I now had a front row seat, (I was kneeling on the road!) I got really good views through my bins and so did James! Then a lorry went past the drive and the crowd erupted into angry shouting. When it had gone, so had the bird! James and I were happy with the views we got so we left, to let other people see it. It was a brilliant atmosphere and I just love the tension in a massive crowd at a mega twitch!
The next stop was Walsey Hills NOA where a Firecrest had been seen 2 days ago. We walked up to the observatory and then down the track past the feeders. About 50 yards along the bottom track James spotted a crest, and, sure enough, it was the Firecrest! It showed brilliantly, but was very flittery and it soon popped down, out of site. We told another birder of its whereabouts and were off on the road again to Salthouse.
Arriving in the beach car park, we walked west for about 50 yards and there were the buntings on the South side of the sea wall. They showed really well, down to about 10 metres. There were 70+ Snow Buntings and a lovely Lapland Bunting!
We then went back through Norfolk and arrived at Roydon Common to the news that the shrike had disappeared 5 minutes ago! We thought our luck was beginning to run out. But then, just as we were about to go to the car and have lunch, someone refound it on top of the hill! It showed distantly and the light was rubbish, but it was still a nice bird! We marveled at its ability to sneak round the back of us unseen in an open heath. If only we were that good...
Next stop was Ongar Hill, to try for the Richard's Pipit. The walk was very long and the bird hadn't been seen for about half an hour, but it was a pipit after all. We waited for a few minutes and it soon reappeared on the bank we were standing on! It walked up the bank and started feeding on the path! It gave excellent views and we were really pleased - we had picked up every bird we had gone for that day - an extremely rare occurrence! We then took a short walk along the bank and at a barn, 20+ Twite were calling on the wires!
We decided to leave it at that, and started the journey home. On the way back, we stopped off at Tottenhill. The usual stuff was about; Goldeneye, Tufted Duck and Pochard. Then a massive goose flock came in and as they were landing, I picked out a white bird. Thoughts of Snow Goose flashed through my head, but as I got my scope on the bird, I saw it was a Feral Goose! Oh well! Scanning the goose flock again, I found a single Barnacle Goose and James found a White Fronted Goose!
We returned home with a brilliant lifer and several scarce yearers "in the bag", and it's still only January! What a day...!

2/1/08 Draycote Water, James and Simeon
James and I were in Oxfordshire so we quickly popped over to Draycote Water in the next county to try and see the Lesser Scaup. Arriving in the car park we met a birder who informed us that the bird was showing to about 20 yards! We were really excited and the next mile seemed the longest we had ever walked. When we got to the area it had been seen, loads of birds were around! 8 Goosanders, loads of Little and Great-crested grebes and thousands of gulls were on the reservoir. The sun was beginning to set so we set about the task of finding the rare. It didn't actually take that long as James soon found the Lesser Scaup right next to the bank! The bird had its head tucked in at first, but we could see the scalloped back and peaked hind crown. The sun was in a bad position for photos, but it was good for seeing the purple sheen on the birds head. (Greater) Scaups have a green sheen. At one time, it lifted its head for about 5 seconds, but we did manage to see the tiny "nail" on the end of its bill! A few other birders saw it with us, including a young girl (about 8 probably) who was still learning garden birds! Lucky! These were the only shots I managed of the bird;

Night birding!!!

1/1/08 James and Simeon

James and I went for a leisurely stroll to celebrate the new year! We notched our year lists up to and inredible 4 in the pitch black! A Tawny Owl hooted a few times, we heard a Little Owl at Whin Common, a startled Blackbird called once and the distinctive heavy flapping of a Woodpigeon was heard as it was woken up (though the Woodpigeon doesn't really count!). I was really pleased to have Little Owl so early on in the year, because they are generally quite hard to cath up with in my area!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

Simeon and I decided to go for what was probably the last birding trip of the year, down to the coast for a spot of seawatching. Our first stop was Denver Sluice to attempt to relocate Saturday's Firecrest, as I really wanted to see it through optics. However, we wanted to get on so didn't try particularly hard, and left after picking up 3 Goosanders.

10 minutes down the road was Tottenhill GP's where we checked for Smew. Unusually there were none present (probably all at Welney!), but there were several Goldeneye. Approaching Kings Lynn we decided to have a crack at the Great Grey Shrike at Roydon. The pattern repeated itself, despite the efforts of several birders, and we left without any yearticks, feeling somewhat annoyed. A brief check at Dersingham Bog still yielded no Shrike.

We stopped off at Matt's house to see if he wanted to go to Titchwell. Finding him in his pyjamas we left later than planned, but luckily there wasn't much at Titchwell so this wasn't too devastating! Connor was already on the coast doing a sponsored birdwatch with Jed and Sophie (the wardens of Holme NOA) and David Roche, and had already had Black-throated Diver (a potential lifer for us) and Grey Phalarope past on the sea at Holme. Apparently it was otherwise dead, which was more good news becausec there was no way we would be able to get to the sea and back in time and have actually done some decent birding! We picked up some bacon sandwiches, then went to the first hide (having 2 water rails along the way) and found plenty of nice looking wildfowl, but nothing particularly exciting.

Whilst helping somebody with gull identification, my phone rang in the hide! This is usually a bad thing, but this time it was Connor, ringing to tell us that Sophie had found a female Red-crested Pochard about 200m away (THANK YOU CONNOR!!!!!!!). Swiftly exiting the hide we used the patented Mr Reade Walk to reach the Pochard in the shortest possible time. Woohoo! A really unexpected lifer for all of us which more than made up for the day's dipping! We made our way back to the visitor centre as I needed to buy some new bins (a birthday present from grandparents). The new release of a pair of RSPB binoculars made the choice more difficult than I thought. Vistrons were holding up well (partly because they look so cool), but I finally settled on a pair of 10x45 Viking GR's, putting me out £260, but they were definitely worth it!

Back at Matt's house I had a call from Connor saying they had a lovely Red-necked Grebe on the sea and some Med Gulls one hide down from where we had been, but also that there was a Glaucous Gull at Saddlebow! My heart beat faster and I didn't spare the accelerator on the way! At Saddlebow we got out of the car... and nearly cried. Literally thousands of gulls moving all around us, more than half of them juv. Herring Gulls, and we had to find a juv. Glaucous. No chance! Using carefully honed bush-ninja surveillance skills we crept up on the flock and observed from behind some brambles. It was horrible! After a while however, Simeon had it! He tried to direct me to it in a scope view full of gulls, but alas. I think I got onto the right bird, but it had its back to us and I couldn't clearly get the pink on the bill and it didn't flap for me (to show pale wingtips) as it did for Simeon, before I lost it in the mayhem. I suddenly went mad and lost my cool, leaving the cover of the bush and walking closer to the gulls! They all took to the air and scattered; Simeon went back to the car. I spent another hour dredging, finding a possible Yellow-legged Gull (but it was on the water so I couldn't clinch it, and anyway the Glaucous was far more important so I moved on) but failed to pick up on the much sought after second lifer of the day.

Just to put the icing on the cake, Connor called me back at home to tell me that the Shrike had been reported at 4.00, and someone else had had the Glauc and - yes, you guessed it - a Yellow-legged Gull.

But the Red-crested Pochard was nice!

Merry Christmas everybody!

(James)

Winter Wetlands...

16/12/07 Simeon and James.
We went to Welney after lunch and picked up 1 female Marsh Harrier and 50+ Black-tailed Godwit, with a female Bahama Pintail (returning from the previous winter). The other hides were flooded so we left for Denver sluice at about 3. Loads of Wigeon were on the Ouse as well as a seal eating a fish! 2 Snipe and a Grey Wagtail were also present. We then went to Tottenhill and saw loads of Pintail, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greylag geese, 1 Little grebe, 1 Great-crested grebe and will be returning soon to look for smew.

15/12/07 Bates Wood, Denver. Simeon
Ringing started at 8:ooam this morning at Bates Wood, Denver. Quite a few birds were caught, amongst which were 3 Coal tits, 1 Goldcrest, several Long-tailed tits, a Woodpigeon and a splendid adult Green Woodpecker! The best pictures of the woodpecker are in the gallery. Its claws were really sharp and I came home bearings the painful, but respectable scars! Other birds caught were; loads of Blackbirds, Blue tits, Great tits, and the odd Robin and Dunnock. Other birds seen were; several Siskin flying over, a Great-Spotted Woodpecker and a Sparrowhawk. It was a great morning.

I'm ringing in the rain...

8/12/07 Bates Wood, Denver (Simeon)
Trevor came down here and we did some ringing at Bates Wood for about 3 hours. 31 birds were caught in 4 nets. 16 Blackbirds, 1 Wren, 1 Chaffinch and some Blue and Great Tits. On a walk around the wood we flushed a Woodcock from the ditch at the South end. A Kingfisher entertained us in the rain along the stream and a Siskin flew over calling a few times.

Shetland – land of the incomprehensible bus drivers

20th October 6:00, the first day of half term, and a car carrying seven crazy people is gradually moving towards Aberdeen. Nine hours later it finally rolls onto the ferry, Mum and Dad looking the worse for wear. That was the good journey – the return can only be described as “evil”!

Taking note from our last trip we stampeded for the lounge area to procure our ‘beds’, in order to avoid the ordeal of sleeping with one’s nose pressed against a pair of feet. This done, we found time to go up to the top deck and do a bit of harbourwatching. Kittiwakes gave great views and some Razorbills had a close shave with the ferry! However, a juvenile Peregrine stole the show when the passerine it was chasing decided to weave between the observers on deck: a brilliant display of agility and speed!

A female Blackbird landed on the railings when we were just at the tip of Scotland, circled the ship a few times and went for land. Sadly it wasn’t anything else like a Ring Ouzel!

Suddenly a deep low rumble reminded us to go and get dinner, after which we went to watch the Rugby final. It soon came to our attention that we were a minority, being the only ones supporting England – everybody else was Scottish! The outcome was inevitable, and we retired to basecamp feeling dejected. Two men pretending to be Steve Irwin amused us as they tried to “creep up on a dangerous troll”, running away when it woke up and shouted at them... we managed an average of about 5 hours sleep per person!

Sunday morning started groggily, but a good bowl of porridge galvanised the troops as we docked at Lerwick, greeted by none other than the famous Tysties and a supporting cast of Eider. With 5 hours to kill before we were allowed into our apartment we were ambitiously hoping for a trip to Sumburgh, forgetting that Mum and Dad had driven 450 miles the previous day. Instead, we went to Clickimin broch – an Iron Age settlement which doubles up as an excellent adventure playground! A Coot, 4 Goldeneye, 2 Brambling and 8 Siskin were present.
Next stop was the Methodist Church, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of the whole trip: Connor and Simeon found a Yellow-browed Warbler nearby, and inside we found Derek (vice chairman of the Shetland Bird Club and infinite source of knowledge)! After the service Derek took us to the hospital for lunch, before giving us a tour of the Ness of Sound. Highlights included 3 Long-tailed ducks, 3 Purple sandpipers, 9 Twite and a very close Shetland Wren. Matt managed to rip his best jeans climbing over barbed wire to look at an ancient cooking site.
Before the first day ended Mum kindly drove us to Tingwall Loch to see the drake Ring-necked duck. Luckily we had the experience of Connor to hand, who located the Ring-necked duck whilst the rest of us were tracking dodgy Tufteds. A gorgeous lifer for Matt, Simeon and I! A Kestrel seen on the journey was a Shetland scarcity.

Monday 22nd began early with a walk to the bus station to find the earliest bus to Sumburgh. It resulted in us wandering round Lerwick and returning 2 hours later, annoyed that we had wasted so much valuable birding time! Matt paid the system back for this travesty of justice by spilling his lucozade, sitting in the terminal with a yellow puddle between his legs and a guilty puppy look on his face. Priceless!
Shetland buses apparently have no stops. You can ask the driver to stop and he will randomly let you off the bus in the middle of the road. We put this to use and got dropped off right at the Pool of Virkie! A short walk past the willows produced Rob Fray (1) and his dog (1) but nowt else.
A quick visit from the juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper for about 8 seconds (before it realised it didn’t want to get involved with us hoodies) seemed promising... 3 and a half hours of sitting/standing/kicking stones/jumping over ditches later we were really, really bored! However, we soon met a birder in a white van (don’t trust anyone with a white van) who said the Killdeer had been favouring some small pools the other end of Virkie. So we trudged along the road, meeting several people more than once, to these small pools. A Redshank and a resident Wheatear were scant reward.
On returning to the beginning we bust the willows wide open, revealing several House sparrows, a Siberian type Chiffchaff and a “normal” Chiffchaff.
So we sat back down... and quickly got up again because James had found the Killdeer right in front of us! It just goes to show that when you get bored you simply don’t notice what’s right in front of you. James did though! After a few shots of the bird it flew to the far shore with a group of Ringed Plovers and we couldn’t be bothered to chase after it.

Wondering what to do next we scanned the Pool in deep thought. Two Whooper Swans had joined the gulls in the middle and a one-legged Bar-Tailed godwit fed on the shore with some more Ringos.
Connor and Simeon had a large pipit with an olive back (seriously), but it was lost in the airfield. James tried to refind it but didn’t fancy entering the forbidden land (Sumburgh airfield), and Matt remained seated!
Then a guy who had taken some great pics of the Killdeer - and also owned a Hotel in Hoswick - took us to Sumburgh Hotel in his “hyped up” van. Connor took the dignified option and sat in the front; Matt, Simeon and I lay in the boot, which was surprisingly comfortable. 3 Starlings were in the bushes in the garden so Connor and Simeon walked up to the farm, which was also pointless. Matt and I walked the dunes, following a tip-off about the long lost Blyth’s pipit. The dunes held no birds at all, though 3 Razorbills and a Long-tailed duck were present in the West Voe of Sumburgh. A Linnet accompanied 40 Twite in a garden in Grutness.
We caught the next bus to Lerwick and again got dropped off by the side of the road at Clickimin. 25+ Siskin were in the trees down Helendale drive and a late House Martin circled us several times.
The day ended in the warmth of the apartment as we planned the next day.

By 23rd October we were wondering if we were ever going to find anything in the South-Westerly winds. A day trip to the northern mainland produced little. On the way to Hillswick 3 Grey Herons and 7 Whooper Swans were on various lochs and streams. 2 House Martins accompanied 60+ Lapwing crossing the bay in Hillswick! A juv. Moorhen was seen by Matt and James in some dead reeds near a graveyard.

Seawatching off Eshaness near the lighthouse produced loads (of waves); a Little gull, a Kittiwake, some Gannets and 3 Razorbill. Simeon missed all of these (except the waves) as he had already given up and retired to the warm interior of the car. Matt and James wandered off and saw a female Goosander on a random loch.

On the way back in the car we flushed a thrush from a field. Connor immediately shouted “Ring Ouzel – stop the car!” at which Simeon replied “That was a Fieldfare you idiot, you’re going mad!” Connor insisted he was right so we got out of the car and walked back along the road. We flushed a Fieldfare. Connor remained silent as we mocked him (in a friendly way of course). We also flushed a Blackcap from a dyke (not a Sardinian Warbler though!) and a Snipe. Across the road 36 Greylag geese were grazing in a field.
Back in Lerwick, Helendale produced 1 Greenland Redpoll, 20+ Siskin, 2 Brambling, 1 Blackcap and a Reed Bunting overhead whilst 2 Whooper Swans were on Clickimin Loch.

Wednesday was Simeon’s birthday, so we all took the ferry to Bressay. Sadly the cold and wind soon saw Tamsin and Mum heading for home, whilst Dad headed off into the wilderness. We followed the road signs to the lochs on the other side of the Island, which was a bad move because somebody had twisted the signpost round. However, we would like to thank this kind, thoughtful person, as they pointed us towards the best birding of the day! Gardens on the way yielded migrant blackcaps, chiffchaff and robins. Nearby on the sea was a party of 12 Red-breasted Merganser, and Twite, Siskin and Redpoll flew overhead.
After much walking we stopped at the playground for a spot of lunch and to discuss tactics. As we were already miles from our target we made the best of a bad job and decided to check out a nearby plantation up the hill. Spotting a Golden Plover flock on the hillside we took up undercover surveillance positions, but one glance from an angry-looking woman in the window spelt failure. We moved, fast! Unfortunately so did the plovers, and the strange whistling/piping calls coming from one individual which had split from the flock did nothing to help the situation! A long debate ensued, with Simeon and I proposing Dotterel, Connor going with ‘dodgy’ Golden Plover and Matt abstaining (back at the apartment CD analysis proved only that it definitely wasn’t either of those). The plantation itself produced Woodcock (the first of a small influx over the next few days) and Rook.
We marched purposefully towards the lochs, stopping only when absolutely necessary (such as to purchase chocolate – tip from the inside: it is actually cheaper to go to Bressay, buy chocolate and come back, than to buy it in Lerwick! Seriously; £1.89 for a big bar in the Lerwick garage opposite Clickimin - £1.25 on Bressay and only 40 p to get there makes £1.65 for a bar the same size!). Gardens on the brow of the hill produced more common migrants, but the Warbler of Dreams still eluded us. The lochs offered no consolation Glaucous Gulls either. Back at the ferry a last ditch effort to produce the goods offered more of the same.
The mystery of the Plover was never resolved, though Pacific Golden Plover was a tempting possibility, unfortunately lacking the field observations to substantiate the record. So near, yet so far!
Back on the Mainland a trip to Lerwick swimming pool made up for birding frustration: pod racing in the rapids, diving, flumes and an outside section, finishing with a Magnum classic each!

The dawn of Thursday 25th marked the final day and the last chance for a self find, so we brought out the big guns and opened fire! Sumburgh was the obvious choice, and exercising extreme self-discipline we were in place at first light. This time we made sure we planned our bus timing properly, and it was still dark when we were dropped off at Sumburgh Hotel. The plan was to hit the Head and work backwards, and there were smiles all round when it payed off with a Richard’s Pipit over just as we reached the lighthouse! Connor’s experience again proved vital, though Matt was the sharp-eyed spotter. Up at the lighthouse the regular Twite showed well, and Gannets, Shags and Fulmar were on the sea. The bushes held only Blackbirds, so after a thorough scouring we set off for the two quarries. Both were buzzing with migrants: the Warbler of Dreams still chose to remain inside our heads, but Snipe, 4 Woodcock, Blackcaps, Goldcrests, plenty of Thrushes and many Siskin kept us happily busy. 2 Jackdaw, a Linnet and a Reed bunting flew by.

On the sea Black Guillemot and Long-tailed duck gave good views, and 2 Pale-bellied Brent Geese on the West Voe of Sumburgh were unexpected. We met up with our old pal; Heinog (a black pony) in Grutness briefly before catching the bus home.

Back at Helendale a Grey Wagtail, Jackdaw and 2 Brambling were present for a final farewell. Matt and James walked to Shetland catch for a final crack at Glaucous Gull, producing the only Guillemot of the trip. A strange bird which was either a Long-tailed Skua or a gull with something attached to its leg avoided identification by magically disappearing (behind a big ship). Sometimes it seems that birds live only for the thrill of eluding birders!
As the last hours of the trip waned we found ourselves heading for the ferry; an early dinner was in order because, according to an old sea dog Matt and James met at the catch, it was going to be a bumpy ride!

It certainly was a bumpy ride; with the swell of the North Sea and Atlantic mixed with gale force 9 winds! We started in the bar at the front of the ship. This was a bad idea, because when the ship rose on a wave the crash down made the whole thing shudder. Several times, the ship crashed onto another wave and the drinks in the bar went everywhere! Matt and James couldn’t help entertaining thoughts of the Titanic... We then moved to the back of the ship where we attempted to sleep in the restaurant area. This worked for some, but Simeon’s sleep was reduced to a mere 1 and a half hours, if that, whilst Matt hurled three times!
Needless to say, we slept loads on the car journey home, after an amazing trip!

By James and Simeon

It's that Bunting time of year...

17/11/07 Salthouse, James and Simeon
We went to Salthouse to try and see the Pomerine Skua on the floods. On arrival 2 Snow Buntings and 7 Lapland Buntings were feeding on some seed on the sea wall. They flew off quickly, but we got cracking views of a Snow Bunting that eventually returned! We scanned for the Pom. Skua that had flown off a while ago and came across a hybrid duck with a dark back, pale breast and even a dark crown, but we just couldn't turn it into a skua!

(Simeon) 13/11/07 Denver Sluice
I quickly visited the Sluice after school for a couple of hours and saw 2 Little Grebes, the first of the winter, 3 Great-Crested Grebes, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Green Woodpeckers, 2 Great-Spotted Woodpeckers, 1 Grey Wagtail, 3 Grey Herons and 7 Goosanders (also the first for the winter). There were 5 male Goosanders and 2 Females. Not bad for a couple of hours!

Cranes at Welney

14/10/07

Simeon and I went to Welney this afternoon because I volunteer there, but we made sure to arrive a little early to look for the cranes. It was a long trek down to Friend's Hide, but definitely worth it! They were absolutely beautiful, giving excellent views, and the Wood sandpiper (which I missed last week) was an added bonus!

(James)

Titchwell

13/10/07

Simeon got up early and did some ringing at Snettisham Coatal Park again, ringing a Fieldfare and several Redwing amongst the other usual birds. A Long-Tailed tit was nice in the hand. Other birds seen were several Brambling, Siskin, a couple of Redpoll, a Grey Wagtail and a passage of over 7000 Starlings. I picked him up and we went to Titchwell as nothing else had turned up on the coast. Several Little Stints were on the freshmarsh along with 6 Little Egrets around the reserve, a Goldeneye, and some Spotted Redshank. A Snow Bunting perched beautifully on some grass by the path! On the sea, there were 2 Great-Crested Grebes, 6 Eider, 5+ Razorbill, 30+ Common Scoter and I had a Skua sp. (probably pomarine), several Gannets and a late Sandwich Tern. A walk to Thornham Point provided another Grey Wagtail over, a Goldcrest sitting on the sand in the dunes (obviously a migrant), a pair of Stonechats and some more Thrushes. A tit flock near the visitor centre back at Titchwell contained 2 Chiffchaffs, and several things that were impossible to get onto! We tested out Viking Vistrons in the waning light (this is often a good time to do it because the conditions really test the binocular's performance). Both our binoculars currently have double vision, thanks to me! The Vistrons were very comfortable and nicely compact, though the 8x42 performed better than than the 10x42.

(James)

Holme NOA

(06/10/07)

James and I set out at 12 noon after having 10 Bullfinches on a survey of the local area. The Subalpine Warbler had left the night before, the Lesser-Grey Shrike had gone on Thursday, so (having missed both) we decided to meet up with Connor to try and refind the Radde's Warbler at Holme NOA. On arrival at about 1:00am we quickly got onto the Ross's Goose on the marsh with Pinkfeet. 550+ Common Scoter were on the sea and a beautiful male Eider flew West, along with an adult Arctic Tern. A Shag was also on the sea. We got to the Observatory and soon picked up a Yellow-Browed Warbler in its usual favourite haunt - a sycamore! Another one was present near the Heligoland, but never went in. I then thought I had the Radde's in a large bush near the car park, but the views weren't good and it was very elusive, so I decided not to call it. On returning with other birders, loads of Goldcrests were present, but not the Radde's. We were about to leave when a Hume's Yellow-Browed Warbler came up on the pager at Well's Wood. We ran for it, but in the fading light only managed to get another two Yellow-Browed Warblers. It had been an good day with 4 Yellow-Browed Warblers in total, though somewhat annoying!

(Simeon)

Autumn!

(Connor) In what has been an extremely good autumn so far, both for common migrants and scarcities, particular highlights from trips out in the last week or so include: Brief views of the Blyth's Reed Warbler at Salthouse 29/9/07, A Lesser Grey Shrike at Holkham 3/10/07 and 6 Yellow-browed Warblers (2+ at Holme NOA and 4 at Wells Wood) 6/10/07.

Raptors galore!

9/9/07
I went to Whin Common for three hours this morning and there were loads of birds about. 11 Goldcrests were busy feeding before Winter, 2 Green Woodpeckers were in histerics. A flock of 13 Goldfinch flew over and I saw a raptor fly past quickly. A Hobby! I heard another one call to my right and on turning my head to see, I locked onto a Marsh Harrier! It soon dropped below the line of trees so I looked towards the area in which I had just heard a Hobby call from. 3 Hobbies were playing in the air together! 4 Hobbies and a Marsh Harrier - it was going well! The other highlights were; 6 Blackcap, 1 Great-Spotted Woodpecker, 8 Chiffchaff, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Mistle Thrush, 1 Nuthatch, 1 Stock Dove, 3 Bullfinch (2 males and a female), 1 Sparrowhawk, 11 Long-Tailed Tits, 1 Jay, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, and a Wood Warbler (by the A10)! 9 Meadow Pipits and a Swallow went over too. James went down afterwards and got 2 Common Buzzards! There were loads of raptors today!
(Simeon)

Flocks building up...

8/9/07
I went to Denver Sluice today, but this time James accompanied me. 2 Green Woodpecker, 2 Kestrel, 1 Snipe, 1 Common Buzzard. There were also three Brown Hawker Dragonflies. We picked up two tit flocks; the first one contained only 11 Long-Tailed Tits and 4 Blue Tits. The second one contained 17 Long-Tailed Tits, 7 Blue Tits, 4 Great Tits, 1 Coal Tit and 1 Goldcrest - much more exciting!
(Simeon)

Denver Sluice

4/9/07
I went for a quiet walk at Denver Sluice, but it was too quiet. The only highlights were Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, a few House Martins and a Goldfinch flock of over 100! No Siskins though. Is Autumn here yet?
(Simeon)

Whin Common

4/9/07
I went to Whin Common again this morning, but it was fairly quiet. The highlights were as follows; Goldcrest 4, Coal tit 4, Chiffchaff 10, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Nuthatch 1, Blackcap 4, Great-Spotted Woodpecker 1, Bullfinch 2 (adult female and young) and Whitethroat 1.
(Simeon)

Whin Common

30/8/07
I finally got round to visiting my patch after being on holiday! Just over an hour and a half produced 1 Herring Gull, 5 Goldcrest, 1 Coal tit, 1 Great-Spotted Woodpecker, 8 Chiffchaff, 2 Bullfinch (adult male and young), 6 Blackcap, 1 Green Woodpecker, 2 Hobby, 1 Sparrowhawk and 11 Long-tailed tits.
(Simeon)

Weney WWT

30/8/07
I went to Welney for about an hour and a half. Staying in the main observatory the whole time I managed to pick up 4 Yellow Wagtails, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Kingfisher (which showed brilliantly on a post in front of the hide) and a handful of Sand Martins.

Snettisham Water Mill

28/8/07
I worked the old patch in just under 2 hours and managed to get 14 Coot, 3 Oystercatcher, 100+ Swallow, a finch flock (c.20 birds) containing Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Linnet, 15 Grey Partridge (family group I expect), 2 Goldcrest, 1 Lapwing, 12 Moorhen, 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 Kestrel, 2 Jay, 2 Whitethroat and a tit flock containing 16 Long-tailed, 5 Great and 5 Blue, but nothing else.

Wales!

This year I was kindly invited by the Grundy family to go on holiday with them to the small village of Llwyngwril in Gweynedd. The scenery was magical in that area and it was just a superb holiday. Here is a diary of what we saw.

Day 1

Sea-watching on our first morning produced the good total of 443 Manx Shearwaters, as well as 61 Gannets, 3 Sandwich Tern, a single Fulmar and a Skua sp. (prob Arctic) south.

A Peregrine flew along the beach during the afternoon.

Highlights in the moth trap included several interesting resident species such as Oak hook-tip, Toadflax Pug, Dusky Thorn and Magpie Moth. The only immigrants caught were 2 Silver Y's.

Day 2

With a strong south-westerly wind the next day we were all up early to sea-watch. Although the tally of just 82 Manx Shearwaters was poor, 2 Balearic Shearwaters close inshore south and a distant but fairly prolonged view of a European Storm Petrel made up for this, while a Kittiwake was also noteworthy.

A walk along the beach to several pools recently created near the sea-wall produced 1 Whimbrel in a flooded field, 1 Snipe, 10 Rock Pipits, a female Wheatear and a superb gathering of c. 800 Swallows.

Day 3

Little of note was seen during the morning sea-watch, although 257 Manx Shearwaters was a good count.

Cycling around Bird Rock in the afternoon produced several decent birds, including 3 male Redstarts, 2 female Pied Flycatchers, 2 Wheatears, 3 Ravens and a Red Kite.

The only resident species of note in the moth trap was a Dark Marbled Carpet, while ther only immigrant was a single Diamond-back Moth.

Day 4

Sea-watching was very poor in the morning with just 2 Manx Shearwaters. A Willow Warbler was a new arrival in the orchard.

Day 5

Sea-watching was better during the morning with 343 Manx Shearwaters logged, but the real highlight was the juvenile Arctic Skua close inshore south. 104 Sandwich Terns was a noteworthy count.

A Chough at Bird Rock was a super British tick for myself and this area was again a superb honey-pot of birds with 5 Wheatear, 3 Stonechats, 2 Ravens a Red Kite, a Willow Warbler and 3 Spotted Flycatchers noted.

Day 6

Not much sea-watching was undertaken on this day as everyone felt they needed a rest. In a brief sea-watch 32 Manx Shearwaters and a Fulmar were noted.

The 'hill behind the house' was visited during the afternoon with 4 Wheatears, 10 Stonechats, a Red Kite and 4 Ravens were notable, while a female Stonechat was present in the garden.

The moth trap was exceptionally poor, with Small Wainscot being the only moth of any real note.

Day 7

A sea-watch was undertaken of the point early morning and although it was slow going at times 514 Manx Sherwaters were logged, as well as a single Balearic.

A Wheatear, 5 Rock Pipits and a Cuckoo were also noted in this area, as was a female Gadwall. A Nuthatch was seen at the centre for alternative technology.

Moth trapping was again poor with 1 Orange Swift the only moth of any real note.

Day 8

Little sea-watching was undertaken during the day as the weather conditions were poor, with just two Manx Shearwaters and 5 Sandwich Terns noted in fifteen minutes.

Several bits and pieces were present at the hill including 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Red Kite, 1 Snipe, 2 Goldcrests, 2 Song Thrushes, 1 juv. Wheatear, 2 Stonechats, 2 Ravens and 3 Buzzards.

Day 9

Sea-watching was better today with 15 Manx Shearwaters, 10 Gannets and the real highlight was 2 Common Terns feeding offshore for c. 30 seconds early-afternoon.

Sand Martin, Mediterranean Gull and Peregrine were all noted during the day.

Day 10

A superb mornig se-watch of the point produced 263 Manx Shearwaters, 1 European Storm Petrel, 1 Fulmar and a juv. Long-tailed Skua north.

Later a visit to Dolgoch Falls and Nant Gwernol produced 2 Crossbills, 1 Willow Warbler, 3 Goldcrests, 1 Spotted Flycatcher, 1 Treecreeper and 1 Nuthatch.

Day 11

Nothing of note was seen during the morning sea-watch as the wind had switched round to the east again.

A visit to Penmine Pool RSPB produced a Whinchat and a Great-spotted Woodpecker, while later Arthog Bog RSPB yielded a Spotted Flycatcher and a Nuthatch.

Day 12

A trip to Anglesey was undertaken on this day, largely to look for the Black Stork on the Alaw estuary, which sadly resulted in failure, despite a lengthy search. However, 5 Greenshanks, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 2 Little Egrets, 6 Teal and 20 Knot were noted here.

The moth trap was much better with the highlights being 2 NORTHERN FOOTMAN (the Red data book form of Scarce Footman), Purple Bar, 2 Silver Y, 2 True Lover's Knot, Small Rufos, Dark Spectacle and a Toadflax Pug.

Day 13

A reasonable sea-watch in the morning by S.G produced 40 Manx Shearwaters and 2 Skua sp. chasing terns offshore.

Little else of not was seen during the day

Day 14

The last day! Sea-watching produced 150+ Manx Shearwaters, while a trip to the hill and viz. mig. from the garden produced 1 male Redstart, 2 Chough, 1 Grey Wagtail, 1 Grey Wagtail, 5 Rock Pipits, 1 Redshank, 1 Raven and 2 Wheatears.

The moth trap produced the following of note: 4 Dingy Footman, 23(!) Brimstone, 9 Antler Moths, 2 Grey Chi, 1 Purple Bar, 1 Buff Footman, 1 Black Arches, 1 Lesser-swallow Prominent,a Flame Carpet, 1 Oak-tree Pug, 1 Iron Prominent, 1 prob. Crinean Ear, 1 Red Twin-spot Carpet, 1 Dark Marbled Carpet, 2 Sandy Carpets, 1 Narrow-winged Pug, 1 Chevron, 1 Small Rufos, 3 NORTHERN FOOTMAN and the best immigrant of the two weeks, a Rusty-Dot Pearl.

The best trap of the two-weeks was a fitting end to a great holiday and thanks once again to the Grundy family for inviting me.