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?