Norfolk Birding (again)

A long weekend at my parents always gives me the opportunity to look for birds that I don't really get on my doorstep. This visit was no different, with some really good views of two Glossy Ibis and loads of Bearded Tits. Add to that the waders and sea birds such as Curlew, Lapwings, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Gannets and Terns. The weather was very good on the first day, and then very cloudy on the second, but I made the most of both days and managed to capture a good collection of species. I even got some decent video too.

You can watch my latest adventure here:

Bearded Tit

Curlew

Glossy Ibis

Linnet

Little Egret

Sedge Warbler

Wren

Norfolk Coast part 2

Day 2 of the Norfolk trip included a terrific little bird that had been around since before Christmas, and was high on my list of birds to see. Sheringham has a good record of over-wintering Black Redstarts, but this year they had one that that was of Eastern race that is usually found in Asia, rather than Europe.

It had been a very wet day, and you can tell by the state of the poor thing. Really bedraggled and looking rather sorry for itself. That said, it was feeding well and no worse off for the soaking it had endured. A great bird to eventually see.

Click here to see my vlog of day 2 of my trip:

Eastern Black Redstart (rather wet)

Little Egret

Meadow Pipit

Oystercatcher

Salthouse - Norfolk

There is a pool of water at the bottom of Beach Road, Salthouse, that I always stop at to have a look. It can appear to many at first glance as quite insignificant, but I've had some good birds here over the years, so I am always happy to spend a good half an hour or more watching and waiting. This visit was also productive as it added two more to the year list, in the form of Ringed Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit. A pair of Avocet were working the water, and a Little Egret dropped in too.

In the fields around the pool were Lapwings, Oystercatcher, Linnets and the Yellow Wagtail that I found on my way back to the car. It may not look like much to most people, but it's always worth a stop and look to see what's around and on the pool. As always, the early morning is the best time. The Early Birder catches the bird 😉

Bar-tailed Godwit

Little Egret

One of two Ringed Plover at the pool.

Icy Cold

A pre-Christmas weekend break in Norfolk turned out to be a very cold one. Freezing conditions the week before and also a sprinkling of snow made the journey a little more hazardous than normal, but to be expected at this time of year. The ground was frozen solid, as were many of the water sources on the marshes. One bonus, was that the previously muddy areas were now not so muddy and passable without the need for wellies.

With so much water frozen a lot of the birds were forced to congregate together on smaller open patches. There was still plenty to see, with a good selection of waders and wildfowl on offer. It was just so bitterly cold that I couldn't stay out as long as I wanted to. The wind on the coast was really biting, and especially at my fingertips.

Dunlin

Dunlin flying over the ice. Not something I'm used to seeing.

Curlew

Curlew and Little Egret

Little Egret and Black-tailed Godwit

Little Egret

Cley Marshes - East Bank

A walk along the East Bank at Cley is always a must for me when I'm in Norfolk. With my parents living so close to it I will usually do it several times during a stay. There is always something decent to see and through the different seasons you get a really good variety. The wintering geese have left for the time being, barring the Greylags and a few Canadas and Egyptian, but the summer migrants have arrived.

I was lucky to watch a Hobby fly over as it was catching insects. The warblers are in too, in the form or Sedge and Reed. The sound coming out of the reed bed is something to behold as the competition for space and territory takes a grip. I picked up the ping of a group of Bearded Tits. I always hope to see some when I'm here, but that is never an easy feat. Being in the right place at the right time, or good fortune is usually involved. This time they were working their way through the reeds close to the edge. The odd one would break cover and dive over the top of the reeds. A very good addition to the year list.

With Curlews, Lapwings, Redshank, a lone Spoonbill, Skylarks and the overflying Terns at the beach end it really was a great couple of hours spent here. Come the autumn time the waders will be back and the wintering wildfowl on the pools, which will make for a very different walk but still with a good amount of variety. It's a great place to watch birds and time go by.

Hobby

Little Egret

Marsh Harrier

   The Sedge Warbler is a real favourite of mine. I love the distinctive eye-stripe and it's song.

    The Bearded Tit never make it easy to see them, but maybe that's why it's such a thrill when you do.

Fun on the Water

Red-breasted Mergansers are regularly seen in the lagoon at Cemlyn Bay, but I always seem to struggle to locate them. This is not helped by their liking for diving regularly and staying far away. On this occasion luck was on my side, as I found a pair close to the road side. I managed to pull over and grab the camera from the boot of the car and take a few quick shots before leaving them to it and before I caused a traffic jam.

Female Red-breasted Merganser

The male

A Little Egret was busy in the shallow water.

A bird that is never easy to get close to to take pictures of is the Little Ringed Plover, and it is a bird that I never make any effort to get close to either. It is a Schedule 1 bird which gives it greater protection and should be left to go about it's business as it wishes without interference or harassment from people. I see a few a year locally, and it is always great to watch them. On this occasion though, I was looking through a sight screen when one came and landed just 20 feet away. It didn't know I was there and as it walked around the muddy margins feeding I managed to get some shots of it. A great little bird.

The distinctive yellow eye ring is a key feature to separating it from the larger Ringed Plover, especially at distance.

This is a Ringed Plover seen on the same day, but on a beach. No yellow eye ring, and with orange legs as opposed to the paler pink of the Little Ringed, and orange bill.

Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve

A super early alarm set for last weekend, had me out in the car by 5am. In these times of social distancing it makes good sense to beat the dog walkers, joggers, and generally others. Not that this has ever been a problem for me in the past, as I always like to go out early when the Spring and Summer is here. I've been social distancing for many years now😄

It's a great reserve with a good mix of wetland habitat, reedbeds, scrapes and grassland. Next to the reserve there is a lot of farmland, so it attracts many different species. Plenty of waders in the form of Black-tailed Godwit, Little Ringed Plover and Ringed Plover.

There was a Corn Bunting singing from the power lines as I got out of the car. Not a bird I see very often, so this was a good start.

Corn Bunting

There were a few pairs of Avocet on the scrapes, with a couple of freshly hatched chicks being closely monitored.

Avocet

Probably one of the most numerous birds around the reserve was the Sedge Warbler. I had not seen one so far this year, so it was good to get it ticked and great to hear them singing again. Things I usually take for granted as the summer roles on, it was nice to just stand and watch these birds going for it full throttle.

Sedge Warbler

Lapwing

Little Egret

Shelduck

Shoveler