Black-tailed Godwit

Waders are some of my favourite birds to watch and especially to photograph. We came across many in Norfolk, and some came close enough to give some decent shots. Some didn't, and so we had to improvise. We used the car as a hide on this occasion. We stayed in the car and just waited (patiently) until they got in a good position with the right light.
This Black-tailed Godwit gave really decent views. The late afternoon wintry sunlight gave it a really good look.

Best of the rest from Sculthorpe - Norfolk

There were plenty of other birds that visited the feeders while we were there. Most of the finches, including Bullfinch, Chaffinch and Greenfinch. Plus most of the Tit family. Some shots of a few below for you.

Male Bullfinch. Always a delight to see.

Chaffinch 

Long Tailed Tit

Usually in small flocks of half a dozen or so, there are 8 here.

Marsh Tit - Norfolk

From the hide at Sculthorpe we had plenty of other birds besides Brambling. One of those was a lifer for me. The Marsh Tit. Very similar to a Willow Tit, to the point that I really can't tell them apart. Thanks to the expertise of my birding friends, this was definitely a Marsh Tit. With it's shiny head, it's a lovely little bird.

In amongst the many Long Tailed Tits

Brambling - Norfolk

In the woods at Sculthorpe Moor, we came across an extraordinarily large flock of Brambling. In total I would hazard a guess at there being close to 200. Quite a flighty bird. They were constantly coming into feed and then all at once would disperse into the trees. Not without good reason though. Sparrowhawks were doing their flybys, trying to take anything they could. None were successful while we were there. The Bramblings kept coming back to feed though.
A fantastically colourful bird, and one I don't tire of seeing in the winter months.

The hide with all the action.

 

 

Lovely markings seen on the backs.

Vast numbers could be seen feeding on the ground.

 

Back with a Bang. Norfolk

Having not done much birding of late, it was nice to go to Norfolk for a few days to really crack on with the year list. I wasn't left disappointed, with over 100 species seen in that time, and quite a number that I had never seen before.
The weather was pretty raw, with snow on the ground for the first day or two, followed by a real gusty wind after that. Still, it made it all the more interesting for me, and meant I got some decent shots.
Over the next few weeks I intend to share these with you. Just for starters though, here are a few taken on the first day when the snow was still down and the temperature was below freezing.

The lovely scene that met us on our arrival

It was nice to see some winter Thrushes, like this Fieldfare.