Norfolk. Not quite abroad. (Part 1)

I spent a fantastic couple of days with my parents in Norfolk last weekend. The birds to be found in this part of the country are quite something, and not what I find in my own back yard. So it made a nice change to see lots of waders and sea birds plus some more unusual birds that we didn't expect to show up.
We were based in Snettisham which has a stony beach and a vast area of mudflats. Ideal for waders of all varieties.

Bar-tailed Godwits on a flypast. 

 A Common Tern against the slate grey sky.

A Mediterranean Gull.

An Oystercatcher. Very common and very noisy, but also very colourful.

At Titchwell there were plenty of Resdshanks, Avocets, Shelduck and a few rarities flew in to make it even more enjoyable. A Spotted Redshank was a first for me, as were the Little Gulls that showed themselves very nicely, and the following day a Spoonbill dropped in, although it was too distant for my camera.

A Common Redshank.



A Spotted Redshank. (Apologies for the colour, the light was on the wrong side on a dull day.)



Come back soon for part 2 and some nice close ups of the very photogenic Avocet.

Our African neighbours

I've been following a pair of Common Redstart for a number of weeks now. From territory building to nest building. From incubating to feeding and fledging. They really are one of my favourite birds. Having said that, my list of "favourite birds" is up to about 20 now. Anyway, they are very colourful, have a great song and travel to the UK from North Africa, which in itself deserves to be on most peoples list of favourites.

 The male with a grub for the young.

The female. What a stunning orange tale?

The House Martin flies from sub Saharan Africa to these shores to raise a family too. Feeding on insects caught on the wing. You can see the very nice blue on the birds back here, while he surveys the site for a potential nest.

Feeding time at the nest

In between the showers recently I managed to get out to see what was around, and thankfully there was still lots of feeding going on. Willow Warblers, Meadow Pipits and Stonechats were all busy collecting food for their young.

Meadow Pipit with a snack for the young.

Willow Warbler with some insects.

A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Wheatear

Please stop raining.

I thought I'd cheer myself up this week with some colourful birds that I've photographed recently. The weather has been horribly wet for what seems like an age, but is really more like days. It has stopped me going out though, and that makes me sad. I get cabin fever quite quickly and need my bird fix on a regular basis. This will keep me going for a day or two.

Male Bullfinch at Pennington Flash.

Goldfinch in frostier times.

A very handsome male Stonechat at Danebower.

A Willow Tit at Woolston Eyes.

I've tried for a long time to get a decent shot of the Willow Tit. I got lucky last week.

Are we there yet?

With my daughter being on school holidays this week, I've been to a few different places and with some different animals too. So there won't just be birds this week. A visit to one of our local National Trust properties at Dunham Massey meant we could eat our lunch with the Fallow deer, which kept Eleanor amused while I scanned the trees with my eyes and ears for anything with wings. Here are some of the things we found.

A Nuthatch looking for grubs for it's young.

One of the many Jackdaw found in the park.

A Blackcap. One of our Summer migrants.

Mute Swan cygnets. Very cute indeed.

An Azure Dragonfly, in the throws of passion. Thanks to John R for the ID help. 

One of our lunch friends. A Fallow deer.

What the Chough....

Whilst on my North Wales birding trip last weekend, one of the major highlights for me was seeing my first Chough. In fact we went on to see several. It was great to see them soaring around the cliffs and then to watch them effortlessly pull in their wings and dive. Something I'll always remember.
They are a member of the crow family, but unlike other crows, they have a bright red bill and red legs to match. Quite striking when you first see them and expect it to be just another Carrion Crow.
They are steadily increasing in numbers in the UK, but are exclusively seen on the west coast, but not everywhere.

The lighthouse at South Stack RSPB reserve. Below the lighthouse are the nesting Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Razorbills.

The Chough, with wings pulled in.

Here you can just see the red feet.



North Wales

At the weekend I went on a guided birding day in North Wales with Alan & Ruth from The Biggest Twitch. http://www.thebiggesttwitch.com I fully recommend a day or three with these guys. Great company, and I guarantee you won't miss a bird that may be nearby. We started off at Conwy RSPB reserve and made our way west right out to Anglesey and South Stack RSPB reserve.
Highlights of the day for me were some of the sea birds. Puffins, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Gannets. Plus we had Ring Ouzel, Crossbill and some great raptors. Over 80 species in the day and 6 lifetime firsts for me.

This Sparrowhawk greeted us as we met in the car park. What a start to the day.

As it flew driectly overhead we could see it was carrying some prey in it's tallons.

A male Ring Ouzel. Best views I've had of one.

Black Guillemot on the sea at Holyhead. You can just see it's ridiculous red feet.

Doing a bit of cleaning.

A Herring Gull looking for some lunch. (Our lunch)

Waders coming in. A mix of Dunlin and Ringed Plover.

Dunlin and Ringed Plover on the beach.

The cliffs at South Stack. Loaded with Guillemots in this shot.

Woodford

Glorious weather at last. After so many grey or damp days, the sun and warmth have arrived. I've been on the local patch recently. There's not really been anything spectacular to report but it's just been nice to see birds moving around in good light. There have also been some Brown Hares around. It's usually just rabbits, so it's always good to see something different.

Cormorant

Lapwing

Dunnock

Wren in full song

Curlew on the golf course

Now, this little fellow thought I wouldn't see him if he lay as flat as possible in an open field just 10 metres away from me. Well I've got news for you Mr Brown Hare. I saw you, and saw you run away when you thought I wasn't looking. Busted!

Goyt Valley

I have made a few visits to the Goyt Valley in the Peak District just recently. There are some really stunning birds there at this time of year. I managed to locate a pair of Common Redstart quite a few Spotted Flycatchers, Pied Flycatchers, Dippers and Grey Wagtails along the river and Curlews calling in the distance and Short Eared Owls. I've also heard Cuckoos, but am yet to see one.

Pied Flycatcher (male)

Common Redstart

Willow Warbler

And finally,  I couldn't resist. The Short Eared Owl