Turnstone - Norfolk

One the lifers that I did see in Norfolk was the Turnstone. A bird that I have always been keen to see, but have never made a conscious effort find. I wasn't disappointed with these little beauties. We came across several groups of them along the shingle beaches, and some of them were very confiding. One particular bird was practically walking between our feet. Quite an amazing sight. Better than that though, was the noise these guys made as they tossed over shingle. To hear the stones clanging together made me laugh. It was quite a comical thing to hear. I don't know why. Tiny things please tiny minds I suppose.

Annoyingly, the sun was situated behind the birds, but I think it actually made for some nice shots.

There once was an angry Mute Swan

Never exactly elegant, but always captivating to watch a Swan in flight. Even better when you can watch them taking to the air or coming into land. Here at Titchwell there were several pairs on the water.

 

From the pictures above, all looks peaceful. That is until the neighbourhood bully turns up. Yep, this guy was seeing off all and sundry, and he wasn't happy.

 

 

 Have that, and don't come back! Yes, this is the first Swan (on the left) pictured above that was minding it's own business, being harassed by the angry bully.

Geese a plenty - Norfolk

Geese are always plentiful in Norfolk during the winter months, and I managed to come across a couple of species that I'd never seen before. The first was the Black-bellied Brent Goose. They winter largely on the East coast, and Norfolk holds good populations. They depart again in March. I don't know if it was because I'd not seen them before, but I did find them to be quite a good looking goose. Certainly nicer to look at than the numerous Canada Geese we see all year round.
The second species I'd not seen before was the European White-fronted Goose. I only saw two and didn't manage to get any shots of them, but it always makes a trip worthwhile when you see something new.

Black-bellied Brent Geese

Pink footed Geese were always on the move, or so it seemed. Huge skeins could be seen high up in the classic V formation.

Pink footed geese overhead.

 

Egyptian Geese were quite plentiful. They seemed to turn up in most places.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Winter Treats

Having not been out recently, I have looked back at some shots I took around the same period last year. I came across some Brambling and Siskins up at Dovestone Reservoir. Feeders are put out and topped up all year by the RSPB, so you are usually guaranteed to see something around them.
The good thing about the winter conditions is that the birds will quite often come to you if you are patient enough.

Brambling

Siskin

Brambling and Siskin

Robin

Dunnock

Merry Christmas

To all of my very loyal followers and anyone that has looked in on my blog over the last year, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful time.

I aim to be more active again soon. So please keep checking back for updates, and apologies for the lack of posts just recently. I will put this right very soon.

Adam