North Norfolk - 2 Great Lifers!

Dad and I headed up to North Norfolk yesterday to try and bring the year list up to about 115, hopefully getting a couple of good birds too. We started off at Edgefield, to look for the Parrot Crossbills (104). It wasn't long before got amongst the throng of birders and enjoyed good views of them in the pines, even if the photos weren't great....

They then flew off because of a Buzzard...

and landed right near to where we parked the car, where we had better light for photo's...

We then moved on up to Wiveton, and after driving around the village, we found a couple of birders. We asked them had they seen the Glossy Ibis. They said no, so we tried from the sluice. Several Curlew (106) in the field though. They got there before us, and pulled us over to say that it was in a flooded field. We pulled up, and what great views...

Glossy Ibis (107)

We also got a Water Rail (108) calling from a ditch in Wiveton.

Got great views before we moved up to Cley NWT. Got 4 Brent Goose (109) on the side of the road before we went to Bishop's Hide - only hide open - and got Avocet (110) onto the yearlist. We then went to Cley Coastguards. We looked to the sea, and got plenty of Red-throated Diver (111), and a distant white wader flying which could of been a Grey Phalarope but was very distant and impossible to tell. We then looked at the amazing numbers of Brent Geese. I reckon there were about 400 birds in the Eye field. I took some snaps...

It was only until tonight that I was looking through my photos of the Geese, and 1 individual caught my eye. I couldn't believe it, but it was a BLACK BRANT!

The fact I had actually known that I had seen this bird, but then I found through the photos I took was quite incredible. When sitting in the van eating lunch, a brief Kittiwake (112) flew into the Eye field, but soon flew off again. Also got Turnstones (113) on the beach.

We then moved on to Salthouse. The devastation of the beach car park is terrible. In fact, there isn't a car park. I forgot to take any pictures of the car park, but I was so shocked it was touching. Got a Redshank feeding on the tidal pools though...

Anyway, we went to Gramborough Hill to look for the Richard's Pipit. We'd missed it by 20 minutes. Dad went to look at the RT Divers on the sea, while I chatted to a couple that had turned up. Within about 5 minutes they were on the bird (114), and dad missed it!!!!!!!!!! Ha Ha Ha! I got great views for about 5 seconds before it flew off into the hill. We then went searching while I called over Dad. I flushed it again from the side of the hill before we lost it for good back into the original field. Boy was he an elusive bird.

Final stop of the day was at Blakeney Harbour. We met a couple of chaps, one who does Norfolk bird tours. They lead us up to the NE end of Stiffkey Fen - getting Pintail (115) on they way. The Harbour was a long way away. The guys picked up 1 Great-Northern Diver (116), 2 Black-throated Diver, 4 Long-tailed Duck (117) and 1 Guillemot (118), all of which we saw. We also got Grey Plover (119) and Bar-tailed Godwit (120).

On the way back, got a massive flock of probably about 2,000 Brent Geese flying over the fen, and 50 Black-tailed Godwits (121) on the fen...

And finally, flushed a Little Owl from the side of the road nearer to home, which brings the yearlist total to 122.

What a great day!

Happy Birding!

North Norfolk Coast

Yesterday Dad and I went onto the North Norfolk Coast to try and get some sea birds and winter passerines onto the year list. We started off at Salthouse, trying to see the Shorelark and the Snow Buntings. These both would have been lifers, but sadly the Shorelark was not present. I was fairly certain we weren't going to see that anyway, but at that time there weren't even any Snow Buntings about. So we walked down towards the Little Eye, to a bit of sea watching. We first spotted a Guillemot not to far out, and then a Black-throated Diver. We then got a few Red-throated Divers flying past, and another Guillemot. Then, I just happened to turn around, and there were about 30+ Snow Buntings!

Delightful little things. They were communicating between the car park, and the Little Eye. We found out that the Snow Buntings had been at Cley first thing, that's why we didn't see them first thing. We then got a Redshank, Stock Dove and the regular Turnstones....

We then got a large flock of Pink-foots over...

We then moved onto Cley, to go and see the Purple Sandpiper. We followed the directions that were given, and found the bird. 

We then moved onto Holkham, to see the Spoonbills, and maybe a Black Brant. First we drove to Burnham Overy, to see if the Rough-legged Buzzard was still about. We saw 2 Common Buzzards, but not Rough-legged. We skipped this challenge and went back to Holkham. We saw that there was a big Brent Goose flock by Lady Annes Drive. We searched through and found a Black Brant.

We then moved onto the Tower Hide, as we heard that that's where the Spoonbills were. On the way we saw Treecreeper, Goldcrest and Coal Tit. We then came across a large pond which held 4 Little Grebes, a Tufted Duck, and more surprisingly, a pair of Goldeneye!

With a Jay for company

We then had great views of a Barn Owl as the light started to fade...

We got to the hide, and could see the 2 Spoonbills on the scrape

They were joined by about 60 White-fronted Geese, to distant for a photo. 

Happy Birding!