3rd Time Lucky!!!

Dad asked me this morning if I wanted to try for the Tree Sparrows at Ampton again, as I had a rough idea of where I was going this time, I obviously said yes. We got there and found 2 Tree Sparrows on 1 feeder that we could see, but where were the other 60 odd? We drove up into a gap past the 1st feeder, and there were toones of Tree Sparrows on about 10 feeders in this garden. It was incredible. At least 60 birds present, the most I have ever seen at one time. I had a search through the flock, as a Mealy Redpoll was reported in the morning, and there it was, on the front feeder. It didn't stay for long enough though as we hadn't got the cameras ready yet, so it flew off with 1 Lesser Redpoll, so no photo. We then started taking pictures. We also got a Brambling amongst the flock....

Happy Birding!



North Norfolk Lifer!

Dad and I decided we had to go to the North Norfolk Coast for a bit of October birding. We started off at Cley Spy, Glandford. We got there at about 10:20am, considering we left at about 8:30am, we got there in pretty good time. Dad wanted to get his digiscope camera fixed, and looked out for the Black Redstart that has been hanging around the car park. There was no chance in seeing it though. It was tipping it down with rain. After 10 minutes or so it stopped, and the Black Redstart came out on show.

We then headed to Garden Drove, Warham. After going down the wrong track - not funny - we finally found the concrete pad. We parked on here and walked down. The bushes were full of potential, but the best birds were about 2 Goldcrest, 2 Chiffchaff and several Starlings and Redwings. It was incredible the numbers of these birds. 

Walking back up the track we met Penny (nice to meet you Penny), and a founder of the Red Flanked Bluetail at Warham. They had been to Wells. They had Ring Ouzel, but they missed the Parrot Crossbill that had been seen there that morning. We thought that we had to go there, so that is what we did. We got a text from our "undercover agent" - you know who you are with the injured foot (get well soon) - saying that there was Ring Ouzel, Yellow-browed Warbler, Parrot Crossbill, Shag and Slav. Grebe all around Wells. We got into the wood and found the crowd looking for the Yellow-browed Warbler. It was a tricky little fella, because unless you were in the perfect position, like I was eventually, you only really saw it in the sycamore. My Camera was not being nice to me today, but Dad's first day out new camera was on fire. Look at these 2 stinking shots he got...

Very Nice.

We then had a wonder around the woods. Got Brambling, and a Muntjac but not much else. We then started to head back when all of a sudden, the melodic chipping of a flock of 4 PARROT CROSSBILL flew over our heads going West-South-West. An incredible lifer!!!! Got some record shots....

Also got a Kestrel here. 

We then headed to Warham again to do a little bit of finding and raptor watching. We got 2 Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl, Merlin, Peregrine, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk. Migrant wise, we got a possible Ring Ouzel, 4 Brambling, tonnes of Starling, 1 Fieldfare, and a few Redwing

Merlin

Brambling

Happy Birding!

Titchwell Marsh

Sorry about the delay to this post, I have just had so much homework it's unreal! I shall get started straight away, so on the 3rd March, Dad and I went to Titchwell. When we got their, a group of Golden Plover and Lapwing flew over the car park which was a promising start to the day. We got to the visitor center, and went out onto the feeders. We could see about 5 Brambling and a Water Rail under the feeders...

We then walked down the main track, and we knocked on to a Kingfisher distantly on the Thornham Grazing Marsh. Then we went into Parrinder Hide. Not much there, just the regular Black and Bar-tailed Godwits, Snipe, Dunlin, Redshank, Curlew etc. We then went onto the beach. We got fantastic views of 4 Long-tailed Ducks, 2 being a flypast, the other 2 were close inshore, them being female. We also saw Goldeneye, a big group of Eider, Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Scoters. A brief Juvenile Gannet was distant, and 2 Ringed Plovers were on the beach. We then went back, and got great views of Spotted Redshank and other common species, including the Red-crested Pochard.

Black-tailed Godwit

Golden Plover

Avocets

Grey Plover

Oystercatchers

Ringed Plover

Redshank

Knot

Snipe

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank and Avocet

Turnstone

Pink-footed Geese

Red-crested Pochard

Brent Geese

Shoveler

Teal

A Chinese Water Deer also put in an appearance, as did some lovely snowdrops.

We then went back and had sandwiches, then headed back out to the beach. When we got out there the tide was out, so we walked down to the shoreline. As soon as we got down there at put the scope down, we could pick out a Velvet Scoter among 3 Common Scoters due to the white wing patch. Then, we saw 6 Long-tailed Ducks, 4 Drakes!!!!! Not much else of note, so we headed back. We saw 2 Water Rails on the way back, one on Thornham Grazing Marsh, then one in the ditch behind the feeders.

Happy Birding

Great Livermere Lifer

Now you might think it's odd that I do 2 posts in 2 days, but this is because Dad and I went for a quick 2 hours birding on Sunday, the day after the Thetford visit. We visited Great Livermere, to see the Brambling flock which I haven't got on the year list yet. It took us a little while to find the place, but as it was our first time of being there, it would. We started off straight away with a mixed finch flock, including a Lesser Redpoll, Brambling, Siskin, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and a Goldfinch.

We then caught onto this little beauty......

We then moved on to the lake, and it was full of Mallards. We spotted a couple of Shelduck on it though...

There were also an Egyptian Goose, 3 Barnacle Goose amongst several Greylags, plus plenty of Lapwing. I then picked up a Gull on the water, with a flatter head shape, and a longer neck. Dad and I were a bit stumped because we don't know much about gulls, so we thought we'd take a picture of it, and then id it when we got home (with my new 2nd edition Collin's Bird Guide!)

We have concluded that it was a juvenile Caspian Gull. With the flat head, and longer neck when stretching in the water does fit the id in the book. This is a lifer for both me and dad. We then moved back towards the bushes, were we picked up a very tame Goldcrest. But do you think it would stop for a picture? No. We then walked down to were you could get a view round down the path where the feeders were. We got a cracking Mealy Redpoll in one of the trees, with some Lesser's, and also a Marsh Tit on the feeders...

Mealy Redpoll

Lesser Redpoll

We then saw all the Brambling's coming down onto the path....

Phil the pheasant though kept spooking them off.

I then spotted a pair of Tufted Ducks amongst the Mallards...

We then moved onto the Pig fields, just to see if any rare gulls were about. In the end we didn't concentrate on the gulls, so here's what we did concentrate on...

Plenty of Shelduck

Also plenty of Stock Dove

5 Roe Deer were keeping a close eye on us

And a Muntjac kept camouflage with some Chickens? 

And some great Red-legged Partridges.

Happy Birding!