Nunnery Lakes and Lynford Arboretum + Bird Quiz - Week 10

On Thursday, Dad and I went back to Lynford Arboretum to try and get good pictures of the Two-barred Crossbills. First though, we visited Nunnery Lakes NR (permition only), to try and see the reported Ring ouzel. We got permission from the BTO HQ, and walked round. We didn't get the Ring Ouzel, but we did get Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Great-crested Grebes, common wildfowl and 2 collared Canada Geese. One was AA7, and the other was ACM.

Chiffchaff

 Cormorants

Hare

Holy Blue

Marsh Tit

Willow Warbler

We then went to Lynford. We got 3 Two-barred Crossbills, 2 males and 1 female. Also, 2 Hawfinch flew over, and a cracking Grey Wagtail was on the puddle, but no pics were taken of him/her.

Brimstone

Chaffinch

Common Crossbill

Orange Tip

Pied Wagtail

Siskin

Speckled Wood

Treecreeper

Two-barred Crossbills

Bird Quiz - Week 10

I tried to trick some of you guys with last weeks mystery bird by repeating it. It was indeed another Scaup, which I saw at Barton Broad a couple of years ago. Well done to Rob Stokes and Jim Bradley for getting the correct answers. Unlucky to those who got it wrong. Here's this weeks mystery bird.....

Just leave your answers in the comments, and I will reveal the correct entries next week.

Happy Birding and Good Luck!

Lynford LIFER!!!!

As I was off school on Wednesday due to the strike, Dad and I visited Lynford Arboretum, to try for the Two-barred Crossbills for the third time this year. We got to the car park, and could hear 2 Firecrests singing. I found them after a hunt, and then we moved on to the visitor hut. Dad found 1 Crossbill in the larches, but nothing else. We then met a chap who we spent the day with who had a Mealy Redpoll in the trees earlier. We went up to the feeders, and saw nothing much in there, just the usual Nuthatch. We then got a big flock of about 25 Crossbill flying over. Half landed in the surrounding trees, half went to the larches back by the visitor hut. We scanned the flock, but couldn't find any Two-barred's. So we went back to the visitor hut.

I soon spotted a male Crossbill in the top of a pine. But when I put my bins to it, it had 2 massive bars!!!!! It was a TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL! It then flew to the construction site, and into a big puddle, where I got this distant pic.

It then flew off, with about 5 Common Crossbills. I then could hear another 2 Firecrests in the local area. We managed to find them both, including one showy and vocal individual.

I did get a few Brambling down by the little stream adjacent to the river near the bridge, but to my knowledge not much else.

On the way back, another Crossbill flock came in and landed in the pines. We searched through the flock, and was delighted to pick out a second TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL!!!! This time though, it was the first winter bird, and clearly different to the first one we saw. The bars though were pretty obvious.

We then went to Santon Downham with this guy (sorry, don't know what your name is.) We got a distant Chiffchaff showing on the river...

We then got a female Mandarin...

After walking a mile down river though, we didn't see any of the Lesser-spotted Woodpeckers, even though 2 were reported on RBA. Annoyed!! We came back though and a male joined the female Mandarin, which was nice to see. We did get the usual Nuthatches as well...

There was also a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker and 3 Hawfinches reported at Lynford, exactly where I walked to see the Brambling's by the River!!! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!! Always next weekend.

Tonight, I had a golf lesson at Stonham Barns. I got a Yellow Wagtail on the range which was a great early bird.

Happy Birding!

Brecks

On Tuesday, Dad and I visited the Brecks before my dentist appointment in Bury St. Edmunds. We started off at an undisclosed site where we got brief view of a Goshawk (what we came for), but it was distant and all of about 30 seconds. We also got Nuthatch here, but not much else. We then went to Lynford Arboretum. We didn't get any Hawfinches, but we got Crossbill, common passerines and more Nuthatches.

Happy Birding!

Dipper City!

On Saturday, it was another visit to Thetford and Lynford Arboretum yesterday (Saturday), but this time with Mum. We thought we'd bring Mum along is because she loves the Dipper, so for her to miss out on the Black-bellied Dipper would be a shame. I exaggerated on the video note, taking 4 excellent videos of the Dipper. I have put the 2 best ones after the pictures, that all have us have contributed on. Here are Mums.....

And here are Dad's......

And here are mine.....

We then went to Lynford Arboretum, this being attempt 2 of trying to get the Hawfinch. We started by parking in the Lynford Water car park, and walking through the arboretum. We past the little stone area were the feed is, and we saw Nuthatch, Marsh, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, plus a Sparrowhawk. We got round to the Paddock, and guys with scopes were looking towards a tree top were 2 Hawfinch sat. There were distant, but here's one of them.

We then walked to the gate to Lynford Hall, and found 4 very greedy Squirrels on the stumps.

We then went down the path that goes alongside the river, and caught a large flock of Siskins and Redpoll feeding....

Then there were a very tame Mute Swan...

We ended the day with a Marsh Tit posing for the camera....

Thetford Area

Today we went round Thetford Area to see if we could see the Black-bellied Dipper at Thetford, and maybe a Hawfinch at Lynford Arboretum. After a bit of trouble trying to find the place, we got to the car park eventually. We saw a bloke with a massive camera lense pull up too, so we decided to follow him because we thought that he was looking for the Dipper too. We followed him over 2 footbridges, and then we saw it. We (Dad and I) couldn't believe how close it was......

Here are some digiscoped pics that Dad took....

I did take a video, but I took this from the first time we saw it on the day, and it was closer later on, but I didn't think of doing another video, so I'm a bit annoyed at myself, but here it is. It's a bit difficult to pick out, but it's there.

Other birds about in the area included about 200 Siskin's flying about, a Muntjac, a Goldcrest and a delightful Jay. 

We then moved on to Lynford Arboretum. We didn't get any Hawfinch's, but this is what we did get......

Swans and ducks. There was a Little Grebe there too but not photographed

Several Marsh Tits

And several Nuthatches

We got both Firecrest and Goldcrest, plus a Bullfinch. We moved on to Santon Downham, where we got even more Bullfinch...

That was it for that day, but yesterday - Saturday - We went down Rendall Lane, near Saxham Street in Stowupland to see the massive Skylark flock in the fields (for more details on how to get there, see "Daily Sightings" page). It was incredible.....

We did the Big Garden Birdwatch yesterday - all sighitngs on "Daily Sightings" page, but highlights included 8 Long-tailed Tits, plus a Goldfinch. Frustratingly, fly over birds don't count, because we could have had Fieldfare, Collard Dove, Black-headed and the resident Common Gull all added onto the list. 

Talking of Common Gull, we had 2 birds flying around the back garden together this morning, so that was nice to see. We were going to go out birding yesterday, but in the end we didn't. We were going to see the the Slavonian Grebe at Whitlingham, and the Great White Egret at Wymondham. There you go! Happy Birding!