Long time no read!

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last couple of months. I have had a week of mock exams, so there was a lot of revising and extra work which restricted my time to do a blog post. This post is a bit of a liquorice allsorts as to what it contains, so here goes...

On the last day of Springwatch, we were on Unsprung in the audience, so if you spotted a young lad with blond hair with his mum and dad, that was me! Because of Springwatch I was down guiding at Minsmere on most weekends over a month or two. Highlights and year ticks have been Gannet, Arctic Tern, Garganey, Great White Egret and the usual bits and bobs you would expect. The Bearded Tits have been showing well along North Wall..

 
Here is the Arctic Tern, and one of 3 Spotted Redshanks that were present on the 21st June...

Moving on to the the patch and I had my first year tick for 2 months over the house last Monday, but boy was it a tick............. a HONEY BUZZARD! And best of all, it was over my garden! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture, but my local Common Buzzards were up with it, and you could compare the 2 species very easily.

We have also been out with our good friend David a lot too, and Mum and I joined him to go and look at Scarce Emerald Damselflies near Redgrave. It was a great learning experience for me to distinguish the differences between Scarce and common Emerald Damselflies by getting them close up in pots...

sorry but the pics are on the wonk for some reason!

Also on this day, we went to see some Orchids, where we saw Common and Heath Spotted, Southern Marsh and the rarer race of Early Marsh Orchid.

 Heath Spotted

Southern Marsh 

 Early Marsh

Common Spotted, but again, all on the tilt!

We have also been to the Brecks with David, where we have seen Nightjar, Tree Pipit, Barn Owl and Long-eared Owl.

Happy Birding!

Waxham and Titchwell Marsh - 16th August 2014

As we were staying in a static caravan in Sea Palling, we thought it would be a good time to get out onto the Norfolk coast, and see what was about. Dad and I headed to Waxham early morning to do a bit of sea-watching. We got a few distant Arctic Skua's, a nice Fulmar north and a possible Sabine's Gull that flew close North but it was very brief.

Later on that day, we headed to Titchwell, hoping for the Spotted Crake. We got out to the Island Hide, and prepared to wait for an hour or so, in hope of the Spotted Crake making an appearance. We were entertained while we waited by Ruff, Golden Plover and Sandwich Terns...

A Wall Brown posed for us outside the hide...

With no sign of the Spotted Crake in the morning, we headed out of Island Hide and to the beach and Parrinder Hide. The sea didn't hold much apart from some Eider close inshore and a Buzzard that came in-off! Parrinder Hide held the usual Spoonbill flock, 19 strong, and a couple of Spotted Redshank which were nice to watch...

We headed back to Island Hide, where hadn't missed the Spotted Crake. Unfortunately, it never showed throughout the day, but we I did spot a Water Rail in the spot where the Spotted Crake had been, which got people excited!

We also got 4 Red-crested Pochards in the Reedbed before the freshmarsh which was a nice Norfolk year tick!

A quick visit to Cley provided us with a distant Little Stint, a Whimbrel, a flock of Spoonbills and the gull flock which held the Franklin's Gull, but we didn't see it...

Happy Birding!!

A Wader Fest to Remember!

On Sunday, Dad and I visited Minsmere to catch up on some of the brilliant waders present on the scrape. We arrived at about 11:00, and headed to North Hide. We got 3 Greenshank, 3 Green Sandpiper and 2 Common Sandpiper from the hide on North Scrape. Nearly every wader we saw was really distant so that's the excuse of the poor picture quality.

I then thought I would scan East Scrape with my scope, and I picked out the COLLARED PRATINCOLE which was huddled against some tall weeds, so it wasn't visible from East Hide currently. We got some terrible record shots, but, its proof for when I get older and say "I never saw that!"

We then moved round to East Hide. On the way we got several Six-spotted Burnet moths and a range on Butterflies including Gatekeeper and Common Blue...

By the time East Hide, the COLLARED PRATINCOLE had slightly changed position, so it was now in view. Still very distant though!

The PRATINCOLE wasn't moving at all. However, there were several other  waders present on the scrape. A birder from in the hide said "I've never seen so many people ignore a Collared Pratincole!" Don't know your name mate, but loving the tone!

Other waders we got on the scrape were 2 Wood Sandpipers, Curlew Sandpiper, Little-ringed Plover, 12 Spotted Redshanks, 4 Greenshanks, 1 flyover Whimbrel, Snipe and loads of Dunlin, Lapwing, Redshanks and Ruff.

Curlew Sand and Dunlin

Green Sand

Little Ringed Plover

Snipe

Spotted Redshank

2 Spotted Redshanks, Lapwings and a Common Sand (top right of the pic)

Here is a terrible picture of one of the Wood Sands, taken on my phone from the back of my camera. It is truely shocking I grant you ;-)

There were about 53 Little Gulls present too...

And finally, plenty of Common Terns...

Well I'm now off for nearly 7 weeks now as its the...............................SUMMER HOLIDAYS!!! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEE! 

I'm on the Isle of Islay for a week, and then at a wedding, and then staying in Norfolk for a birding weekend! Bring on the MEGA'S!!!!

HAPPY BIRDING FOLKS!