Norfolk day 5 – Sheringham rocks!

Birders might say it but Norfolk is rarely genuinely ‘rubbish’ and today was to remind me exactly what it can be about. Ten minutes of the afternoon were about as exciting a ten minutes of birding as I can remember! Putting that into words might be a challenge though....

Anyway before we get there......







The day started off quietly enough, hanging around Sheringham and taking a photo opportunity with a Purple Sandpiper on the rocks off the promenade.....

Wakey wakey!









That's more like it - until disappearing out view!








A First Winter Little Gull gave an acrobatic display fending off the local Gull population......








and then (horribly late) I refreshed my Norfolk bird news to find a Pallas’s Warbler (a lifer for me) had been found in the dunes at Burnham Overy a couple of hours previously!

Cursing somewhat and hopefully reassuring Yvonne that this was to be the real side of Norfolk we sped off.
Watch this space......

Norfolk day 4 – Shore Lark at last!

Talk about making me wait! A repeat check of the shingle slopes East of the East bank at last gave up what you might think would be a banker bird for the trip? (You'll have to scroll down a bit!)

This was after pretty good views of flighty Bearded Tit along the East bank. I only managed a female.....








Nice views of a Curlew Sandpiper.....







A juvenile Spoonbill was also showing well!








A Shore Lark finally had the decency to add me to the long list of birders who had been enjoying the scene! The single bird seen is likely to be a female? The head markings were nowhere near as bright and striking as birds I’ve seen in the past. Nevertheless, a long overdue bird for the weekend and year list!










A small line of Geese flying overhead also caught my eye and White-fronted Goose was added too!






There were few other ‘moment’s and I certainly won’t treasure the 45 minutes finale to the day spent staring at a hedge at Kelling where a Barred Warbler refused to break cover!

The only birds showing well here were...... a Chiffchaff on the walk down which was very obliging......










And a Goldcrest (lots of them!) in the evening glow.






Oh well, some steady birding today but no rarities! Tomorrows another day....

Norfolk day 3 – that’s more like it!

Saturday saw a link up with the SOS trip to the area but my early arrival meant I’d had time to do my homework and book a couple of pubs for the following two evenings. A pre-breakfast seawatch didn’t produce any excitement and unlucky timing at Holkham meant that we couldn’t get over to the dunes (no chance of Shore Lark yet again then!!) The falling tide and water laden channels meant feet got wet for nowt!

Apart from 'record shots' just a Wheatear posing nicely.....








The afternoon saw a ‘coin’s toss’ between a marathon mud yomp for Olive-backed Pipit versus Holme and a few good migrants - Holme won! Literally the first bird seen got the adrenaline racing…..

As I was unloading the boot near the visitor centre, a cry of ‘Harrier’ went up. I turned round, camera poised as the Harrier briefly dropped on prey unseen, before flying towards the trapping area. Blimey, or words to that effect – that was a juvenile Montagu’s Harrier! Despite the few seconds the bird was in view, I managed a couple of shots and whilst it clearly isn’t a Hen Harrier, the id has proved to be inconclusive as (at the time with forums buzzing) Pallid Harrier had not been ruled out. Whilst I'd love it to be a Pallid, my money is on a Monty having checked out references and images of juveniles online. The pale collar is quite striking there's no striking dark 'boa' behind this and the barring on the primaries (which should be bold) isn't.....






This was more like it! The recently reported Great-grey Shrike eluded us but as we trudged through the dunes to where a likely looking gallery of birders had formed, we finally got amongst a couple of ‘specials’ Firstly Yellow-browed Warbler in a bramble thicket and then a brief glimpse of Wryneck, which was the reason everyone had gathered there!

It was brief, the views were clear enough - no images possible but... nice one Norfolk - that’s more like it!

Norfolk day 2 – ticking along slowly!

All was quiet on the rarity front but at least four year ticks (some ‘standard Norfolk birds were missing) were to make the day worthwhile. The East bank at Cley provided Egyptian Goose and Bearded Tit. A good number and variety of waders on Arnolds Marsh: Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Curlew Sandpiper (1), Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone and Ringed Plover. Cross onshore winds mean a few seabirds were within range but nothing special, Eider, Red-throated and Black-throated Diver picked up on the water. Yet another Shore Lark blank return but pretty amazing migration action with hundreds of Redwing arriving!

Salthouse was fairly quiet again and more shingle trudges failed to produce Lapland Bunting or Shore lark! This Chiffchaff was one of several smaller birds arriving.....






An amazing encounter (too close!) in the car park followed as I was leaving - with a Great Skua trying to mug the Gulls overhead! Had I managed to focus on the bird as I was putting the gear away, I might have managed a head shot only?

A finale at Walsey Hills saw me eaten alive by mozzies! Quite a few Brambling here...







I suppose four year ticks for the day was a worthwhile return but it would have been nice to get some more images.....

Norfolk Day 1 - you should have been here yesterday!

What have Cattle Egret, Red-backed Shrike, Barred Warbler and Shore Lark all got in common? All dipped on day 1 – that’s what! It wasn’t the best of starts to a long weekend! March Farmers for the Cattle Egret was a ‘first’ visit and three Common Cranes provided some overhead flight interest, and that was just about it.






The obliging Cromer Red-backed Shrike was anything but – it had undoubtedly gone - no further reports came out subsequently.

The Cramborough Hill Barred Warbler had probably gone anyway but a check of the area was pretty uneventful, a beach/sea wall yomp failed to deliver Shore Lsrk too.

A late evening Barn Owl just about the only entertainment off the nearby ‘Iron road’.

Just need a little bit of luck......

Venus Pool - final Tern?

The Terns keep a coming! After the run of Black Terns, a juv Common Tern dropped in at lunchtime today....








The Geese wisely kept their heads down!








That's it for Shropshire then, for at least five days - Norfolk here I come.....

Venus Pool - Med at last!

This bird is long overdue! It’s the first Med Gull I’ve caught up with in Shropshire since 26th October 2008 (again at Venus Pool) and so far as the 2010 County list concerned a bit of a milestone with the ‘170’ mark having been reached!! This is the second '170' in the last three years with a near miss is 2009 where I finished on 169.

This might be the year to challenge my best County year tally of 173 but it will take some good and possibly unexpected birds to better that (and I’m not going to get out the ‘crystal ball’)

Anyway, back to the present – a quick call at VP, mainly to check for the Pec Sand I’d been hoping for? Nothing doing so I ‘browsed the Black headed Gulls (a routine occupation it seems) once, then twice – nothing doing!

Something unseen spooked the whole reserve and as the Gulls settled again, one caught my eye (which must have been previously out of sight.) Black legs, black bill for starters plus a pale grey mantle and mask behind the eye – about time too - a 1st Winter Mediterranean Gull!









Seen with a nearby Black headed Gull, the differences are blindingly obvious and it lingered for a couple of minutes, had a gulp or two of water......









and then it did what I was half expecting.... flew off.....










Just my luck to be shooting into the light as it flew South but these record shots will do.....


Virtually three months of the year to go. The UK yearlist will hopefully get some attention next, from Thursday onwards - Jims off to Norfolk......

(if I have access to wireless interent, the blog may get updated)