Tour News
Latest Tour News
2008
9th May 08: Minsmere - The highlights 2 singing Firecrests, one seen at extremely close quarters, Garganey & Bittern. Also seen were 4+ Garden Warblers, 4 Cettis Warblers, Nightingale, 2 Spotted Redshanks, 4 common sandpipers, 4 Knot, Little Gull, Bearded Tit & 3 Hobbies, a jolly good day out.
8th May 08: Evening trip to Hickling - 2 Little Gulls, 2 Greenshank, 2 Common Sandpipers, marsh harrier & 3 Whimbrel
7th May 08: Evening trip to Sea Palling - eventually had good views of male Subalpine Warbler. Also Whinchat, 2 yellow wagtails & whimbrel
5th May 08: Customised tour of North Norfolk - Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Woodlarks, 5 buzzards, Ring Ouzel, Black Redstart, Green Winged Teal, 3 Black Terns, 2 Temminck's Stints, 2 Garden Warblers, Marsh harrier & male Montagu's Harrier.
4th May 08: Visited various sites in North Norfolk - 3 Black Terns, LRP, Temminck's Stint, Grey Wagtail, Hobby, Buzzard & 2 Greenshanks. After the tour saw Barn Owl, Redpoll, Cetti's warbler and Bearded Tit
3rd May 08: Holme & Choseley - 4 Dotterel, Red Crested Pochard, Whinchat, marsh harrier, buzzard, Grey Partridge, whimbrel, cuckoo, 15 Yellow Wagtails, Lesser Whitethroat & 15+ Corn buntings
2nd May 08: Holkham & Burnham Overy dunes - Barn Owl en route to the coast, 3 Ring Ouzels, Hobby, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, Grasshopper & cettis Warbler (h), 10+ Wheatear, marsh harrier, 2 buzzards, Greenshank, 3 whimbrel, Eider, 10+ Little Terns & 100+ Pink Feet.
30th April 08: Holkham & Choseley - 11 Dotterel, Little Owl, 5 Ring Ouzels, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, Grasshopper Warbler (h), Wheatear, marsh harrier, 3 buzzards, whimbrel & 100 Pink Footed Geese.
27th April 08: Customised tour of North Norfolk - Montagu's Harrier, buzzard, marsh harrier, grey partridge, 8 Dotterel, Corn Bunting, 3 Wheatears, Ring Ouzel, Bearded Tit, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Tit, Yellow Wagtail & Little Tern.
26th April 08: Hickling - Grasshopper Warbler, Bittern showed very well, Bearded Tit, marsh harriers, 2 Little Gulls, Arctic Tern, first Swift of the year, 30 Whimbrel, Green Sandpiper & 2 Grass Snakes. A lunch break stop yielded the 13 Dotterel at Acle.
25th April 08: Minsmere – Stars of the day were the 4-5 Nightingales showing brilliantly often in full song. Also, Jack Snipe, 2 Hobbies, 2 Lesser Whitethroats, Bittern, numerous Cetti's Warblers, 2 Dartford Warblers, Bearded Tit, Marsh Harrier, 150+ Avocet, 2 Med Gulls, Wheatear, Grasshopper Warbler (h), Marsh Tit, Common Tern & Garden Warbler. On the reptile front, we had very close up views of an Adder.
24th April 08: Cley area - 2 woodlarks, Dartford Warbler, first cuckoo of the yr, 2 Bullfinches, 2 Shore Larks, wheatear, ruddy duck, greenshank & spotted redshank
23rd April 08: Hickling - 8 species of warbler including 2 Grasshopper Warblers + 2 heard, 3 cetti's warblers and first sedge and reed warblers of the year. Also bearded tit, marsh harriers food passing and heard cranes & a bittern booming.
21st April 08: Winterton - Missed the lark by 15 mins but managed to see Wryneck, Hoopoe, Hen Harrier, Wheatears and a Ring Ouzel nearby at Ormesby
20th April 08: Winterton - A late hour in the dunes produced good views of the male BLACK LARK, what a cracking bird !
16th April 08: Hickling - A cold evening, 5 Common Cranes, 5 Whimbrel, Bearded Tit, 10+ Marsh Harriers, first House Martin of the year and a Bittern booming
15th April 08: A few hours on the north norfolk coast produced the Great Grey Shrike on Kelling heath and a summer plumage Water Pipit at Cley
13th April 08: The Brecks - Visited two sites seeing a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, 1-2 Firecrests, 3 Hawfinches perched for 15 minutes in the pouring rain (unfortunately after the tour had finished), Brambling & Marsh Tit
12th April 08: The Brecks - Various sites seeing 2-3 Firecrests, a flyover Hawfinch, Stone Curlew, Brambling & Marsh Tit. Unfortunately the Lesser spot seems to have been bullied out (by a great spot) of the potential nest hole it was in 3 days previously.
9th April 08: The Brecks - A fairly productive morning again with bright sunshine, best birds a pair of Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, the male excavating a nest hole with the female inspecting his work. Also summer plummage male Brambling, Willow Warbler, Stone Curlew and a Buzzard.
8th April 08: Minsmere - A lovely cold sunny morning, 2 Dartford Warblers, good views of Cettis warbler, Med Gull, Bearded Tit, 10+ Marsh Harrier, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and lots of sand martins and swallows. Also several Bitterns booming but none seen.
7th April 08: Norwich - drake Garganey & 10+ swallows on Colney Gravel Pits and 4 Siskins on Niger seed feeders in my back garden !
15th March - 4th April 08: Trip to North East India including, Darjeeling, Sandakphu trek and Kaziranga & Nameri National Parks.
Highlights: Animals - 2 Tigers, Rhino, Asian Elephants & Capped Langur
Birds - Blue Naped Pitta, White Winged Duck, Satyr Tragopan, Greater Adjutant, 4 Fire Tailed Myzornis, 4 Ibisbill, Oriental Hobby, Scaly Laughingthrush, Swamp Francolin, Great & Wreathed Hornbill, Crested Kingfisher, 100+ flock of White Throated Needletails, Grey Headed Lapwing, flock of 5 migrating Black Bazas, Pallas's Fish Eagle, male Pied harrier, Rufous Necked Laughingthrush, Red Billed Leiothrix, Red Tailed Minla, Golden Breasted Fulvetta, Brown Parrotbill, Rufous Breasted Accentor, White Browed Rosefinch, Collared Grosbeak, 4 species of Green Pigeon, 5 species of Redstart, 8 species of Flycatcher, 13 phylloscopus type warblers and 6 species of sunbird.
9th March 08: Wacton common - Short eared Owl
19th Feb 08: a fairly quiet afternoon on the north norfolk coast the highlight being 3 different Barn Owls
16th Feb 08: Lynford Arboretum & Grimes Graves - A fairly productiove morning in the breks seeing, 2 Hawfinches, male Goshawk, Woodcock and Great Grey Shrike
9th Feb 08: morning walk from from Wells town to Burnham Overy town via the coastal path, a beautiful day, on the bird front saw 2 Buzzards, white fronted geese and a Short Eared Owl.
3rd Feb 08: Titchwell - 7 Lesser Redpolls, brambling, woodcock and Peregrine
26th Jan 08: Blythburgh, Thorpeness, Minsmere, Lowestoft, Waxham, Buckenham - A cracking day out, 22 Bewick Swans, Great White Egret, drake Smew, siskin, Firecrest, Black Throated Diver, Shag, Purple Sandpiper, Grey Phalarope, 9 Common Cranes and 4 Barn Owls
22nd Jan 08: Cantley & Buckenham Marshes - 70+ Taiga Bean Geese, 2 Peregrines and 100+ White Fronted Geese
20th Jan 08: Suffolk - North Warren, Minsmere & Southwold - 100+ White Fronted Geese, 8 Tundra Bean Geese, 80+ Barnacle Geese, Merlin & Lesser Yellowlegs
16th Jan 08: Holkham, Brancaster Staithe & Titchwell - 3 Barn Owls, White fronted and Pink footed Geese, 100+ Snow Buntings, Rock Pipit, 2 Black Brants, 20+ Twite, Woodcock, 4 Lesser Redpolls and siskin
12th Jan 08: Terrington Marshes - Richard's Pipit, Water, Rock and Meadow Pipits
9th Jan 08: Holkham Park - Excellent views of male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
6th Jan 08: Year Listing day out - We visited Lackford Lakes, Santon downham, Lynford Arboretum, Pentney GP's, Roydon Common, Cley, Salthouse & Titchwell managing exactly 100 species. Highlights were Marsh Tit, 4 Bullfinches, 20,000 Starlings leaving the roost, Gosander, Ruddy Duck, 200+ Brambling, Scaup, Great Grey Shrike, Hen Harrier, WHITE CROWNED SPARROW, Barn Owl, Snow Bunting, Little Egret, Lapland Bunting, Pink Footed Goose and Spotted Redshank. There was talk of playing it cool when the mega news broke, but we managed to make a small detour to Cley while travelling between Roydon and Titchwell !
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2007
I have been leading tour throughout 2007 though I have not had the time to do the updates on the news page so here are the years highlights: Shore Lark, Waxwing, Scaup, Merlin, Lesser Yellowlegs, Woodcock, Goosander, Slavonian Grebe, Woodlark, Firecrest, Hawfinch, Willow Tit, Common Crane 32, Ring Ouzel, Short eared Owl, Spoonbill, Redstart, Montagu's Harrier, Honey Buzzard, Golden Oriole, Stone Curlew, Greenish Warbler, Pectoral Sandpiper, Sabine's Gull, Sooty Shearwater, Purple Sandpiper, Yellow-browed Warbler, Long-billed Dowitcher, Great Egret, Waxwing, Barred Warbler, Lapland Bunting, Great Grey Shrike, Richard's Pipit,
Natural Surroundings has proved good for spring migrants this year with a peak of seven Wheatears, Ring Ouzel on three dates and a adult Mediterreanean Gull. Raptors are often seen with the best day so far this year recording Peregrine, Common Buzzard and Hobby.
12th/13th May Weekend Tour of Holkham & Holme Dunes: A good birding weekend with: Pink-footed Goose, QUAIL, Fulmar, Gannet, Hobby, Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper, Little Tern, Turtle Dove, Barn Owl, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat and Yellowhammer.
21st/22nd April Weekend tour of Holme Dunes and Holkham: Good numbers of migrants included over 20 Ring Ouzels, Grasshopper Warbler, Little Tern, Swift, Sedge Warbler, Cuckoo, White Wagtail, Whinchat, Mediteranean Gulls, Whitethroat, Short-eared Owl, Yellow Wagtail and a RED KITE.
20th April Natural Surroundings; A male Ring Ouzel spent the morning on the meadows.
March was a good month on the tours with the highlights being;Woodlark, Firecrest, Hawfinch, Common Buzzard, Willow Tit, Redpoll, Common Crane, Bittern, Tawny Owl, Grey Wagtail, Marsh Tit and Cetti's Warbler.
10th & 11th February 2007: A weekend tour that proved to be excellent birding; White-fronted Geese, Goosander, Slavonian Grebe 4, Fulmar, Gannet, Common Buzzard, Water Rail, Avocet, Woodcock, Great Skua, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Barn Owl, Shore Lark, Rock Pipit, Fieldfare, Bearded Tit, Bullfinch & Snow Bunting
2nd & 3rd February 2007: Customised tour for two days. Some good birds and great weather; Shore Lark, Fieldfare, male & female Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Merlin, Sparrowhawk, Barn Owl, WAXWING, LESSER YELLOWLEGS, Scaup 4, Long-tailed Duck, Greenshank, Snow Bunting, Common Buzzard and Tree Sparrow.
2006
26th August 2006 Titchwell: Twenty-three species of wader today including Temminck's and Little Stint, Curlew, Green & Common Sandpiper and Whimbrel. 50+ Greenshanks and 12 Spotted Redshank and a group of 7 Garganey. 2 Spoonbills, an Arctic Tern, several Arctic Skuas and two Mediteranean Gulls made for an interesting day on the lagoons. The bushes held several warblers including Lesser Whitethroat and Garden Warbler.
15th July 2006: The female Montagu's spent half an hour chasing Marsh Harriers and the male was seen before he moved off hunting. The male Honey Buzzard showed well during the early afternoon. The rest of the day was spent in the woods seeing White Admiral and Purple Hairstreaks.
14th July 2006: The male Golden Oriole showed before the heat of the day. We also saw Hobby & Stone Curlew. The afternoon was spent in the cool woods watching White Admiral butterflies.
12th July 2006: Excellent male Golden Oriole and flight views of a female plus Grasshopper Warbler, Firecrest, Goshawk, Grasshopper Warbler and Stone Curlew.
9th July 2006: Butterfly Walk: Seventeen butterfly species including three White-letter Hairstreaks and several Dark Green Fritillary. We also saw several moths including Oak Eggar and Hummingbird Hawkmoth.
8th July 2006: Superb views of a male Golden Oriole for ten minutes or so plus; Grasshopper Warbler, Stone Curlew and Hobby.
7th July 2006: A good raptor day with Montagu's Harrier and Hony Buzzard showing well.
6th July 2006: Golden Oriole, Hobby, Turtle Dove and Stone Curlew today.
1st July 2006: A great raptor day with a cool wind in the hot sun ! Three male Montagu's Harriers and one female showed well. A Red Kite drifted over, several hobbies hunted above the woods and a displaying Goshawk along with good views of a male Honey Buzzard gave us nine raptor species for the day plus Little and Barn Owl.
21st June After good tours to see Golden Orioles todays RAPTOR tour was very successful with eight raptor species including; Montagu's Harrier 3, Honey Buzzard 2 and a Red Kite.
26th - 28th May 2006 A three day tour which proved difficult in rather winter like weather ! Pintail, Montagu's Harrier, Hobby, Little Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Gull, Bittern, Wheatear and Garden Warbler.
21st & 22nd May 2006 Titchwell & Holkham: Bird of the weekend was the HONEY BUZZARD I found flying low over Titchwell as we ate our lunch on Saturday. We had great views as it took ten minutes to glide over the reserve and away to the south west. Holkham provided good views of three Spoonbills, Cuckoo and four Crossbills. Bird of the day was a male MONTAGU's HARRIER which showed very well.
Four day tour finishing on the 14th May: Little Gull, Bittern, Black Redstart, Crossbill, Redpoll, Spoonbill, Garganey, Montagu's Harrier, Pied Flycatcher, Tree Pipit, Spotted Redshank & Merlin.
6th May 2006 Burnham Overy Dunes: A good day with a few migrants with best being a male MONTAGU'S HARRIER and an adult OSPREY both seen well drifting west.
5th May 2006 Cley: Waders were the main interest today with Wood Sandpiper, Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper all seen. The highlights were a male Peregrine and a superb adult Mediteranean Gull which flew east.
3rd May 2006 Titchwell: A good day with a fall of Spotted Flycatchers. A Bittern was heard booming and good views of Siskin, Common Tern, White Wagtail, Wood Sandpiper, Velvet Scoter and Hobby.
26th April Holkham: A good day with 99 species seen including; Barn Owl, Greenland Wheatear, Redpoll, Common Buzzard, Whimbrel, Pintail, Pink-footed Geese, Cuckoo, Swift, Hobby, Tawny Owl, Lesser Whitethroat and Little Tern.
21st - 23rd April 2006 A three day tour on the north Norfolk coast. Willow Warbler 50+, Reed Warbler, Yellow Wagtail, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Grasshopper Warbler, White Wagtail Mediteranean Gull, Turtle Dove, Whitethroat, Gannet, Little Tern, Redpoll, Lesser Whitethroat, Cuckoo, Redstart, Whimbrel, Tree Pipit, Peregrine, Short-eared Owl, Brambling and Greenshank.
19th April 2006 Cley: A good day if rather wet; A Hen Harrier and RED KITE in off the sea as well as; Sandwich Tern, Wheatear, Greenshank, Yellow Wagtail, Willow Warbler and House Martin.
14th April 2006 Holkham: Willow Warbler, Sand Martin, Sedge Warbler, Redpoll, Brambling, Swallow and Common Buzzard.
26th March 2006 Hickling: Warm and sunny with excellent views of Common Cranes, Hen Harrier, Black-necked Grebe, Little Ringed Plover, Cetti's Warbler, Common Buzzard, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Ruff.
25th March 2006 Lynford & the Brecks: A nice spring day with butterflies and bumble bees. Hawfinch 8, Crossbill 5+, Sparrowhawk, Woodlark, Firecrest, Willow Tit, Common Buzzard & Stone Curlew.
24th March 2006 Holme Dunes: My first Wheatear was good to see today though it was the only migrant ! We also saw; Tree Sparrow, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Redwing, Long-tailed Duck, Grey Heron in off the sea, Great Northern Diver, Grey Partridge and Slavonian Grebe.
18th March 2006 Holkham: No true summer migrants but plenty of interest today. White-fronted Geese, Goldeneye, displaying Marsh Harriers, three Barn Owls, Green Woodpecker, Stonechat, Brambling, Siskin and four Mealy Redpoll with a large flock of Goldfinches. Two Short-eared Owls and Bullfinch.
3rd March 2006 Holme Dunes: A bright clear day with Superb views of Great Northern Diver, Bittern, Long-tailed Duck 37, Twite, Common Buzzard, Eider, Barn Owl and Stonechat.
14th - 19th February 2006: A six day period which proved very productive for the tours: White-fronted Geese, Black Brant, Great Northern Diver, Red-necked & Slavonian Grebes, Common Crane, Velvet Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Short-eared Owl, Little Owl, Common Buzzard 12, Peregrine 3, Hen Harrier, Shore Lark, Snow Bunting, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Firecrest, Crossbill, Brambling, Lapland & Corn Bunting.
5th February 2006 Holme Dunes: Long-tailed Duck 24, Great Northern Diver, Snow Bunting 95+, Rock Pipit, Peregrine, Fulmar, Twite 25+, Bittern.
4th February 2006 Titchwell: Spotted Redshank, Kingfisher, Brambling, Water Rail, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Merlin, Black Brant, Slavonian Grebe, Velvet Scoter, Goldeneye 70+, Fulmar, Black-throated Diver and Stonechat.
28th January 2006 Cley: A cold bright day with a few highlights; Spotted Redshank 5, Barn Owl, Siskin, Stonechat, Avocet 18, Black-tailed Godwit, Sparrowhawk, Song Thrush, Coal Tit, Linnet 50+ and Green Woodpecker.
21st January 2006 Holkham: The weather was great ensuring good views of classic winter birds; Barn Owl 3, White-fronted Geese, Redwing, Fieldfare, Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Snow Bunting, Shore Lark, Eider, Slavonian Grebe, Pertegrine and EIGHT Short-eared Owls.
18th January 2006 Burnham Overy: A good day with great views of the birds; The high light was six Short-eared Owls mobbing a Marsh Harrier as it flew west over the dunes. Also seen; Stonechat, Black-tailed Godwit, Goldeneye, Sparrowhawk, Bearded Tit, Redwing, Song Thrush, Red-throated Diver, Red-breasted Merganser and Ruddy Duck.
14th January 2006 Norfolk Coast: A good day with lots of highlights: White-fronted Goose, Barn Owl 6, Brambling, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Common Buzzard, Tree Sparrow, Bullfinch, Sparrowhawk, Bittern, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Marsh Harrier and Grey Partridge.
7th January 2006 Burnham Overy Dunes: A customised tour proved very rewarding on a very grey day: Peregrine, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Snow Bunting, Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye and Common Scoter.
6th January 2006: Lackford Lakes, Suffolk: A trip to this great Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve was very succesful with good views of; Goosander, Goldeneye, Marsh Tit, and Crossbill.
2005
29th December 2005 Cley: A cold day, -3 all day but good birding ! The unexpected was an Australian Magpie which flew across the Eye field just as we started the tour. An escape from someones aviary. The cold meant that the sheltered areas were full of birds with hundreds of Redwing, Fieldfare and Skylarks. During the day large flocks of Skylarks flew west which were moving a head of the snow to follow. Hundreds of Snipe were feeding in the open on the grass fields at Cley and Salthouse with Black-tailed Godwits and Ruff. Twenty-five Avocets were on Arnolds Marsh with Goldeneye, Pochard and thousands of Teal. Other species seen included Marsh Harrier, Stonechat, Spotted Redshank and Snow Buntings.
November & December have been very good for the tours and for the work I have been doing with the BBC, which you will see next year. High lights over the last six weeks include; Chiffchaff, Shore Lark, Slavonian Grebe, Snow Bunting, Redpoll, Cetti's Warbler, Common Crane, Kingfisher, Peregrine, Barn Owl, Twite, Arctic Skua, Woodcock, Merlin, Water Pipit, Water Rail, Bearded Tit, Ruff, Merlin, Hawfinch, Crossbill, Brambling, Little Owl, Tawny Owl, Short-eared Owl, Goshawk, Common Buzzard, Whooper Swan, Peregrine and Spotted Redshank.
6th November Holkham: The poor weather did not hamper the birding today with the sea being very productive: Red-necked Grebe 10+, Slavonian Grebe 5, Great Northern Diver, Great Crested Grebe 6, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Gannet, Little Gull and Razorbill. The pines were quiet but a Long-eared Owl near the Joe Jorden hide was a good find and a Lapland Bunting showed well in the saltings.
5th November Holme Dunes: A good day with Long-tailed Duck, six Whooper Swans and Snow Bunting the highlights.
28th - 30th October 2005: A three day tour which was good for general birding but did have one rather nice suprise. Thousands of Starling on the move including 10,000 on the 28th, Redpoll, Brambling, Siskin, Sandwich Tern, Slavonian Grebe, Snow Bunting, twenty-six Bewick's Swans and Grey Partridge. On the 29th at Cley the group and I were sat in the Bishop's Hide when flocks of Golden Plover began to drop on to the middle of the pool. I mentioned that the American Golden Plover had been seen at Cley the day before and it would be worth checking the birds as they came in. Five minutes later and there it was a moulting adult AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER. Great when the bird comes to you !
27th October 2005: A half day tour around Salthouse proved interesting with a harvested sugarbeet field holding a large flock of Greenfinches, Linnets and Skylarks which were accompanied by a Lapland Bunting, two Shorelarks and twelve Snow Buntings. A Ring Ouzel flew in off the sea and landed in the hedge and began to feed on the hawthorn berries.
21st - 23rd October 2005: Tours to Holkham, Cley and Holme were typical autumn birding; Swallow, Velvet Scoter, Slavonian Grebe, Little Auk, Twite, Yellow-browed Warbler 3, Wheatear, Razorbill, Redpoll, Pomarine Skua, Yellow-legged Gull, Merlin, Ring Ouzel, Short-eared Owl, Woodcock, Crossbill, Snow Bunting, Lapland Bunting, Peregrine, Little Gull, Barnacle Goose, Northern Bullfinch, and Brambling.
12th - 16th October: A great five-day tour with 126 species including eight Yellow-browed Warblers, Cetti's Warbler, Mediterranean Gull, Merlin, Grey Wagtail, Tree Sparrow, Sandwich Tern, Great Skua, three Short-eared Owls, Snow Bunting, Water Rail, Crossbill, Black Redstart, Redstart, Willow Warbler, Whooper Swan, Ring Ouzel, Woodcock and bird of the tour; a Juvenile LONG TAILED SKUA which we found at Holme Dunes on the 16th. It settled on the salt pool for a few minutes and flew past the group within ten metres
6th - 9th October: A good four days with the main feature the number and excellent views of YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS. We also saw; Kingfisher, Merlin, Sandwich Tern, Hen Harrier, Brambling, Little Gull, Lapland Bunting, Tree Pipit, Redwing, Blackcap, Tree Sparrow, Redpoll, Grey Wagtail, Bittern, Spotted Redshank, Fieldfare, House Martin, Peregrine, Whooper Swan, Grey Partridge, Cetti's Warbler, Curlew Sandpiper, Razorbill and Little Stint.
24th September Holkham: A quiet day with the high lights being twenty-one Common Buzzards and four Lesser Redpoll.
23rd September Blakeney Point: A great walk and we got back just before the rain began ! A few Wheatear, Kingfisher and Common Sandpiper were seen on the walk to halfway house and then I picked out an OSPREY hunting over the Blakeney Channel at 1010. The Osprey then flew over ourheads out over the sea and west to the point where it began to hunt again. The sea held Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser and a summer plumaged Red-throated Diver. A few sightings of Arctic Skuas amoung the large numbers of Gannets feeding offshore. Migrants on the point included Grey Wagtail, Hobby, Song Thrush and Merlin.
21st September Holkham: A warm and sunny day amde birding very pleasant and provided excellent views of raptors including; Peregrine, Hobby, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk & Kestrel. The sea had a fine summer plumaged Red-throated Diver and a few Great Crested Grebes. The woods had plenty of tits and warblers including Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat and YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER which was the bird of the day. Other birds seen were Pink-footed Geese 4500+, Siskin, Tawny Owl, Redstart and 20 Whinchats.
16th September Holkham: A good day with lots of migrants and a good selection of species as the strong north east wind produced a few seabirds including: Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Great, Arctic and Pomarine Skua. The Pink-footed Geese are arriving in good numbers with over 2000 birds present on the marsh with numbers of Wigeon, Pintail and Teal. The Spoonbill was present and the woods had Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whinchat, Redstart and Wheatear and single Brambling, Redpoll, Hobby, Peregrine and three Green Sandpipers.
A seawatch later in the day at Cley produced lots of Manx Shearwaters and a single Leach's Petrel which flew east the west close inshore.
15th September Blakeney Point: A customised tour saw a few early winter visitors including: Rock Pipit, Pink-footed Geese and Fieldfare. Other birds seen were; Yellow Wagtail, Little Stint, Common Tern, Little Tern, Wheatear, Spotted Redshank, Whinchat and RED-BACKED SHRIKE.
11th September Holme Dunes: Bird watching is often difficult in poor weather and the low cloud & cool wind made birding very hard work at Holme today. A sea watch produced Arctic & Great Skua as well as numbers of Gannets. A Hobby showed well low over the dunes and several flights of Pink-footed Geese came in of the sea. The bushes seemed quiet though there were birds to be found and the largest bush in the dunes held Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Redstart, Willow Warbler and Reed Warbler. After five visits to the same bush during the day I heard a GREENISH WARBLER call, though the bird would not show. The next walk round the bush and the "greenish" called again and suddenly showed in the top of the bush calling. Two good views and the the bird disappeared. I rang the visitors centre and the bird was still present in the same bush but showing much better in the sunshine.
Juvenile Red-Backed Shrike 11th September 2004 Digiscoping. Found by Paul Laurie on the 3rd September 2004
Woodchat Shrike; A 1st summer female. Burnham Norton, Norfolk. Photographed by Paul Laurie.
26th May Holme Dunes: An excellent day with a few late migrants which included twenty-five Turtle Doves, Whinchat, Ring Ouzel and four Wheatear. The best birds of the day however were two HONEY BUZZARDS which flew west over the reserve at 1230 and 1330.
22nd May Cley: Only a few migrants but we did see the PURPLE HERON on three occasions as it flew up out of the reedbed and back again. We also saw; Little Gull, Hobby, Whimbrel and good views of Bearded Tit.
21st May Titchwell: A cool day with heavy rain in the afternoon. Birds seen included Garganey, Little Gull, Sanderling, Cetti's Warbler, Great Crested Grebe and Whimbrel.
11th - 15th May FIVE-DAY TOUR: A cool north wind made birding difficult with only a few migrants seen but the birding was still very good: Turtle Dove, Whimbrel, Grasshopper Warbler, Wigeon, Pink-footed Goose, Hobby, Little Gull, Nightingale, Wheatear, Pintail, Cetti's Warbler, Little Ringed Plover, Black Tern, Gannet, Guillemot, Knot, Garganey, Montagu's Harrier, Bittern and Velvet Scoter were all seen with the two star birds being a STILT SANDPIPER and WOODCHAT SHRIKE both seen at Burnham Norton.
5th May Holkham: Two male Garganey showed well and we saw Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and 20+ Whimbrel. A Crossbill flew over calling as did a Grey Wagtail. Lesser Whitethroat and Grasshopper Warblers were heard and the dunes held Wheatear and Stonechat.
3rd May Burnham Overy Dunes: A good day in the sunshine and light showers. The dune bushes held lots of common migrants including; Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Whinchat, Wheatear and a female Common Redstart. 17 Yellow Wagtails, one White Wagtail, 37 Whimbrel, Common Sandpiper and Cuckoo were also seen.
1st May Holme Dunes: 102 species seen today included many common migrants with the highlights being; Greenshank 4, Turtle Dove 6, Tree Pipit 2, Wheatear 24, Nightingale 2, Whinchat 4, Gannet, Common Sandpiper 3, Grey Wagtail, White Wagtail, Garden Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler.
30th April Titchwell: A group of Americans this weekend were impressed with the numbers of common migrants and the number of species we saw, which totalled 98 today; Blackcap 11, Fieldfare, Lesser Whitethroat, Cetti's Warbler, Willow Warbler 13, Turtle Dove 4, Yellow Wagtail 32, Cuckoo 3, Whimbrel, Pied Flycatcher, White Wagtail 5, Wheater 19, Whinchat 3, Garden Warbler 1, Great Northern Diver and Velvet Scoter.
29th April Burnham Overy Dunes: A heavy movement of House Martins and Swallows today and a few migrants in the dunes included; Golden plover, Wheatear 6, Grasshopper Warbler, Short-eared Owl and a cracking male Redstart.
28th April Cley: Another good day at Cley with less movement but several birds not seen yesterday; Wheatear 25, Greenshank 4, Whimbrel 5, Eider, Blackcap 6, Pink-footed Geese, Spotted Redshank 4, Hobby 2, Cetti's Warbler, Garganey male & female, Bittern, Cuckoo and two adult Mediterranean Gulls.
27th April Cley: Good movement of birds westwards today with 28 Yellow Wagtails including a Blue-headed Yellow Wagtail, lots of Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin and a single Brambling. Other birds seen included; Whimbrel 6, Wheatear 20, Cuckoo, Greenshank 3, a booming Bittern, Cetti's Warbler, Nightingale, Garden Warbler, Little Gull and Peregrine.
26th April Holme Dunes: Two each of Cuckoo, Ring Ouzel and Lesser Whitethroat.
24th April Titchwell: An enjoyable day with excellent views of Black Tern and four Little Gulls. The Common Scoter flock gave an impressive fly around the bay and numbered around 4250 with a few Velvet Scoter with them. We also saw Grasshopper Warbler, Little Tern, Wheatear, Whimbrel, White Wagtail, Cetti's Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat.
23rd April Holkham: Bright and sunny with a cold east wind. My first Swift of the spring was seen as well as House Martin, Blackcap 19, Reed Warbler, Merlin, Brambling, Peregrine, Spoonbill, Whimbrel and Golden Plover.
22nd April Holme Dunes: Good views of Grasshopper Warbler was a good start to the day which included sighting of; Turtle Dove, Ring Ouzel, Merlin, Common Tern, Greenshank, White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Nightingale ans Lesser Whitethroat.
18th April Holme Dunes: Grasshopper Warbler, Mediterranean Gull 2, Whimbrel, Brambling 9, Yellow Wagtail, Eider 7, Common Tern 7 and Fieldfare.
16th April Holme Dunes: A classic April day day with many spring migrants helping the total species seen in the day reach 99, including; Short-eared Owl, Swallow 60+, Gannet, Wheatear 9, Common Buzzard 3, House Martin 12, Nightingale, Whitethroat 3, Sand Martin 4, Yellow Wagtail 2, Long-tailed Duck, Golden Plover 50+, Black-throated Diver, Crossbill, Whimbrel 7, Merlin, Common Redstart, Fieldfare and four Porpoise.
15th April Holkham: A good day with a few migrants: Blackcap 9, Willow Warbler 5, Sparrowhawk 4, Brambing 110+, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Common Redstart, Spoonbill and Mediterranean Gull.
10th April Holme Dunes: A cool wind though bright and sunny. Two pairs of Garganey feeding on the Lavender Marsh were the high light for the group as they showed well and we saw one pair in flight. Other birds seen included a fine Short-eared Owl which hunted the fields and dunes for an hour or so, Wheatear, Grey Wagtail, Long-tailed Duck, Sandwich Tern, Water Rail, Swallow, Golden Plover and Willow Warbler.
3rd April 2005 Holkham: A fine spring day with birds, bees and butterflies. A small movement of raptors included twelve Marsh Harriers, one Common Buzzard, five Kestrels, seven Sparrowhawks and the local Peregrine. Several spring migrants were seen with Tree Pipit and a superb male Ring Ouzel the best find though we also had Blackcap 6, Chiffchaff 20, Sand Martin 12, Willow Warbler 3, and Swallow. Common Buzzard, Siskin, White-fronted Goose Brambling 35+ and Fieldfare added to the day.
One of three Garganey at Heacham on the 2nd April 2005 Paul Laurie digiscoping.
2nd April 2005 Heacham for Gulls: The fine weather reduced the number of gulls but we were able to study five species in several different plumages. Other birds seen included three GARGANEY including two fine males. Wheatear, Grey Partridge, Sparrowhawk, Blackcap and Common Buzzard.
1st April 2005 Blakeney Point: A good walk to the point for a customised tour proved worthwhile with a few migrants; Blackbird 30+, Redwing, Swallow, Chiffchaff 3, Sandwich Tern 3+, Wheatear, Woodcock, Sparrowhawk 3, Merlin, Black Redstart and Blackcap.
28th March 2005 Bradfield Hall Farm & Nature Reserve: A Swallow appeared during the early evening singing from the wheater vane. The earliest record for the farm.
26th March 2005 Holkham: Misty and cool today though interesting birding with the dunes full of common migrants. We saw; Peregrine, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Chiffchaff 12, Brambling 10+, Blackcap, Wheatear 4 and Woodcock. Bird of the day was a singing Willow Warbler at the western end of the pines. My first March Willow Warbler in Norfolk.
25th March 2005 Holme Dunes: A great start to the spring tours of Holme Dunes with a few winter visitors still present and some early spring migrants. A immature Merlin showed well twice on a fence post and a Short-eared Owl spent an hour or so hunting over the meadow. A light passage of Linnets, Greenfnches, Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails flew west during the the day with the odd Tree Sparrow and Brambling. The sea held two Slavonian Grebes, several Eider, Red-throated Diver, Great Crested Grebe and 36 Long-tailed Ducks. Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull and a Sandwich Tern were seen. A single Wheatear, four Chiffchaffs and a Sand Martin were signs of spring. One of the high lights of the day were two PORPOISE breaching a few hundred yards offshore.
20th March Binham: Two Tree Sparrows and a Brambling in my garden and a Black Redstart at Binham Priory on my early morning walk. All before eight am.
19th March Cley: Several Wheatears today, Chiffchaff and a smart summer plumaged Scandinavian Rock Pipit. Hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits are passing through Cley and we saw; Blackcap, Spotted Redshank, Avocet and Ruff.
18th March Holkham: A good day in the sunshine with good views of Snow Goose, White-fronted Goose and the sea bay was exciting with 30+ Great Crested Grebes, 5 Slavonian Grebes and one Red-necked Grebe. The 2nd winter Glaucous Gull flew west along the beach and a summer plumaged Razorbill was a good find. Fifty Brambling were seen well with several smart adult males. Two Peregrines showed well sat and in flight and four Chiffchaffs were seen.
Common Crane displaying. Paul Laurie Digiscoping.
12th & 13th March Broads & Brecks: Great Crested Grebe, Pintail, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Goshawk, Common Buzzard, Common Crane 21, Woodlark, Grey Wagtail, Stonechat, Cetti's Warbler, Bearded Tit, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Brambling and Hawfinch.
1st Winter Snow Goose. Holkham.
11th March Holkham: A superb day: Red-throated Diver, Little Egret, SPOONBILL, White-fronted Goose, SNOW GOOSE, Barnacle Goose, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Avocet, Knot, Mediterranean Gull, Rock Pipit, Chiffchaff, Brambling and Snow Bunting.
10th March Cley: Warm, bright & sunny today which proved good for excellent views of several species including: Water Pipit, Avocet, Spotted Redshank, Bullfinch, Marsh Harrier, Ruff, Red-throated Diver, Guillemot, Stonechat and Green Woodpecker.
27th February Titchwell: A cold wind with light snow showers and bright sunshine made for an interesting day at Titchwell. The Arctic Redpoll showed very well as did two Stonechats and a Snow Bunting. Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye, Red-throated Diver and Guillemot were all seen on the sea. We also saw Marsh Harrier, Rock Pipit, Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Woodcock, Avocet, Spotted Redshank and thousands of gulls.
23rd February Holkham: A few snow showers and a steady north-east wind proved not to spoil a very good day. Holkham fresh marsh held thousands of birds with Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Golden Plover, Lapwing and three Barnacle Geese. A flock of thirty Snow Bunting were also feeding on the fresh marsh with over 100 Meadow Pipits and several small flocks of Goldfinch. The wintering Chiffchaff showed well and a flock of 50+ Brambling were in the pines during the morning. A Kingfisher hovering over the pool was a high light as was a Marsh Harrier feeding on a Teal. Two Grey Partridge and a Merlin were also seen on the marsh. Holkham Park was full of birds with the male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker showing very well for a few minutes. The Park also had 100 each of Redwing & Fieldfare and a small flock of Brambling.
19th & 20th February Weekend Tour: A cold two days but dry and sunny with some very good bird watching. The highlights included: Bewick's & Whooper Swans, Common Crane, Fieldfare, Bearded Tit,Fulmar, Water Rail, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Mediteranean Gull, Kittiwake, Barn Owl, Mealy Redpoll and Arctic Redpoll.
17th February Customised Tour of the Brecks: A good day though the damp weather meant that the only raptor we saw was Sparrowhawk. Highlight of the day was a total of 15 Hawfinches some of which we were able to watch for over an hour. Other birds seen included great views of a singing Woodlark, Brambling, Siskin, Nuthatch, Great Crested Grebe, Marsh Tit and Redwing.
15th February Holkham: A sunny day, warm day !, out of the wind and was again very good at Holkham. The 1st Winter Snow Goose showed well, though it may not be a wild bird, it is still an interesting goose to see. Other birds seen today included very good views of the Firecrest, Chiffchaff, Shorelark, Rock Pipit and male Marsh Harrier displaying.Brambling, Grey Partridge and Stonechat were also seen.
13th February Holkham & Wells: A good day in rather strong northerly winds, though the southern edge of the Pines proved interesting with a Firecrest showing well and Chiffchaff. Two Barnacle Geese were seen with the Pink-feet, four Marsh Harriers hunted the marsh with a male Peregrine chasing them for most of the morning. Avocet, Knot and Black-tailed Godwit were the best waders and the Snow Buntings and Shorelarks fed on the beach.Bird of the day was a 2nd winter Glaucous Gull which I found in the Wells Channel. It flew in off the saltmarsh and settled amoung the Common Gulls.
3rd February Cley & Salthouse: A warm sunny day with several good birds as well as a Porpoise which we saw well three times. Birds seen included Scaup, Spotted Redshank, Peregrine, Merlin, Marsh Harrier, Ruff, Avocet, Redwing and Snow Bunting.
26th January 2005 Customised Tour: Excellent weather gave us a great day in north east Norfolk. A flock of twenty Common Cranes feeding together was the highlight of the day with sixteen flying together in a tight group later in the morning. Other species seen included; Marsh Harrier, Barn Owl, Green Sandpiper, Brambling & Snow Bunting.
22nd January 2005. Customised Tour: A tour of north-west Norfolk proved to be excellent with 84 species seen including some great wintering birds; White-fronted Goose, Long-tailed Duck, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Peregrine, Grey Partridge, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Short-eared Owl, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Great Grey Shrike, Tree Sparrow, Brambling, Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting & Corn Bunting.
1st Winter Lesser Yellowlegs. Stiffkey Marsh 21st January 2005.
21st January 2005. Stiffkey Fen & Marshes: A good day with great weather and a few birds; Goldenye, Red-breasted Merganser, Peregrine Falcon, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Kingfisher, Rock Pipit and the wintering American Lesser Yellowlegs showed very well.
15th January 2005. Four Bewick's Swans flew west over Bradfield Hall Farm and four Brambling were in the sunflowers. I had a female Brambling in the garden at home !
14th January 2005. Black-throated Diver off west Runton was the best bird seen today. other species seen included; Hen & Marsh Harrier, Scaup, Whooper Swan, Gannet & Grey Wagtail.
13th January 2005. A tour of Felbrigg Park proved interesting with many wintering birds including 30+ Brambling, Fieldfare, Redwing, Great Crested Grebe & Golden Plover.
2nd January 2005 Holkham: A excellent start to the year with 25 Shore Larks & 200 Snow Buntings as well as the dramatic sighting of a Great Black-backed Gull chasing, catching and eating a Little Auk. 20 Brambling, Hen Harrier, Peregrine and White-fronted Goose were also seen.
2004
19th December 2004: A good tour with great views of 20 Shorelark and Snow Buntings as well as 20+ Brambling and a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
26th November Titchwell: The two Black Brants showed well, however the best sighting was of a Hen Harrier & Peregrine chasing each other across the reedbeds. The sea held the 4,000 Common Scoter and ten Velvet Scoter were seen. Ten Twite fed on the beach and ten Snow Bunting flew west. The female Long-tailed Duck was seen on the freshmarsh.
25th November Holkham: A good day with the sea holding 3,000 Common Scoter, two Long-tailed Duck, Many Red-breasted Merganser & Goldeneye as well as Slavonian Grebe. A male peregrine sat on the beach was a fine sight and two Marsh Harriers flew west. Eighty Snow Buntings on the beach had fifteen Shore Larks with them and several Rock Pipt.
19th November Cley: A great day with a good sea-watch and several winter species. Gannet, Bittern, Scaup, Goldeneye, Goosander, Avocet, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Great Skua, Med Gull, Little Auk, Stonechat & Snow Bunting.
28th September - 3rd October Six-Day Tour. A good week apart from the difficult weather on a couple of days. A trip to Minsmere was succesful and though the day on Blakeney Point was the best day of the tour and included good numbers of common migrants. 800 Song Thrush, 300 Redwing, seven Redstart, two Pied Flycatcher, Wheatear, Short-eared Owl, fifteen Grey Herons, Brambling, Shorelark & Ring Ouzel. Minsmere was good for rare birds with the Baird's Sandpiper and the "Slender-billed Curlew". Other birds seen during the week included; Hobby, Hen Harrier, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Sandwich, Common & Arctic Tern, Kingfisher, Whinchat, Cetti's Warbler, Whitethroat, Great & Arctic Skua, Rock Pipit, Scaup & Common Crane.
15th - 19th September Five-Day Tour: This week I had a group from Australia and we had some good weather though still cold by Sydney standards ! The first of the winters Pink-footed Geese were seen at Holkham with 900 seen, a high total for early in the autumn. Wigeon, Pintail and Teal were also seen in good numbers as northern birds arrive. Summer plumaged Red-throated Diver was seen at Titchwell with Guillemot and a high light of the week, a Bottle-nosed Dolphin. Raptors showed well with Hen Harrier, Hobby, Peregrine and Merlin all seen well. Good numbers of waders included over 50 Curlew Sandpipers and 20 Little Stints. However the best wader was a Lesser Yellowlegs which we twitched at Stiffkey and a Pectoral Sandpiper at Salthouse. A short sea-watch at Cley provided excellent views of Kittiwake, Common & Sandwich Tern, Arctic, Great & Pomarine Skua & Manx Shearwater. Passerines were in poor numbers the best being; Kingfisher, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Wheatear and Bearded Tit.
11th September Holme Dunes: The Red-backed Shrike which I found on the 3rd was still in the same area, though closer to the track and gave excellent views. Other birds seen included Gannet, Wigeon, Little Ringed Plover, Turtle Dove, Whinchat, Reed Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher.
3rd September Holme Dunes: A juvenile RED-BACKED SHRIKE which I found on the grazing marsh was the best bird of the day and the group enjoyed very good views for half an hour or so as it caught and fed on several insects. Other birds seen included Whinchat, Common Buzzard, Hobby, Lesser Whitethroat and Arctic Skua.
1st September Holkham: A few migrants today with lots of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs. Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Kingfisher, up to eight Marsh Harriers and at least two Common Buzzards were seen.
31st August Burnham Overy Dunes: A customised tour of this are proved poor for migrants though the coast look superb with the high tide covering the whole saltmarsh. Bird of the day was a moulting adult Black-necked Grebe which I found on the large pit on the east side of the sea wall. There are only an average of 15 records of Black-necked Grebe a year in Norfolk so this was a good find. Arctic Skua and Common Buzzard were also seen.
24th August Overstrand: A customised tour of Cromer cliffs & Overstrand proved better than expected when I found a adult ROSEATE TERN sat just off shore with a group of Sandwich Terns and a adult Med Gull. Very few passerines were seen though a adult Little Gull on the golf course and a Greenshank flying westwards was of interest.
20th August Cley: The wind did not turn to the north-west until late in the day though we did have a good passage of terns including 200 Sandwich and 300 Common as well as two Arctic Terns and three Arctic Skuas. Other species included: Fulmar, Little Stint, Turtle Dove, Yellow Wagtail, Wheatear & Whinchat.
18th August Stiffkey Fen: Good views of a RED KITE low over stubble fields and being chased by two Marsh Harriers was the high light until I spotted a OSPREY flying over Blakeney Point. This was an adult bird which after drifting west returned and began to hunt over Blakeney Harbour.
14th August Cley: A good week so far and a good day for waders at Cley today as well as a short seawatch. Numbers of common scoter were on the move with Little Gulls, Knot, Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit. Two pale phase Arctic Skuas were seen chasing Sandwich Terns and a single Arctic Tern was seen well close inshore. The scrapes held good numbers of waders with hundreds of Black-tailed Godwits. Other waders included Little Ringed Plover, Temminck's Stint, Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper. One Wheatear was seen in the eye field and we recorded Cetti's Warbler, Bearded Tit, Coal Tit and Bullfinch.
31st July Raptors. Five Montagu's Harriers today with three juveniles, female and adult male. We watched the birds for and hour & a half with food passing from male to juveniles as well as three juveniles chasing, first, a Common Buzzard and then a Sparrowhawk. The male Honey Buzzard showed well late morning and then after lunch we went looking for butterflies. The best two butterflies we found were Purple Hairstreak and White Admiral.
23rd July Raptors: Close views of two juvenile, one female and one male Montagu's Harriers for an hour or so today. We saw three food passes between the female, male and the juveniles and the youg called while chasing each other around the field.
Montagu's Harrier Paul Laurie
21st July Raptors: Another very good day with excellent views of a juvenile Montagu's Harrier in the air and on the ground. The adult female Montagu's Harrier also showed well. The male Honey Buzzard gave superb views and spent several minutes displaying. Other birds seen today included; Green Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Hobby and Cuckoo.
Hummingbird Hawk Moth Paul Laurie
16th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: A good day with some rain though great views of the Golden Orioles. My site has performed well most of the summer with today being the best so far. We heard two birds calling for twenty minutes before seeing two birds flying over then landing in the willows. An adult male & a juvenile then spent ten minutes showing well and calling and were then joined by the female. A second male began to sing from the Poplars and then flew out showing very well in flight ensuring that we saw the yellow underwing. All four then showed on and off flying around for twenty minutes or so.
Male Honey Buzzards displaying. Paul Laurie.
3rd July Raptors: The raptor days are becoming better and better. Although the wind was rather strong the views of all the birds was superb. Male & female Montagu's Harrier, Goshawk and Hobby all showed well. The Honey Buzzard's were great with two sat close in a tree giving some of the best views I've ever had. They spent several minutes preening and the occasional flight over the trees in view for half an hour or so.
19th June Raptors: A great day with superb views of the male Montagu's Harrier on two occasions for twenty minutes or so and fantastic views of the Honey Buzzards including a male sat in the trees for a few minutes.
15th June Bradfield: A good morning with a QUAIL calling from the Spring Barley. The first recorded on the farm in recent years.
13th June Raptors: An excellent day with superb views of a male Montagu's Harrier within 50 metres. However this was surpassed by fantastic views of two male Honey Buzzards which spent almost 45 minutes in the air, displaying and chasing each other just above the trees. We also saw Hobby, Common Buzzard, Little Owl and Green Sandpiper.
12th June Rare Breeding Bird Tour: Two - three male Golden Orioles seen today with one bird showing very well. Also seen Stone Curlew, Woodlark Spotted Flyctacher.
8th June Customised Tour to Hickling Broad: We had a great day looking for Butterflies & Dragonflies as well as a few birds. At least 20 SWALLOWTAIL Butterflies were seen and Dragonflies included: Banded Demoiselle, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damelfly, Four Spot Chaser, Scarce Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer, Hairy Dragonfly and Norfolk Hawker. High light of the day was watching two adult Common Cranes with two very young juveniles feeding in part of the grazing marsh.
6th June: A male Golden Oriole was seen briefly on three occasions though would not settle for a good view. We also saw Common Buzzard, Hobby and Woodlark.
5th June Holme Dunes: Gannet, Little Gull, Tawny Owl, Stonechat and a female Red-backed Shrike were the highlights of a good day.
4th June Holkham: Eider, Common Scoter, Little Ringed Plover, Tawny Owl & Spotted Flycatcher were the highlights of today.
3rd June Raptors: Male & female Montagu's Harrier showed very well as did the Honey Buzzard. We also saw Common Buzzard, Kingfisher, Little Owl, Yellow Wagtail & Corn Bunting.
2nd June Titchwell: A good day with great views of: two male Garganey, Spoonbill, Little Gull, Cuckoo, Barn Owl & Bearded Tit
30th May Holkham: Brent Goose, Grey Partridge, Fulmar, Spoonbill, Little Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Cuckoo, Wheatear and Bullfinch.
29th May Holme: Marsh Harrier, Whimbrel, Little Gull, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Barn Owl, Stonechat, Cetti's Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Corn Bunting.
28th May Customised Tour: A great day with excellent views of many species.: Red Kite, Common Buzzard, Hobby, Stone Curlew, Common Sandpiper, Common Tern, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Woodlark, Spotted Flycatcher and great views of a male Golden Oriole.
18th May Raptor Day: A customised tour to watch raptors today was very successful with seven species: Honey Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, OSPREY, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel & Hobby. We also saw Turtle Dove, Woodlark & Common Tern.
16th May Cley: A good day with good views of a Common Crane as it flew west over Cley Marshes. Other birds seen included; Kittiwake, Cetti's Warbler, Bearded Tit, Whimbrel, Sanderling, Wheatear, Common Sandpiper and Tree Pipit.
14th May Holkham: Up to seven Marsh Harriers were seen today with great views of the male birds both in flight and perched. A Spoonbill spent the morning feeding on the freshmarsh and two Crossbill flew over. A singing Tree Pipit was found in the Pine Woods.
FIVE-DAY TOUR 5th - 9th May Eight clients enjoyed five excellent days bird watching with some good finds and some great spring migrants. The highlights of the five days were: Pink-footed Goose, Spooonbill, Common Crane, Grey Partridge, Fulmar, Gannet, Rough-legged Buzzard, Red-footed Falcon, Black-winged Stilt, Dotterel, Spotted Redshank, Little Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, Black Tern, Turtle Dove, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Nightingale, Cetti's Warbler, Pied Flycatcher & Red-backed Shrike.
6th May Holkham: Migrants were in good numbers today with Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat, Wheatear, Cuckoo, 6 Wood Sandpipers, 4 Little Ringed Plovers, Spotted Redshank and several Greenshank.
5th May Cley: A good day with 90 species including an adult Rough-legged Buzzard and Spoonbill.
2nd May Cley: Common Scoter, Fulmar, Whimbrel, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Little Tern, Short-eared Owl, Shore Lark, Nightingale, Wheatear, Cetti's Warbler & Bearded Tit.
1st May Holkham: A good day with 100 species: Pink-footed Goose, Spoonbill, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Little Tern, Wryneck, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat, Grasshopper Warbler, Wood Warbler & Redpoll.
Bluethroat Romaleare Northern France Paul Laurie Digiscoping.
26th - 30th April Northern France: A great trip with good weather and some great birds with the highlights: Garganey, Grey Partridge, Black-necked Grebe, Bittern, Cattle Egret, White Stork, Spoonbill, Black Kite, Wood Sandpiper, Little Gull, Black Tern, Hoopoe, Bluethroat, Zitting Cisticola, Savi's Warbler, Firecrest, Short-toed Treecreeper, Serin and Hawfinch.
25th April Cley: A great day with the high light an adult Rough-legged Buzzard which I found flying in off the sea over Arnolds Marsh before it slowly flew west. Three Shore Lark were excellent to watch and we had great views of Grasshopper Warbler, Cetti's warbler nad Tree Pipit. We also saw; Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Reshank, Cuckoo, Stonechat, Wheatear and Bearded Tit. We finished the day with 98 species.
24th April Holkham: Ninety-One species including: Velvet Scoter, Common Buzzard, Cuckoo, Black Redstart, Fieldfare, Grasshopper Warbler & Redpoll.
23rd April Holme Dunes: Lots of birds the best being: Fulmar, Whimbrel, Little Gull, Little Tern, Yellow Wagtail, Nightingale & Grasshopper Warbler.
18th Cley: A wet cold day with a few birds but difficult conditions: Fulmar, Gannet, Hen Harrier, Whimbrel, Sandwich Tern, Fieldfare, Whitethroat were the best sightings of the day.
17th Titchwell & Holme: Ring Ouzels were the theme of the day with birds found at Choosley, Titchwell and Holme, a total of 20+ birds seen. Other species included a superb male Common Redstart, Corn Bunting, Little Owl and Spotted Redshank.
16th The Broads: A very good day with great weather and superb birding. Lots of summer migrants and a few late winter birds; Red-crested Pochard, Goosander (male), Bittern, Hen Harrier (male), Merlin, Common Crane, Whimbrel, Green Sandpiper, Common Tern, Barn Owl, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Nightingale and Fieldfare.
15th Holkham: A good day with over 90 species including: Little-ringed Plover 3, Greenshank, Wheatear 4, Redpoll 2, Blackcap 12, Willow Warbler 3, Sedge Warbler 3 and Sparrowhawk 6.
14th Lynford Arboretum: Crossbill, Hawfinch, Brambling, Firecrest, Blackcap. Weeting Stone Curlew, Woodlark & Common Buzzard.
11th April Holkham: A change in the weather to a fine warm day provided the following: Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Grey Partridge, Ruff, Sandwich Tern, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Siskin & Bullfinch.
10th April Holme Dunes: Cold and dull with few migrants though we did see: Pink-footed Goose, Fulmar, Sandwich Tern, Barn Owl, White Wagtail, Stonechat, Fieldfare, and Redpoll.
9th April Cley: A great day with good birding and excellent weather. The fine weather ensured great views of Marsh Harriers displaying, Peregrine and Common Buzzard. While having lunch I spotted two Common Cranes flying west over the shingle bank. Probably two of the Broadland birds on a short trip along the coast. Migrants included Sandwich Tern, Sand Martin, Swallow, Wheatear and Blackcap. The group had superb views of the male Bittern at Cley as it hunted through the cut reeds and a Cetti's Warbler showed well at Walsey Hills.
7th April Holkham: Cool with showers and the odd sunny spell made the birding interesting: Common Scoter, Short-eared Owl, Sedge Warbler, Blackcap and 20+ Chiffchaffs.
4th April The Brecks: Common Buzzard, Stone Curlew, Woodlark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Blackcap, Firecrest, Willow Tit, Siskin, Redpoll & Crossbill.
3rd April The Broads: Little Egret, Goldeneye, Merlin, Peregrine, Common Tern, Common Swift, Sand Martin, Swallow, Bearded Tit & Brambling.
27th March Holkham: Velvet Scoter, Grey Partridge, Stonechat, Wheatear, Chiffchaff & Bullfinch.
21st March Titchwell: A good day with several good birds; Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Purple Sandpiper, Jack Snipe, Spotted Reshank, Barn Owl, Grey Wagtail, Chiffchaff, Bearded Tit, Twite & Corn Bunting.
20th March Holkham & Cley: Migrants arriving in the strong winds included two Chiffchaffs and a House Martin. Other birds seen included; Velvet Scoter, Marsh Harrier, Grey Partridge, Rock Pipit and Bullfinch.
19th March Cley: The weather did it's best to make birding difficult with strong winds and heavy rain. An hours seawatch produced very little apart from a 1st winter Glaucuos Gull which gave great views as it flew past. The afternoon was much better with a Wheatear and Water Pipit both showing well.
15th March Holkham: The first spring migrant of the tours was a Sand Martin which flew east , we also saw; White-fronted Goose, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Marsh Harrier, Goldcrest, Nuthatch and Treecreeper.
Male Ruddy Shelduck Cley 13th March 2004. Paul Laurie Digiscoping.
13th March Cley Digiscoping: Ruddy Shelduck, Bittern, Peregrine, Spotted Redshank, Barn Owl & Stonechat.
11th March Lynford Arboretum: A good day with the best bird being a male Goshawk, we also saw seven Hawfinches and two Crossbills.
7th March Holkham: Bewick's Swan 14, White-fronted Goose, Velvet Scoter, Common Buzzard, Barn Owl, Green Woodpecker, Rock pipit, Firecrest, Marsh Tit, Redpoll & Snow Bunting.
6th March Cley: Whooper Swan 10, Barnacle Geese 7, Grey Partridge, Red-throated Diver, Avocet, Barn Owl, Water Pipit, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Redwing, Goldcrest and Bearded Tit.
5th March Ttchwell: Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt, Woodcock, Barn Owl, Little Owl, Kingfisher, Rock Pipit, Stonechat, Siskin, Bullfinch. Lapland Bunting, Snow Bunting & Corn Bunting.
27th - 29th February OWLS Hickling & Lynford: A great weekend with lots of superb birds including: Ferruginous Duck, Grey Partridge, Hen Harrier, Common Buzzard, Rough-legged Buzzard, Merlin, Peregrine, Common Crane, Little Auk, Long-eared Owl, Water Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Firecrest, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Hooded Crow, Tree Sparrow, Brambling, Siskin & Hawfinch.
22nd February Holkham: The strong north wind made birding the beach difficult though we found one Shore Lark and a male Merlin with prey. The male American Wigeon showed very well with the Wigeon flock.The Snow Bunting were found on the stubble fields with large flocks of Dunlin, Curlew and a flock of 25 Little Egrets Rock Pipit, Fieldfare, Redwing, Firecrest, Treecreeper, Snow Bunting.
21st February Titchwell: A good winters day with 88 species seen including: Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Grey Partridge, Slavonian Grebe, Fulmar, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Purple Sandpiper, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Barn owl, Rock pipit, Siskin & Bullfinch.
8th February Holkham: A very windy day with the beach out of bounds due to the sand storms ! Birds seen included: White-fronted Goose, Pintail, Green Woodpecker, Rock Pipit, Fieldfare, Redwing, Goldcrest, Treecreeper & Bullfinch.
7th February Titchwell and then Burnham Norton: A good day with 86 species including: Whooper Swan, Velvet Scoter, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Grey Partridge, Fulmar, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Barn Owl, Water Pipit, Goldcrest, Siskin, Twite & Snow Bunting.
31st January & 1st February OWL TOUR: Two good days apart from the heavy rain and strong winds. The Long-eared Owl roost was very good wth close views on days. White-fronted Goose, Grey Partridge, Fulmar, Hen Harrier, Ruff, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Rock Pipit, Fieldfare, Redwing, Brambling, Tree Sparrow, Snow Bunrting & Corn Bunting.
24th January Holkham: A superb bright day with excellent views of many birds. We found the flocks of Twite 10, Snow Buntings 60+, Rock Pipits 25+ and Shore Larks 20+ feeding together and which showed well for over half an hour. The sea was slow with a flock of Eider being the most interesting. Bird of the day was the male American Wigeon which is a very attractive bird and showed well for several minutes quite close as it fed with European Wigeon. Other birds seen included great views of a Firecrest hovering around the Holm Oaks as well as Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Woodcock, Barn Owl, Fieldfare, Goldcrest, Marsh Tit and Bullfinch.
American Wigeon Holkham 24th January 2004 Paul laurie Digiscoping.
23rd January Digiscoping Day: A rather dull day which is good for learning the art of digiscoping ! Some good photos taken today a one or two birds. A flock of twelve Whooper Swans flew in off the sea and then went eastwards.
Glaucous Gull Kelling Beach 23rd January 2004 Digiscoping Day Paul Laurie.
18th January Cley: Nine White-fronted Geese flew in off the sea during the afternoon and continued westward. A male Common Scoter should well on the sea close inshore and several Red-throated Divers were seen.Sparrowhawk, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier and peregrine all hunted over the marshes and we also saw; Water Rail, Avocet, Kingfisher, Rock Pipit, Water Pipit, Bearded Tit, and Snow Bunting.
17th January Titchwell: Eighty-eight species today with the following highlights; White-fronted Goose, Velvet Scoter 30+, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Fulmar, Black-winged stilt, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Barn Owl, Redwing, Chiffchaff, Redpoll, Bullfinch and Snow Bunting.
16th January Holkham: The numbers of wildfowl continues to increase and we counted over 150 White-fronted Geese today as well as thousands of Pink-footed Geese. Other birds seen today included; Red-throated Diver, Black-tailed Godwit, Barn Owl, Kingfisher, Rock Pipit, Treecreeper and 120+ Snow Buntings.The highlight this weekend at Holkham was the superb views of a male AMERICAN WIGEON that had been found a few days before.
14th January Bradfield Hall Farm & Nature Reserve: The light winds made birding much more enjoyable today. Redpoll, Linnet, 40+ Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrest and Pink-footed Geese were the high lights of my walk round this morning.
10th January Titchwell: A good day with some kind weather for the time of year. Three Peregrines chasing each other over the marsh were the highlight though we did see; Pintail, Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Velvet Scoter, Fulmar, Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt, Ruff, Woodcock, Black-tailed Godwit, Spotted Reshank and Bullfinch.
9th January Bradfield Hall Farm & Nature Reserve: A few birds today though the wind made biring a little difficult. Excellent views of a Tawny Owl made the walk worth while. Other birds seen included; Pink-footed Goose, Fieldfare, Chaffinch 50+ and 60+ Collared Doves.
3rd January Holkham: A good day with excellent views: White-fronted Goose, Marsh Harrier, Merline, Peregrine, Little Gull, KIngfisher, Shore Lark, Stonechat, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch and Snow Bunting.
2nd January Bradfield Hall Farm & Nature Reserve: A good morning with Green Sandpiper, two Grey wagtails and the first record of FIRECREST on the farm.
2003
31st December Holkham: Today the weather was typical of most of the last year, bright & sunny with some good birds: Red-throated Diver, Shag ( only the second I have seen at Holkham ) White-fronted Goose, Velvet Scoter, Peregrine, Black-tailed Godwit, Barn Owl, Kingfisher, 14 Shore Lark, Rock Pipit, Stonechat, Chiffchaff, Marsh Tit, Firecrest, Twite & Snow Bunting.
30th December Titchwell: Eider, Velvet Scoter, Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt, Purple Sandpiper, Ruff, Woodcock, Spotted Redshank, Barn Owl, Rock Pipit, Stonechat, Chiffchaff, Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll, Snow Bunting.
29th December Cley: A very still and cold day which made viewing superb; Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Water Rail, Black-tailed Godwit, Eastern Yellow-legged Gull, Water Pipit, Redwing, Chiffchaff, Bearded Tit and Snow Bunting.
28th December Holkham: A good day with good views of the best birds; Gannet, Slavonian Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Goldeneye, Peregrine, Barn Owl, Stonechat, Firecrest, Marsh Tit, Treecreeper and 130+ Snow Buntings.
27th December OWL TOUR: A very good day with great views of the owls including two Tawny's and one Long-eared Owl which showed well. Other birds seen included; White-fronted Goose, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Grey Partridge, Water Pipit and Tree Sparrow.
15th December Lynford Arboretum: The birds made us work hard to day though we did have good views of Hawfinch in Sloes and in flight on three occasions. Other birds seen included; Great Crested Grebe, Goldeneye, Sparrowhawk, Marsh Tit, Willow Tit, Treecreeper, Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll, Crossbill & Bullfinch.
14th December OWLS: A superb day with excellent views of owls inparticular the Long-eared Owl which was in view for over an hour.Other birds seen included: White-fronted Goose, Goldeneye, Hen Harrier 6, Common Buzzard, Merlin, Grey Partridge, Water Rail, Avocet, Waxwing, Blackcap & Bullfinch.
Long-eared Owl 14th December 2003 Paul Laurie Digiscoping.
7th December Cley: A good day with great weather and a few birds; Great Northern Diver, Guillemot, Goldeneye, Peregrine, Avocet, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Goldrest & Snow Bunting. One of the highlights was the small flocks of Bewick's Swans which flew over during the day heading eastwards. the total for the day reached 79 birds.
6th December Holkham: A Great day with plenty of interest and excellent views of superb birds. A small group of seven White-fronted Geese were found and a Merlin showed well on the beach as it had just caught a Snow Bunting ! The sea held Velvet Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser and Red-throated Diver A Firecrest was seen with a small group of tits and showed well twice during the day. Three Barn Owls were seen and species of the day was four Waxwings I found in a Hawthorn close to the Washington Hide. A flock of 40 Snow Bunting in one of the stubble fields finished the day.
23rd November Cley: The birds should well during the morning after yesterdays heavy rain though more rain in the afternoon made birding difficult. The LITTLE BUNTING at Walsey Hills showed and was heard calling. Other birds seen included; Red-throated Diver, Bittern, Peregrine, Avocet, Stonechat and Snow Bunting.
22nd November Customised Tour: A very wet day with heavy rain from dawn to dusk ! We did see a few birds including; Eleven Waxwings, two Lapland Buntings, 60+ Snow Buntings as well as Barn Owl & Hen Harrier.
21st November GULLS: An excellent day for gull watching with a good low tide and no wind. We saw six species of gulls in fourteen plumages. Two adult Mediterranean Gulls were the high light. Other species seen include: Red-breasted Merganser 96+, Marsh Harrier, Grey Partridge, Kingfisher, Redpoll, and Snow Bunting.
17th November Bradfield Hall Farm: Green Sandpiper three, Grey Wagtail, Redpoll two, Siskin, Fieldfare 25+, Chaffinch 50+, Pink-footed Goose seven.
15th November Titchwell: The sea was very good today with lots of birds feeding and moving through; Red-throated Diver eight, Great Crested Grebe 35+, Slavonian Grebe one, Gannet, Whooper Swan one west, Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser 50+ and Arctic Skua. A flock of 40+ Snow Bunting spent half an hour feeding on the beach and on the reserve we saw; Mandarin Duck (male), Peregrine, Black-winged Stilt, Jack Snipe, Rock Pipit, Chiffchaff and Bullfinch.
13th November Lynford Arboretum: A great day with good numbers of birds including fourteen HAWFINCHES, two Firecrest, Crossbill, Marsh Tit, Sparrowhawk, Redpoll, Grey Wagtail, Redwing & Fieldfare.
11th November Bradfield Hall Farm: A good morning with the wintering birds showing well; Brambling, Siskin, Common Snipe.
9th November Holkham: Another excellent late autumn day with the best bird being the adult male DESERT WHEATEAR which had been found at Burnham Overy and I relocated later in the day. Other birds seen included; Slavonian Grebe, Velvet Scoter, Peregrine, Water Rail, Stonechat, Crossbill and Lapland Bunting.
8th November Cley: A good day with very few migrants though we did have great views of the LITTLE BUNTING which has been present for a four weeks or so but has been difficult to see. We also saw; Red-throated Diver, Whooper Swan, Little Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Guillemot, Kingfisher, Stonechat and Yellow-browed Warbler.
7th November Holme Dunes: A SUPERB day with bright sunshine and great birds. Plenty of thrushes were around and we had many dropping in to the bushes throughout the day. Robins were in every bush and several Stonechats fed from the scrub. The first good bird was a RICHARD'S PIPIT which called as it flew over giving very good views, I then found a PALLAS'S WARBLER which gave superb views feeding with a Goldcrest. A Short-eared Owl appeared and then disappeared and a COMMON REDSTART was found feeding in the scrub. We also saw a Black Redstart around the visitors centre and a Woodcock in the paddocks.
5th November Customised Tour: A few good birds with Yellow-browed Warbler which showed very well and a male Brambling being the highlights.
3rd November Holme Dunes: A good day with several good birds; Fulmar, Bittern, Eider, Velvet Scoter, Peregrine ( 2 ), Kittiwake, Barn Owl, Stonechat and Lapland Bunting.
2nd November Cley: A difficult day to bird with heavy rain and strong winds we did see a few birds however; Sparrowhawk, Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Stonechat, Blackcap, Firecrest and Bullfinch.
1st November Holkham: Two Firecrests among lots of Goldcrests were the highlight of the day though we also saw; Red-throated Diver, Arctic Skua, Swallow, Stonechat, Blackcap, Brambling, Redpoll and Bullfinch.
31st October Cley: A wet day with a few birds; Two Bitterns, Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, Avocet, Kingfisher, Cetti's Warbler, Bearded Tit and a flock of 45 Snow Bunting flew east along the beach.
29th October Holme Dunes: A good day birding with rain and a light wind bringing hundreds of thruhes in and several other species. The best fid of the day was two RICHARD'S PIPITS which I found flying over the scrub and we heard call and watched as they dropped in to a small meadow and vanished. Later in the day we had excellent views of both birds on the ground and again in flight. Other species seen included; Pintail, Red-breasted Merganser, Peregrine, Stock Dove, Barn Owl three, Short-eared Owl two, Stonechat four+, Blackcap, Chiffchaff & Redpoll.
26th October Holme Dunes: We found another Yellow-browed Warbler today which gave great views while feeding with a group of Goldcrests. This Yellow-browed Warbler took the total for the autumn to 15 seen on the tours of which I have found five. Clearly the best autumn for this species with the tours in Norfolk. Other species seen today included; Gannet, Water Rail, Barn Owl, Grey Wagtail, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Redwing, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff, and Brambling.
25th October Holkham: A great day with a good mix of migrants and scarce birds; Gannet, Great Egret, Pintail, Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Mediterranean Gull, Swallow, Stonechat, Blackcap, Pallas's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler 3+, Firecrest 2, Treecreeper, Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll and Snow Bunting 15.
22nd October Holme Dunes: A good day with lots of migrant thrushes and finches. Two Slavonian Grebes, Eider, Goldeneye, Jack Snipe, two Woodcock, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Kingfisher, Stonechat, and Brambling.
19th October Cley and surrounding area: A seawatch this morning proved worthwhile when a Leach's Storm Petrel flew east close inshore giving excellent views. Other birds seen today included; Greenshank, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Redstart, Chiffchaff & Crossbill.
18th October Titchwell: A good day with 90 species seen; Red-throated Diver, Velvet Scoter, Hen Harrier, Jack Snipe, Red-necked Phalarope, Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Bearded Tit, Brambling and Siskin.
17th October Holme Dunes: A windy day with a few birds; Red-throated Diver, Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Stonechat, Yellow-browed Warbler, Barred Warbler, Brambling & Siskin.
16th October Holkham: A good day with lots of common migrants and some more rare ones ! Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Goldeneye, Little Gull, Arctic Tern, Stonechat, Blackcap, Pallas's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler 2-3, Chiffchaff, Brambling, Siskin & Snow Bunting.
15th October Blakeney - Wells: We were scheduled to visit Cley today but I changed the tour and we walked the hedge and saltmarsh, between Blakeney and Wells, seeing 79 species. We had an SUPERB day birding finding a PALLAS'S WARBLER two YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS and a Firecrest in one bush, this was in the Sycamore Wood at Stiffkey. The birds showed well from around six metres ! Other species seen included; Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Greenshank, Long-eared Owl, Kingfisher, Shore Lark, Whinchat, Stonechat, Willow Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Brambling.
12th October Holme Dunes: The south-east wind is having it's effect and we had a good day with plenty of Scandinavian migrants. The Grey Phalarope which had been found yesterday showed well and we also saw; Merlin, Green Sandpiper, Kittiwake, Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, Grey Wagtail, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll and two Lapland Buntings.
11th October Cley & Stiffkey: Eighty-eight species today including three 'Acrocephalus' warblers, Reed, Marsh & Blyth's Reed. All three were seen well though they became difficult to see as the morning progressed. A good mix of other species included; Red-throated Diver, two Bitterns chasing each other, Whooper Swan, Hen Harrier, Merlin, Avocet, Pomarine Skua, Razorbill, Kingfisher, Stonechat, Chiffchaff, Red-backed Shrike & Bearded Tit.
10th October Holkham: A good day with an excellent mix of species; Great Crested Grebe, seven Barnacle Geese, six Velvet Scoter, Marsh Harrier, Little Gull, Kingfisher, Swallow, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Redwing, Blackcap Yellow-browed Warbler, Nuthatch, Brambling & Siskin. We also had great views of a HUMMING-BIRD HAWK-MOTH.
9th October Titchwell: Another good day with 88 species seen including; Great Crested Grebe, Gannet, two Velvet Scoter, Black-winged Stilt, Curlew Sandpiper, Mediterranean Gull, Swallow, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Redwing, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Marsh Tit ( the first I have seen here ), Siskin and three Lapland Buntings.
8th October Cley: Plenty of common migrants today with a large movement of wildfowl & waders which included; Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Dunlin, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Knot and over 100 Common Snipe. Thrushes were seen coming in off the sea and included good numbers of Blackbird & Redwing. Several Brambling were seen on the paths and in the fields, around Cley, grounded by the light showers. On the reserve we saw; Marsh Harrier, Avocet, Spotted Reshank, Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher and Bearded Tit. The Red-backed Shrike showed very well at Walsey Hills.
5th October Cley: An excellent day with a mix of birding typical of this time of year. A sea-watch between 9 & 11 produced good views of; Red-necked Grebe, Sooty Shearwater, Purple Sandpiper, Arctic Skua, Great Skua, Mediterranean Gull, Little Gull, Kittiwake and Sandwich Tern. A walk around Salthouse gave excellent views of two Shore Larks that had been around a couple of days and a Wheatear. A walk through Walsey Hills, and expecting to see the Red-backed Shrike which had been present for two days, we found a BOOTED WARBLER in the undergrowth which gave clear though brief views. The Red-backed Shrike showed very well catching wasps and dragonflies.
4th October Holme Dunes & Titchwell: The morning was spent at Holme with an hours sea-watching; Great Crested Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Great Skua 10, Kittiwake, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Guillemot and Little Auk. Titchwell; Black-winged Stilt, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank, Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Rock Pipit, Blackcap & Bearded Tit. The best find today was not a bird but a the larva of a Convolvulus Hawk-Moth found on the footpath at Titchwell.
3rd October Holkham: A good day with the woods full of tit flocks and finches; Great Crested Grebe, Pintail, Marsh Harrier, Sandwich Tern, Kingfisher, Blackcap, Yellow-browed Warbler 2+, Chiffchaff, Treec reeper, Brambling, Siskin, Redpoll & Snow Bunting.
2nd October Wells Woods & Stiffkey: Gannet, Sparrowhawk 3, Merlin 2, Peregrine, Greenshank, Little Gull, Sandwich Tern, Kingfisher, Swallow, Redwing, Chiffchaff, Brambling 25+, Siskin, Redpoll & Bullfinch.
1st October Blakeney Point: A good start to the month with an east wind and a good day's birding; Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Pintail, Sparrowhawk, Hobby, Grey Partridge, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Rock Pipit, Redstart, Stonechat & Wheatear.
30th September Bradfield Hall Farm: A good morning with a few birds; A Hobby spent a few minutes hunting over the Alder Carr around midday and a female Marsh Harrier flew north. Several Song Thrushes, Redwing, Reed Bunting and Skylark were seen migrating westwards and two Siskin and our first Redpoll of the autumn flew north. The finch flocks are growing with around one hundred Greenfinches and Goldfinches.
29th September Cley - Kelling: An early start for me which proved productive ! Before the tour met I visited Walsey Hills and found several Brambling and Song Thrushes, then I heard a Yellow-browed Warbler calling and tried to see it, which I failed to do. Having walked around the scrub I made my way back along the path and heard a few birds alarm calling and looked around the corner to see a Tawny Owl sat in a low tree, the Tawny flew and as it did so I heard a loud zek call which was familiar, looking in to the bramble below the tree a BLYTH'S REED WARBLER jumped in to view long enough to count six primary tips. I watched as it moved in to the trees along the path and then over the path and in to the thicker scrub. I saw all the features I needed and having run out of time I headed to the meeting point for the tour and phoned 'Birdline' . The bird however was not seen again.
You may think that after all of the above the day's birding was a little dull, well we did very well; A summer plumaged Red-throated Diver showed well on the sea, Gannet, Common Scoter, Sandwich Tern and Tufted Duck were seen on or over the sea. Merlin & Sparrowhawk were seen well. The Pectoral Sandpiper, Rose-coloured Starling and a Redstart showed at Kelling as well as Whinchat & Wheatear.
28th September Holme Dunes: A good day with a few birds; Gannet, Barnacle Geese ( six flew west ), Spotted Redshank, Sandwich Tern, Chiffchaff, Brambling & Snow Bunting.
27th September Holkham: Very few migrants seen considering the east wind and rain, though we did see a Yellow-browed Warbler in Wells Woods after the tour of Holkham. Birds seen included; Shag, Pink-footed Goose 7,000+, Pintail, Kingfisher, Stonechat, Wheatear, Blackcap, Goldcrest & Treecreeper.
26th September Bradfield Hall Farm: A few birds on the farm today including; Siskin, Common Snipe, Barn Owl and a Tawny Owl on the ground in the Alder Carr. Grey Wagtail, Blackcap, Golden Plover and nine migrant Song Thrushes were also of interest.
25th September Customised tour of Blakeney Point: A good day on the point with a few migrants; Halfway House held a Common Redstart, The Hood held a Lapland Bunting, Wheatear & Purple Sandpiper and the Long Dunes held a Whinchat.We also saw Gannet, Brent Goose, Pintail, Merlin, Guillemot and Kingfisher. I then took the tour to Kelling Water Meadows for great views of the Pectoral Sandpiper and Jack Snipe.
24th September Holme Dunes. Another bright and sunny day with very few migrants, though that may change tomorrow with the south-east wind and cloud which is promised !!!. Today we saw; Water Rail, Greenshank, Sandwich Tern, Little Tern, Grey Wagtail, Song Thrush, Reed Warbler and Goldcrest.
22nd September Customised Tour: A rather wild day as far as the weather was concerned with rain at last ! Birds seen today included; Red-throated Diver, Gannet 60+, Pectoral Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Arctic Skua, Black Tern, Little Auk ( a surprise this early in the autumn! ) and Sand Martin.
21st September Holkham: A few interesting sightings today including; Red-throated Diver, Merlin, Hobby, Green Sandpiper, Swift, Wheatear Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap & Treecreeper.
20th September Holme Dunes: A good day with lots of migrating birds seen; Over 400 Pink-footed Geese flew in off the sea in small numbers during the day. The sea proved interesting with a fine Manx Shearwater which flew close inshore giving excellent views. The sea also provided Great Crested Grebe, 30+ Gannets and single Arctic & Great Skua. Five Common Buzzards and four marsh Harriers soared over the dunes mid morning before heading south-west. Hobby and Sparrowhawk were also seen. A Wryneck (pictured below) was seen very well on the very edge of the salt marsh, it had been found by a couple a few minutes before we arrived. Passerine migrants were in short supply though we did see Whinchat, Wheatear, Chiffchaff, Yellow Wagtail, Song Thrush and many Swallows & House Martins.
19th September Cley: Birds seen today included; Bittern, Pink-footed Goose, Pintail, Water Rail, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Green Sandpiper, Little Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Arctic Tern, Sand Martin, Wheatear & Bearded Tit.
17th September Holkham: The first groups of Pink-footed Geese were seen today and are normally a sign of the winter on the way, though with bright sunshine and 24C it seemed far more like summer ! Common Buzzard, Hobby and Marsh Harrier were seen during the late morning and the odd migrant appeared in the form of a Common Redstart and a Wheatear. Good views of a 1st year Gannet fishing just offshore and an Arctic Skua chasing Sandwich Terns was rewarding and three Little Gulls flew in off the sea and in to Burnham Overy Channel.
16th September Cley: Eighty-eight species today with the following seen; Gannet, Bittern, Common Buzzard, Water Rail, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher, Turtle Dove, Yellow Wagtail, Common Redstart, Wheatear, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Bearded Tit, Coal Tit and Yellowhammer.
15th September Bradfield Hall Farm: A good morning with a few birds; Blackcap 6+, Lesser Whitethroat, Green Sandpiper, Common Snipe 3, Siskin 4 and two Kingfishers. Two Hobbies were reported later in the day,
14th September Holme Dunes: Not a typical autumn day though a few migrants were seen including a superb Jack Snipe which had been found earlier in the day. Other birds seen included; Blackcap 15+, Song Thrush five migrants, Chiffchaff 20+, Stonechat, Red-throated Diver, Hobby two, Sparrowhawk two, Kingfisher, Green Sandpiper, Greenshank and 12,000 Knot.
13th September Blakeney Point: Customised tour to the point today which was a great walk in the sunshine though migrants were hard to find. We did however find a LAPLAND BUNTING, with a flock of 50+ Meadow Pipits, which we were able to watch for half an hour or so. Other birds seen included; Red-throated Diver, Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Merlin, Avocet, Guillemot and Goldcrest.
12th September Titchwell: A good mix of speices with 88 seen including; Red-throated Diver, Black-winged Stilt, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Guillemot, Tawny Owl, Tree Pipit, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler and Bullfinch.
11th September Holme Dunes: Only a few migrants today though a good hour or so at high tide with waders and a few sea-birds; Red-throated Diver, Great Crested Grebe, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Arctic Tern, Little Tern and Pied Flycatcher.
10th September Cley: A wet start to the day gave way to a warm bright afternoon with a few birds seen; Red-throated Diver, Gannet, Pintail, Eider, Ruddy Duck, Water Rail, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail & Sedge Warbler.
9th September Bradfield Hall Farm: The clear overnight skies enabled all the migrants to move off southwards so the birding was not as good as yesterday though a few interesting birds; Kingfisher, Moorhen, Turtle Dove two, Grey Wagtail, Blackcap, Reed Bunting four, Meadow Pipit 50+.
8th September Bradfield Hall Farm: Three hours birding this morning was very productive with three Common Buzzards over at 1010 with two Sparrowhawks. A Whinchat was feeding in the Sunflowers and a Wheatear was on the edge of Paul's Plantation. There were a few warblers in the woodland and hedges today including eight Blackcaps, four Lesser Whitethroats and a Reed Warbler.
7th September Titchwell: Raptors were once again the highlight of the day with five Honey Buzzards drifting high over Thornham Point with several Marsh Harriers, Hobby, Peregrine and Sparrowhawk.Other species seen today included; Water Rail, Curlew Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Arctic Skua, Little Tern, Black Tern, Reed Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat.
6th September Holkham. A good day with 92 species and good views of the juvenile Red-backed Shrike. Other birds seen today included; Gannet, Wigeon, Pintail, Eider, Common Scoter, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Stonechat, Wheatear, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler & Treecreeper.
5th September Holme Dunes: A day of common migrants and falcons. Today we saw; Kestrel, Merlin, Hobby & Peregrine Falcon. We also had; Arctic Skua, Kingfisher, Turtle Dove, Sand Martin, House Martin 3000+, Redstart 6, Whinchat 8, Stonechat, Reed Warbler, Willow Warbler & Pied Flycatcher 2.
4th September Holkham: A good search through Holkham Pines and Burnham Overy Dunes produced lots of good birds today; Common Buzzard, Grey Partridge, Whimbrel, Green Sandpiper, Kingfisher, Redstart, Whinchat, Willow Warbler & Pied Flycatcher. The group also saw the juvenile Red-backed Shrike which had been found yesterday.
3rd September Cley: A quiet day with a hint of things to come; Fulmar, Marsh Harrier four, Sparrowhawk four, Common Buzzard two, adult Yellow-legged Gull, Kingfisher, Whinchat, Wheatear, Goldcrest a flock of 25 Bearded Tits & Bullfinch.On the way back to Wells we stopped and watched the Wryneck that had been found on Wiveton Downs yesterday. The bird showed well for half an hour.
2nd September Titchwell: A good day with 92 species and plenty of raptors with the best bird being a Honey Buzzard that flew west over the reserve at 2.35 pm with four Common Buzzards and a Hobby. Other species seen today were; Fulmar, Gannet, Pintail 21 flew west, Common Scoter, Water Rail, Curlew Sandpiper, Arctic Skua & Yellow Wagtail.
1st September Bradfield Hall Farm: A good morning with a few migrants; Whinchat, Green Sandpiper, Cuckoo and Marsh Harrier.
31st August Titchwell: A great day with 91 species at Titchwell and then a short trip to Holme Dunes to see the Greenish Warbler which showed well. We saw; Great Crested Grebe, Pintail, Common Scoter, Common Buzzard, Water Rail, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Wood Sandpiper, Arctic Skua and Yellow wagtail. On my way hame I visited the Booted Warbler at west Runton. Picture below.
29th - 30th Customised Tour: Two days birding site away from the main nature reserves: Gannet, Common Scoter, Merlin, Whimbrel, Curlew Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Kittiwake, Arctic Skua, Guillemot, Kingfisher, Whinchat & Pied Flycatcher.
28th August Bradfield Hall Farm: A good day with a few migrants.A flock of eight Crossbills flew north, a Turtle Dove and Kingfisher were around the Bradfield Pool and a flock of Canada Geese with one Greylag Goose flew over. Our first Greenshank of the autumn landed on the Primrose scrape and fed for fifteen minutes before flying west. Two Whinchats were found together on the southern edge of Paul's Plantation and the first of the autumn's Meadow Pipits arrived with 24 in one field. A total of 51 species on the farm this morning, an excellent count for a farm, even in Norfolk. Yesterday a Bar-tailed Godwit was seen flying over the farm.
27th August Cley: A good day with 84 species seen. The high lights were: Pintail, Common Buzzard, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Spotted Redshank, Arctic Skua, Wheatear, Willow Warbler & Bullfinch.
23rd August Cley: A good day at Cley with twenty-one species of wader and a few early migrants. The best of the waders were: Little Ringed Plover, Knot, Sanderling, Whimbrel and Green Sandpiper. Other species seen included: Fulmar, Gannet, Garganey, Marsh Harrier, Arctic Skua, Yellow Wagtail, Whinchat & Wheatear.
A trip to Kelling Water Meadows after the tour was to see the Citrine Wagtail which had been found during the morning. The bird gave excellent views and I managed one or two photographs.
22nd August Bradfield Hall Farm: A good morning with Kestrel, Sparrowhawk an Hobby before 8.15 am. Also Green Sandpiper, three Yellow Wagtails with the cattle, Kingfisher, Turtle Dove, Golden Plover and a flock of 100+ Goldfinches.
13th August Bradfield Hall Farm: Another warm & sunny morning with a few birds around. One Cuckoo was watched along the concrete track and a small flock of 20 Goldfinches are feeding in the Fat Hen. The Sparrowhawk juveniles are still around the Alder Carr and the Green Sandpiper flew over the Bradfield Pool. A large flock of Long-tailed, Blue & Great Tits held several Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and our first migrant Reed Warbler. The Sunflowers are looking great and we hope the weather will be kind over the next couple of weeks.
12th August Nature Activity Day: A good day with a few moths in the trap the best being Pebble Prominent and a Black Arches. The bird walk was excellent with the best bird being a Wood Warbler in the mixed flock of tits. The Wood Warbler will be a Scandinavian migrant heading south. The butterflies & dragonflies were hard work as we had some heavy fog, though we did see a few common butterflies and a Southern Hawker.
11th August Bradfield Hall Farm: The moth trap was out overnight and I had the best catch of the summer with over 330 moths and several new species including a Copper Underwing, Oak Hook-tip and a Dark Sword-grass which is a migrant from Europe.The birding was not as good as yesterday though I had two juvenile Grey Wagtails, two juvenile Cuckoos and a Green Sandpiper.
10th August Bradfield Hall Farm: A great day with a movement of raptors through the area including a superb RED KITE which soared over Bradfield Pool before heading northwards towards Southrepps at 1145. The first record for the area. Other raptors included two Marsh Harriers, six Sparrowhawks and one or two Hobbies. A juvenile Cuckoo has taken up residence along the concrete track. The Green Sandpiper is still on Primrose scrape and the Kingfisher was on Bradfield Pool. A Lesser Whitethroat was feeding with a flock of 30 Long-tailed Tits and two juvenile Willow Warblers were seen feeding with an adult.
8th-9th August Survey work.
7th August Bradfield Hall Farm: I spent the morning birding the farm & nature reserve before the day became to hot ! A Green Sandpiper was on the new Prirose scrape, two Yellow Wagtails flew west and a juvenile Cuckoo spent the morning around the grazing fields feeding from the fence posts and giving excellent close views. Lots of dragonflies and butterflies and the field of Sunflowers is starting to look good.
3rd August Rare Breeding Bird Tour: A great finish to the Rare Breeding Bird Tours with excellent views of two juvenile Montagu's and the male came past close with prey. The male & female Honey Buzzard showed well and we also had three Common Buzzards and Hobby. A Wheatear gave a hint that the autumn migration is now underway and we also had Brent Goose, Common Tern, Tawny Owl, and Yellow Wagtail.
2nd August Rare Breeding Bird Tour: An really superb day, we saw two Golden Orioles, though the highlight of the day was a field of over 10,000 butterflies and 15,000 Silver Y moths !!! The Golden Orioles were hard work today though we swa a male and a juvenile. Bird wise we also saw six Hobbies, three Marsh Harriers, three Common Buzzards, a Cuckoo, Stone Curlew & Spotted Flycatcher. We also watched a Stoat swimming in a dyke for ten minutes.
The butterflies & moths were all in a single field of around 30 acres. I counted 8,000 Painted Ladies, as well as scores of Large White, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral, Peacock, Common Blue, Small Copper and Small Skipper. The best find was 20+ Clouded Yellow butterflies, though there could have been many more. There were 15,000 Silver Y moths and hundreds of Dragonflies. Looking across the field was an amazing sight, it looked as if the field was moving, at any one time over 1,000 butterflies were visable flying over the field !!
31st July Titchwell: An excellent day of waders with 23 species including two adult Curlew Sandpipers, 29 Greenshank, 9 Spotted Redshank, 2 Little Ringed Plover, Black-winged Stilt and Whimbrel. Bird of the day for the tour was a superb adult pale phase Arctic Skua which we watched taking Sand-eels from SandwichTerns. Other species included: Fulmar, Eider, Common Scoter, Turtle Dove and Bearded Tit.
29th July Nature Activity Day: One day a week during the summer I lead a bird walk, a butterfly & dragonfly walk and catch moths on an 85 acre site just outside Cromer. The best moth today was a Pine Hawk Moth, the best bird was a juvenile Marsh Harrier, though we also saw Gannet & Common Scoter. Several Southern Hawker dragonflies and lots of common butterflies were also seen.
29th July Bradfield Hall Farm: I spent an hour during the late afternoon on the nature reserve and found a Green Sandpiper on the scrape in Primrose.
28th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: Four Golden Orioles today with two males, a female and one juvenile. The male sang a few times from quite close. Other birds found today included: Hobby, Stone Curlew, Grasshopper Warbler, Firecrest and Spotted Flycatcher.
27th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: A great day with good views of the Montagu's Harriers including two juveniles which were in view for an hour and a half. We also saw two females and an adult male. The female Honey Buzzard showed well four times during the afternoon, on three occasions in view for several minutes. We also saw Avocet, Golden Plover, Greenshak, Hobby & Yellow Wagtail.
25th July Bradfield Hall Farm: The change in the weather, with low grey skies and the odd shower proved good for birding this morning. A flock of 35 Mistle Thrushes were over Primrose and up to 75 Swallows were feeding around the cattle. Three Turtle Doves were seen and an adult Kingfisher was watched feeding one or two juveniles around Bradfield Pool, giving superb views
24th July Customised Bird Watching Tour: The weather was much better than expected and we had excellent views of the male & female Honey Buzzard during the morning. We then moved to the coast for the afternoon and had lots of butterflies including Grayling. Other birds seen today included; Gannet, Hobby, Greenshank, Little Tern & Turtle Dove.
22nd July Bradfield Hall Farm: Lots of young birds around the farm today including; 26 Pied Wagtails, at least two Willow Tits, 50+ House Martins, Goldfinches & Spotted Flycatcher. Bradfield Pool was excellent for dragonflies with; Brown Hawker 2, Southern Hawker, Emperor, Four Spot Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer and Banded Damselfly. Loads of butterflies including over 100 Gatekeepers.
19th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: Excellent views of the Montagu's Harriers with two males, a female and two Juveniles. During the morning we had A juvenile Marsh Harrier being chased by the adult female Montagu's and a juvenile Montagu's Harrier. The afternoon was as good with five views of the Honey Buzzard including twice with Honey Comb in his talons. Other birds seen today included a Kingfisher and 15 Greenshank..
18th July Bradfield Nature Reserve: A few birds in the windy conditions the best being the Kingfisher on Bradfield Pool. Lots of Butterflies with 15 Small skipper, 25 Gatekeepers and three Paited Ladies.
17th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: An excellent day with very good views of the Montagu's Harrier including two males flying together. The Honey Buzzard showed well, though only for a few minutes, as the weather had started to become rather poor. Other birds seen today included Yellow Wagtail, Whimbrel, Hobby & Corn Bunting.
16th July Customised Tour for Butterflies: Our best find was this Dark Green Frittilary
13th July BRADFIELD HALL FARM & NATURE RESERVE OPEN DAY:
We had a superb day with fantastic weather and lots of visitors. Many local residents came to have a look around and we had clients from as far as London & Sheffield arrive for the day. The three guided activitites went well, with over a total of 70 people joining the walks and moth identification. Many people said how good the wild bird food is and proving very popular with their garden birds. The success of this Open Day will enable the farm to organise another one for summer 2004.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE BIRD I.D COMPANY CLIENTS THAT CAME ON THE DAY AND GAVE THIER SUPPORT AND TO THOSE THAT SENT BEST WISHES
11th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: The male Montagu's Harrier put on a fine display this morning hunting close to the group and then seen returning with prey. After a short wait a female Montagu's Harrier appeared and spent fifteen minutes hunting, giving excellent views. During the afternoon the male Honey Buzzard showed twice and soared close to the watch point for a few minutes before dropping back into the woods.
7th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: Superb views of the male Montagu's Harrier and good views of a female hunting for over twenty minutes. The views and length of time we are watching these birds seem to get better and better. The picture below is a little haze affected, but does show the views we have ! The female Honey buzzard had us wait until the end of the afternoon but then showed very well, with the telescope you could see the yellow eye !
6th July Bradfield Hall Farm: The weather was great today and helped with the butterfly counts which were superb; Ringlet 300+, Meadow Brown 350+, Comma 3, Red Admiral 15+, Small Tortiseshell 15+, Large Skipper 3, Small Skipper 1 and Large White 2. Emperor Dragonfly 2, Muntjac Deer and lots of Sliver Y moths were also seen. The best bird of the day was the Barn owl hunting in the meadows and the Long Eared Owl was present in the hedge along Wrights field.
5th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: The Montagu's harrier's showed very well today with four birds , three in the air at one time, and views throughout the morning.The Honey Buzzard showed twice, the first time soaring low over the wood and then later a short display before dropping back in to the trees.Other species seen today included; Marsh Harrier, Hobby & Barn Owl.
4th July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: Better weather today and the Golden Orioles showed well, in the end ! We had a bird as soon as we reached the site and then had flight views and heard them calling a couple of times. Then a male bird flew in to the trees and began calling and singing and then showed in the tops of the trees before flying over the gruop and giving an excellent view.We also saw Stone Curlew feeding chicks, Little Owl, Woodlark and Spotted Flycatcher.
3rd July Rare Breeding Bird Tour: A rather wet day and we failed to see the Honey Buzzard though we saw Common Buzzard & Marsh harrier at the site. We did see the Montagu's Harriers and had at least three if not four birds including a female and two males. We watched the female hunting and saw a male close to the watch point for several minutes four times during the morning.
1st July Bradfield Hall Farm: An excellent morning for butterflies with over 150 Ringlets and 50+ Meadow Brown. A young Great Spotted Woodpecker tried and failed to land on a telegraph wire and a Kingfisher was on the Bradfield Pool.
29th June Rare Breeding Bird Tour: A good day with excellent views of a 2nd summer male Montagu's Harrier and a ten minute view of the male Honey Buzzard soaring over the valley. Other species seen today included; Marsh Harrier 8+, Common Buzzard, Hobby, Common Tern and Tree Sparrow.
28th June Rare Breeding Bird Tour: Another great day with fine weather and good views of the Golden Orioles, the female was seen with food on two occasions and the male flew in and out of the tree tops for most of the morning. We also saw Marsh Harrier, Common Buzzard, Stone Curlew, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Little Owl, Woodlark, Spotted Flycatcher, Siskin & Hawfinch.
27th June Rare Breeding Bird Tour: The Montagu's Harriers were SUPERB today with close views of two male birds on three occasions within an hour. We watched a 2nd summer male hunting over the saltmarsh and saw him twice on the ground. Then an adult male Montagu's Harreir flew past hunting along the bank. Th