Saturday 19 March 2016

To Norfolk and back...

Hello

Eleanor re-visited Blueberry Farm again first thing this morning and located two Short-eared Owls and a Barn Owl in Redgrass. A late afternoon visit to Harrington Airfield this afternoon provided a spectacle of 400 Fieldfares and 100 Redwing feeding on the top fields. An adult female Peregrine saw an opportunity and ploughed in to the monster flock, catching and consuming an unfortunate Fieldfare. A Short-eared Owl was located here too.

In the meantime I paid North Norfolk a quick visit today with a crew armed with cameras and optics... Wolferton Woods and Dersingham Bog was our first location, and in addition to plenty of Siskins we enjoyed a couple of vocal Woodlarks and a pair of Stonechat. Hunstanton was next and cliff-top viewing included gliding Fulmars, confiding Turnstones and blogging Brent Geese.

It's difficult not to go to the RSPB reserve at Titchwell when in this part of the world, and after enjoying the tame birds in the car park and feeding station which included more Siskins and Bramblings, we dawdled towards the coast. Typical birds were on show which included Marsh Harrier, more Brent Geese, common waders and close views of common wildfowl. A Water Pipit showed briefly a couple of times on the salt-marsh, rafts of Common Scoter bobbed on the grey waves and Sanderling sprinted on the beach ahead of the waves.

The walk back allowed us close views of Avocet, Grey Plover, Little Egret and others.

With birds on show at Pitsford Reservoir, we drove back to witness a flock of eleven Common Scoter visible from the dam, a Dunlin, the Ruddy Shelduck and a fine adult summer plumage Mediterranean Gull being chased by Common Gulls.

Regards

Neil M


Fulmars at Hunstanton


The Woodpigeon. Not just
capable of coping with our
influence on the environment
but being flexible enough
to successfully exploit it!

Turnstone at Hunstanton.

No comments: