Norfolk and Suffolk, 26-29th May 2017

A long weekend in Norfolk with my good pals Magnus A and Christian C was a fine way to sign May, and effectively the spring, off. Over June and July I'm going to take things a little easier, recharge ahead of the autumn and sort out a few things that have brushed aside over the last few weeks! Highlights of our trip included Marsh Warbler at Lakenheath, Savi's Warbler at Hickling, Wood Warbler at Brandon and a singing Quail of our own finding at Icklingham, along with marshland birds such as Cranes, Spoonbills, Bitterns and Grasshopper Warblers. Titchwell provided goodies such as Little Stint, Little Gull, male Ruff, a late Dark-bellied Brent Goose and a count of six Red-crested Pochards. Several Little Terns were seen and further wader action included two relatively late Greenshanks at Cley. Other moments to savour, and to reflect on, included encounters with Grey Partridge, Turtle Dove and Corn Bunting. On the way back, we finally tracked down Stone-curlews in the Brecks.

a purring Turtle Dove at Titchwell on Saturday

my first in far too long... a Grey Partridge near Stanhoe

loud Marsh Warbler keeping out of the limelight at Lakenheath on Friday

Avocet at Titchwell on Saturday

Red-crested Pochards at Titchwell on Saturday... where do they come from?

an endearing brood of Shoveler at Titchwell on Saturday

121 species were noted on the trip, as follows:

Mute Swan, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Brent Goose (Dark-bellied), Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Wigeon, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Red-crested Pochard, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Scoter, Quail, Red-legged Partridge, Grey Partridge, Pheasant, Fulmar, Cormorant, Bittern, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Spoonbill, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Moorhen, Coot, Crane, Stone-curlew, Avocet, Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Bar-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Knot, Ruff, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Greenshank, Redshank, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Kittiwake, Black-headed Gull, Little Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Dove (feral), Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Turtle Dove, Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Swift, Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Hobby, Magpie, Jay, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Goldcrest, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Bearded Tit, Woodlark, Skylark, Sand Martin, Swallow, House Martin, Cetti's Warbler, Long-tailed Tit, Wood Warbler, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Whitethroat, Grasshopper Warbler, Savi's Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Reed Warbler, Wren, Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Stonechat, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, (yarrellii), Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Siskin, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting

Getting Savi

Yesterday I shared an enjoyable trip to Lakenheath in the evening with Phil. He was in it for the long-staying male Red-footed Falcon which, despite his recent extensive travels, he hadn't seen anywhere in the world. I came for the Savi's Warbler, a bird that I haven't had the chance to chase yet.

On arrival we heard that the falcon hadn't been reliably reported since mid-morning and that the Savi's hadn't yet starting its evening singing session. Walking towards the area of interest, we passed a large group of people intently peering into a plantation. We took a few guesses as to what the attraction was but they were all incorrect... it turned out to be the most obliging male Cuckoo that either of us had ever seen! It put on a superb show, perching for long periods in good light in between diving into the undergrowth in pursuit of large caterpillars.

Cuckoo

There were large numbers of Common Swifts, and a single House Martin, taking advantage of the abundance of emerging insects but we only saw two Hobbies. A Bittern boomed from the reeds while one or two cream-crown Marsh Harriers quartered the fen and a Cetti's Warbler sang from another plantation. I joined the gathering waiting for the warbler while Phil remained further back in case the falcon showed up. I had arrived just on time as the bird had apparently started singing very recently and I didn't have to wait long before it gave a burst of reeling, similar to a Grasshopper Warbler but heavier and more metallic in sound. It was instantly apparent that seeing the bird might be an entirely different challenge as the persistently powerful breeze promised to keep any warbler in the sheltered under-storey of the reedbed, although it didn't put off a particular male Reed Bunting which maintained its proud position atop one of the most exposed perches.

The bursts of singing grew longer and more regular, giving us more of a clue as to where the bird was. Phil rejoined me at this point and a collective penetrating stare into the rustling stems by the assembled crowd reaped the reward when the SAVI'S WARBLER appeared near a close-by bush. This first view was brief, but good enough for the tick. I did want further views though to fully appreciate the bird and its identifying features, and to hopefully get some images so we continued to stake it out. It soon reappeared, perching quite obviously in the said bush and this allowed all of its features to be scrutinised. The bird was a rich, warm, intense brown and had a large, fan-shaped tail - both features reminiscent of Cetti's Warbler. The undertail coverts were extensive, washed light greyish-brown with pale tips just noticeable. The breast and flanks were washed a similar greyish-brown to the vent and undertail coverts and the bill struck me as rather long and spiky. The wind died down and the evening progressed, but the light was still good and so the bird ended up giving prolonged showings on a number of occasions, making me a very happy man indeed. A Kingfisher dashing past was a nice touch. Ta, Phil.

Savi's Warbler

Norfolk etc

Stone-curlew

I got back late yesterday from a weekend away in Norfolk. I was a little disorientated and distressed; it meant Sunday was the first day without a visit to the patch in over three months. But it was okay as it’s late May, which is basically June, and until early August I will only have one realistic target bird in mind: Crossbill. Red-backed Shrike, Honey-buzzard and Golden Oriole could happen, so I will keep an eye out for them too. Otherwise, it’s pretty safe to leave the place unwatched for a couple of days.

Despite begging to stop at Breydon Water upon arrival in Norfolk on Saturday afternoon, the family didn't want to and it probably wouldn't have worked anyway, especially as we were stuck in more traffic than we anticipated. I knew the Broad-billed Sandpiper wouldn't stick around to the next day meaning that my tick-thirst in this bone dry spring would not be quenced and was therefore became pretty irrate.

On Sunday morning dad took me over to Breydon Water; as feared the Broad-billed Sand didn't appear and hasn't done so since. Squished a crow, nearly squished a family of Mallards. Mood didn't lighten. Stopped at Cleyspy and got an early birthday present in the form of a brilliant new pair of bins (my old pair are completely knackered e.g. both ends of the right element are so scratched that it is constantly like looking through mist; looking through the new pair is like looking through divine crystals). Tested them out at Cley on a couple of Little Gulls and recieved a free biology lesson on Kingfisher's eyes from the guy who found the Great Snipe. Family pub dinner followed, with a Barn Owl as a nice scene-setter.


Monday - slept in, a few minutes. Spent time with the family until about 1.00pm BST then homeward bound via a pair of Stone-curlews, and Lakenheath, which failed.

Take me to the River

Before plumping for the New Forest on Sunday, Phil Wallace and I considered going to Norfolk and as we set foot at our first New Forest site the pager went off with a River Warbler in Norfolk rendering our decision a bad one - plans for the following day started materialising there and then.

Stone-curlews

We left Sutton at 8.00am yesterday, arriving at the first of our list of sites to pass the time until 7.00pm; a Stone-curlew breeding locality not far from Lakenheath. We spent about half an hour there, enjoying relatively good views of four Stone-curlews including three together. It was nice to see a Eurasian Curlew with a young downy chick too as well as a Stoat which took a strong interest in the local rabbits.

Lakenheath was next up but the visit proved very brief, we didn't even go past the visitor centre because staff informed us that the Golden Oriole situation (a target for Phil) at that moment was so bad that they would be very interested to know if we did see one.

Knot and Dunlin

Bearded Tit

This at least meant that we could spend more time staking out the elusive Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Titchwell. Approaching the reserve we stopped the car to enjoy brilliant views of a singing male Corn Bunting. On arrival at the reserve we had lunch at the cafe which retrospectively was a bad move as we missed the Sandpiper by ten minutes because of this; it had flown into dense vegetation on the freshmarsh. We searched for three or so hours to no avail, the star attractions amongst the general interest of the more expected marshland birds were four splendid summer plumaged Spotted Redshanks, a summer plumaged Golden Plover and a male Bearded Tit which showed well completely still for a long period on the mud at the bottom of a set of nearby reeds; it looked rather poorly.

Spotted Redshank

Golden Plover

We had spent too much time at Titchwell and we had to leave if we were to have any time at all at the Montagu's Harrier site (a bird which Phil needs as a lifer). A birder at Titchwell told us that the main area to watch from had changed so we quickly called in at the old lay-by to see if anyone was there (there wasn't) before driving around the area that the birder suggested, again finding no-one. We thought it best to leave for the River Warbler slightly early to get there in good time.


The River Warbler twitch was well organised, we arrived just before 7.00pm and gave our £2 to the local children holding buckets before Dick Filby directed our parking. It took a long time for the bird to start singing it was a tense wait but at least we had 2 Barn Owls and a Hobby to watch and some Little Owls to listen to in the meantime. Eventually, approaching 9.00pm the bird sang. The bird was singing to my right, I glimpsed what was without doubt the bird fly left with the naked eye and it started singing again from its new position but this was just movement seen with the naked eye and too poor to tick. A bit later on the bird stopped singing and what I believe was almost certainly the bird was seen a handful of times briefy in flight but realistically, Reed and Cetti's Warbler could not be completely eliminated, though on the views I did have I'd say it was far more likely the River than anything else and the bird was seen in the general area that the bird was singing from.


At the time I thought that the evidence was strong enough to prove that the these sightings involved the River Warbler and to tick it but I've been thinking over the last couple of days and come to the conclusion that Reed and Cetti's, although I feel it's unlikely it was either of these species, cannot be completely ruled out and views were really too poor, anyway I really wanted more on it than brief bins-only flight views.

That's more like it!

My recent bad luck took a massive u-turn this weekend, which began with a successful after-school twitch for a Red-footed Falcon on Friday, before a 'family' weekend in Norfolk.

After arriving late on Saturday, dad agreed to take me to a couple of places in the Fakenham area while my gran spent some time with my uncle on Sunday.


Five minutes after being dropped off at the first site (which I won't disclose even though everybody seems to know about it) I was onto the male Montagu's Harrier as it quartered a nearby field, before disappearing over the brow. The exquisite bird showed on-and-off for the hour and a half that I was there, at times offering brilliant views, though my photography skills don't reflect that. Also present was a singing male Lesser Whitethroat and a male Marsh Harrier.


Next was Great Ryburgh Raptor Watchpoint (nearly running over a Grey Partridge on the way there) where a brief attempt to see Honey-buzzards was soon realised to be doomed to failure, for one thing it was a little too windy for the birds to be displaying and, more importantly, there weren't any birds; the team of volunteers at both Great Ryburgh and Swanton had put in about 200 hours this spring and not glimpsed a single bird.

With Lakenheath too far away to do that day, especially with family plans, dad dropped me off at Cley NWT for some quieter birding, and perhaps to see if the Temminck's Stint was still around. There wasn't anything of great interest, just a hail shower. The most interesting birds for me were the Avocets with their young chicks, the good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, a male Marsh Harrier and one or two Bearded Tits.

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Monday saw my parents and I up a bit earlier; we planned to fit in a trip to Lakenheath before having lunch with my uncle and his girlfriend, then heading home.

The predicted 'white cloud' decided it would rather turn grey and constantly drizzle over us on the way there, which didn't give me good feelings about seeing the Golden Orioles. However, on arrival at the visitor centre the staff reassured me that the birds had been showing despite the weather and I had a decent chance of seeing them.
After staking out the 'last plantation' for about twenty minutes, I spotted a flash of yellow low down and got onto it in the scope. The yellow thing flew towards me and confirmed its identity as a male Golden Oriole. I announced the sighting and after it disappeared a huge throng of people descended around me asking me where it was, if it was the male etc, very off-putting. I spotted the bird half-hidden behind the trunk of a tree again but by the time I got onto it with the scope it had flown deeper in and I didn't bother announcing it.

After waiting about twenty more minutes, the bird apparently flew up from the ground at the edge of the plantation and gave good but partially obscured views for all present for a minute or two before disappearing again, satisfied, I had a very brief look from the Joist Fen Viewpoint where a Bittern boomed at close quarters and at least 5 Marsh Harriers were on show.

Other birds here included 2 or so Cuckoos including one flying low overhead, a Kingfisher, at least one Bearded Tit and at least one Water Rail squeeling.

Half an hour late for pick-up we had to rush back to meet the others for lunch and couldn't check out a nearby Stone-curlew site which I had been tipped off about, thanks Joe for the info though.

It had to happen . . . while we were having lunch by the river the pager sounded the monotonous, continuous beep which indicates a breaking rarity, and by sod's law it had to be in Norfolk at an awkward time. But, it all turned out well.


Surprisingly, dad was happy to take the detour to Cley on the way back home and even more to my surprise mum and gran were too (very odd). To my delight, the male TRUMPETER FINCH was still there and showing well when I arrived. I've always wanted to see one of these and it was a performer, coming pretty close at times (even more so to a group who had luckily positioned themselves where the bird happened to wander towards, along the top of the shingle ridge). This is the 15th British record if accepted.


While the bird wasn't on show, I turned to the sea and got good views of a pair of Arctic Terns moving west close to the shore, they were close enough to clearly see their short, all dark-red bills and greyer underparts as well as all other features.

The Avocets and Black-tailed Godwits, a Sandwich Tern and a Bearded Tit were the most notable over birds. I watched the finch for an hour and a half, before having to get back in the car and go home after a brlliant weekend's birding for which thanks is due to dad.