Stiffkey, Holme and Thornham Harbour

 Mag and I were heading to Spurn for a week and took the chance to divert to north Norfolk to mop up on a few birds. Most pressing was the RUFOUS BUSH CHAT which showed nicely out on the saltmarsh at Stiffkey. For various reasons I've barely been able to go for any of the major rarities this autumn but this is the bird I cared most about, so I'm very glad I managed to sneak over there... Seven Red Kites over the saltmarsh was the highest number I've seen in Norfolk and a Kingfisher flew along a channel. We then popped in to Holme where we enjoyed good views of a Red-flanked Bluetail near the village car park (five Lesser Redpolls and 30 Redwings there too) and finally to Thornham Harbour, where the Pallas's Warbler fed in the low bushes without a care for the small crowd surrounding it.

Sedgeford, Wells, Holkham, Thornham and Burnham Norton

Sedgeford first thing this morning produced fine views of the male EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL on the dung heap by the road. 60 Fieldfares, a Redwing, a Red Kite, a Marsh Harrier and a Yellowhammer were also logged.

male Eastern Yellow Wagtail at Sedgeford

Wells was the next stop, where the faithful juvenile Rough-legged Buzzard was successfully twitched, with two Golden Plovers in a nearby field and skeins of Pink-footed and Dark-bellied Brent Geese flying in (what was presumably the known Black Brant hybrid was clocked among the latter).

Rough-legged Buzzard at Wells

Holkham was rewarding, with nice views of four Shorelarks and 42 Snow Buntings in the roped-off area, while the sea produced four Long-tailed Ducks, several Velvet Scoters among vast rafts of Common Scoters, plus small numbers of Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Diver and Great Crested Grebe. Other birds included a field full of 75 Snipe, six Ruff, 12 Grey Partridges, 100 or so Golden Plovers, a White-fronted Goose with Pink-footed Geese, Dark-bellied Brent Geese and two Egyptian Geese and a Fieldfare.

Snow Buntings at Holkham

Shorelark at Holkham

Common Scoters off Holkham

Long-tailed Ducks off Holkham

Velvet Scoters in with Common Scoters off Holkham

Grey Partridges at Holkham

Ruff at Holkham

Snipe at Holkham

Thornham harbour offered the relic winter flock of 10 Twite, along with a Rock Pipit, a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers and trip ticks such as Mediterranean Gull, Bar-tailed Godwit and Grey Plover.

Twite at Thornham harbour

Curlew at Thornham harbour

Today's dusk vigil was at Burnham Norton, where we had a Short-eared Owl, a Great White Egret, a Barn Owl, good numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese and Pink-footed Geese, three Cetti's Warblers, a Bearded Tit and four Egyptian Geese.

Norfolk, 27-28th November 2017

A fun couple of days away with Mag and Christian started productively with two Parrot Crossbills at Santon Warren, an adult Black Brant at Cley and four Lapland Buntings at Weybourne our haul on the first day. Cley also provided a first-winter Caspian Gull, a Great Skua and a few Golden Plovers, while Brents numbered around 500. The Tuesday didn't go quite so smoothly, much time being wasted looking in vain for a Shorelark at Holme, but we did get a few Snow Buntings there and a nice flock of 20 Twite at Thornham Harbour and a seawatch at Sheringham produced a couple of Great Skuas and a few Red-throated Divers.

♂ Parrot Crossbill at Santon Warren

adult Black Brant at Cley - my first of this taxa; interesting bird with an incomplete collar (and I think I'm looking too hard for grey tones on the upperparts?)

first-winter Caspian Gull at Cley

Twite at Thornham Harbour