B i r d w a t c h i n g i n N o r f o l k
A p r i l 2 0 1 0
A p r i l 2 0 1 0
8th April Norfolk 1 day Specialist Guided Birdwatching tour
Today I undertook a customised itinerary for a visiting birdwatcher. The emphasis was on Owls at the start & end of the day, with the middle part of the day spent looking for some Breckland specialities.
The day started early at 6.30am & we were very fortunate to watch 5 different Barn Owls hunting, but much more importantly we had one bird within 10m both perched & hunting, which was just fantastic! Nearby we also had good views of 3 Marsh Harrier, 6+ Buzzard & a pair of displaying Sparrowhawk. We returned to the accommodation and had a breakfast together before heading into south Norfolk.
At the first site we watched Firecrest, 4 Crossbill & 4 Hawfinch
Down in the Brecks we were treated to nice views of a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker boring out a hole, also plenty of Crossbill, several Brambling, Siskin & Redpoll.
We also had nice views of a mixture of commoner woodland species.
During the afternoon we spent a couple of hours in the Brecklands at a some water in the forest.
We were treated to intimate views at 15m of Siskin, Crossbill, Brambling, Chiff-chaff, Yellowhammer, Blackcap all coming down on to the ground to bathe & drink.
In the evening we had an early evening meal before watching a pair of Little Owl & eventually watching 3 Tawny Owls flying around in torchlight at a local woodland.
Client's comments:- "Just home from my trip to Norfolk and wanted to drop you a quick line to say a huge Thank You for our day together. It really was the best day's birdwatching ....ever! Thank you for all your hard work and effort in helping me see the birds that were so important - i really do appreciate it. The Tawny Owls at the end were the icing on the cake and something that i shall remember forever - thank you so much for persevering and staying out so late".
Today I undertook a customised itinerary for a visiting birdwatcher. The emphasis was on Owls at the start & end of the day, with the middle part of the day spent looking for some Breckland specialities.
The day started early at 6.30am & we were very fortunate to watch 5 different Barn Owls hunting, but much more importantly we had one bird within 10m both perched & hunting, which was just fantastic! Nearby we also had good views of 3 Marsh Harrier, 6+ Buzzard & a pair of displaying Sparrowhawk. We returned to the accommodation and had a breakfast together before heading into south Norfolk.
At the first site we watched Firecrest, 4 Crossbill & 4 Hawfinch
Down in the Brecks we were treated to nice views of a female Lesser Spotted Woodpecker boring out a hole, also plenty of Crossbill, several Brambling, Siskin & Redpoll.
We also had nice views of a mixture of commoner woodland species.
During the afternoon we spent a couple of hours in the Brecklands at a some water in the forest.
We were treated to intimate views at 15m of Siskin, Crossbill, Brambling, Chiff-chaff, Yellowhammer, Blackcap all coming down on to the ground to bathe & drink.
In the evening we had an early evening meal before watching a pair of Little Owl & eventually watching 3 Tawny Owls flying around in torchlight at a local woodland.
Client's comments:- "Just home from my trip to Norfolk and wanted to drop you a quick line to say a huge Thank You for our day together. It really was the best day's birdwatching ....ever! Thank you for all your hard work and effort in helping me see the birds that were so important - i really do appreciate it. The Tawny Owls at the end were the icing on the cake and something that i shall remember forever - thank you so much for persevering and staying out so late".
Double click to edit
12th - 14th April Norfolk 3 day April Guided Birdwatching tour for 5 person
12th April
Today we started the first of the advertised April tours - and I am pleased to say with a great deal of success!!
I collected the group at 0700am and we started birdwatching 45 minutes later in the Brecklands South Norfolk, after seeing a single Hawfinch we also located 12 Crossbill in the same area. Plus we added Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Redpoll, Siskin, Goldcrest & 30+ commoner woodland species. We also located 3 singing Firecrest & eventually had great views of a pair of Firecrest.
We moved on to our next site and arrived right on cue, with great views of 3 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers showing extremely well, plus on view on and off for around 2 hours. We also saw a nice flock of 30+Redpoll, more Crossbills giving very good views & Brambling to the growing list.
Our next stop continued with the vein of good luck a male Goshawk soared overhead & we also had 1 pair of Woodlark feeding young, many Siskin, several Redpoll and stunning views of 6 Crossbill feeding on the ground just 15 metres away from us.
The afternoon was rounded off nicely with scope views of 3 Stone Curlew.
I met back up with John at 7PM & we headed off for an evening session, our two hour session produced good views of Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Little Owl, we also heard Woodcock & a migrant flock of Wigeon in the dark!
13th April Norfolk 3 day April Guided Birdwatching tour
Today we headed for the Broads, but visited the nearby Wensum valley before departing - we were treated to lovely views of 2 pairs of Barn Owl, 3 Marsh Harrier, 4 Buzzard, Grey Wagtail, 3 Snipe, 12 Teal & Shelduck. Plus I showed the group a regular Otter run & fresh smelly scats!!
We stopped off at one of the Broadland reserves & had nice views of Cetti's Warbler, a mix of commoner warblers, plus 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher & 3 prs pf Marsh Harrier. A Bearded Tit was heard but not seen
During the afternoon we toured & stopped off at various localities seeing many more Marsh Harriers, plus 250 late Pink-footed Geese. Eventually I tracked down 3 Common Cranes & we had nice views as they flew over the reeds in front of us.
14th April Norfolk 3 day April Guided Birdwatching tour
We had an early morning walk around Holkham, but failed to find any Shorelarks. En-route we had great views of Barn owl & Marsh harrier We saw a mixture of Pipits & Linnets, but there was little evidence of much passage. We headed to Holme & had a good look at the shoreline, 50 Sanderling, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Fulmar, 10 Knot, 20 Turnstone, 3 Grey Plover, 30 Curlew, Oystercatcher & Shelduck. At Redwell we had nice views of Pochard & 1 Ruddy Duck.
We spent the afternoon at Titchwell, where we had 4 Red-crested Pochard. Passage waders were short in supply but we located 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Bearded Tit, 3 prs of Pintail, plus Sedge Warbler.
A quick stop at a harbour produced nice close views of 10 Black-tailed Godwit in full breeding plumage.
We headed back inland had a late afternoon tea & then watched a pair of Little Owl before having an evening meal. We finished the tour with great views of 2 Tawny Owl in torchlight.
Over the three days we recorded 110 species of bird & also recorded Brimstone, Small Tortoishell, Orange Tip & Peacock butterflies.
12th April
Today we started the first of the advertised April tours - and I am pleased to say with a great deal of success!!
I collected the group at 0700am and we started birdwatching 45 minutes later in the Brecklands South Norfolk, after seeing a single Hawfinch we also located 12 Crossbill in the same area. Plus we added Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Redpoll, Siskin, Goldcrest & 30+ commoner woodland species. We also located 3 singing Firecrest & eventually had great views of a pair of Firecrest.
We moved on to our next site and arrived right on cue, with great views of 3 Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers showing extremely well, plus on view on and off for around 2 hours. We also saw a nice flock of 30+Redpoll, more Crossbills giving very good views & Brambling to the growing list.
Our next stop continued with the vein of good luck a male Goshawk soared overhead & we also had 1 pair of Woodlark feeding young, many Siskin, several Redpoll and stunning views of 6 Crossbill feeding on the ground just 15 metres away from us.
The afternoon was rounded off nicely with scope views of 3 Stone Curlew.
I met back up with John at 7PM & we headed off for an evening session, our two hour session produced good views of Tawny Owl, Barn Owl, Little Owl, we also heard Woodcock & a migrant flock of Wigeon in the dark!
13th April Norfolk 3 day April Guided Birdwatching tour
Today we headed for the Broads, but visited the nearby Wensum valley before departing - we were treated to lovely views of 2 pairs of Barn Owl, 3 Marsh Harrier, 4 Buzzard, Grey Wagtail, 3 Snipe, 12 Teal & Shelduck. Plus I showed the group a regular Otter run & fresh smelly scats!!
We stopped off at one of the Broadland reserves & had nice views of Cetti's Warbler, a mix of commoner warblers, plus 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Kingfisher & 3 prs pf Marsh Harrier. A Bearded Tit was heard but not seen
During the afternoon we toured & stopped off at various localities seeing many more Marsh Harriers, plus 250 late Pink-footed Geese. Eventually I tracked down 3 Common Cranes & we had nice views as they flew over the reeds in front of us.
14th April Norfolk 3 day April Guided Birdwatching tour
We had an early morning walk around Holkham, but failed to find any Shorelarks. En-route we had great views of Barn owl & Marsh harrier We saw a mixture of Pipits & Linnets, but there was little evidence of much passage. We headed to Holme & had a good look at the shoreline, 50 Sanderling, 6 Bar-tailed Godwit, 2 Fulmar, 10 Knot, 20 Turnstone, 3 Grey Plover, 30 Curlew, Oystercatcher & Shelduck. At Redwell we had nice views of Pochard & 1 Ruddy Duck.
We spent the afternoon at Titchwell, where we had 4 Red-crested Pochard. Passage waders were short in supply but we located 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 6 Bearded Tit, 3 prs of Pintail, plus Sedge Warbler.
A quick stop at a harbour produced nice close views of 10 Black-tailed Godwit in full breeding plumage.
We headed back inland had a late afternoon tea & then watched a pair of Little Owl before having an evening meal. We finished the tour with great views of 2 Tawny Owl in torchlight.
Over the three days we recorded 110 species of bird & also recorded Brimstone, Small Tortoishell, Orange Tip & Peacock butterflies.
| Home |
| Our tours & holidays |
| Photography workshops |
| About us |
| Clients' Testimonials |
| Wildlife Photograph galleries |
| Worldwide Trip Reports |
| Birding Links pages |
| Contact us |
The Group at Holkham - Chris Mills of Norfolk Birding on the left
16th April Norfolk 1 day Breckland Guided Birdwatching tour
A tour for a couple to see the Brecks birds. The mix of birds was similar to the 12th April.
Crossbill, Firecrest, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Woodlark, Stonechat & Tree Pipit were all seen well - plus a nice mixture of commoner woodland birds were also seen.
See below some typical images of birds seen during the April trips
Client's comments:- "I'd just like to say a personal thank you for such a great trip. Your knowledge and expertise is incredible and I certainly learnt a lot from you and enjoyed the whole event - even the cold blustery wind on the coast! Good company too."
" A big thanks for 3 super days birding in such terrific company".
" A big thanks for 3 super days birding in such terrific company".
Click here for March 2010
________________________________
Contact: Chris Mills
Tel: 01362 683520 or 07876 357677
Email: chrismills@norfolkbirding.com
Lilac Cottage, Foxley Road, Themelthorpe,
Norfolk NR20 5PU
________________________________
Contact: Chris Mills
Tel: 01362 683520 or 07876 357677
Email: chrismills@norfolkbirding.com
Lilac Cottage, Foxley Road, Themelthorpe,
Norfolk NR20 5PU
22nd April - Customised Day Guided Birdwatching in North Norfolk
Today we guided a couple for a customised tour in North Norfolk.
We started the tour with in nearby Wensum valley before departing & we were treated to lovely views of of Barn Owl, and a pair of Grey Wagtail feeding their young at the nest site.
We headed up to Holme & had a good look in the dunes, we had 12 Yellow Wagtail, 10 Sand martin, 10 Swallow & 1 Yellowhammer all pass overhead moving west. On the ground we found 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Whitethroat, 2 Willow Warbler & we spent time recognising the calls & the songs of each. On the pools we located a male Ruddy Duck, 2 Pochard & 1 Greenshank flew over.
Over the marsh we picked out 1 Peregrine, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1pr kestrel.
We spent the afternoon at Titchwell, where we had 2 Whimbrel, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Spotted Redshank & 4 Red-crested Pochard, booming Bittern, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, several Bearded Tit, Pintail, plus Sedge & Reed Warbler.
The highlight would have been a male Montagu's harrier but for the very distant views as it moved off high to the east.
22nd April - Customised Day Guided Birdwatching in The Brecklands
A customised tour for a returning client - covering the specialities of the Brecks.
We met up at 0630 am & we located 3 singing Firecrest & eventually had great views of a male Firecrest.
In the same area we had 6 Crossbill but all flying over without any perched birds, we saw a nice mix of commoner warblers & tits.
We moved on to our next site and arrived right on cue, with great views of 1 female Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers showing well & drumming, we also located 15 Redpoll & 15 Crossbill showed very well perched in the surrounding trees.
We then birded two forestry clearings & were rewarded with great views of 2 Woodlark, 2 Tree Pipit & 8 more Crossbill.
The morning was rounded off nicely with scope views of 2 Stone Curlew & 1 Wheatear, with Buzzard overhead
We then headed into the forest & stopped off to watch 12 Siskin, 3 Brambling, 2 Blackcap, 2 Yellowhammer, 2 Chiff-chaff, and stunning views of 1 Crossbill feeding on the ground just 15 metres away from us.
Images below were taken by myself the following day at the same locality.
|
|
||||
|
|
26th - 30th April - 3 & 4 Day Guided Birdwatching in North Norfolk
26th April - Brecklands
Another of our advertised April tours - and very successful with 130 species recorded plus a quality find TAWNY PIPIT.
I collected the group at 0700am and we started birdwatching 45 minutes later in the Brecklands South Norfolk, after seeing a single Hawfinch we also located 5 Crossbill in the same area. Plus we added Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Redpoll, Siskin, Goldcres
We also located 5 singing Firecrest & eventually had great views of a male Firecrest.
More surprisingly we also had 2 Grasshopper Warbler, with one of the birds perched right out showing very well added to this a fly over Red Kite & we had got off to a fantastic start!
We moved on to our next site but couldn't locate Lesser Spotted Woodpecker as expected they are getting more difficult now.
We did see a nice flock of Crossbills, a few Redpoll, Grey wagtail & Siskin.
Yet another surprise was a pair of Cranes soaring overhead for 5 minutes.
We then birded two forestry clearings & were rewarded with great views of 2 Woodlark, 2 Tree Pipit & 6 Crossbill.
The surprises kept coming as a Wheatear appeared to fall out of the sky landing on the clearing in front of us.
The afternoon was rounded off nicely with scope views of 3 Stone Curlew.
27th April - North Norfolk
Today was a good day with lots of migrants around & overhead.
We stopped off just inland of the North Norfolk coast & had lovely views of 1 Barn Owl. In the fields we located a male Ring Ouzel, 5 Wheatear, 2 Marsh Harrier & overhead 2 Buzzard passed over. I also located 6 Tree Sparrow nearby.
A further couple of stops produced 3 singing Corn Bunting & 9 Wheatear.
we then birded Holme & worked the dunes, we had 21 Yellow Wagtail west, 2 Whimbrel, 1 Wheatear, 1 Cuckoo, 1 Grasshopper Warbler, 4 Lesser Whitethroat, 5 Whitethroat, 4 Willow Warbler. On the pools we located Pochard & Little Grebe.
Over the marsh we picked out 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1pr kestrel, plus 80 Pink-footed geese were still present
We spent the afternoon at Burnham Norton where we had 2 Whimbrel, 17 Yellow Wagtail, 15 Wheatear & an adult Little Gull.
We stopped off at Cley & added Greenshank, 60 Sandwich tern, 10 Common Tern, 20 Turnstone & 1 Bar-tailed Godwit.
We had an early evening meal before searching out Little Owl, Barn owl & a pair of Tawny Owl.
28th April - East Norfolk
We headed off east & started with a walk out around Hickling, Grasshopper Warbler, Cetti's warbler, Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Blackcap all heard with several showing, but not the Cetti's!
We also saw a very interesting ringtail Harrier at range but we were to see this bird again later! On the scrape there was 4 Wood Sandpiper, Teal, Wigeon, Shelduck & Gadwall, lots of Marsh Harrier.
After brief views of a Ring Ouzel, the mystery harrier reappeared complete with wingtags - the tags were Yellow on the left wing, green on the right wing, & both had a "0" symbol in black in the centre. After watching the bird at very close range for a quite a long time I decided the bird was a Montagu's harrier, after a couple of calls it soon became apparent that a few birders had seen the bird & clearly it was an atypical bird as everyone had difficulty with the bird looking a bit on the large side.
However, ultimately the wing tags proved the case:-
" Montagu's Harrier (prob fem) ringed in the nest on 18th July 2008 in Auvergne, central France - only the 2nd Foreign ringed Monty's to occur in Britain.
The excitement of the day hadn't ended yet...........because just a couple of hours later, we stopped off near Waxham. Immediately it was evident that that there had been a real collection of migrants in the field, 25 Wheatear, 12 Yellow Wagtail, 5 White Wagtail, 12 Meadow Pipit, But the real star which was about the 5th bird I dropped my scope on to was a TAWNY PIPIT, feeding along the furrows amongst the rest.
After a few calls eventually a few local birders turned up & despite the bird disappearing twice it eventually gave very good scope views.
29th April - South Norfolk
Following on from "off the press" news of the first returning male Golden Oriole, we headed off towards Lakenheath Fen. On arrival we were treated to a beautiful pair of Garganey, the first section of the reserve heaved with Reed, Sedge & Grasshopper Warbler (5 in total). We set out for a long wait & vigil! After around 40 minutes the "tropical, fluty" notes were clear & loud were heard not too far away, not long after a bit of movement we glimpsed the bright yellow underparts & then suddenly in full view was a stunning male GOLDEN ORIOLE. True to form after 30 seconds or so it became obscured, before melting away into the canopy!
Our walk continued & the awesome habitat created at Lakenheath provided more awe & wonder! Marsh Harriers everywhere sky dancing, 2 Bitterns booming, warblers everywhere & an incredible mass of 40+ hunting Hobbies on the air together.
After lunch we finished the day by stopping off at a gravel pit NR & had great views of 2 singing Nightingale, also present here were 2 Greenshank.
A fantastic 4 day tour with 130 species recorded.
30th April & 1st May - 2 day Norfolk Customised Tour
30th April - Brecklands
This was a 2 day tour customised for two clients. We visited a similar range of sites to the previous April visits & saw a similar mix of species.
1st May - North Norfolk
The day started very successfully after a lengthy wait we were rewarded with good views of male & female Montagu's Harrier, also nearby 2 Wheatear, 6 Tree Sparrow & 3 Buzzard.
A couple more stops produced 3 Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer & 3+ Wheatear.
At Holme we located 2 Ring Ouzel & 5 Wheatear in the dunes, a singing Grasshopper Warbler showing very well, 2 singing Cuckoo, 30 Swift,
4 Lesser Whitethroat & 50 Pink-footed Geese were still present. Overhead 10 Yellow Wagtail, 20 Swallow, 30 Sand martin passed west.
At Titchwell we added a sleeping male Garganey! Plus 10 Little Tern.