F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 9
6th February - Norfolk 3 Day Winter bird photography tour
North Norfolk Coast
We started in difficult conditions, wet with a layer of snow on the ground. But we still managed to get some nice shots of Woodcock, in the leaf litter at Titchwell.
Moving east - by using the car as a mobile hide we were able to got some nice shots of a winter plumaged Spotted Redshank, also nice shots of Bar-tailed Godwit & Dunlin. Also present in the area was a single Greenshank.
Further east I located the feeding flock of 5000 Pink-feet & also located a single Tundra Bean Goose amongst them.
Moving further on we then located 3 Barn Owls, 1 was photographed well, a more distant Short-eared owl was enjoyed through the scope.
I then located an adult Black Brant and we photographed it amongst 500 Brents.
The rain & light eventually won through and we took a few last shots for the day of some very obliging Pink-feet.
7th February Norfolk 3 Day Winter bird photography tour
North Norfolk coast
Yet again the Snow Bunting performed extremely well, & we got some great shots of them feeding on iced over pools. A Barn Owl hunted nearby & a passing Peregrine sent everything to the air.
We found a Pale-bellied Brent amongst 500 Brents and also got some nice shots of a 1st winter Glaucous Gull.
Further west I located a fantastic mixed flock of buntings & finches. The flock was mainly buntnings, and incredibly we counted 400 Yellowhammer & 40 Corn Bunting - this was the largest bunting flock I had witnessed for 20 years! We got some nice Yellowhammer pics & some record shots of the Corn Buntings.
En-route home we also saw 2 Little Owls.
We started in difficult conditions, wet with a layer of snow on the ground. But we still managed to get some nice shots of Woodcock, in the leaf litter at Titchwell.
Moving east - by using the car as a mobile hide we were able to got some nice shots of a winter plumaged Spotted Redshank, also nice shots of Bar-tailed Godwit & Dunlin. Also present in the area was a single Greenshank.
Further east I located the feeding flock of 5000 Pink-feet & also located a single Tundra Bean Goose amongst them.
Moving further on we then located 3 Barn Owls, 1 was photographed well, a more distant Short-eared owl was enjoyed through the scope.
I then located an adult Black Brant and we photographed it amongst 500 Brents.
The rain & light eventually won through and we took a few last shots for the day of some very obliging Pink-feet.
7th February Norfolk 3 Day Winter bird photography tour
North Norfolk coast
Yet again the Snow Bunting performed extremely well, & we got some great shots of them feeding on iced over pools. A Barn Owl hunted nearby & a passing Peregrine sent everything to the air.
We found a Pale-bellied Brent amongst 500 Brents and also got some nice shots of a 1st winter Glaucous Gull.
Further west I located a fantastic mixed flock of buntings & finches. The flock was mainly buntnings, and incredibly we counted 400 Yellowhammer & 40 Corn Bunting - this was the largest bunting flock I had witnessed for 20 years! We got some nice Yellowhammer pics & some record shots of the Corn Buntings.
En-route home we also saw 2 Little Owls.
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8th February Norfolk 3 Day Winter bird photography tour
North Norfolk coast
We started at Titchwell and had really close views of Water rail and got some record shots, but better still was the photography from the 2nd hide, where we got nice shots of Snipe & a really nice adult Black Brant. Also nice images of a male Reed Bunting, but just good views of Bearded Tit as they wouldn't quite give us a clear shot with the camera.
We returned to the Bunting flock & improved on yesterdays Yellowhammer & Corn Bunting shots
13th February Norfolk 2 day Winter birdwatching tour
We started on the North Norfolk coastline and we had lovely views of 30 Snow Bunting & pair of Stonechats, and a mixture of other commoner waders the roadside pools provided close views of 100's of Teal & Wigeon.
As we moved along the coast we stopped off to look at some roadside pools there was 20 Ruff, 15 Black-tailed Godwit, 1000 Golden Plover. All of these took to the sky as a Peregrine passed rapidly overhead.
Further west we located a feeding flock of 3500 Pink-footed Geese, we had lovely close up scope views, although on this occasion there was nothing unusual amongst them.
In one of the harbours we were able to take a look at Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Turnstone, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Shelduck & Brent Goose.
We finished the day at a raptor roost where we saw 2 r/t Hen Harrier, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Peregrine & a Merlin.
14th February Norfolk 2 day Winter birdwatching tour
We visited Cantley first, but the Bean Geese had at last departed! We did see a nice Peregrine perched on a gate post, plus 1000's of Wigeon, lots of Teal and Lapwing.
We then moved on to the Broads, 2-3 Cetti's Warblers were heard and one showed quite well.
We were then treated to excellent views of 2 groups of Cranes, firstly a group of three, and then a group of 18.
At the raptor roost we saw 1male & 2 ringtail Hen Harrier, 40+ Marsh Harrier, 1 Merlin, 1 Barn owl, 9 Bewick's Swan, 5+ Yellowhammer & 5+ Reed Bunting.
Total of 92 species recorded over 2 days
20th February Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
Today's three day tour got off to a great start with fantastic views of 10 Brambling showing down to a few feet at a feedstation, a walk through the woodland area resulted in good views of 5+ Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, and great scope views of 30+ Siskin.
Up at the coast we had nice views of 30+ Snow Bunting plus a good selection of waders & wildfowl.
At Cley we found a single Pale-bellied Brent Goose amongst 800+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, the Peregrine also put in another appearance, displacing 1000+ Golden Plover, plus several 1000 wildfowl were a superb sight as they wheeled around over the reserve.
During the day we saw at least 4+ Barn Owls, and another very confiding bird flew around in front of us whilst watching the raptor roost, at the end of the day.
The raptor roost provided the unexpected - when a Rough-legged Buzzard flew in off the marsh and straight past us! A good roost tonight with 2 Peregrine, 1 Hen harrier, 2 Marsh Harrier & 1 Buzzard.
21st February Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
We spent the day in the east of the county in the Broads area, where we managed to see 2 Cetti's Warblers & 40 Eurasian White-fronted Geese
We were then treated to excellent views of 2 groups of Common Cranes, firstly a group of three, and then a group of 18. Plus a nice surprise was a Bittern in flight.
At the raptor roost we saw 1male & 2 ringtail Hen Harrier, 40+ Marsh Harrier, 1 Merlin, 1 Barn owl, 9 Bewick's Swan, 5+ Yellowhammer & 5+ Reed Bunting.
22nd February Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
Today we started in mid-Norfolk, & with success as 3 Hawfinches gave wonderful scope views at 200m range, we were even able to discern the males from the females - the best views thus far this winter. Other noteable birds were 40 Redwing, 10 Siskin, 4+ Treecreeper & 4+ Marsh Tit.
The early success of the day continued with 4+ Woodlark & the first Goshawk of the year - a superb male displaying over it's territory.
Other noteworthy birds during the afternoon at other breckland sites were 8+ Green Woodpecker, 2+ Great Sp. Woodpecker 40+ Goldfinch.
Total of 93 species recorded over 3 days
26th February Norfolk 1 day Winter birdwatching tour
Today's tour got off to a great start with fantastic views of several Brambling showing down to a few feet at a feedstation, plus lovely views of a perched Barn Owl at 30 yards
A walk through the woodland area resulted in good views of 5+ Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, and great scope views of 30+ Siskin & excellent views of a Water Rail.
Down in the brecks we several Woodlark & nice scope views of 4 perched Crossbills, inclusive of a superb male.
During the afternoon we visited the broads and had excellent views of Common Cranes.
At the raptor roost we saw 1 ringtail Hen Harrier, 40+ Marsh Harrier & 1 Barn owl.
27th February - 1st March Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
North Norfolk Coast
Whilst we know that many of you are more interested in seeing species well & enjoying close up views of the special Norfolk birds, some of you will also want to have an idea of the range of species recorded. So for this 3 day trip I have listed the species below, this is a rather typical representation of the winter tour list at this time of the year.
North Norfolk coast
We started at Titchwell and had really close views of Water rail and got some record shots, but better still was the photography from the 2nd hide, where we got nice shots of Snipe & a really nice adult Black Brant. Also nice images of a male Reed Bunting, but just good views of Bearded Tit as they wouldn't quite give us a clear shot with the camera.
We returned to the Bunting flock & improved on yesterdays Yellowhammer & Corn Bunting shots
13th February Norfolk 2 day Winter birdwatching tour
We started on the North Norfolk coastline and we had lovely views of 30 Snow Bunting & pair of Stonechats, and a mixture of other commoner waders the roadside pools provided close views of 100's of Teal & Wigeon.
As we moved along the coast we stopped off to look at some roadside pools there was 20 Ruff, 15 Black-tailed Godwit, 1000 Golden Plover. All of these took to the sky as a Peregrine passed rapidly overhead.
Further west we located a feeding flock of 3500 Pink-footed Geese, we had lovely close up scope views, although on this occasion there was nothing unusual amongst them.
In one of the harbours we were able to take a look at Bar-tailed Godwit, Sanderling, Turnstone, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Shelduck & Brent Goose.
We finished the day at a raptor roost where we saw 2 r/t Hen Harrier, 2 Marsh Harrier, 1 Peregrine & a Merlin.
14th February Norfolk 2 day Winter birdwatching tour
We visited Cantley first, but the Bean Geese had at last departed! We did see a nice Peregrine perched on a gate post, plus 1000's of Wigeon, lots of Teal and Lapwing.
We then moved on to the Broads, 2-3 Cetti's Warblers were heard and one showed quite well.
We were then treated to excellent views of 2 groups of Cranes, firstly a group of three, and then a group of 18.
At the raptor roost we saw 1male & 2 ringtail Hen Harrier, 40+ Marsh Harrier, 1 Merlin, 1 Barn owl, 9 Bewick's Swan, 5+ Yellowhammer & 5+ Reed Bunting.
Total of 92 species recorded over 2 days
20th February Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
Today's three day tour got off to a great start with fantastic views of 10 Brambling showing down to a few feet at a feedstation, a walk through the woodland area resulted in good views of 5+ Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, and great scope views of 30+ Siskin.
Up at the coast we had nice views of 30+ Snow Bunting plus a good selection of waders & wildfowl.
At Cley we found a single Pale-bellied Brent Goose amongst 800+ Dark-bellied Brent Geese, the Peregrine also put in another appearance, displacing 1000+ Golden Plover, plus several 1000 wildfowl were a superb sight as they wheeled around over the reserve.
During the day we saw at least 4+ Barn Owls, and another very confiding bird flew around in front of us whilst watching the raptor roost, at the end of the day.
The raptor roost provided the unexpected - when a Rough-legged Buzzard flew in off the marsh and straight past us! A good roost tonight with 2 Peregrine, 1 Hen harrier, 2 Marsh Harrier & 1 Buzzard.
21st February Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
We spent the day in the east of the county in the Broads area, where we managed to see 2 Cetti's Warblers & 40 Eurasian White-fronted Geese
We were then treated to excellent views of 2 groups of Common Cranes, firstly a group of three, and then a group of 18. Plus a nice surprise was a Bittern in flight.
At the raptor roost we saw 1male & 2 ringtail Hen Harrier, 40+ Marsh Harrier, 1 Merlin, 1 Barn owl, 9 Bewick's Swan, 5+ Yellowhammer & 5+ Reed Bunting.
22nd February Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
Today we started in mid-Norfolk, & with success as 3 Hawfinches gave wonderful scope views at 200m range, we were even able to discern the males from the females - the best views thus far this winter. Other noteable birds were 40 Redwing, 10 Siskin, 4+ Treecreeper & 4+ Marsh Tit.
The early success of the day continued with 4+ Woodlark & the first Goshawk of the year - a superb male displaying over it's territory.
Other noteworthy birds during the afternoon at other breckland sites were 8+ Green Woodpecker, 2+ Great Sp. Woodpecker 40+ Goldfinch.
Total of 93 species recorded over 3 days
26th February Norfolk 1 day Winter birdwatching tour
Today's tour got off to a great start with fantastic views of several Brambling showing down to a few feet at a feedstation, plus lovely views of a perched Barn Owl at 30 yards
A walk through the woodland area resulted in good views of 5+ Marsh Tit, Treecreeper, and great scope views of 30+ Siskin & excellent views of a Water Rail.
Down in the brecks we several Woodlark & nice scope views of 4 perched Crossbills, inclusive of a superb male.
During the afternoon we visited the broads and had excellent views of Common Cranes.
At the raptor roost we saw 1 ringtail Hen Harrier, 40+ Marsh Harrier & 1 Barn owl.
27th February - 1st March Norfolk 3 day Winter birdwatching tour
North Norfolk Coast
Whilst we know that many of you are more interested in seeing species well & enjoying close up views of the special Norfolk birds, some of you will also want to have an idea of the range of species recorded. So for this 3 day trip I have listed the species below, this is a rather typical representation of the winter tour list at this time of the year.
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe
Great Cormorant
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Pink-footed Goose
White-fronted Goose
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Dark-bellied Brent Goose
Pale-bellied Brent Goose
Egyptian Goose
Common Shelduck
Eurasian Wigeon
Gadwall
Common Teal
Mallard
Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Tufted Duck
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Marsh Harrier
Hen Harrier
Great Crested Grebe
Great Cormorant
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Pink-footed Goose
White-fronted Goose
Greylag Goose
Canada Goose
Dark-bellied Brent Goose
Pale-bellied Brent Goose
Egyptian Goose
Common Shelduck
Eurasian Wigeon
Gadwall
Common Teal
Mallard
Pintail
Northern Shoveler
Tufted Duck
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Marsh Harrier
Hen Harrier
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Common Buzzard
Common Kestrel
Red-legged Partridge
Grey Partridge
Common Pheasant
Common Coot
Moorhen
Common Crane
Oystercatcher
Avocet
Grey Plover
Northern Lapwing
Dunlin
Ruff
Sanderling
Red Knot
Common Snipe
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Eurasian Curlew
European Golden Plover
Common Redshank
Greenshank
Turnstone
Common Buzzard
Common Kestrel
Red-legged Partridge
Grey Partridge
Common Pheasant
Common Coot
Moorhen
Common Crane
Oystercatcher
Avocet
Grey Plover
Northern Lapwing
Dunlin
Ruff
Sanderling
Red Knot
Common Snipe
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Eurasian Curlew
European Golden Plover
Common Redshank
Greenshank
Turnstone
Mediterranean Gull
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Stock Dove
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
Barn Owl
Green Woodpecker
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Wood Lark
Sky Lark
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Wren
Hedge Accentor
Robin
Common Stonechat
Blackbird
Fieldfare
Song Thrush
Redwing
Mistle Thrush
Cetti's Warbler
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Marsh Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
European Nuthatch
Eurasian Jay
Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Common Starling
House Sparrow
Common Chaffinch
Brambling
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Siskin
Linnet
Common Crossbill
Common Bullfinch
Redwing
Mistle Thrush
Cetti's Warbler
Goldcrest
Long-tailed Tit
Marsh Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
European Nuthatch
Eurasian Jay
Magpie
Eurasian Jackdaw
Rook
Carrion Crow
Common Starling
House Sparrow
Common Chaffinch
Brambling
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Siskin
Linnet
Common Crossbill
Common Bullfinch
Hawfinch
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
Corn Bunting
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
Corn Bunting
