chris.mills@norfolkbirding.com
Double click to ed January 2007
norfolkbirding with chris mills
January 7th 2007. Holme 0930-1400 Overcast mild, mod W
Quite a lot of birds on the sea, with very few passerines on the ground, hence I focussed my attentions from Gore Point & off the Observatory dunes.
Gore Point
Big bunch of 105 Cormorants, 40+ Kittiwakes, 10 Great crested Grebe, 80+ Razorbill, 50+ Guillemot, 5 Long-tailed Ducks, 5 Red-B-Mergs, 2 Eider, these were upstaged by my best count ever off Holme of 120 Red-throated Divers! Just to round off a very nice seawatch I finished with a juv/2nd winter Pomarine Skua, 400 yards offshore opposite the Obs.
On the Broadwater there was a good count of Shoveler with 50+, and also 6 Little Grebe.
The main marsh held 500+ Wigeon and at least 80 Teal.
Perhaps the most unusual thing of the day was a RED ADMIRAL!!
Quite a lot of birds on the sea, with very few passerines on the ground, hence I focussed my attentions from Gore Point & off the Observatory dunes.
Gore Point
Big bunch of 105 Cormorants, 40+ Kittiwakes, 10 Great crested Grebe, 80+ Razorbill, 50+ Guillemot, 5 Long-tailed Ducks, 5 Red-B-Mergs, 2 Eider, these were upstaged by my best count ever off Holme of 120 Red-throated Divers! Just to round off a very nice seawatch I finished with a juv/2nd winter Pomarine Skua, 400 yards offshore opposite the Obs.
On the Broadwater there was a good count of Shoveler with 50+, and also 6 Little Grebe.
The main marsh held 500+ Wigeon and at least 80 Teal.
Perhaps the most unusual thing of the day was a RED ADMIRAL!!
January 14th 2007. Holme - Thornham 0930-1400 Overcast mild, mod W
Another good days birding - got off to a nice start with superb views of the juvenile/1st winter Lesser Yellowlegs at Thornham, this bird was found yesterdat (Saturday) by visiting birders. Still present it gave stunning views most of the day showing down to just a few feet. This seemed to be influenced by the constant aggression shown towards it by the resident Redshank, the "Yellowlegs" discovered that by moving ibn close to the surrounding birders the it was left alone by the Redshank, needless to say many of us with cameras were not complaining!!!
Whilst watching & photographing the Yellowlegs, I also watched a Peregrine put all the waders up, and also a flock of 26 Twite & 500 Brent were feeeding nearby
The sea off the Obs again provided good entertainment for a couple of hours, again hundreds of auks many too far out to be specific, but constant small flocks on view, 80+ Red-T-Diver, 1 1st wint Black-T-Diver, 17 Common Scoter -west, lots of gulls just offshore, mainly Common & Herring, but also 50 Little Gull, 30 Kittiwake, 25 Black-headed Gull & eventually 1 ad Mediterranean Gull after much searching!
An Arctic Skua sub-ad pale phase showed up and was around for a good hour taking advantage of the huge numbers of gulls.
Up at the Obs a Short-eared Owl was showing well hunting just the other side of the Broadwater, also a single Marsh Harrier
Another good days birding - got off to a nice start with superb views of the juvenile/1st winter Lesser Yellowlegs at Thornham, this bird was found yesterdat (Saturday) by visiting birders. Still present it gave stunning views most of the day showing down to just a few feet. This seemed to be influenced by the constant aggression shown towards it by the resident Redshank, the "Yellowlegs" discovered that by moving ibn close to the surrounding birders the it was left alone by the Redshank, needless to say many of us with cameras were not complaining!!!
Whilst watching & photographing the Yellowlegs, I also watched a Peregrine put all the waders up, and also a flock of 26 Twite & 500 Brent were feeeding nearby
The sea off the Obs again provided good entertainment for a couple of hours, again hundreds of auks many too far out to be specific, but constant small flocks on view, 80+ Red-T-Diver, 1 1st wint Black-T-Diver, 17 Common Scoter -west, lots of gulls just offshore, mainly Common & Herring, but also 50 Little Gull, 30 Kittiwake, 25 Black-headed Gull & eventually 1 ad Mediterranean Gull after much searching!
An Arctic Skua sub-ad pale phase showed up and was around for a good hour taking advantage of the huge numbers of gulls.
Up at the Obs a Short-eared Owl was showing well hunting just the other side of the Broadwater, also a single Marsh Harrier
January 21st 2007. Holme - Thornham 1000-1600 Overcast mild, strong W
Went back for some of pics of the Lesser Yellowlegs, also nearbyscored with 30 Twite. Barn Owl was showing well at Thornham, the sea again produced a hive of activity with 200+ Little Gulls passing west between 1230 - 1400, also 10 Kittiwake, 5 Fulmar, 10+ Red Throated Diver, 20 Common Scoter.
The wet fields between Thornham & the Obs held 200 Brent Geese, 51 Ruff, 250 Golden Plover, & 40 Lapwing
January 22nd 2007. Sennowe area 1100-1330 sunshine & cloud, mod WNW
A first en-route when we had brief but close views of a "white ermine" Stoat. Find a nice mixed flock of finches, 20+ Brambling, 100+ Green/Chaffinches. Also 50 Fieldfare, Redwing, 1 Buzzard, 2 Sparrowhawk
Went back for some of pics of the Lesser Yellowlegs, also nearbyscored with 30 Twite. Barn Owl was showing well at Thornham, the sea again produced a hive of activity with 200+ Little Gulls passing west between 1230 - 1400, also 10 Kittiwake, 5 Fulmar, 10+ Red Throated Diver, 20 Common Scoter.
The wet fields between Thornham & the Obs held 200 Brent Geese, 51 Ruff, 250 Golden Plover, & 40 Lapwing
January 22nd 2007. Sennowe area 1100-1330 sunshine & cloud, mod WNW
A first en-route when we had brief but close views of a "white ermine" Stoat. Find a nice mixed flock of finches, 20+ Brambling, 100+ Green/Chaffinches. Also 50 Fieldfare, Redwing, 1 Buzzard, 2 Sparrowhawk