Norfolk Winter 3 Day Birding Tour
February 2nd – 4th
This was a three day/3 night group tour and visited similar areas to the last 3 & 5 day January tours, however there were a few species recorded that were different to the previous trips, a full list of species recorded is below along with the locations we visited.
We recorded 120 species over the 3 days and the highlights were Black-throated Diver, Cattle Egret, Spoonbill, still thousands of Pink-footed Geese, and Dark-bellied Brents, c30 Russian White-fronted Geese, vast numbers of Wigeon, Teal, Pintail & Shoveler, massive flock of c5000 Common Scoter holding good numbers of Velvet Scoter at Holkham. Thousands of both Golden Plover and Lapwing also a sprinkling of Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, plus 2 Greenshank & Spotted Redshank, all the wintering shorebirds were seen in good numbers & great views of a Water Rail. Raptors were well represented with 5 Hen Harriers seen, plus good views of the Pallid Harrier coming into roost.
Inland down in the Brecks, we had a wonderful day with 3 singing Woodlark, 20+ Crossbills, 3 Hawfinch, Firecrest & Goshawk. Plus Marsh Tit & Nuthatch coming to feeders. In the farmland inland, a nice mixed finch & bunting flock is building in a dedicated field, with 200+ birds including Brambling, Yellowhammer, 5+ Tree Sparrow & Reed Bunting.
Locations Visited Day One – Holkham NNR & shore, Wells Harbour, Warham Greens. Day Two – Santon Downham, Cockley Cley Raptor watchpoint, Lynford arboretum, Great Cressingham. Day Three – Holme Dunes NNR, Thornham Harbour, Titchwell RSPB.
| Species recorded (1’s = recorded not the number seen) | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | |
| 1 | Red-throated Diver | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Black-throated Diver | 1 | ||
| 3 | Little Grebe | 1 | 1 | |
| 4 | Great Crested Grebe | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Fulmar | 1 | ||
| 6 | Great Cormorant | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | Little Egret | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Cattle Egret | 1 | ||
| 9 | Great Egret | 1 | 1 | |
| 10 | Grey Heron | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Eurasian Spoonbill | 1 | ||
| 12 | Mute Swan | 1 | 1 | |
| 13 | Pink-footed Goose | 1 | 1 | |
| 14 | White-fronted Goose | 1 | ||
| 15 | Greylag Goose | 1 | 1 | |
| 16 | Barnacle Goose | 1 | ||
| 17 | Dark-bellied Brent Goose | 1 | 1 | |
| 18 | Egyptian Goose | 1 | 1 | |
| 19 | Common Shelduck | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Eurasian Wigeon | 1 | 1 | |
| 21 | Common Teal | 1 | 1 | |
| 22 | Mallard | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 23 | Pintail | 1 | 1 | |
| 24 | Gadwall | 1 | 1 | |
| 25 | Northern Shoveler | 1 | 1 | |
| 26 | Common Pochard | 1 | ||
| 27 | Tufted Duck | 1 | ||
| 28 | Common Eider | 1 | ||
| 29 | Common Scoter | 1 | 1 | |
| 30 | Velvet Scoter | 1 | ||
| 31 | Common Goldeneye | 1 | 1 | |
| 32 | Red-breasted Merganser | 1 | 1 | |
| 33 | Marsh Harrier | 1 | 1 | |
| 34 | Hen Harrier | 1 | 1 | |
| 35 | Pallid Harrier | 1 | ||
| 36 | Northern Goshawk | 1 | ||
| 37 | Eurasian Sparrowhawk | 1 | 1 | |
| 38 | Common Buzzard | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 39 | Red Kite | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 40 | Common Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 41 | Red-legged Partridge | 1 | ||
| 42 | Common Pheasant | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 43 | Water Rail | 1 | ||
| 44 | Moorhen | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 45 | Common Coot | 1 | ||
| 46 | Oystercatcher | 1 | 1 | |
| 47 | Avocet | 1 | ||
| 48 | Great Ringed Plover | 1 | ||
| 49 | European Golden Plover | 1 | 1 | |
| 50 | Grey Plover | 1 | ||
| 51 | Northern Lapwing | 1 | 1 | |
| 52 | Red Knot | 1 | ||
| 53 | Sanderling | 1 | 1 | |
| 54 | Dunlin | 1 | 1 | |
| 55 | Ruff | 1 | 1 | |
| 56 | Common Snipe | 1 | 1 | |
| 57 | Black-tailed Godwit | 1 | 1 | |
| 58 | Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 | 1 | |
| 59 | Eurasian Curlew | 1 | 1 | |
| 60 | Spotted Redshank | 1 | ||
| 61 | Common Redshank | 1 | 1 | |
| 62 | Greenshank | 1 | ||
| 63 | Turnstone | 1 | 1 | |
| 64 | Black-headed Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 65 | Common Gull | 1 | 1 | |
| 66 | Lesser Black-backed Gull | 1 | ||
| 67 | Herring Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 68 | Great Black-backed Gull | 1 | 1 | |
| 69 | Woodpigeon | 1 | 1 | |
| 70 | Rock Dove/Feral pIgeon | 1 | 1 | |
| 71 | Stock Dove | 1 | 1 | |
| 72 | Collared Dove | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 73 | Green Woodpecker | 1 | ||
| 74 | Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1 | ||
| 75 | Woodlark | 1 | ||
| 76 | Sky Lark | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 77 | Meadow Pipit | 1 | ||
| 78 | Water Pipit | 1 | ||
| 79 | Pied Wagtail | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 80 | Wren | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 81 | Dunnock | 1 | 1 | |
| 82 | Robin | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 83 | Common Stonechat | 1 | 1 | |
| 84 | Blackbird | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 85 | Fieldfare | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 86 | Song Thrush | 1 | 1 | |
| 87 | Redwing | 1 | 1 | |
| 88 | Mistle Thrush | 1 | 1 | |
| 89 | Cetti’s Warbler | 1 | ||
| 90 | Goldcrest | 1 | 1 | |
| 91 | Firecrest | 1 | ||
| 92 | Long-tailed Tit | 1 | 1 | |
| 93 | Marsh Tit | 1 | ||
| 94 | Coal Tit | 1 | 1 | |
| 95 | Blue Tit | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 96 | Great Tit | 1 | 1 | |
| 97 | European Nuthatch | 1 | 1 | |
| 98 | Eurasian Treecreeper | 1 | 1 | |
| 99 | Eurasian Jay | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 100 | Magpie | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 101 | Eurasian Jackdaw | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 102 | Rook | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 103 | Carrion Crow | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 104 | Common Starling | 1 | 1 | |
| 105 | House Sparrow | 1 | 1 | |
| 106 | Tree Sparrow | 1 | ||
| 107 | Common Chaffinch | 1 | 1 | |
| 108 | Brambling | 1 | ||
| 109 | Greenfinch | 1 | 1 | |
| 110 | Goldfinch | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 111 | Siskin | 1 | 1 | |
| 112 | Linnet | 1 | 1 | |
| 113 | Lesser Redpoll | 1 | ||
| 114 | Common Crossbill | 1 | ||
| 115 | Common Bullfinch | 1 | ||
| 116 | Hawfinch | 1 | ||
| 117 | Yellowhammer | 1 | ||
| 118 | Reed Bunting | 1 | ||
| 119 | Pallid Harrier | 1 | ||
| 120 | Cattle Egret | 1 |