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 |