Sunday 28 January
Up early and off in the dark at 7 o’clock so that I could be at RSPB
Titchwell soon after daybreak; should have left thirty minutes earlier!
As the light improved once past Kings Lynn and into Norfolk proper first
sightings of
Magpie,
Crow and
Rook along with regular
Wood
Pigeon appearances. Approaching the village of Flitcham a
Barn Owl
crossed in front of me and driving through the village itself a small flock of
Starlings
and then, just the other side, a circling
Red Kite. Continuing on
I can only describe one long stretch of the narrow road as driving down a
"Wood Pigeon avenue!" Finally, almost at the junction with the coast road, a flock of a score or more
Egyptian Geese grazing on a field to my right as a couple of
Kestrels moved overhead. Indeed, it was good to see so many
Kestrels during the day.
|
You don't often, or want, to illustrate a Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus! |
Once parked up at
Titchwell Marsh RSPB Reserve I was to see more
Magpies
and
Crows and especially
Wood Pigeons. The feeders
provided
Chaffinch,
Greenfinch,
Goldfinch,
Blue and
Great Tit and just the very early, solitary
Brambling.
Robins and
Blackbirds were also about and quite entertaining to see this pair trying their hands (Beaks) at trying to access the food hoppers! So, leaving the above with both
Moorhens and
Pheasants seeking out the spillages below, I set off for the
Fen Hide and viewing screen overlooking
Patsy's Reedbed. The former had nothing on view but i did view both
Robin and
Wren as I moved along the boardwalk. At the latter a couple of
Mute Swans on the water and a quartering
Marsh Harrier just beyond. In addition to a few
Coot there was a range of ducks including
Mallard,
Teal,
Pochard,
Tufted Duck,
Gadwall and
Shelduck.
|
Robin Erithicus rubecula |
Then it was off along the shore path with a first stop at the
Island Hide having already noted the first of many
Wigeon and the hundreds of
Lapwings that seemed to be drifting around the site as if not knowing where to land and feed/ settle. From the hide, in addition to more Teal and
Tufted Duck I added my first
Shovelers of the day and a little further away a flock of about fifty plus
Brent Geese resting on the water. A little further away a couple of
Canada and a single
Greylag Goose. Then it was time to utilise the scope to search the back of the freshwater marsh and I was delighted to find upwards of an hundred
Avocet gathered in a tight group with a few
Pintail drifting by behind them and a pair of
Goldeneye.
|
Just a few of the Brent Goose Branta bernicla flock |
Ever onwards to the beckoning shore. A couple of
Black-tailed Godwits in the muddy stream and a few foraging
Redshanks. But with virtually no water and not a lot of activity I missed out visiting the large
Parrinder hides but I did note a couple of
Curlew working the mud.
|
Record shot of Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa |
At first sight lots of birders with scopes checking out the sea and even one photographer on the distant water's edge hoping for a closer shot of something or other. Definitely a case for using the scope. First the beach near the water which yielded very many
Oystercatchers along with
Dunlin,
Sanderling,
Turnstone and
Ringed Plover.
|
Turnstone Arenaria interpres |
A more concentrated approach then revealed a couple of
Grey Plover and even a
Spotted Redshank. At the same time, the waders were joined by a single
Little Egret. My first birds on the sea were a pair of
Great Crested Grebe. Somewhat surprised, I double-checked with the birder not three metres away and it turned out to be a fellow member of the
Andalucia Bird Society, Peter Ashley from Bournemouth on a birding tour of the British coast it would appear having just left Suffolk and making his way home via Newcastle and the West Midlands, etc. Anyway, Peter confirmed the sighting and then proceeded to find me the resting
Common Scoters and
Guillemot. Next we found the single
Red-breasted Merganser and then a
Razorbill flew past. Peter had already seen the passing Long-tailed Duck was to be unsuccessful in his search for the reported Velvet Scoter and I had a couple of
Cormorant. A call of nature had me hurrying back the three-quarters of a mile to the
Visitors Centre but I did manage to add both
Long-tailed Tit and
Goldfinch before moving on to my next stop at
Holkham where, in addition to yet more
Wigeon, I found a small flock of
Pink-footed Geese and a lone
Heron.
|
Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus |
Morston added a single
Greenshank in addition to more
Redshanks and
Cley was most disappointing; more of the same and nothing from the beach which was full of fishermen and walkers. Lots of
Wigeon and
Teal plus many
Lapwing and a couple of
Great Black-backed in with the
Black-headed Gulls. But the drive back from the shore did reveal a small flock of
Meadow Pipits.
|
Herring Gull Larus argentatus |
Rather than waste time here I headed back to call in at
Brancaster Staithe where the tide was now almost at its peak. Close views of both
Redshank and
Turnstone. No sooner had the
Herring Gull landed on the post top than it was moved on by the arrival of a
Great Black-backed Gull who obviously favoured this particular spot.
|
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus |
With some light still left I made a final call back at Titchwell as I had realised I had missed three very obvious birds all day. I soon picked up a couple of
Dunnock under the feeders but eventually had one of those days when I saw neither House Sparrow nor Collared Dove. Now, surely, that has to be some kind of record for Britain?
|
Dunnock Prunella modularis caught in the fading light |
On the other hand, apart from more acrobatic
Long-tailed Tits I had a tame
Robin that remained within a couple of feet of me at eye level and simply refused to fly away. I swear this little chappy even tried to out-sing me as I made the appropriate whistling/ticking sounds to its face!
|
One of the acrobatic Long-tailed Tits Aegithalos caudatus |
In all a rather splendid day, although I would have liked more time on the beach for the sea-watch, with almost
65 species recorded.
Birds seen:
Pink-footed Goose, Greylag Goose, Brent Goose, Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Egyptian Goose, Shelduck, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler, Pintail, Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Common Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Pheasant, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Little Egret, Heron, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, Kestrel, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Avocet, Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Sanderling, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Grenshank, Turnstone, Black-headed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Razorbill, Guillemot, Woodpigeon, Barn Owl, Meadow Pipit, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Blackbird, Long-tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Magpie, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch.
|
How many rings can a Turnstone Arenaria interpres wear; is there room for a seventh? |
Check out the accompanying website at http://www.birdingaxarquia.weebly.com for the latest sightings, photographs and additional information
No comments:
Post a Comment