2:40 PM - 3:20 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: Another quick stop at the 'secret' spot with Kim & mum.
Weather: bright but cloudy & warm.
4 species
Montagu's Harrier 2 individuals, 1 hanging in the air at the edge of a field, & one quartering another field, both ringtails. Maybe one a juvenile & one a female?
Common Wood-Pigeon X
European Turtle-Dove 1 flew quickly east across the fields.
Skylark X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Saturday 31 July 2010
Sunday 25 July 2010
Wensum Valley Raptor Watchpoint, Norfolk, UK, 24-Jul-2010
3:20 PM - 3:55 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: Next stop-off looking for honey buzzards.
Weather: bright, hazy, warm.
6 species.
Little Owl 1 sitting on an exposed branch above the road into the raptor watchpoint. I spotted it from the car-park then was able to drive the car close enough to get some good photos without disturbing it at all. Eventually a cyclist rode past and it flew away.
Blue Tit X
Long-tailed Tit X
Eurasian Treecreeper X
Yellowhammer X
Common Chaffinch X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: Next stop-off looking for honey buzzards.
Weather: bright, hazy, warm.
6 species.
Little Owl 1 sitting on an exposed branch above the road into the raptor watchpoint. I spotted it from the car-park then was able to drive the car close enough to get some good photos without disturbing it at all. Eventually a cyclist rode past and it flew away.
Blue Tit X
Long-tailed Tit X
Eurasian Treecreeper X
Yellowhammer X
Common Chaffinch X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Swanton Novers Raptor Watchpoint, Norfolk, UK, 24-Jul-2010
2:10 PM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: A hotspot for another Norfolk speciality - honey buzzard.
Weather: bright, hazy, warm.
4 species
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Eurasian Blackbird X
Yellowhammer X - heard.
Common Chaffinch X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Undisclosed, Norfolk, UK, 24-Jul-2010
13:20 - 13:35
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: After Titchwell a brief stop-off for a local speciality.
Weather: bright, hazy, warm.
8 species
Eurasian Marsh-Harrier X
Montagu's Harrier 1 ringtail, briefly seen quartering the fields.
Common Buzzard 2
Stock Dove X
Common Swift 20
Skylark X - heard.
Pied Wagtail X
Common Chaffinch X
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Saturday 24 July 2010
RSPB Titchwell, Norfolk, UK, 24-Jul-2010
10:10 - 12:40pm. Weather: bright & sunny, mild.
Another visit to possibly pick up another wader I'd not seen before.
Car-park:
Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Lapwing.
Skylark - heard, even from the carpark,
Robin - juvenile.
Blue Tit - juvenile.
Freshwater Marshes:
Cormorant, Starling, Coot, Black-Headed Gull.
Curlew - over.
Mute Swan - 2,
Bearded Tit - heard first, then above the reeds as usual.
Reed Warbler - 2.
Freshwater Marshes:
Black-Tailed Godwit, Moorhen, Dunlin, Swift.
Pectoral Sandpiper - just the same as last month's temminck's & curlew-sand, I fortunately had another wader that I'd never seen before pointed out to me on the freshwater marshes, which was feeding amongst the dunlin & ruff. In fact it was reminiscent of a small ruff (as the Collins said it was). On the way back I stopped at the Island Hide & picked it up again & was able to return the favour of pointing it out to other birders who were looking for it. A nice tick & one I hope to add to my North American list someday soon.
Ruff, Redshank, Shelduck, Avocet, Little Tern, Pied Wagtail.
Yellow Wagtail - another notable sighting of a bird always a pleasure to see.
Common Sandpiper - bobbing about the mud.
Grey Heron, Kestrel, Swallow.
Herring Gull, Mallard, Little Egret, Meadow Pipit.
Wren - heard.
Linnet - 1 male.
Common Tern, Canada Goose.
Beach:
Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Great Black-Backed Gull.
Sea:
Eider - c.12 at sea.
Arctic Skua - almost as soon as I reached the beach & sat on the bench than a warden pointed out that there were two of these beauties flying around & kleptoparasiting the gulls & ducks as they usually do. It didn't take long to pick them up & I was struck by the white underwing patches, though this is by no means a clincher for their id & I was happy to rely on the warden's id & a great bonus to see as they'd just turned up that day.
Gannet - 3.
Island Hide:
Bearded Tit - c.6 feeding on the mud just in front of the reeds, not something I'd seen before.
Marsh Harrier - juvenile.
Golden Plover - c.10.
Heading Back:
Sand Martin - 2 over.
Sedge Warbler, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker.
54 species, 2 new species.
Another visit to possibly pick up another wader I'd not seen before.
Car-park:
Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Lapwing.
Skylark - heard, even from the carpark,
Robin - juvenile.
Blue Tit - juvenile.
Freshwater Marshes:
Cormorant, Starling, Coot, Black-Headed Gull.
Curlew - over.
Mute Swan - 2,
Bearded Tit - heard first, then above the reeds as usual.
Reed Warbler - 2.
Freshwater Marshes:
Black-Tailed Godwit, Moorhen, Dunlin, Swift.
Pectoral Sandpiper - just the same as last month's temminck's & curlew-sand, I fortunately had another wader that I'd never seen before pointed out to me on the freshwater marshes, which was feeding amongst the dunlin & ruff. In fact it was reminiscent of a small ruff (as the Collins said it was). On the way back I stopped at the Island Hide & picked it up again & was able to return the favour of pointing it out to other birders who were looking for it. A nice tick & one I hope to add to my North American list someday soon.
Ruff, Redshank, Shelduck, Avocet, Little Tern, Pied Wagtail.
Yellow Wagtail - another notable sighting of a bird always a pleasure to see.
Common Sandpiper - bobbing about the mud.
Grey Heron, Kestrel, Swallow.
Herring Gull, Mallard, Little Egret, Meadow Pipit.
Wren - heard.
Linnet - 1 male.
Common Tern, Canada Goose.
Beach:
Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Great Black-Backed Gull.
Sea:
Eider - c.12 at sea.
Arctic Skua - almost as soon as I reached the beach & sat on the bench than a warden pointed out that there were two of these beauties flying around & kleptoparasiting the gulls & ducks as they usually do. It didn't take long to pick them up & I was struck by the white underwing patches, though this is by no means a clincher for their id & I was happy to rely on the warden's id & a great bonus to see as they'd just turned up that day.
Gannet - 3.
Island Hide:
Bearded Tit - c.6 feeding on the mud just in front of the reeds, not something I'd seen before.
Marsh Harrier - juvenile.
Golden Plover - c.10.
Heading Back:
Sand Martin - 2 over.
Sedge Warbler, Great Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker.
54 species, 2 new species.
Sunday 11 July 2010
Blakeney Point, Norfolk, UK, 10-Jul-2010
5 - 7pm. Weather: bright, sunny & hot; slight breeze.
Seal-watching boat trip from Morston out across the harbour to the point with the family. Although we were let down by Bean's, who sold our places when we arrived 5 minutes late, we soon hopped on to a Temples boat & were away for a great excursion. After the seal we were dropped off onto the point for a brief exploration before being picked up an hour later.
Morston Harbour:
Redshank, Black-Headed Gull, Common Tern.
Blakeney Point:
Sandwich Tern - many around the harbour but the main spectacle was the large breeding colony at the end of the point; it was sizeable & noisy!
Little Tern - several amongst the sandwiches & commons, our boat's captain said that there is a small colony on the point.
Oystercatcher.
Grey Seal - several lounging in the shallows on the far extremity of the point. We got so close that you could smell them & they didn't seem overly peturbed by the boats though occasionally some would take fright & shuffle back into the water. The area was thick with boats of some shape or form & some disturbance must occur fairly frequently.
Common Seal - a couple in with the greys.
Lesser Black-Backed Gull - as I walked along the spit as I waited for the boat to return.
Meadow Pipit - along the spit as I waited for the boat to return; it was reluctant to fly.
Seal-watching boat trip from Morston out across the harbour to the point with the family. Although we were let down by Bean's, who sold our places when we arrived 5 minutes late, we soon hopped on to a Temples boat & were away for a great excursion. After the seal we were dropped off onto the point for a brief exploration before being picked up an hour later.
Morston Harbour:
Redshank, Black-Headed Gull, Common Tern.
Blakeney Point:
Sandwich Tern - many around the harbour but the main spectacle was the large breeding colony at the end of the point; it was sizeable & noisy!
Little Tern - several amongst the sandwiches & commons, our boat's captain said that there is a small colony on the point.
Oystercatcher.
Grey Seal - several lounging in the shallows on the far extremity of the point. We got so close that you could smell them & they didn't seem overly peturbed by the boats though occasionally some would take fright & shuffle back into the water. The area was thick with boats of some shape or form & some disturbance must occur fairly frequently.
Common Seal - a couple in with the greys.
Lesser Black-Backed Gull - as I walked along the spit as I waited for the boat to return.
Meadow Pipit - along the spit as I waited for the boat to return; it was reluctant to fly.
Sunday 4 July 2010
Sandon & Kelshall, Hertfordshire, 04-Jul-2010
12:15 - 2pm. Weather: bright, sunny & hot, windy (W).
After studying my rare birds site guide this location was close enough for me to target a missing tick & off I went on a lovely sunny day into a peaceful agricultural area.
Off A505:
Red Kite - floated over.
Skylark - first of several.
Quail - I parked up soon after turning off the A505 & almost immediately I heard the characteristic 'wet-my-lips' call. I listened & scanned the thick barley for a sighting but to no avail. The call seemed to be emanating from further down the hill so I moved down & parked next to a path that ran along the base of the hill & a field. No sooner had I got out walked along the path than it sounded as though the call was now coming from the top of the field, up the hill, a great example of the species' ventriloquism! I eventually headed off & heard a couple more calls later in the afternoon but again no sightings of this elusive species.
Corn Bunting - heard first then 3 or 4 perched on wires over another sub-road off the A505.
Woodpigeon, Rook, Jackdaw.
Bury Barn:
Swift, Swallow, House Martin.
Dunnock - heard from roadside hedgerows.
Kelshall:
Blackbird, Mallard, Goldfinch.
Stock Dove - 2.
House Sparrow - nice to see them in abundance, compared to London.
Crow - 2 on the road.
Collared Dove - 2 on the road,
Stoat - crossed the road in front of the car with a rabbit clamped in its jaws, it then struggled to get over the freshly cut roadside vegetation into the field, though it eventually succeeded & disappeared from view.
Corn Bunting - on the roadside wires.
Buzzard, Chaffinch.
Off A505:
Brown Hare.
21 species, 1 new species.
After studying my rare birds site guide this location was close enough for me to target a missing tick & off I went on a lovely sunny day into a peaceful agricultural area.
Off A505:
Red Kite - floated over.
Skylark - first of several.
Quail - I parked up soon after turning off the A505 & almost immediately I heard the characteristic 'wet-my-lips' call. I listened & scanned the thick barley for a sighting but to no avail. The call seemed to be emanating from further down the hill so I moved down & parked next to a path that ran along the base of the hill & a field. No sooner had I got out walked along the path than it sounded as though the call was now coming from the top of the field, up the hill, a great example of the species' ventriloquism! I eventually headed off & heard a couple more calls later in the afternoon but again no sightings of this elusive species.
Corn Bunting - heard first then 3 or 4 perched on wires over another sub-road off the A505.
Woodpigeon, Rook, Jackdaw.
Bury Barn:
Swift, Swallow, House Martin.
Dunnock - heard from roadside hedgerows.
Kelshall:
Blackbird, Mallard, Goldfinch.
Stock Dove - 2.
House Sparrow - nice to see them in abundance, compared to London.
Crow - 2 on the road.
Collared Dove - 2 on the road,
Stoat - crossed the road in front of the car with a rabbit clamped in its jaws, it then struggled to get over the freshly cut roadside vegetation into the field, though it eventually succeeded & disappeared from view.
Corn Bunting - on the roadside wires.
Buzzard, Chaffinch.
Off A505:
Brown Hare.
21 species, 1 new species.
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