Titchwell Marsh RSPB Nature Reserve, Norfolk, UK, 30-May-2011

12:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: Out with Kim & Ben for the usual stroll around Titchwell.
Weather: cloudy, drizzle, increasingly heavy rain, which eventually brought our day to a premature conclusion!
40 species

Greylag Goose X
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Common Shelduck X
Gadwall X
Mallard X
Northern Pintail 4
Common Pochard X

Great Bittern 1 at 12:45pm as we walked the path, it flew low out over the Freshwater marsh near to the island hide & back into the reedbeds. Before we started out Ben had stated that he always saw bitterns & he is evidently very lucky as he has seen a couple at Titchwell now!

Grey Heron 4 flying over wildfowl marshes.
Little Egret X
Common Moorhen X
Eurasian Coot X
Eurasian Oystercatcher X
Pied Avocet X
Wood Sandpiper 1 near to the island hide.
Common Redshank X
Red Knot X
Black-headed Gull X
Herring Gull 50 +
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Common Swift X
Common Magpie X
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Carrion Crow X
Barn Swallow X
Common House-Martin X
Great Tit X
Long-tailed Tit X
Eurasian Wren X - heard.
Cetti's Warbler X - heard.
Sedge Warbler X
Eurasian Reed-Warbler X
Blackcap X - heard.
European Robin X
European Starling X
Pied Wagtail X
Meadow Pipit X
Common Chaffinch X
Common Linnet 2

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Weeting Heath NNR, Norfolk, UK, 29-May-2011

9:40 AM - 11:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Continuing my early morning out in Breckland with a visit to a location near to Lakenheath.
Weather: cloudy but bright, windy (SW).
25 species

Stone-curlew 5 in total; at 10:15am one chased gulls & rooks then it flew to the fence (to the right from the hide); at 10:25am three chased each other left from the fence. Later, on the other side of the road, I spotted an adult with a juvenile, which it was feeding, in distant a part of the heath, after I had been looking at a roe deer out in the open.

Northern Lapwing X - on the bare heathland.
Lesser Black-backed Gull X - on the bare heathland.
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Common Swift X
Green Woodpecker 1 distantly across the heath, on the other side of the road.
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Rook X - on the bare heathland.
Skylark X - heard.

Marsh Tit 4 apparently - 1 adult, 3 juveniles. They were in low shrubs at the side of the path to the East hide allowing some nice views before they moved off.

Coal Tit 6 + in a family group.
Great Tit X
Blue Tit X
Eurasian Wren X
Willow Warbler 1 heard distantly from the other side of the road.
Common Chiffchaff X
Blackcap X - heard.
European Robin X
Eurasian Blackbird X - heard.
Mistle Thrush X - heard.
European Starling X
Dunnock X
Pied Wagtail 1
Common Chaffinch X
European Goldfinch X

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Lakenheath Fen RSPB Reserve, Norfolk, UK, 29-May-2011

5:00 AM - 9:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Comments: Out as close to the dawn chorus as I could muster, hoping for as many of the wonderful species that reside at Lakenheath as possible, & I was not disappointed.
Weather: Overcast, blustery (SW).
50 species

Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall 1
Eurasian Wigeon 1 male on the reservoir.
Garganey 2 , a pair out of the water on the mud on the side of the reservoir. They settled down with heads tucked in but not before I got nice views & was able to point them out to a tour-lead group.
Tufted Duck 3 over.
Common Pheasant X
Little Grebe X
Great Crested Grebe X
Great Cormorant X

Great Bittern 3 flying around over the New Fen marshes. They were out in the open for a remarkably long time & went quite high up the air in some sort of display or dispute flight at times it resembled a dog-fight. Strange behaviour to observe in a normally secretive species but not completely unheard of apparently. A nearby chatty RSPB guide commented that he had seen it happen a few times, presumably as they establish territories & compete for mates. It was just after observing the bitterns that the golden oriole popped out on its branch causing quite a bit of excitement.

Grey Heron X
Eurasian Marsh-Harrier 1
Common Kestrel X
Common Moorhen X
Eurasian Coot X
Black-headed Gull X
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 over.
Common Tern 1 only, on the reservoir.
Stock Dove 1 over.
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Common Cuckoo 2 heard at first from the car-park. Later a couple were flying around near the poplar copses & one obligingly perched at the top of a tree by the side of the path allowing excellent views & some good photos as I waited, with others, for a golden oriole.
Barn Owl 1 hunting over the marshes.
Common Swift 8 approx.
Great Spotted Woodpecker X
Green Woodpecker X

Eurasian Golden Oriole 1 finally seen after the usual frustrating search amongst the dense poplars. At 5:30-5:45am I heard that sounded very close, but I didn't see it. At 8:15pm as I begun to make my way out I hung around with a large-ish group loitering on the path at the Trial Wood plantation trying to find one. All of a sudden there was a flurry of excitement as a wonderful bright male had come out into the open. A few, including me, ran to the spot where it could be seen & I got a great view for about 30 seconds as it briefly preened, & I even got a couple of record shots. It then flew back to the poplar canopy. Easily my best view of this bird, & always well worth the effort & patience required to find one.

Eurasian Jay X
Common Magpie X
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Rook X
Carrion Crow X
Bearded Tit 1 male, perched close by on some phragmites allowing a good look at its neat bright plumage.
Sand Martin X
Common House-Martin X
Great Tit X - heard.
Eurasian Wren X - heard.
Common Chiffchaff X - heard.
Sedge Warbler X
Eurasian Reed-Warbler X
Blackcap X - heard.
Garden Warbler 1 heard - a nearby RSPB guide picked out the song from the more prevalent blackcap singing nearby.
Common Whitethroat X - heard.
Eurasian Blackbird X
Song Thrush X - heard.
Mistle Thrush 1 over, carrying food.
Pied Wagtail 2 , adult & juvenile.
Reed Bunting 1 singing male.
Common Chaffinch X
European Goldfinch X

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Cley Marshes, Norfolk, UK, 28-May-2011

4:20 PM - 5:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: A quick visit, whilst Kim & mum waited in the visitors centre, on returning from a coast drive.
Weather: overcast, windy (W), rain showers.
38 species

Greylag Goose X
Mute Swan X
Common Shelduck X
Gadwall X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Common Pheasant X
Little Egret X
Common Moorhen X
Eurasian Coot X
Northern Lapwing X
Common Ringed Plover 6 +
Little Ringed Plover 3 approx.
Eurasian Oystercatcher X - over then 2 in field.
Pied Avocet X
Common Greenshank 1
Common Redshank X
Black-tailed Godwit X
Dunlin 6 +
Black-headed Gull X
Little Gull 3 juveniles & well worth the stop-off to view them, wading in the scrape & occasionally flying around as they fed.
Common Wood-Pigeon X
Common Swift X
Common Magpie X
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Carrion Crow X
Skylark X
Sand Martin X
Barn Swallow X
Common House-Martin X
Blue Tit X - one flew down to reeds where two sedge warblers briefly fought.
Sedge Warbler X
Eurasian Reed-Warbler X
European Starling X
Dunnock X
Pied Wagtail X
Reed Bunting X - heard.
European Goldfinch X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Sheringham Beach Front, Norfolk, UK, 28-May-2011

3:15 PM
Protocol: Incidental
Comments: Out for a drive up the coast with Kim, & a favourite stop-off point.
7 species

Northern Fulmar 2 along the coast at sea.
Great Cormorant X
Black-headed Gull X
Little Tern 1
Sandwich Tern 12 approx.
Common Swift X
Eurasian Jackdaw X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Wilstone Reservoir, Hertfordshire, UK, 21-May-2011

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: An evening return to the reservoir in the hope of seeing a good gathering of hobbys. I was disappointed with the raptors but saw an impressive gathering of swifts.
Weather: bright & sunny, breeze (W).
30 species

Greylag Goose X
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
Eurasian Wigeon 1 male - a complete surprise (escapee?)!
Mallard X
Common Pochard X
Tufted Duck X
Great Crested Grebe X
Great Cormorant X
Grey Heron X
Eurasian Hobby 1 amongst the swifts but not the congregation I was hoping for.
Eurasian Coot X
Lesser Black-backed Gull X
Common Tern X
Common Swift 100 + swirling above the reservoir.
Common Kingfisher 1
Common Magpie X
Eurasian Jackdaw X
Carrion Crow X
Great Tit X
Eurasian Wren X
Common Chiffchaff X - heard.
Eurasian Reed-Warbler X - heard.
Blackcap X - heard.
Eurasian Blackbird X
Dunnock X - heard.
Reed Bunting X
Common Chaffinch X
European Goldfinch X - heard.

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)