Good to catch up with birding friends on New Years day. We is all getting older, but as I said. "We are still here".
The bird list is not great when you consider years ago my list for the day was 101. Today 14. Best for me was the flyover LAPWING, still a good bird to see as was the quartering MARSH HARRIER.
SO HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL.
This seems to be the last entry for the year, with many GREY LAG GEESE on the island and around it SHOVELORE and over 50 WIGEON. The best was a very short view of a RED KITE but also GADWALL, MALLARD, MOORHEN. and a flock of 8 STOCK DOVE. With a fly over flock of CORMORANT about 25 birds in all. So enjoy your coming year and make sure you fill it with JOY of looking up.
Boy took us out on his birthday and we first called in at Winterton but before then a stop off at Hemsby, as I caught a glimps of a PERGRINE high flying circling overhead. At Winterton so many seals and pups and running between them several SANDLING and GREAT BLACK BACKED GULL. But best of all was a flock of 26 SNOWBUNTING.
Walk over a very flooded Pathways with water flowing out the West side. The first COAL TIT of the winter, but not much else about or change. Still GADWALL, WIGEON, LITTLE GREBE, MALLARD and plenty of PIED WAGTAIL.
Call in at Pathways but not fit enough to walk out. Then to Links Hill and plenty of CARRION CROW, HERRING GULL, BLACK HEADED GULL and a single CORMORANT. Off to Lowestoft Ness and a very smart MEADOW PIPIT and flock of 11 GOLDFINCH.
Not put nothing up of recent so thought I had better change my ways. In reality Pathways is doing what it does every year with the influx of wildfowl. But it just good to see so many LITTLE GREBE in fact the highest count is ten. With SHOVELORE, MALLARD, WIGEON, two male POCHARD in very good nick. GADWALL on show as well.
Links Hill: Today the single one legged MED GULL put on a show as it cleaned itself in a puddle.
Rather a dull looking day, but when it was time to head home it brightened up. Best bird was CHIFFCHAFF and also a BEARDED TIT. Has 90 plus LAPWING over Petos. KESTREL 3 and GWE. It is also good to see SNIPE flying about. There was also good numbers of MEADOW PIPIT umbers increasing each week.
