North Norfolk

I have been about rather over the last few weeks and time again to catch up. The week at Wells has seen the finding of 92 species all self found. So in respect just an enjoyable time. Best bird as far as I am concerned is the Glauc..
We stayed at Pinewood Holiday Park only yards from Wells and Holkham Wood.
Pinewood:

Wells next the Sea:  Found 13 COMMON GULL breeding on the new harbour extension as well as LITTLE TERN, COMMON and a small group of MED GULLS looking after there young. It also had a RING PLOVER sitting on eggs. A single CORMORANT would lie in the shelter of the bay and OYSTERCATHCHERS by the hundred.
Wells Wood: JAYS where to numerous for my liking but a good selection of birds here with CHIFFCHAFF with young and WILLOW WARBLER, GRASSHOPPER WARBLER with 3 three birds viewable together. COMMON WHITETHROAT fairly plentiful. I also had a calling fly over NUTHATCH. COAL TIT, GOLDCREST, GREAT TIT, LONG and BLUE TIT. REED WARBLER just one bird and a pair of SEDGE WARBLER. Skylark where very vocal but not in huge numbers. Out on the dunes I found a TREE PIPIT feeding young out of sight. WREN and ROBIN in the woods as well as GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER.

Blakney Point: ARCTIC, SANDWICH, LITTLE and COMMON TERN. All put on there show and the visite is always worth while. But to my understanding numbers looked down. Also LITTLE EGERET, OYSTERCATCHER with young and calling MEADOW PIPIT in summer breeding calls.

Titchwell: Best was I suppose where LITTLE GULL which where in second summer plumage and one in adult. 50 BLACK TAILED GODWIT and an early morning BARN OWL the best for here as well as three LITTLE RINGED PLOVER and a chaseing pair of RINGED PLOVER. One grasshopper warbler and a CETTI'S WARBLER. But only had one COMMON TERN over. BLACKCAP and COMMON WHITETHROAT as well as one GARDEN WARBLER.

Holkham Beach . Another SPOONBILL flew west east and ten HOUSE MARTINS where coming in to collect mud from the flats. A JAY again kept showing himself and I might well have found some of his food in the shape of a dead WOODLARK.This bird was young and just fledged only days before it was killed. COAL TIT and WREN as well as SKYLARK here. There seemed to be movement through here of CORMORANT all flying East.
 Holkham Hall: The land that makes up to the west of the Hall is very good farm land for birds and brought in YELLOWHAMMER three birds in all and all male. A pair of GREY PARTRIDGE with 4 young and two COMMON BUZZARD as well as MARSH HARRIER a female bird. I also had a glimpse of a BARN OWL at the rear of Holkham.
Hunstanton: The best her was the flying by of FULMER which here is not unusual so I was not disappointed. PIED WAG, WREN, ROBIN, HOUSE SPARROW, BLACKBIRD, CHAFFINCH, SWIFT, SWALLOW HOUSE MARTIN, SAND MARTIN all a part of the fray.

Cromer: Only here for a short time on the 17th June, in the evening. A small flock of gulls had settled briefly on the cliff top so gave them a look. Good job I did as I found this odd one among them. Well out of season. PIED WAG, FULMER, HOUSE MARTIN and SAND as well as SWIFT. CARRION CROW, JACKDAW, STARLING, BLACKBIRD.

 

This is odd plumage and I am still concerned. Made representation all over the show and still no response. Latest update from BTO someone has put there name to this bird and the conclusion is. It is a HERRING GUL. A last year bird which is now finishing it's juvenile plumage. All feathers are worn and this gives the impression of an Iceland Gull. But because of the bill base and the fact of the bird not being slim. The conclusion is confirmed.

Sherringham and Park: This area treated me to a good view of NUTHATCH as well as GARDEN WARB, COMMON WHITETHROAT, CHIFFCHAFF, CHAFFINCH, L.T.TIT and also BLACKCAP.

List:

Goldfinch, Chaffinch, House Sparrow,Starling,Pied Wagtail, Dunnock, Chiffchaff,,Sedge Warbler,

Common Whitethroat,Blackbird,Song Thrush,Wren,Robin,Jay, Magpie,  Crow, Rook, Jackdaw,

Swallow,Swift,Sand Martin,House Martin,Common Tern,,Little Tern,Shell Duck, Pochard,

Tufted Duck,Mallard,Moorhen,Little Egeret,,Spoonbill, Redshank,Oystercatcher,Common Gull, 

Herring Gull.L.B.B.Gull.Black H. Gull.  Cormorant.Lapwing.Goldcrest.Blue Tit.Great Tit. L.T.Tit.

Collard Dove.Woodpigeon.Common Buzzard.Marsh Harrier.Blackcap.Garden Warbler.

 G.S. Woodpecker.Turnstone.Ringed Plover.Grasshopper Warbler.Canada Goose.Grey lag Goose.

Fulmar.Tree Pipit.Greenfinch.Little Ringed Plover.Knot.Barn.Tawny Owl. Little Owl.Arctic Tern.

Curlew.Meadow Pipit.Reed Warbler.Cetti's Warbler.Willow Warbler.Dunlin.Avocet.Marsh Tit.

Red legged Partridge.Little Gull.Mute Swan.   Yellowhammer..Grey Partridge..Skylark..Grey Heron.

Gadwall.Shoveler. Sparrowhawk.Kestrel.Common Pheasant.Golden Plover.Black-tailed Godwit.  Med Gull.Nuthatch,Woodlark,Bullfinch, Glaucus Gull.

Farnes for the Week End

Spent Friday evening Saturday around Bamburgh and Sunday morning on the Farnes.

Seahouses: Called in here in the evening and caught up with EIDER ducks with young. Very confiding birds to say the least. Also a very strange looking SWALLOW which must be a throw back somewhere. Also ROCK PIPIT, RINGED PLOVER, KITTYWAKE and FULMER. Plenty of SAND MARTIN, SWIFT and HOUSE MARTIN on the cliff.

            

 

         

With no opportunity of heading onto the Farnes on Saturday, but made it out for one hour on the Sunday. For any birder it is a delight to see the spectacle of sea bird breeding. With 30,000 GUILIMOTS and RAZORBILL, PUFFIN and the rest. So just a few pic's for all.

If you look to the left bottom corner a come up there is a Bridled Guillemot

 

 

Good to see this Bridled Guile with a chick. I wonder if this will continue down the line.

Abberton Resevoir.

It's come along way since the days as a young fella I wandered round the reservoir ringing stuff. But today has seen a vast difference in what was once just a large expanse of water that held vast numbers of ducks in the winter. Now amazingly with the large visitors centre and an even larger area of water Abberton is truly an amazing sight. What a good development and it just handy that a relative works for Essex and Suffolk Water. So I gained a ticket and was welcomed to the new opening of Abberton with guest Sir David Attenbourgh and the CEO of Essex Naturalist trust, but the real deal was in Bill Oddie. He was so approachable to all the young people there. What a great guy.
So I began my birding there and after 65years I find myself back at an event which the old general would have turned his nose up at. But then some things have changed. Like I said to the young volunteer. I can remember this in 1964 as the site I saw my first Collard Dove, it was feeding with 68 Turtle Doves. They have all gone and things change, some for the better but others not. Lets hope that by continued work together that all can work together for our betterment. That includes the politicians, the industrialists and those who take nature seriously.
                             Sir David Attenbough     

CEO of Essex Wildlife Trust John Hall 

                                  Bill Oddie just the best with the young people,