Sunday 21st
On the way to Wells-next-the-Sea where we were staying at our favourite guesthouse, Boxwood, we pulled off the road at Wolferton and after driving, parking & watching, we spotted a male golden pheasant on the edge of the shrubbery. As he slowly moved into the bushes, we saw another 3 males.
To Choseley Barns next where there were linnet, yellowhammer, chaffinch, cornbunting, greenfinch, collared dove & dunnock. Wood pigeons turned out to be the most prolific bird of the week, I would say. A mistle thrush was on the hedge on the side of the track.
Titchwell: Redshank, spotted redshank, ruff, Brent geese, goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, little egret and lots more of what you would expect here.
Monday 22nd
Twixt Wells & Stiffkey:Barn owl on fence; 5 red legged partridge; pheasant;
2 Egyptian geese.
Salthouse beach car park: c40 snow bunting (the birds grew in number each day); c20 turnstone, b/h gull, cormorant, kestrel. A photographer was feeding the snow buntings (as well as the gulls of course) and they were very confiding, coming right up to the side of his car until a 'tank' drew up very close to him and blocked the view from the few car passengers enjoying the birds.
East Bank, Cley: (Barn owl as we approached). Redshank, blk. tailed godwit, shelduck, Brent geese, greylag geese, mute swan; dunlin, ringed plover.
lapwing, curlew, marsh harrier.
Hides at Cley: Wigeon, black swan, marsh harrier, teal, avocet, gadwall, blk. tailed godwit; grey heron, little grebe.
Twixt Cley - Wells: Linnet, starling
Tuesday 23rd
Strumpshaw Fen: female smew, bittern, tufted duck, gt. b/b gull, shoveller, shelduck, marsh harrier. Just missed two otters (but saw photos of them taken by a guy in the hide, who was trying to guess my accent!) Came across him the next day at Titchwell where he'd taken a brilliant photo of the woodcock. (We weren't doing serious birding here as we'd gone to meet a schoolfriend of mine and we did a lot of chatting! Mainly outside where I hope we didn't disturb anyone).
Wednesday 24th
Holkham Gap: (Hoping for the shorelarks that had been reported here). Big flock of goldfinch, linnet, meadow pipits, skylark. A few grey plover with redshank, knot, dunlin. 2 barn owls in the meadows on Lady Anne's Drive. Wigeon, jay, fieldfare. As we arrived back at the car Lee Evans passed us with two more people saying he'd been told the shorelarks were showing well and had we seen them? We said no and he carried on to the beach. As we were having a coffee later he was back and told us they were about a mile away near the creek up the beach! Grrr.........
Titchwell: Besides the usual, we had good views of the woodcock, water rail, dunnock, snipe, shoveller, pintail, gadwall, coot, moorhen, avocet, Canada geese and 8 dabchicks!
On the sea was a huge raft of 1,000+ common scoter, many goldeneye. On the beach and the edge of the sea were b/h gull, turnstone, pied wagtail, knot, dunlin, sanderling, oystercatchers.
Thursday 25th
Before we set off for home I wanted to see the snow buntings again so we drove to Salthouse beach carpark again where the flock had grown to c 100; turnstone.
We were surprised to see a red kite between Cley & Salthouse on the way back. It attracted our attention because all the Brent geese suddenly took off. (Perhaps a local birder could tell us if kites are regularly seen in the area).
In the fields near Burnham Norton were 3 barn owls and in the field opposite was another one.
Home James.............
(Would like to spend 10 days or more in Norfolk so we can have a second chance at the birds we dip on first time round!. Hadn't time to call at Holme but next time.............)
Birds of the week have to be the snow buntings - such a delight to watch.
Sandra
Sounds like you have a good week and Snow Buntings certainly are wonderful to watch - when I was up on the north coast in December there was a flock of around 90 on the beach at Holme, the first ones I'd seen and they put on quite a show!
Golden Pheasant was a good find, from the photos I've seen they look rather funky!
They don't look real somehow! But it's the first time I've seen them there in about 6 tries, Paul. Seen them in Wayland Wood too and that was after 4 tries. You wouldn't think such a gaudy bird could melt away into the undergrowth.