Well first of all back on the patch Wader movement was going on but that was it. Knot, Curlew, Common Sandpiper and my first for the patch Bar Tailed Godwit.
Back in the garden it was much better a Green Sandpiper was a brilliant surprise as it flew over calling, then a couple days later I was sat watching the news when I heard another wader, a Whimbrel flew over. My garden list keeps growing and growing. Regular stuff include Green Woodpecker, Great Spot Woodpecker, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Goldcrest. The Tawny Owl keeps calling as does the Muntjack.
The feeders are building up so I hope to get plenty visiting come the winter.
On to today Rach n I headed for Horsey Mill, a great little walk not too far to the old mill but always full of birds. We only just got around the corner when I spotted 2 Cranes in flight, great start. Then a lovely family party of Kingfishers 5 birds flitting in and out the wood, yes the wood. Loads of dragonflies mainly Brown Hawker and Black tailed Skimmer.
What made the day though was Rachel spotting 2 Swallowtail Butterflies, the first ones we had seen in the UK this year. Saw loads in Spain though so we never went out our way to find any.
Did a few other non birding related stuff but then Rach dropped me off at Breydon water whilst she went shopping.
Amazing number of Terns are now roosting here probably 8-900 Mainly Common Terns with smaller number of Sandwich Tern. The Sun was strong so making out anything else other than an Adult Med Gull was impossible.
That's it today.
Saturday, 26 July 2014
Saturday, 19 July 2014
Med Gulls
Patch birding again today. Started by the Allotments again where I counted 36 Med gulls with many more hidden. rob came along a little later and counted an incredible 71, Wow. So i had another look on my way back and sure enough a minimum 71+. Mainly Adults and mainly in Summer Plumage, cracking looking birds.
Carried on along the patch but it was very quiet, Green Woodpecker, and Bullfinch.
Once again loads of butterflies, mainly Gatekeepers. On the ponds Brown Hawkers, Emperor and Red and Small Red Eyed Damselfly.
Back at Corton old sewage works young Song Thrush, 3 Yellow Wagtails.
Got home and spent the afternoon in the garden. Peacock, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies.
Birdwise the Great Spotted woodpecker finally showed really nicely and I even got to watch it on the feeders :-). A female type Blackcap and Whitethroat again then I practiced a bit of digiscoping on the other birds in garden.
Carried on along the patch but it was very quiet, Green Woodpecker, and Bullfinch.
Once again loads of butterflies, mainly Gatekeepers. On the ponds Brown Hawkers, Emperor and Red and Small Red Eyed Damselfly.
Red Eyed Dam
Small Red Eyed Dam
Back at Corton old sewage works young Song Thrush, 3 Yellow Wagtails.
Got home and spent the afternoon in the garden. Peacock, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies.
Friday, 18 July 2014
Ont patch
Gave the patch a really good grilling this morning covering all the boundaries and everything within.
A look on the sea produced a Mallard, 4 Dunlin, 2 Turnstone and a couple of Kittiwakes.
Then 2 Yellow Wagtails in the turnip field an Adult with a very young Juvenile.
Oh just before all this 4 Adult Med Gulls in the fields by the allotment.
7 More Med Gull flew over going north. Had a walk around Radar lodge but only the hybrid Hoodie.
On the way back an incredible 22 Adult Med Gulls flew over in 1 group. Covered the rest of the patch but nothing to write about so I gave the Dragons and Damselfly's a good grilling. Loads and I mean double figure Brown Hawkers, 4 Emperor Dragonflies, many Common Blue Damselfly, I managed to see Small Red Eyed Dam and Red eyed dam and lastly I think a Migrant Hawker.
The Skykarks were looking rather different now. Loads of Butterfly's but nothing special.
It was getting rather hot so home for some dinner.
A look on the sea produced a Mallard, 4 Dunlin, 2 Turnstone and a couple of Kittiwakes.
Then 2 Yellow Wagtails in the turnip field an Adult with a very young Juvenile.
Oh just before all this 4 Adult Med Gulls in the fields by the allotment.
7 More Med Gull flew over going north. Had a walk around Radar lodge but only the hybrid Hoodie.
On the way back an incredible 22 Adult Med Gulls flew over in 1 group. Covered the rest of the patch but nothing to write about so I gave the Dragons and Damselfly's a good grilling. Loads and I mean double figure Brown Hawkers, 4 Emperor Dragonflies, many Common Blue Damselfly, I managed to see Small Red Eyed Dam and Red eyed dam and lastly I think a Migrant Hawker.
The Skykarks were looking rather different now. Loads of Butterfly's but nothing special.
It was getting rather hot so home for some dinner.
Skylark
Common Blue
Emperor
Red Eyed Dam
Small Red Eyed Dam
Small Red Eyed Dam
Too Sunny!!!!!
Ive decided to take a couple of days off work just to do some birding alone, bit of twitching you may say, so I found myself heading to Stiffkey for a Black Winged Pratincole. It Was either this or the Collared Pratincole at Minsmere. The Report came out of the Black winged first so that made up my mind. I arrived on site to no new updates but was told it was still there not doing much. Brilliant I thought its gonna be showing well. I arrived and no one had seen it for a while, it was hiding. Damn..
The heat haze was awful, so I tried to scan the hundreds of waders on site first. Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and Spotted Redshank were the pick of the bunch. Looking behind us a Hobby shot past. looking back on the pools 4 or 5 Med gulls were hidden in-between all the black headed gulls and 6 Spoonbills were great. Eventually after a lot of scanning I spotted the Pratincole half good scope views through the haze and the photos aren't even worth publishing but here it is anyway, you have to look very carefully ;-)
I Watched this bird coming in and out of view till about half 12 when I decided as there was nothing else worth looking at Id head for Minsmere, mad I know.
Passing Walsey hills I spotted a long tailed bird sat on the wires here so turned around when I could headed back and had a good scan, it looked to me like a shrike but I couldn't find it and it bothered me all day, another one that got away. Whilst looking for the unknown bird the vantage point enabled me to count 22 Spoonbills on Cley making this a total of 28 for the day, incredible.
I arrived at Minsmere for around 3 oclock, and headed straight for the East hide for the Collared Pratincole, again the bloody heat haze was a real pain and the bird was doing exactly what the Black Winged Pratincole did by hiding behind islands and vegetation. Eventually after some hours the bird showed fantastically well but photos were still impossible.
Additional birds to Minsmere were 40 Little Gull, most in stunning summer plumage, 4 Spotted Redshank, 6 Green Sandpipers, Ruff, Little Ringed Plovers, a Med Gull, Water Rail and at least 22 Little Egrets.
I stayed on till about 8pm when I decided I better make my way home. A great Days birding, double Pratincole day Wow.
I had planned on more photos but the haze made it impossible.
The heat haze was awful, so I tried to scan the hundreds of waders on site first. Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover and Spotted Redshank were the pick of the bunch. Looking behind us a Hobby shot past. looking back on the pools 4 or 5 Med gulls were hidden in-between all the black headed gulls and 6 Spoonbills were great. Eventually after a lot of scanning I spotted the Pratincole half good scope views through the haze and the photos aren't even worth publishing but here it is anyway, you have to look very carefully ;-)
I Watched this bird coming in and out of view till about half 12 when I decided as there was nothing else worth looking at Id head for Minsmere, mad I know.
Passing Walsey hills I spotted a long tailed bird sat on the wires here so turned around when I could headed back and had a good scan, it looked to me like a shrike but I couldn't find it and it bothered me all day, another one that got away. Whilst looking for the unknown bird the vantage point enabled me to count 22 Spoonbills on Cley making this a total of 28 for the day, incredible.
I arrived at Minsmere for around 3 oclock, and headed straight for the East hide for the Collared Pratincole, again the bloody heat haze was a real pain and the bird was doing exactly what the Black Winged Pratincole did by hiding behind islands and vegetation. Eventually after some hours the bird showed fantastically well but photos were still impossible.
You tube video Ive uploaded
Additional birds to Minsmere were 40 Little Gull, most in stunning summer plumage, 4 Spotted Redshank, 6 Green Sandpipers, Ruff, Little Ringed Plovers, a Med Gull, Water Rail and at least 22 Little Egrets.
You tube video Ive uploaded
I had planned on more photos but the haze made it impossible.
Monday, 14 July 2014
Great Knot
I woke up this morning to a tweet from about 7 minutes past midnight of a Summer plum Great Knot Breydon water. I thought to myself anything that's taken that long to be reported was probably a mis-id as was last years bird at the same place. Anyway I went to work as normal and saw 3 birders looking from the bridge I was tempted to go ask em if they had got anything but didn't, mistake or what!!, they were only watching the bloody Great Knot. ahhh bugger. All I can hope for now is it stays till after work. come 11am it had flown off but luckily got found again at about 3pm. I arrived on site only for it to have just flown off again arghhhhh............
I followed Lee Evans who had seen the direction the bird had gone and after a 2 km walk along the bank he found it in the creak. As I didn't have my scope he gave me first dibs on looking through his. Cheers Lee. We moved further round and all the crowd with a few of my mates arrived so I was able to get some really nice scope view... wish I had my kit though, but still what a great looking bird and what a Mega!!!!! Lifer.
I had to leave before my time as I had to get back for the dogs. Hopefully ill get another chance tomorrow.
I followed Lee Evans who had seen the direction the bird had gone and after a 2 km walk along the bank he found it in the creak. As I didn't have my scope he gave me first dibs on looking through his. Cheers Lee. We moved further round and all the crowd with a few of my mates arrived so I was able to get some really nice scope view... wish I had my kit though, but still what a great looking bird and what a Mega!!!!! Lifer.
I had to leave before my time as I had to get back for the dogs. Hopefully ill get another chance tomorrow.
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Weekend....
Yesterday Saturday 13th...had a few hours at Burgh Castle and then from the bridge.
Wader numbers are starting to climb with 190 Avocet with good numbers of Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, a few Common Terns and a Sandwich Tern. 2 Adult Med Gulls was then about it. The heat haze made viewing anything distant impossible anyway.
Back to the garden but nothing new, just the Woodies posing for me.
Today I spent the morning in the garden a Juv Common Whitethroat was a garden tick, joining by a female type Blackcap but this was nothing new.
Later In the day we walked around Carlton Marsh, really like this reserve, on the walk around lots of Brown hawkers, Black tailed Skimmers and a nice Norfolk Hawker.
Bird wise it was great, reached the scrape to see a really nice Wood Sandpiper with 4 Little Egret, and an incredible 8 Garganey, never seen so many Garganey in one group in the UK.
Reached the far side of the scrape and another viewpoint where I could see Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and a really nice Cuckoo. I could see 4 Marsh Harriers and a Hobby which hunted the back fields until we left before the rain came. A Second Hobby flashed past the first hobby I was watching.
Finally got back to the van and the Little Owl was out in the open showing really nicely, but not long enough for me to get my camera out. Damit.
Anyway a great weekend, ill go spend some more time in Garden, neglected the patch this weekend, back on it tomorrow.
Wader numbers are starting to climb with 190 Avocet with good numbers of Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, a few Common Terns and a Sandwich Tern. 2 Adult Med Gulls was then about it. The heat haze made viewing anything distant impossible anyway.
Back to the garden but nothing new, just the Woodies posing for me.
Today I spent the morning in the garden a Juv Common Whitethroat was a garden tick, joining by a female type Blackcap but this was nothing new.
Later In the day we walked around Carlton Marsh, really like this reserve, on the walk around lots of Brown hawkers, Black tailed Skimmers and a nice Norfolk Hawker.
Bird wise it was great, reached the scrape to see a really nice Wood Sandpiper with 4 Little Egret, and an incredible 8 Garganey, never seen so many Garganey in one group in the UK.
Reached the far side of the scrape and another viewpoint where I could see Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper and a really nice Cuckoo. I could see 4 Marsh Harriers and a Hobby which hunted the back fields until we left before the rain came. A Second Hobby flashed past the first hobby I was watching.
Finally got back to the van and the Little Owl was out in the open showing really nicely, but not long enough for me to get my camera out. Damit.
Anyway a great weekend, ill go spend some more time in Garden, neglected the patch this weekend, back on it tomorrow.
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