Rough Snow Buntings

Rach the dogs n I had a walk up the beach from Lowestoft to Pakefield it was fairly quiet until we reached Pakefield where I spotted a load of SNOW BUNTINGS 23 I counted. Showing quite well, then I noticed many had been Rung, I through I saw the ringers on the way through. The birds weren't happy with em and were pecking at em.
On the way back 3 Med Gulls, 1 Adult and 2 Second winters.

After this we nipped for lunch then went looking for a ROUGH LEGGED BUZZARD which we were lucky to find with the help of Rene and Dave at Waveney Woods. Views were distant but it was great to see 2 Marsh Harrier, a Peregrine and the Rough legged Buzzard all in the same scope view. The Buzzard seemed to take a Starling and pluck it on the ground. in total there were 2 Peregrine, 2 Marsh Harrier and 2 Rough Legged Buzzard but we only saw the one. A small flock of Pink Footed Geese were present but they were just too far to pick out a Bean Geese. No visible White-fronted geese.
Another great day.

Mediterranean Gulls n stuff

So Yesterday Rach n the dogs n I visited Carlton Marsh's and had a nice but muddy walk around the site watching loads of mixed Gulls, but the best things were 3 Little Egrets and a few Bearded Tits. Otherwise it was surprisingly quiet. The patch was quiet to.
Today we stayed local and walked to Lowestoft via Corton Wood where 2 great looking Firecrest were showing really nicely., otherwise it was too quiet, however I never tire of Med Gulls, 5 in total on Gunton Beach including a Belgium ringed Adult and a 2nd Winter.

Parrots

Today it was a slow start but finally made it to Holt where I saw my first lifer in what feels like ages. 5-6 PARROT CROSSBILLS, and crackers they were too. We watched them for a good 2 hours in the tops but eventually a couple of cracking males came a bit lower and gave me the opportunity for a couple of record shots.
A RED KITE and 2 MARSH TITS were a nice addition to the morning.

 

 

After our fill of the Crossbills we moved to Wells village for a walk and some Frenchies fish n chips yummy, in the harbour were a couple of SHAGS and a really nice ring tailed HEN HARRIER .
Finally the BLACK BRANT at Cley showed incredibly well.
We then made the slow journey home. Great day in Norfolk as ever.

Shag

 

Black Brant

Dark Bellied Brent

Update

Been a very busy couple of weeks, at work, in the centre of Norwich ive seen FIRECREST in one of my gardens I maintain and from the top floor of some flats a Humming Bird Hawkmoth, amazingly late.
So last weekend was spent driving up to Cumbria to fetch the rest of the stuff and Rachel, so she's now here for good and has started her new job.
Back to today and I could finally do some birding woohoo, so took dogs down to Corton Old sewage works and a circular back home. Great to hear a SNOW BUNTING fly over and then the dogs flushed 4 LAPLAND BUNTINGS, they flew up and joined a flock of 10 something's, probably Meadow pipits but could also of been more Lapland Buntings. A late CHIFFCHAFF called from the churchyard.
I had a few jobs to do today so as I was passing I nipped in for the Juvenile GLAUCOUS GULL that had been in Hamilton Docks Lowestoft but a couple of visits proved fruitless but on my third try just before it got dark It was finally there, bingo.
It was the smallest and darkest Glaucous Gull ive ever seen.
A great day and good to have Rach back.

Its all about the Patch

So yesterday I couldn't do any birding as I had far too much to do getting ready for Rachel to move in and getting my address changed on all the bills n stuff, but today I was going to go search for the Humpback Whale that's been off the Norfolk Coast. Although I changed my mind at the last min and decided to do my shopping first then go do a sea watch off the patch, Corton.
After an hour and half all I was seeing were Gannets and the odd Med Gull, but eventually things started to move, plenty of ducks, Wigeon, Common Scoters and the odd Teal. Then I watched 9 Dark bellied Brent geese going North and I was surprized and amazed and excited to find a cracking BLACK BRANT in the middle of em all. I got on the blower to Rob and his possy who were watching from Hopton a mile further north. I was very relieved to hear they got it too, then there was a trail of sightings all the way up the coast. Only the second record for the Lizard area. (Gorleston to Kessingland). After this it went a little quieter but still saw a Little Gull, 2 Red-throated Divers, 6 Guillemots more Ducks n Geese and many more Gannets. I watched probably 15 small groups of Starlings come in off the sea, smallest numbers being a single bird up to 80 odd. Very exciting was watching 4 Black backed gulls chasing what looked like a Blackbird out to sea, whether they caught it or not Im not too sure but they weren't doing very well. 5 Snipe and a Sanderling were a nice surprise.
Finally a female Eider flew south and I picked out a 1st Winter YELLOW LEGGED GULL on the sea which then flew south.
After this the Humpback Whale was seen again off Sea Palling so rushed up to see that, I dipped unfortunately but I still got a good seawatch in, 10 Eider, Scoters, Wigeon, Gannets, 10 Bar-tailed Godwit, Golden Plover and 2 juvenile Arctic Skuas with a flock of Starlings in off to finish.
Love it!!!!

Minsmere

Danny very kindly took me to Minsmere for the morning, watching a GREAT WHITE EGRET, LITTLE EGRETS a nice showy WATER RAIL, and loads of MARSH HARRIERS.

Great White Egret

Little Egret

Water Rail

In front of the hide were Carbo and what looked like Sinensis Cormorants.
Not a mass of birds but nice to sit and relax.

Lowestoft Caspian...

After a hard week at work, I was fast off last night by 9pm I was wide awake and out by 7am on the patch, a walk along the cliff top produced very little until I had  a bit of a seawatch, plenty of Gannets passing then I watched 4 Scoters flying north 1 stuck out as having the face markings of a common scoter as well as Velvet scoter but it didn't have any wing patch's, I may just have seen a white patch on the back of the neck but wasn't entirely sure if the light was playing tricks but either way it looked a damn good contender for a female SURF SCOTER. It joined the 600 Scoters a couple miles north but on the walk along the coast to view them most took off out to see the rest moved further north and further out.
In the meantime a GREEN WOODPECKER sat on the fence.

I was going to try view the smaller scoter flock but news of a CASPIAN GULL came through at Lowestoft  so walked quickly home to get van to go see that.
Arrived to this cracker of a gull I love gulls.

A nice KITTIWAKE joined it.

 

I then moved to Gunton Cliff to try find the DARTFORD WARBLER that had been present for a couple of days, just very brief views before dogs possibly flushed it and no further sign.
Whilst waiting for the Warbler 15 Mobile SNOW BUNTINGS were a bonus as were 2 ARCTIC SKUAS..
Back in the car park 3 Med Gulls including 2 Adults 1 colour ringed and 2nd Winter. Never tire of MED GULLS.