ISO 1600

7 October 2016
Grey day, but a great day with easterlies in October and on the North Norfolk Coast. I joined Oli for a day's birding along the coast. We had decided to avoid any crowds and look for our own stuff, never mind the Radde's Warblers at Wells and Holkham, we were going to find our own. We started at Stiffkey Campsite were I quickly located a Yellow-browed Warbler.

We then walked onto Warham Greens and saw Ring Ouzel, loads of Robins, some Continental ones, Song Thrushes agogo and hordes of Goldcrests.

There was news of a Red-breasted Flycatcher at the end of Garden Drove and we saw a small group of people in a field corner looking high into the trees. We decided to make our own way along the path past this as another bird had been seen further along the track, so continuing with our "avoid the crowds" strategy we walked past the Rb Fly and headed west. Within 25 yards the Red-breasted Flycatcher flew over the hedge and down onto the track in front of us. Oli was ready, I wasn't ! but luckily it showed for a good twenty seconds and flitted up into the scrub where I eventually managed to photograph it.

We continued west to search for the second bird but to no avail. We did however bump into a flock of some 30 Bramblings

A Redstart accompanied part of our walk but always distant and with the light dropping fast, pictures were poor at best.

It's a good walk along this part of the coastal path, with the marsh on one side and some good cover on the other. The Marsh itself was host to the usual waders and newly arrived Geese, lots of little Egrets and in a filed edge some Black-tailed Godwits.

The day ended as it started with a Yellow-browed Warbler, hordes of Goldcrests and fast disappearing light. The camera spent most of it's day at iso 1600 and I spent most of the day continuously looking at birds. No biggie but a great day.

It's big

Thursday 6 October 2016
I haven't been to Winterton Dunes for probably twenty years and I had forgotten just quite how big the area was. I met up with Steve Rooke at first light and while it was still quite windy the easterlies were not as strong as we had hoped and the overnight and early morning rain hadn't materialised, a shame as we were hoping that would force some migrants down.
Winterton Dunes (apologies for the copyright on photos - forgot to upload without it )

Some Continental Robins and Song Thrushes were the first few birds and Steve picked up a Lesser Whitethroat. I then heard a Lapland Bunting flying overhead which was joined by two others and eventually they settled a way off and allowed the intrepid Mr Rooke some scope views.

We walked a mile or so through the dunes and ended up on a wooded track were we had been told there was a Yellow-browed Warbler. Locating the Tit flock I found myself looking at a Yellow-browed but it was so fast I was unable to photograph it. Steve then found a Firecrest which was slightly more obliging (always a leaf in the way) but still a challenge as it was in a dark wooded area.

Two Common Cranes, Siskin, Stonechat, several Sparrowhawks, Brambling and more Redwings were the only other notables. We adjourned to the beach cafe around midday for a well deserved if somewhat late breakfast.

Good effort but no cigar

5 October  2016
With the East Coast receiving migrants ago go, Oli and I decided that for our early morning walk we would avoid the crowds (as ever), no doubt Wells Woods was heaving with Radde's Warbler watchers, and do the broad walk at Brancaster Staithe. Right on the coast with some good cover - every chance of our own Radde's, Arctic and most definitely Yellow-browed.

Sadly it wasn't to be. But there were hundreds of Song Thrushes making landfall. It seemed like every bush had half a dozen and there was a continual passage overhead.

A Great Spotted Woodpecker sunned itself atop a tree

Thereafter we spent a few minutes photographing a Goldcrest in the bottom of a bush at Titchwell, nice to look down on them for a change, and then failed to see the Pectoral Sandpiper. I covered the paddocks at Holme but to no avail and then it was time for work.

The Goldcrest

with continuing easterly winds, some early morning rain and a day off - a combination that I haven't had for a while I'm off to Winterton on the east coast of Norfolk tomorrow. Meeting up with Steve Rooke first thing ... Hmm I feel at least a Red-breasted Flycatcher coming on..........

Shortening the odds

2 September 2016
With little time to go out birding and doing photography, due to work and domestic commitments  I decided to shorten the odds of getting a decent bird image. My pictures of Buzzards to date have been all flight shots. Whenever I have seen one on the ground it has always flown off before I could get close enough to press the shutter. So with  a sunday off and a green light on the domestic front I opted for a day at Tom Robinson's Farm and more importantly in one of his Bird Photography Hides.

Tom has sent up a number of hides on his family's farm and concentrates on particular species. His hides are really quite superb, spacious with tea and coffee facilities, one way glass and even supplied with chocolate biscuits. One such hide is the Buzzard hide which I had heard was doing well at the moment. Buzzards were coming down to feed on a daily basis. Sometimes two birds, adult and juvenile. The utmost important advice he gave was to let the bird settle before moving the lens at all. Wary of any movement the bird will fly unless settled, something previous trigger happy photographers had experienced to their cost.

So arriving in the dark early am to ensure the birds don't see you, I was installed in the hide. Daylight began around 7am and I was surprised to hear the Buzzards calling that early. Plenty of hedgerow activity and then around 10am a few Crows started to come into view. Then a few Magpies. A few hours later and while the Buzzards had been calling and I was beginning to wonder if this was the day the birds had decided to go elsewhere. Then at around 1pm Bang, a Buzzard crashed in right next to a magpie which was feeding.

To be so close to these great birds was a fantastic experience and to come away with pictures as well -  fabulous. Tom's website is http://www.wildlife-photography-hides.co.uk

September Catch Up

4th September and a good point to launch my catch up as it was my birthday and I was due out for an early morning's birding with Tom Bedford. Our chosen destination was Burnham Overy Dunes, one of my favourite walks and a site that Tom hadn't been to before.

One of the great things about Norfolk is the autumn return of wild geese - Ha not today, a trifle early yes but we were "treated" to some big flocks of Greylags and another feral monster The Egyptian Goose.

On reaching the dunes we did manage a Wheatear but the hoped for Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers didn't materialise.

A defensive Devil's Coach Horse tried to stop us walking past and gave me the headache of macro photography - I should have focussed on it's jaws.

and the day ended as pleasantly as it began with a crepe tasting evening at home with some friends and my birthday "crepe maker"

A few days later and I found myself once again on the Turnham Overy Staithe walk to the dunes this time in the company of Oliver Reville. Again no migrants but with westerly winds that was hardly surprising so we contented ourselves with some straggly Reed Buntings

and when at the dunes looked back inland to the main creek which was dotted with white blobs - a few Little Egrets and a Spoonbill seen here

Our return walk provided us with a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly resting on some blackberries.

another outing a few days later and this Devil's Coach Horse was getting stuck into something tasty

and back at home while there were still no Tree Sparrows on the feeders, high above the house 5 Buzzards were having a good talon grapple - miles high with huge heat haze but at least it captures a bit of the action.

News of a Hoopoe at Brancaster Golf Club had me whizzing over for a quick look. The bird was present on the 17th hole.

The bird had apparently been around for nearly ten days and was very confiding to golfers if not to birders.

 Slightly disappointed not to get some better pictures and a day later saw Oli and I on an early morning walk along the dunes, with a keen southerly breeze we were confident the Hoopoe, if still
present would be on the beach side of the golf course and allow for closer views (we'd also heard it was favouring that area in the mornings). Luckily it was and while the light was poor we did get much closer to it this time.

 a large caterpiller for breakfast

and readying themselves for the long trip south an adult and young Swallow

so my hope is that I maintain the enthusiasm to keep the blog going, if only as a diary reminder for myself. I often start off full of good intentions and then general life just gets in the way - but as birding is part of general life than I will try to make sure it's included.

As ever I am concerned about image quality issues and compression on these sites and blogs, this series of images have been uploaded at a small size in order to speed things up for my first return to blogging for ages. As more techniques become revealed I hope the quality will improve - I'll be asking lots of question from many .... So let's see what October brings.

Early morning

This is really a draft to look at picture quality - so no text - just a few pics

2016 a start

Following a deficit of birdwatching and photography since Oman in November I had a day out yesterday with Oli on a bright sunny but very cold day. In fact it was bitterly cold and the combination of high tides and wind had most of the coastal sites underwater, no creeks for any waders and hence no photographic chances.

We started off at Flitcham for the ever reliable 8.15am Pallid Harrier. By 9am it was a no show. Just a flock of Linnets and some very cold birders.
There were a couple of Twite in this flock of Linnets a few days ago but without a scope and with hardly any of the birds calling it was impossible to tell

We moved to Thornham Harbour to have a look for the Twite that had been seen recently, but only managed distant views of a handful of birds, probably Linnets and so far away that we didn't even have the chance of stringing them as Twite. A Little Egret stood by the car park as some consolation.

From our double dip we decided to try the area just east of Cley for some Water Pipits that had been frequenting a Sugar Beat pad. En route and given the high tide we drove along the quay at Wells and the long staying Shag was sat near the Quay, but by now the weather had turned and the light was impossibly grey and dismal. Still a Shag in Norfolk is always a rare event:



It felt cold enough for one of these !

Onto Cley for the Water Pipits then - again no luck. A combination of tidal breach and flooding had presumably changed their habits.... so far three dips

As ever though a Little Egret was present.


With poor conditions on the coast and few birds to see we called a halt to bird photography.... well sort of.... now where exactly could we go to see some birds ? that we could photograph, some nice birds like.... Bearded Tits






What a stroke of luck the Bearded Tits were showing, and more......Black-tailed Godwit


and Avocet


Yup Pensthorpe !

A final call in at Flitcham as the day ended to look for the Pallid Harrier that had never been reported there much after midday did of course provide us with another dip. Even the Little Owl which had been present half an hour previously had disappeared and we were left with some distant Thrushes as darkness fell.


Not a great day for birding or photography, but nice to be out with a whole day at my disposal. Made more enjoyable with Oli's company and lots of bird and photo chat all day.

Here's looking forward to the next sunny Norfolk day which coincided with a day off (hopefully before May !)