Fallow the leader

Monday 5 February 2018
With enough time following the school run and opening the shop I decided to have a walk round Holkham Lake in search of yesterday's reported Scaup. After an hour and no sign of it I headed back to the gates along the track. I heard what sounded like a vehicle behind me but didn't turn round immediately, only when it started to get closer. I then found myself staring at a herd of about 50 Fallow deer stags all charging along the track, in my direction ! My brain was trying to tell me that deer are easily frightened and there was absolutely no risk of them coming into contact with me, they would simply veer off from the track. Hmm they were now getting very close indeed and not stopping so gut feelings took over from brain and I jumped behind a tree at the side of the track. The deer thundered past ! I emerged unscathed and trying to look cool, not that anyone was around.

Something had clearly spooked the herd and I'll never know what would have happened if I'd stood my ground. Here are a couple of images ,when a little calmer, me and them.

Dipping

Thursday 1 February 2018
I started the day off early, in Suffolk near Aldeburgh to try and catch up properly with the Coues's Arctic Redpoll which had been seen the day before. A sunny but very cold start. Five hours later with just a Lesser Redpoll to show I left ! A quick visit to Dunwich Heath in case any Dartford Warblers had been frozen to some gorse bushes, but diggers on the common ruled that out. Headed home, but did stumble across a group of 11 Bewick Swans - another towards the big year.

Blue Moon

31 January 2018
Well what a plonker I am.  I knew the Blue Moon was due today but left it till the evening to look properly. The orange ball of a moon happened at sunrise not sunset ! Still it was brighter and apparently bigger, relatively as it doesn't actually get bigger of course. Not a totally clear night but pretty good with just wisps of cloud.

A grave approach

Tuesday 30 January 2018
An unexpected bit of bright weather had me off to Great Massingham church again to look for the Hawfinches. I arrived quite late around 11am and there were about a dozen or so people already there.  The Hawfinches had been showing but were mostly in the shadows of the Yew trees just occasionally popping out into the sunlight.

Taking the shine slightly off this occasion was the fact that half a dozen of the photographers had decided to stand amid the graves. There was really no need for this, especially as they were the people with the biggest lenses. I felt it was incredibly disrespectful and quite unnecessary just to gain an addition 5 meters. The second row in of people in this pics were all back from the graves. Such disrespectful behaviour is becoming more the norm these days and does put me off going to look for birds that pull the crowds.

But the Hawfinches were active and after a while of hiding in the shadows one bird came out to feed at the front of the tree. Bit of a soft image due to the wind (meteorological).

After this I went for a hunt round the lanes for Bramblings and found a flock of some 150 birds.
A few flew close to the car and one even stayed around while I floundered about getting the camera set up !

I then rounded the session off with a trip to Titchwell and added Velvet Scoter to my year list and saw some impressive flocks of Golden Plover.

The school run beckoned so just time to have a quick look at Holkham Bay for some Shorelarks but it was getting late and dark, so ended as just a nice walk.

Bath Time

Sunday 28 January 2018
Following on from the last blog were I mentioned a few flocks of mixed finches, today I had a better search with time allowing through one of the flocks. At first all I could see were Chaffinches, then as the birds came down to drink and bathe at some puddles more and more Bramblings started to replace the Chaffinches until I counted a total of 78 Bramblings. Pics below.

It all adds up

Saturday 27 January 2018
Hawfinches this year are the new Waxwing with many countywide sightings. Just a few miles away at Great Massingham a group of about 20 birds had been present for the last few weeks so I decided it was time to give them a look. On arrival at the church there were a handful of people present and some 19 Hawfinches flying around and sitting in the tops of the trees. Another one on the gentle "big year" but all too soon it was time to return home to take Tom to his new job at Thornham Deli.

The weather was closing in but as I drove inland having drooped off Tom there seemed to be a belt of sunshine over where I thought the church would be at Massingham, clearly a sign, so I nipped in for another look. This time only a few birds flying around but one did go into a Yew tree and start to feed. It was dull, windy and starting to rain.

 Between Bircham and Thornham on the back road there were quite a few finch flocks, one of which comprised some 20 Bramblings - with time these flocks are worthy of further investigation.

Friday 26 January 2018
A pre work visit to Titchwell started on an intensely foogy and icy day with temperatures down to -1 and three cars in hedges along the coast road after the school run. As I arrived at Titchwell the mist lifted to reveal a glorious morning with sunshine and not a breath of wind. Even better and I was pretty much the only person on the reserve.

In the deserted car park there were 2 Bramblings calling.
A seawatch produced Black-necked Grebe, 30 Common Scoter, Fulmar, Red-throated Divers and new for the year 7 Long tailed Ducks. I couldn't find the female Velvet Scoter but did pick up a bonus bird - Water Rail.

Wednesday 24 January 2018
This was a bad move but seeing as I was in the area....... I decided to walk to Granborough Hill at Salthouse in search of the Snow Bunting flock, some hundred birds apparently. I use the word apparently because as I arrived the heavens opened, but undeterred as it's felt just like birding on Lundy, I trudged off along the shingle. Hmmmm the rain increased and the wind increased and after about 40 minutes I gave up and retreated to the car (only person present for some reason) and watched the Turnstones at work.

The Norfolk Tangle Picker

Happy Richard (eventually)

Friday 19 January 2018
So this was it - a fourth attempt at the Parrot Crossbills. I left Sandy after breakfast with Steve Rooke and made my way home via Santon Downham, this time it was straight to the "puddles car park" and no Otter watching (not an easy call after their captivating performance the day before, but this was now getting serious). My sat nav bought me in from a different direction and tried to take me down an unauthorised road - re routed but a ten minute delay. This proved to be somewhat crucial.

I arrived at the car park to be told they had just flown up from the puddles but luckily they were still in the trees. A good sign as they always drop down to drink from those trees, or so I was told. They flew off. Bloomy heck this was getting silly I thought as I penned an imaginary letter to Suzuki Sat Nav Dept. Oli who had just witnessed the Parrot's drinking fest decided to have a look for the Otters - not surprising as he'd exhausted his camera on the very recently departed Crossbills. So I decided to wait having moved away from the small crowd who were all discussing their pictures and comparing head shots and feather detail !

One and a half hours later and they returned, spent an agonisingly long time in the tree tops, before coming down to drink. Now I know the conditions with light were not perfect but as far as I was concerned it was a "right result"

and this female photo bombing the boys

Flushed with success it was back to Browns for another, this time more celebratory, goats cheese salad. Then should I go straight home or have another go for the Black Redstart and try to improve the background ? I started to return home, then remembering I was in the shop for the next seven days headed to Sheringham. It was a bit overcast but with few people around the bird was really confiding: