With a little more light this time....

Back to The Marsh to try and get some better wader photos with some sunlight which makes all the difference. Gadwall, Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Lapwing and Little Ringed Plovers

Two hectic months at work...

With very little time to blog or even go out birding. So just some pictures of waders down at The Marsh. Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Egret and Redshank. Hoping for more consistent postings in the coming months:

and very little time to blog. So just some pictures of waders down at The Marsh. Little Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Egret and Redshank. Hoping for more consistent postings in the coming months:

Alan's garden Partie

Having had the excitement of the Tree Sparrows returning to the garden after a gut wrenching absence of four days it was nice to see Red-legged Partridges, just two, wandering about as though they owned the place.

I'd been been stuck in the garage for three days number crunching, it's the only place where I can spread out all my paperwork and not be disturbed, I was summoned to the kitchen window as Sam announced that the young Pied Wagtails had flown off but there was a Partridge in the garden again. I needed a break so emerged from the windowless garage to have a look at our local Frenchman....

But hang on a minute, that's no Frenchman, it's one of ours ! English or Grey Partridge and it's in our garden. I grabbed the camera, it was getting dark so shoved the iso through the roof and got some shots, through the window....

 So Alan Partridge in da house, or rather garden - nice !

A fruity twist

Working in the shop this morning and a chap came in to ask if we had any news of the Citrus Finch, I kid you not. Asking if it was a Citril Finch I was told yes probably and that it had been seen at Burnham Market. I extrapolated that to Burnham Overy Dunes as more likely than Burnham Market and made a few calls. Then hearing that Marcus Nash had found the bird it was clear a major rarity was nearby.

For the rest of the day various birders came into the shop to show me their pics of a fine male Citril Finch which was at the west end of Holkham Pines. This was the second ever British record and the first mainland record for Britain the first having been on Fair Isle. So at 5pm I was off to Lady Anne's Drive and the walk to the dunes. On arrival at the spot, at the west end of the dunes, the bird was showing a way off and the generosity of various people allowing me to use their scopes meant I had some great views.

Given the distance I only managed a few record shots

Back home and things were doing well, with our Tree Sparrows visiting the feeders and our new resident Red-legged Partridges present

 we have found how it gets in and out of the garden, under the watchful eye of our giraffes !

A grey and beautiful day

8 May 2015

A visit to Sculthorpe Mill in search of Grey Wagtail proved a success. A lovely sunny start to the day and arrival before the pub opened and the hordes descended allowed Oli and I to watch a pair of Grey Wagtails gathering food and flying to their nest to feed the young (at a respectful distance). Being the only people there watching these most elegant of birds and seeing their private life felt quite a privilege - we didn't hang around in case they felt disturbed and then headed over to Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve.

 At Sculthorpe we were looking for Water Voles and the recently sighted Water Shrews but both eluded us. We were however given a VIP preview of the new broad walk and hide - looks to be fantastic. So onto East bank at Cley en route to pick up books from Wildsounds. Too windy for the Bearded Tits which we had been told were showing well earlier in the week, but a Lapwing obliged with an aerial flyby.

 and a Grey Heron on the Iron Road at Salthouse was busy fishing.

 Plus the ever present Avocets chasing everything

 Sedge Warblers were being very un cooperative and every time one emerged we either were not ready or it was just too brief - always a bit of vegetation in the way. Nearby and one of Oli's friends had told him of a couple of local Nightingales, so we pitched up and spent a while listening to them sing in full sunshine mid afternoon - of course no chance of actually seeing them,

 and finally back to Great Bircham and a walk round the village pond where there are two Little Grebes, but they always kept their distance so we resorted to some more familiar Norfolk Pond life !

 Egyptain Goose

 Coots having a scrap - three against one ? No wonder it was dive...dive ...dive !

 and would any village pond be complete without one of these - Greylag Goose

April Summary

Some very unpredictable weather during the month, a few lovely warm days, a bitterly cold east wind at times and very strong winds, plus torrential downpours. 

end of April

This saw a couple of visits to Snettisham, the first being a quick look for a Little Bunting that had been present a few days. The bird was quite tricky to see as it spent most of it's time grovelling around under the buckthorn or perched up and disappearing quickly. Luckily on my visit the bird was showing but a way off for a few minutes and then disappeared. Managed a long distance, heavily cropped, record shot: although a bit like the previous Lapland Buntings, it was in fine spring plumage and the best looking Little Bunting I've seen.

a second visit a few days later and the Bunting had gone, but there were at least six Ring Ouzels around, although very jumpy. Plus an obliging Meadow Pipit showing off some fresh plumage.

 Returning home in time to catch a bit of the local cricket and this run out (which according to the umpire wasn't).

but it was !