Busy Norfolk Day

Titchwell sunrise

Leaving home at 5a.m. meant I was at Thornham Point before 7.15 and just first light. Plenty of gulls heading inland along with brent, pink foot and greylag geese. After an unsuccessful half hour watch and wait for owls, I moved on to Titchwell Reserve.
Here, I was greeted by a barn owl flying behind the shop and over towards the meadow trail. Still not light enough for a photo. I headed for the beach, seeing 3 marsh harriers en route along with the regular fare of redshank, wildfowl and curlews. The sea held 800+ scoter, all common, plus 3 red throated diver, a great crested grebe, 6+ goldeneye and a solitary long tailed duck. On the sand, turnstone, grey plover, godwits etc fed on the tideline. Into the Parrinder hide for a few photos in good sunshine before a coffee  and a successful check near the picnic area for a skulking woodcock.

no more boardwalk to the beach after the storm surge in December

Sand dune damage at Titchwell

 

redshank

shelduck

drake teal

On to Holkham and Lady Anne's Drive. Geese and the 100's of wigeon that had been present all winter....

wigeon at Holkham

pink foot goose



Holkham lapwing

........ before a quick check on Wells harbour where a herring gull was proudly showing everyone it's fish and 5 little grebes in the harbour.

Wells Harbour little grebes

herring gull

I then checked Blakeney Harbour but not too much about so off to Glandford and Cley Spy where I bought a second hand telescope. Very pleased with it and, whilst testing it, came across a flock of brambling. From here, I popped up to Edgefield and spent half an hour in pursuit of the parrot crossbills. Got 20+ common crossers but no parrots although they had been reported earlier in the day.
On to Wiveton where the glossy ibis was still feeding before Cley for another coffee and a check on the sea from the beach carpark.

Not too much moving out at sea apart from more scoter, this time including 2 velvets and plenty more wigeon. A red throated diver went east before I finished off at Salthouse where even more scoter, a mix of common and velvets plus the inevitable turnstone messing around on the shingle.

beach hotel

clearance of the carpark at Cley beach

Still plenty of water at Salthouse

unsociable turnstone.

Species list (year listers in bold)
red throated diver, little grebe, great crested grebe, cormorant, little egret, grey heron, glossy ibis, mute swan, pink footed goose, greylag goose, (10) brent goose,  canada goose, shelduck, mallard, shoveler, gadwall, wigeon, teal, pochard, tufted duck, (20)common scoter, velvet scoter, long tailed duck, goldeneye, red kite, marsh harrier, common buzzard, kestrel,pheasant, moorhen (30), coot, oystercatcher, avocet, grey plover, golden plover, lapwing, sanderling, turnstone, dunlin, redshank, (40) black tailed godwit, bar tailed godwit, curlew, woodcock, snipe, ruff, black headed gull, common gull, herring gull, lesser black backed gull, (50)greater black backed gull, wood pigeon, collared dove, barn owl, skylark, meadow pipit, pied wagtail, wren, dunnock, robin, (60)song thrush, redwing, fieldfare, blackbird, cetti's warbler, great tit, blue tit, long tailed tit, magpie, jay, (70)jackdaw, rook, carrion crow, house sparrow, chaffinch, brambling, linnet, goldfinch, greenfinch, common crossbills,(80) reed bunting.
Not too bad considering the weather was only good until 9a.m and was then dull and cold before showers began around 2pm.