Another Monday: another North Norfolk Visit

Another early start, picking up Graeme at 5.30 and off to Horsey Mere and Winterton dunes. Graeme was hoping for a couple of lifers in the form of desert wheatear and common crane. As we arrived, a field full of swans with flyover geese caught out attention near Horsey. We scanned with binoculars, getting barn owl, little egret, pink foot geese, mute swans and 2 large birds flying away from us at great distance. Probable cranes, but just too far to be sure in the poor light before sunrise. They went down and even with scopes, identification was not possible, so off around the fields to check for cranes. No luck, so on to the dunes at Winterton. We walked to the area where the wheatear had been recently reported. A few meadow pipits rose from the marram grass, but nothing else apart from a small bird that rose and then disappeared immediately into the grassy tussocks. Possible black redstart, but again, not enough of it for confirmation. A green woodpecker was flushed as we headed back to the car park for a well earned sausage sandwich and coffee. At this point we got news that a black redstart had been seen in the car park and that @rbnNFK had put out that the desert wheatear had been seen 3 hours previously. Strange, as this would have been before 7.30, when it was still dark!
However, around the groynes on the beach, where the bird was supposed to be were 2 turnstones, a sanderling and a family of seals. A sea watch provided views of huge number of feeding cormorants, common, black headed, herring and lesser black backed gulls along with a solitary red throated diver.

Sunrise at Winterton

Graeme checking for the desert wheatear

Youngster

Dad

Mum and offspring

Family portrait. Mum looks to be blind in the right eye.

From here, we headed back to Horsey Mere, parked and checked the fields oppsite for a Richards Pipit that had been seen there somedays previously. Large flock of meadow pipits, but nothing else. Kestrel and plenty of marsh harriers before we headed off to Mundlesey for a quick sea watch from the cliffs. So, 3 targets not ticked and at Mundlesey, nothing on the water sabe a flyby great black backed gull, so off to Sheringham cliffs for another sea watch. More gulls and more coffee!

Great black backed gull....

........from Sheringham cliffs

We continued west, with a stop at Salthouse to get, yet again, some turnstone photos. Always good here as we checked fields, scoring with wigeon, curlew, pied wagtail and lapwings. The day list was growing, so off to Lady Anne's Drive at Holkham. Big numbers of geese and more wigeon, plus 3 jays from the layby.
We continued to Burnham Overy Staithe where Graeme saw the 2 rough legged buzzards, a year lister for him. Also, we latched on to a peregrine heading east over Holkham pines and scanned the fields, getting dunlin in a pool and several common buzzards, to add to the 4 we had seen from Holkham layby.
By now it was gone 2pm and we planned to head straight to Snettisham where a glaucous gull was showing well at a dead seal carcass. However, as we approached Titchwell, in good afternoon light, we decided that maybe the gull would have gone to roost by the time we arrived, so decided upon a Titchwell visit. Pleased we did, scoring with a goldeneye drake on the sea, plenty of wildfowl and waders, all in glorious setting sunlight.
Linnets overhead, a brief bearded reedling, marsh harrier before a male hen harrier appeared over Thornham Marsh, moving east over the Freshmarsh. Good views in now poor light meant disappointing photos. The ones that look good on the back of the camera, but not on the screen! Shame, but nevertheless, a real treat to watch.
A song thrush near the carpark was our last day tick before a trip home, needless to say, stopping for another coffee around Ely before arriving home at 7, some 14 hours after departing.
Great day.

Salthouse beach turnstone

turnstone

redshank at Titchwell

teal drake

black tailed godwit

portrait of black tailed godwit

grey plover looking golden in setting sunlight

herring gull

little grebe

as the sunsets.....................

....................behind the trees towards Thornham....................

..................the moon rises over Titchwell

sadly, too dark for sharp photos of male hen harrier

Note to self: clean camera sensor!! Too many dust spots

Species list:
red throated diver, little grebe, cormorant, little egret, grey heron, mute swan, pink footed goose, greylag goose, brent goose, canada goose, (10 sp) shelduck,mallard, gadwall, shoveler, wigeon, teal, pochard, tufted duck, goldeneye, marsh harrier (20 sp) hen harrier, rough legged buzzard, common buzzard, sparrowhawk, kestrel, peregrine, partridge sp, pheasant, moorhen, coot (30 sp) oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, grey plover, golden plover, lapwing, sanderling, turnstone, dunlin, redshank (40 sp) black tailed godwit, curlew, snipe, black headed gull, common gull, herring gull, lesser black backed gull, greater black backed gull, wood pigeon, stock dove (50 sp) collared dove, barn owl, green woodpecker, skylark, meadow pipit, pied wagtail, wren, dunnock, robin, song thrush, (60sp) mistle thrush, redwing, blackbird, great tit, blue tit, long tailed tit, bearded reedling, magpie, jay, jackdaw (70 sp) rook, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, linnet, goldfinch, greenfinch, reed bunting.
79 species for the day.