North Norfolk Day

Set off at 5.30 and picked Gary up from home at 7.15. We then headed to Burnham Overy Staithe via a quick view over Lady Anne's Drive. Plenty of pink foots and wigeon but no sign of a hoped for short eared owl, but a barn owl was seen. No owls or raptors around Burnham Overy fields, some egyptian geese made the day list. A barn owl patrolled the fields near Brancaster, a very early morning photo here. A quick visit to Thornham harbour where we scored with a flock of twite, redhank and curlew but no sign of the 3 shore lark reported the previous day. As we drove up the lane, a black redstart popped from the tarmac to the hedge, not to reappear again.

early morning Barn Owl (Brancaster)

early curlew (Thornham)

redshank (Thornham)

Teal (Titchwell)

Black tailed godwit (Titchwell)

the meet and greet black headed gull (Titchwell beach)

Turnstone (Titchwell)

same meet and greet gull

Common gull (Titchwell beach)

ringed black tailed godwit (Titchwell)

same godwit

Snipe (Parrinder hide)

From here, we headed to Titchwell in cold, windy conditions. First time this autumn/winter I have worn my heavy coat. No brambling at the feeders so off to the beach. Very little out to sea but regular waders on the beach: sanderling, oystercatchers, dunlin, etc with the usual assortment of gulls. Aparticularly confiding black headed gull met us as we walked on to the beach and then stayed around our feet as we scoped the sea. Then, back to the Parrinder Hide. As we passed the Brackish Pool I noted a ringed black tailed godwit. red over pink on the right leg and red over yellow on the left. The number ring was turned inwards so could only read Z and then number 7 as the final digit.
Immediately upon entering the hide a snipe sp flew off, before landing just to the left of the hide.. Good views of the bird, showing a crown stripe, so common snipe, as shown in the photo
 and just beyond, at the water's edge, a water pipit. From the hide, shoveler, avocet, dunlin, golden plover, gulls, brent geese, meadow pipits, goldfinch, linnet, pied wagtails all got on to the list along with mallard, gadwall and teal. A coffee was now required, so off to the cafe and reported the birds and the ringed godwit.
A quick check for brambling just gave views of regular finches so off to Choseley barns where red legged partidge and grey partridge were noted. A check through several thousand pink foots showed them all to be...... pink foots before a tractor flushed the lot. A spectacular view as they all rose and headed a little way east. From Choseley we then headed back east, checking the usual places as we drove, before arriving at Cley and another coffee and a pastie. Not too much on the list except whopped swan of interest, so off along the East Bank. Arnold's Marsh had redshank, curlew, godwits and cormorants before we decided on a quick sea watch. Glad we did as we scored with red throated and black throated diver, great crested grebe, a long tailed duck, wigeon flypast, common scoter, 20+ guillemot, more cormorant, gannets, mainly full adults, a superb bouncing flock of snow bunting and 3 shelduck west meant we stayed much longer then planned, such was the quality of birds to be noted. Then, with the light fading to our final planned visit of the day, Warham Greens for raptors. A fly by merlin as we headed along the muddy track to the whirligig roundabout where several marsh harriers were noted. The sky towards Wells was becoming increasingly threatening, but superb scope views of a resting female merlin on sueda kept our attention. We then decided that, with me having a long drive home, that the hen harriers could wait for another day as I didn't want to get a soaking. About 400 yards from the car the heavens opened and we were duly drenched, with a cold north westerly pushing the rain and hail behind us. This meant the backs of our trousers were soaked, the front, bone dry. No hat also meant rain dripping down my back and soaking the collar of my shirt. Cold and damp we steamed up the car and headed for another coffee at Wells before finishing with a session at Lady Anne's Drive where another barn owl was noted before the geese came in to roost. Fantastic sunset, but unfortunately the geese weren't in a cooperative mood and failed to fly through the orange sky for a hoped for photo. Eventually a small skein did, but not the 100's we would have liked.

Holkham sunset

Pink foot geese through sunset (Holkham)

common seal (Cley beach)

pink foots (Holkham)

Brent goose (Warham Greens)

Holkham

Threatening clouds (Holkham)

Moon at Lady Anne's Drive

Off to drop Gary at home before I also headed home having had a superb day, with 3year listers in a species list of 87 birds. Very pleasing with black throated diver, long tailed duck and merlin getting on to the year list as well as the water pipit. Very productive day. This takes my year list to exactly 200 species.
Species list:
red throated diver, black throated diver, great crested grebe, little grebe, gannet, cormorant, little egret, mute swan, pink footed goose, greylag, goose (10 sp) brent goose, shelduck, egyptian goose, mallard, gadwall, shoveler, teal, wigeon, tufted duck, common scoter (20 sp) long tailed duck, marsh harrier, red kite, common buzzard, kestrel, merlin, red legged partridge, grey partridge, pheasant, moorhen (30 sp) coot, oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, golden plover, knot, lapwing, sanderling, turnstone, dunlin (40 sp) redshank, black tailed godwit, bar tailed godwit, curlew, snipe, ruff, black headed gull, common gull, herring gull (50 sp)lesser balck backed gull, great black backed gull, guillemot, wood pigeon, collared dove, barn owl, kingfisher, skylark, water pipit, meadow pipit, (60 sp) pied wagtail wren, robin, dunnock,black redstart,blackbird, cettis warbler, chiffchaff, great tit, blue tit, (70 sp) long tailed tit, coal tit, magpie, jay, jackdaw, carrion crow, rook, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch (80 sp) linnet, twite, goldfinch, reed bunting, snow bunting, yellowhammer.