Super day in Norfolk

Brancaster Staithe with tide rising. Gloriously blue!

Setting off at 6.30 had me enjoying a coffee and breakfast at Wells Next the Sea before 8.30am before I headed further east to Sheringham. Here, I parked on the clifftop carpark and checked the promenade for a purple sandpiper that frequents this area over winter. Today it was not present, just the usual gulls and turnstones.

Turnstone on the slipway

These birds show pale fringes to the feathers indicating this these are 1st year birds

From Sheringham I headed up to Kelling Heath hoping for wood lark and dartford warbler. Again, neither were seen but finches (chaffinch and goldfinch) along with tits and my first singing chiffchaff of the year got on to the day list. By now the temperature was rising and the clouds were disappearing. All looked good for a great day.

Chaffinch at Kelling heath

Onwards to Salthouse beach and Gramborough Hill. Always a good site for wheatear, but not today so I then parked at the East Bank at Cley to check Arnold's Marsh and the sea. Several pochard on the dragonfly pool, plenty of greylag and brent geese whilst on the marsh: redshank, curlew, dunlin and assorted gulls. Nothing out to sea. A reed bunting was in good voice as were several meadow pipits but the breeze was a little too strong for the bearded tits to pose on top of the reeds. They could be heard.  Gadwall and mallard got on to the list, too. At the end of the East Bank a rock pipit  and many linnets

Meadow pipit near Gramborough Hill

Time for a coffee at the NWT Visitors' Centre before a drive around to the beach car park. Redshank and shelduck on the Eye Field and half way across towards the reserve, my first wheatear of the year, sadly, too far for a photo. From here, a brief stop at Stiffkey Marsh where a little egret made the list in amongst 1000's of brent geese. I continued along the A149 to check Lady Anne's Drive where wigeon dabbled and assorted other waders were noted before I continued east. I had just past The Victoria Hotel and rounded a corner to see a superb barn owl upon the estate wall. Nowhere to stop and park so I carried on, managing to turn around and head back. By now, numerous cars and a bus had gone by so I was really surprised to see the owl still present. I stopped and managed a few photos in excellent light before he flew off and roosted in a tree.

Superb bird in great light. Very fortuitous

A stop for some food and then a check at Brancaster Staithe where bar tailed godwits were noted along with teal, turnstones, redshanks and the first black tailed godwit of the day. From here, Choseley barns where red legged partridge, common buzzard and a singing yellowhammer were added to the list before off to Titchwell to check the marsh and do a spot of sea watching.
Plenty of birds and birders present here, several RSPB groups en masse so the footpath along the Freshmarsh was very busy. Another reed bunting whilst on the marsh, plenty of Mediterranean gulls in with the black headed variety. These are nesting on the island which now has chicken wire around it to keep down the mammalian predators such as rats, stoats and foxes from predating the nest when the water levels are low. More godwits, avocets and a large party of know roosting on a spit on the Sea marsh due to it being high tide. From the beach a cormorant passed by along with a red throated diver and good numbers of common scoter.
Back into the Parrinder Hide where a pair of greylag geese had taken up the role of meet and greet. They were both on top of the bank just before the hide and remained totally unperturbed by my presence. Back to the car for the final visit of the day, a quick check around Holme and the beach for owls and roosting waders. Again, the tide was too high and so all the dunlin, knot and sanderling had probably headed further into The Wash to roost.

Distant bar tailed godwit at Brancaster Staithe

Little grebe: Titchwell

smart plumaged teal

Meet and Greet greylag

Close enough for a portrait

Avocet in fading light

Pick out the Mediterranean Gulls on the island at Titchwell

Water rail in the ditch by the path near the Visitor's Centre

Species List: 18.03.19

1. Red throated diver
2. Little grebe
3. Cormorant
4. Little egret
5. Grey heron
6. Mute swan
7. greylag goose
8. Canada goose
9. brent goose
10. Shelduck
11. Egyptian goose
12. Mallard
13. Gadwall
14. Shoveler
15. Wigeon
16. Teal
17. Pochard
18. Tufted duck
19. Common scoter
20. Red kite
21. Common buzzard
22. Kestrel
23. Red legged partridge
24. Pheasant
25. Water rail
26. Moorhen
27. Coot
28. Oystercatcher
29. Avocet
30. Ringed plover
31. Grey plover
32. Lapwing
33. Knot
34. Sanderling
35. Turnstone 
36. Dunlin
37. Redshank
38. Black tailed godwit
39. Bar tailed godwit
40. Curlew
41. Ruff
42. Black headed gull
43. Common gull
44. Mediterranean Gull
45. Herring gull
46. Lesser black backed gull
47. greater black backed gull
48. Wood pigeon
49. Collared dove
50. Barn owl
51. Green woodpecker
52. Skylark
53. Rock pipit
54. Meadow pipit
55. Pied wagtail
56. Wren
57. Dunnock
58. Robin
59. Wheatear
60. Fieldfare
61. Blackbird
62. Chiffchaff
63. Goldcrest
64. Great tit
65. Blue tit
66. Long tailed tit
67. Bearded tit (heard)
68. Magpie
69. Jay
70. Jackdaw
71. Rook
72. Carrion crow
73. Starling
74. House sparrow
75. Chaffinch
76. Linnet
77. Siskin
78. Goldfinch
79. Greenfinch
80. Reed bunting
81. Yellowhammer