A Day in North Norfolk

Leaving home around 6.30 meant, following an en route coffee break, I was at Lady Anne's drive in Holkham by 9 am. Plenty of brent geese, wigeon and lapwings along with Egyptian geese but no hoped for Rough Legged buzzard, just distant red kite and common buzzard to I headed off to Cley, checking waters around Wells and getting mallards, teal and little egrets.
I arrived at Cley beach and chatted to a birder I knew. He had been present since first light and had seen very little. This didn't inspire me to wander along the shingle to the North viewing screens so I just checked the sea; just gulls and cormorants. A quick scan over the Eye field revealed plenty of golden plover and more peewitting lapwings. Off to the NWT Centre to check for new books and another coffee before a short drive to Kelling Water meadows.
I wandered down a somewhat muddy path. Plenty of finches in the hedgerow, skylarks overhead and red legged partridge on the ploughed fields. On the water: gadwall, wigeon, Egyptian geese, black headed and herring gulls whilst a reed bunting popped up on some bush, but no hoped for stonechat. I walked as far as Muckleborough Hill before retracing my steps back to the village reading rooms where I had parked. A wren called and long tailed tits, blue tits and great tits got on to the day list.

Drake wigeon, Holkham

Female kestrel, Cley beach

Long tailed tit, Kelling Water Meadows

Red legged partridge, Kelling Water Meadows

Goldfinch, Kelling Water Meadows

From Kelling I drove to Salthouse beach but more of the same on the fields so I continued to Stiffkey and Warham Greens near High Sand Creel campsite. Out on the marsh were big numbers of brent geese, redshank, curlew and a pair of male Marsh harriers. Not too much so I decided against the walk to the Gibbert roundabout and headed off to buy some lunch. Once purchased, I ate it in the car at Brancaster harbour where more of the same was recorded with a black tailed godwit getting on to the list.

Marsh harrier, male, Warham Greens

same bird

From the harbour I thought a few hours at Titchwell would be good. The temp was pushing double figures and the sun was bright; good photography light. I checked the book of the days sightings. This confirmed that it was not a premium bird day for the area, as expected in early March but still worth a good walk to the beach and back and time in the hides. Following the rain, the FreshMarsh was full so no mud for waders, these were all on the Volunteer marsh. Numerous black headed gulls and in with them, several breeding plumaged Mediterranean gulls showing their jet black hood and bright blood red bill. Always good to see. I arrived at the beach and scanned the water with my telescope. One goldeneye flying into the Wash was my only reward but further along the beach plenty of waders at the surf's edge: sanderling, turnstone, knot, dunlin, black tailed godwit, oystercatcher and redshank. I then spent time in the Parrinder Hide but no sign of the reported water pipit before I, once again, trudged back to the car in rapidly fading light.

Distant Stonechat, male, Titchwell

Redshank, Titchwell

Oystercatcher, Titchwell

Drake teal, Titchwell

Redshank reflection, Titchwell

Little egret, Titchwell

2nd Little egret, Titchwell

Curlew, Titchwell

Black headed gull (with brown head!) and Mediterranean Gull, Titchwell

Avocets, Titchwell

Shelduck, Titchwell

Last stop was at Thornham Harbour. Upon arrival, usual waders in the creeks and a party of about a dozen twite flew over and settled in the sueda bushes, not to be seen again for a photo.
The weather had been a real change, probably the best day of the year, so far with sharp light, a very gentle breeze and temps up to 10C. Well worth the early start and really good to be back here. Like all birders, the next 8 weeks will offer plenty of opportunities in this area for some possible rare migrants coming off the North Sea, especially if the weather conditions are perfect for blowing birds to the shelter of the coast. I shall be returning once a fortnight over the next month or two and hopefully latch on to something a little more unusual than today's list

Curlew, Thornham Harbour

Species list

1. cormorant
2. little egret
3. grey heron
4. mute swan
5. greylag goose
6. pink footed goose
7. canada goose
8. brent goose
9. shelduck
10. egyptian goose
11. mallard
12. gadwall
13. shoveler
14. wigeon
15. teal
16. tufted duck
17. goldeneye
18. red kite
19. marsh harrier
20. common buzzard
21. kestrel
22. red legged partridge
23. pheasant
24. water rail (heard)
25.  moorhen
26. coot
27. oystercatcher
28. avocet
29. grey plover
30. golden plover
31. lapwing
32. knot
33. sanderling
34. turnstone
35. dunlin
36. redshank
37. black tailed godwit
38. curlew
39. black headed gull
40. Mediterranean gull
41. herring gull
42. lesser black backed gull
43. wood pigeon
44. collared dove
45. kingfisher
46. green woodpewcker
47. skylark
48. cetti's warbler
49. meadow pipit
50. pied wagtail
51. wren
52. dunnock
53. robin
54. stonechat
55. song thrush
56. mistle thrush
57. blackbird
58. goldcrest
59. great tit
60. blue tit
61. long tailed tit
62. bearded reedling (heard)
63. treecreeper
64. magpie
65. jackdaw
66. carrion crow
67. rook
68. starling
69. house sparrow
70. chaffinch
71. linnet
72. twite
73. goldfinch
74. greenfinch
75. yellowhammer
76. reed bunting