Amazing day in North Norfolk

 There had been some superb North easterlies pushing birds into North Norfolk at the end of last week and Monday was the first opportunity I had to see what had arrived. I appreciated plenty would have moved on but felt sure there would still be birds about in good numbers. I wasn't disappointed. Leaving home before 5am, coffee at Wells Co-Op at 7, a quick drive down Lady Anne's Drive to check for late owls and then straight to Burnham Overy Dunes along the sea defence as thought the path down from the road may be too much of a quagmire and wet feet early in the day wouldn't be great.

The light was really poor, making photos tricky but I persevered in manual as much as possible. Meadow pipits everywhere, 3 wheatear on the fence and wire, several low flying swallows and a few cattle egret with the cattle. A first for me in Norfolk, cattle egrets that is, not cows!

I arrived at the boardwalk and checked the brambles and apple tree which has held many good birds for me over the decades. A pair of blackcaps skulked here, whilst wrens, dunnocks, blue tits were scrabbling around in the brambles. Nothing too noteworthy in the dunes and marram grass so over the boardwalk to Gun Hill. Meadow pipits everywhere, 100's if not 1000's. I checked some to see if there were any other species such as olive backed pipits, but drew a blank. There are only so many pipits you can look at.

Cormorant flyover and a chiffchaff in brambles also. Several fieldfare were flushed but nothing on the ground as I checked as many bushes as possible. Back to the board walk where a rock pipit popped up before I noted movement under a sueda bush. Just about to dismiss them all as House sparrows when a brambling popped out onto a rock. My first of the season. Constant movement of geese overhead, too

Rock pipit

Little egret

Greylag geese

Distant cattle egret

Chiffchaff

Meadow pipit

Meadow pipit at Gun Hill

Westerly cormorant

Wren

Goldfinch under darkening skies

Male blackcap

Wheatear balancing in the breeze

wheatear and meadow pipit

windswept Reed bunting

Mute swan

A very early morning Goldfinch

Superb Brambling

Once back at the car I headed towards Salthouse, with a plan to work my way back to Wells over the course of the day. I took a short detour to Wighton following reports of a hoopoe. Arrived on site but too many folk for my likening and as non were looking through scopes or binoculars I assumed it wasn't showing at that point, so off to Salthouse.

Here, the skies were threatening. I left the camera well hidden in the car, not wanting to get to Gramborough Hill and be caught in a downpour. This virtually guaranteed either a really good bird would be found or a bird would pose perfectly for a shot. The former happened as there was a red necked phalarope on water to the west of the beach road. As it happened, it was probably too distant for a photo anyway as I tried to get the best views. Very little on Gramborough Hill, plenty of curlew and gulls on the fields, so I headed back, thinking Wells Woods should offer some consolation. I stopped off to check Walsey Hills and Snipe's Marsh but nothing here to add to the list apart from a greenfinch before I parked at the beach carpark, bought 3 hours worth of time and headed off, the skies being clearer so camera in tow.

Blackcaps and chiffchaffs regularly seen as I headed to The Dell. The wettest I have known it for years, with plenty of standing water. Small copper, Wall butterflies and several Migrant hawkers caught the eye, as did a pair of busy Yellow browed warblers flitting through birch. I fired off a few shots before realising I hadn't checked the settings. All hugely over exposed after Burnham greyness. A pied flycatcher flew into trees beyond the Dell and more c]blackcaps. I took the path along which a 1st year red backed shrike had been reported, but no luck for me today. Suddenly, all the lapwings and gulls went up from the adjacent field. I looked skyward and there, high over the woods, a hen harrier, its white rump reflecting in a rare moment of clear sunshine. A hobby flew over at the same time. I tried for some shots of the harrier but just too high to be more than a hugely cropped dot!

Back into the woods between the caravan site and the toilet block. Trees were loaded with birds: goldcrests, goldfinches, Lesser redpoll, Chaffinches, chiffchaffs, blackcaps etc. Now cloudy and dark under the canopy. I arrived at the huge Scots Pine with the rope swing attached. Here, plenty of bramble on the sandy slopes, great for skulking warblers so I took time just to stand and look and listen. Wrens, blackcaps and a chiffchaff popped up before a browner bird showing, in the brief moment it was atop a bramble, a thick white eye stripe, yellow/pale orange legs and feet and a warm yellow colouring under the tail. The breast was a warm yellow colour, too with a white area under the beak. Within 5 seconds it was gone. A Radde's warbler. To confirm it then clicked several times from the depths of the brambles. First I have seen for a few years, my last was here, too.

I arrived back on the path and a kestrel appeared and hovered directly overhead. I shot off photos but it was too close, I had to wind down the lens. It dived into grass right in front of me before flying off. Too close for the camera. This led to chats with several other birders and walkers who had stopped to watch it. One final check through the birches and, in the darkest area of the wood, a redstart popped up and posed just long enough for a snap. I pushed the ISO right up to compensate.

By now, my 3 hours were almost up. I headed back to the car, checked the boating lake but just a Little grebe made the day list.

Migrant hawker

super Redstart

Female blackcap enjoying blackberries

Goldcrest

Wall butterfly

Wall underwings

Nectaring upon knapweed

Another chiffchaff

Overhead kestrel

Being watched

same bird

Male blackcap highlighting photo problems of birds hiding in brambles on a cloudy day in a wood

Pleasing kestrel shot, another bird 

Greenfinch

Robin

I got to the car 7 minutes after my time expired but all was fine so off to park at Stiffkey High Creeks campsite and take a wander along to the Whirligig roundabout along the coastal footpath. Had a chat to several birders who had walked from Morston to the east and reported very little apart from waders and wildfowl at Stiffkey Fen and a few bits and bobs, so I stuck to my plan of heading west. I too didn't find too much and nothing to add to the list. I scanned Warham Greens for spoonbill but only Little egrets. No signs of a merlin and probably too early for hen harriers to come into roost. I then caught sight of a few blue tits and a female blackbird flying irritatedly around some ivy. Worth a check and sure enough, a magnificent Tawny owl was tucked away. Super to see. I checked the marshes once again and by now, at around 5.30pm the light was getting really poor and some cars had headlights on. Time to pop up to see if the hoopoe was still present before cutting through to Egmere and home. 

Distant redshank in the last of the sunshine

Black headed gull in the gathering gloom

Golden plover flock

A watchful Tawny owl

Wonderful to see

Think I'm being watched

Looking east

I arrived at Wighton and only 3 other birders present, so plenty of room. The hoopoe was feeding and probing around in tall weeds near a dung heap. I messed around with settings to try for some shots but by now cricketers would have certainly left the field for bad light. I stretched to ISO a little and had some success, if somewhat grainy. My first Norfolk hoopoe after one at Dungeness and the well watched one I found in Bishop's Stortford in 2007. Great to see and a fitting finale to a superb day. 

Hoopoe in semi darkness

Species List.

1. Little grebe
2. Cormorant
3. Cattle egret
4. Little Egret
5. Grey heron
6. Mute swan
7. Pink footed goose
8.  Greylag goose
9.  Canada goose
10.  Shelduck
11. Egyptian goose
12. Mallard
13.  Gadwall
14. Shoveller
15.  Wigeon 
16.  Red kite
17.  Marsh harrier
18.  Hen harrier (female)
19.  Common buzzard
20.  Sparrowhawk
21.  Kestrel 
22.  Hobby
23.  Red legged partridge
24.  Grey partridge
25.  Pheasant
26. Moorhen
27.  Coot
28.  Golden plover
29.  Lapwing
30.  Redshank
31.  Red necked phalarope
32.  Curlew
33.  Black headed gull
34.  Herring gull
35. Lesser black backed gull
36.  Wood pigeon
37. Collared dove
38.  Tawny owl
39.  Hoopoe
40. Skylark
41.  Swallow
42.  Rock pipit
43. Meadow pipit
44.  Pied wagtail
45.  Wren
46.  Dunnock
47.  Robin
48.  Redstart
49.  Wheatear
50.  Fiedlfare
51.  Blackbird
52.  Blackcap
53.  Cetti's warbler
54.  Chiffchaff
55.  Radde's warbler
56.  Yellow browed warbler
57.  Goldcrest
58.  Pied flycatcher
59.  Great tit
60. Blue tit
61. Coal tit
62.  Long tailed tit
63.  Bearded reedling
64.  Magpie
65.  Jay
66.  Jackdaw
67.  Carrion crow
68.  Rook
69.  Starling
70.  House sparrow
71.  Chaffinch
72.  Greenfinch
73.  Goldfinch
74.  Brambling
75.  Linnet
76.  Lesser redpoll
77.  Reed bunting

Certainly a long way short of a good list by species count but not everyday you get: Red necked phalarope, Hen Harrier, Redstart, Pied flycatcher, Hoopoe Tawny owl and Radde's warbler, so, as I did a fortnight ago, settle for quality rather than quantity