Busy Times in North Norfolk

 Arising at 5am and picking up Rick at 5.30 in Stortford we arrived for the obligatory coffee in Wells Next The Sea at 7.30am and then headed off to North Point Pools just east of the town.

Chat with a local birder. Few waders were present and a flyover Spoonbill was a good start to the day. Light was a major issue for photos and remained poor throughout the day. Forever changing shutter speed and/or ISO settings. Many photos didn't make it and after downloading 300+, I ended up with 40 that were OK. 

Dunlin: North Point Pools

Spoonbill over North Point Pools

Off to Walsey Hills and Snipe's Marsh. A Spotted flycatcher here and although a Pied Flycatcher had been seen, we didn't connect with it. Coal tit and Marsh tit here, along with Little grebe and plenty of Greenfinches. Chatted with Steve before he went off to volunteer at the Visitors' Centre. Very helpfully, he gave us a list of what had been reported locally that morning.

juvenile Little Grebe: Snipe's Marsh

Cormorant: Snipe's Marsh

We then headed east to Kelling Heath where we saw next to nothing, a few chiffchaffs called but little else so down for a wander along to Kelling Water Meadows and The Quags. A juvenile kittiwake here that I tried to turn into a Sabine's gull but no stonechats or whinchats present. A quick check on the sea from the shingle ridge proved we were right not to spend time at Cley Beach doing a sea watch. Very little movement so wandered back to the car, checking the water meadows again where 2 Black tailed godwit came in. 3 Common buzzards overhead.

Chaffinch, Kelling Water Meadows track

Reed bunting: Kelling Water Meadows track

Black tailed godwit coming into Kelling Water Meadows.

Black tailed godwit: Kelling Water Meadows

Red Admiral: Kelling track

The lack of migrants in bushes or on the ground meant we gave Gramborough Hill at Salthouse a miss and headed for a coffee at Cley Visitors' Centre. Very good Bakewell Tart, too!

Parked and wandered along the East Bank to Arnold's Marsh. Snipe, dunlin, a ruff, avocets and loads of curlew and Sandwich terns present but no Bearded reedlings. 

Snipe: The Serpentine from East Bank

Back to the car and off west. Bought lunch in Blakeney, parked at Stiffkey Greens by the campsite, enjoyed the sandwiches and then took the footpath west to the Gibbert roundabout. Very little here. A warbler scratched and clicked but remained unseen. Suspect Lesser whitethroat, but one of several possibles for the day. Little egrets on the marsh at Warham Greens before returning to the car.

We headed west, stopping to check Brancaster harbour but a high tide meant no mud, therefore no waders and arrived at Titchwell around 3.30pm. Once past the rather brusque meet and greet chaps who asked if we were members and then demanded to see our membership cards. I enjoyed another coffee and yet another bakewell. Sugar and caffeine being the order of the day.

Plenty of birds from the island hide before a trek all the way to the beach. Here, waders in their 1000's and we spent the next couple of hours photographing these. Great fun and plenty of decent shots of the everyday waders that frequent this brilliant beach. We had a few minutes of sun before heading back. Over Thornham Marsh I got a very brief (2 seconds) distant glimpse of a very large grey bird that I immediately thought Common crane. Showed dark and light grey on the wing. Not seen again as it went down behind a large reedbed, but in reality, couldn't have been anything else really.

Curlew: Titchwell

Teal: Titchwell

Avocet feeding from the Island Hide, Titchwell

Juvenile Turnstone out of its depth: Titchwell

Redshank: Titchwell

Pintail; Titchwell

Pint of Wherry at the Gin Trap Inn at Ringstead and home by 9.45pm Brilliant day.

Species List:

1. Little grebe
2. Great crested grebe
3. Cormorant
4. Little egret
5. Great egret
6. Spoonbill (North Point Pools)
7. Mute swan
8. Greylag goose
9. Canada goose
10. Shelduck
11. Mallard
12. Gadwall
13. Pintail (Titchwell)
14. Shoveller
15. Wigeon
16. Teal
17. Tufted duck
18. Marsh harrier
19. Common buzzard
20. Kestrel
21. Red legged partridge
22. Pheasant
23. Moorhen
24. Coot
25. Common crane (probable) (Thornham Marsh)
26. Oystercatcher
27. Avocet
28. Ringed plover
29. Grey plover
30. Lapwing
31. Knot
32. Sanderling
33. Turnstone
34. Dunlin
35. Curlew sandpiper (Titchwell)
36. Green sandpiper (North Point Pools)
37. Redshank
38. Spotted redshank
39. Greenshank (Arnold's Marsh)
40. Black tailed godwit
41. Bar tailed godwit
42. Curlew
43. Snipe
44. Ruff
45. Black headed gull
46. Common gull
47. Herring gull
48. Lesser black backed gull
49. Great black backed gull
50. Kittiwake (Kelling Quags)
51. Sandwich tern
52. Common tern
53. Wood pigeon
54. Sand martin
55. House martin
56. Swallow
57. Meadow pipit
58. Pied wagtail
59. Wren
60. Robin
61. Garden warbler (Heard)
62. Lesser whitethroat (probable)
63. Whitethroat
64. Blackcap
65. Sedge warbler
66. Reed warbler (heard)
67. Cetti's warbler (heard)
68. Chiffchaff (heard)
69. Spotted flycatcher (Walsey Hills)
70. Great tit
71. Blue tit
72. Marsh tit (heard)
73. Coal tit (heard)
74. Magpie
75. Jackdaw
76. Carrion crow
77. Starling
78. Chaffinch
79. Linnet
80. Goldfinch
81. Greenfinch
82. Reed bunting

Footnote. Many Pied flycatchers were reported from all over North Norfolk. we just kept missing them! 11 were reported from Holkham Pines which we didn't visit. Photos below all from Titchwell beach. 

Juvenile/1st year Turnstone

Sanderling

Probing Sanderling

Sanderling has its eye on something

Knot

Smart plumaged Knot

Sanderling with moule.....

.....but no mariniere!

Knot flyby

Adult Herring gull

2nd winter Herring gull

More Knot

Westbound Oystercatcher

 Turnstone, adult with just a few flecks of orange breeding plumage feathers remaining.

Adult turnstone moulting from breeding plumage

Knot

Looking west

Bar tailed godwit

Looking North East.