A 'Non-Birding' Week in Norfolk

Goatboy · #1 (**permalink**) 16-10-2010, 09:27 PM

Apologies for the length of this post, but it IS a week of my life after all.

When I suggested a week-long holiday in mid-October the only stipulation thrown back at me from my family was that it would be a family holiday, not a birding one. With my fingers crossed behind my back, I agreed. My first suggestion was Norfolk. With long desolate beaches it would be the perfect holiday for a family with a 15-week old puppy to tire everybody out during the day. My idea was accepted with some scepticism.

The first part of my cunning plan fell into place on day one. Work commitments meant I had to travel down separately. 2 cars meant a chance to sneak off for some secret birding every now and then. On my way down to meet the family, I called off at WWT Welney. Within minutes of settling down in the hide, my scope was focused on a Wilsons Phalarope. A lifer for me. How could the rest of my holiday live up to this? The next couple of hours produced Pectoral Sandpiper, Little Stint and the best views of a quartering Short Eared Owl I've ever had. What a start.

Having joined up with the kin, my next day was to be devoted entirely to them (cough). I suggested Holkham Hall. I'd had amazing views of Marsh Harrier here the previous year and it would be a good place to run the energy out of our maniac English Bull pup. Sadly a Sunday proved just too busy for serious birding. Nothing major was seen. However the sight of our puppy running through the dunes and stumbling across a naturist was certainly entertaining. I'm not sure who was more surprised. To be fair, If I was stood stark-naked on the beach with a 3 stone slobbering bull terrier bounding towards me I doubt I would have stood my ground. Talking to a couple of local birders at a local caff, they bemoaned their luck at having driven 15 miles up the coast to tick a reported Pallid Harrier, only to be confronted by a simple Montagu's. I suggested that Norfolk birders were maybe a little spoilt. They looked back with blank expressions.

Cooler temperatures on day 3 meant the family wanted to wander around Sheringham. After dropping them off, I headed towards RSPB Titchwell. As I walked towards the first hide I was given one of those great unexpected moments that nature sometimes throws at us. Whilst casting my eyes over the salt marshes in search of LBJs I noticed a very large BJ skulking through the long grass. Looking through my bins,
I confirmed my first ever sighting of a Muntjac. A wonderful day was spent following waders up and down the shore line. Whilst I missed the Shore Larks that had been reported, I walked back to visitor's centre with a smile on my face. As I contemplated the idea that you don't need to see rarities to have a good day birding, I was treated to a family of Bearded Tits flirting the long grass in front of me. A long-time bogey bird of mine, I had given up on them after several visits to Leighton Moss without success. In fact the possibility of seeing them had never even occurred to me, which is strange considering where I was. The many amazing photos you've seen of these birds is nothing compared to the beautiful colours you witness in real life. Wonderful.

I'll report back the rest of my holiday later if anybody wishes to hear.

Farplace · #2 (**permalink**) 16-10-2010, 09:55 PM

Well I for one would like to hear more.....

Goatboy · #3 (**permalink**) 18-10-2010, 08:11 PM

Day 4 saw me back on full family duty, well sort of. We decided to take puppy down to the coast so headed to Salthouse, a favourite spot for local birders. Whilst puppy took up position at the waters edge, barking at the advancing waves, I headed for the high shingle dunes. These give you an excellent view over the local salt marshes. Ringed plover, Redshank, Ruff and Oystercatcher come amazingly close. Turnstones came within 3 feet of me as I fed them some prawns that I'd bought in Sheringham for my lunch. Also a great place for Wheatear and Stonechat.

Day 5 was to be spent at Cley Marshes. The visitors centre doesn't open until 10 am which is frustrating. So much of the birding day has already gone. Being a 'wader man' I made my way to the hides to see huge numbers of Dunlin and Black Tailed Godwit. These were put up into the air by a passing Sparrowhawk. A Kestrel pounced down into the grass having ID'd something as prey. I think all the birders were shocked to see a startled Snipe fly up from the Kestrel's feet. A case of mistaken identity? This time of year really brings home the scale of migration that is going on. Huge numbers of Goldfinch, Linnets, Starling and Redstart are visible. Look closer and you'll find the occasional Redstart or maybe something rare if you're lucky. At dusk we headed inland where we'd seem good numbers of Starling headed the night before. We were treated to a wonderful display as the murmuration weaved and bobbed through the sky. Beautiful.

My final day and I headed down to Minsmere for something a little different. Minsmere always strikes me as a Spring reserve with it's huge Tern colonies and breeding Avocet. Head down in Autumn and you'll get less bird life but you will get the Red Deer rutting season. Indeed, as soon as I stepped out of the car, I could hear a very familiar call. Problem these days is you never know if your hearing real Deer or just an over-enthusiastic Simon King fan. As the reserve was quite busy I headed away from the popular scrapes down into the quieter woodland areas. Accompanied all the way by yaffling Green Woodpeckers (are you laughing at me?) I soon found what I was looking for. A splendid male stag, horns decorated in what seemed like half the forest's undergrowth, ruling over his harem. After an hour of just sitting and watching (nobody else on the reserve seemed to do that) I decided to leave him to his business.
Walking down to the Longmere Hide (?) I was confronted by one of my worst fears. The 'Group Outing' Now I know we all have to be tolerant of each other but sometimes I could just........The leader of the said group was determined to explain the differences between GBB and LBB gulls. As we were in a 2-level hide, he was under the assumption that it was ok to shout at the top of his voice his (sometimes misinformed) teachings. His group in return shouted back questions making it unbearable for the rest of us in the hide. Fortunately it took him a while to see the Bittern that I was focussed on. "I'm looking at a Bittern" he eventually screamed. When given directions, his group gave out a collective gasp. This was so loud it scared the bird off. "well done on the Bittern" I said to him as I left the hide. My sarcasm wasn't wasted.
Anyway, you have to shrug these things off and I set about the reserve with a positive attitude. I caught up with another Bittern at the next hide. When I pointed it to my fellow birders, their more reserved reaction meant we got a good 20 minute display. We also witnessed a Ringtail fly directly over the hide. As I walked back to the car park. I saw a pair of Great White Egrets flying into the reserve. A first for me and a perfect way to round off a wonderful non-birding holiday.

Scores for the week, 3 lifers, 152 species and one very tired little puppy (that won't last)

Farplace · #4 (**permalink**) 19-10-2010, 08:27 AM

That's not a bad score for a non-birding week. Congratulations.

Gill Catton · #5 (**permalink**) 19-10-2010, 11:36 AM

Were you at Minsmere on Saturday? Only I was there too! and Westleton Heath. I saw the hen harrier too and relatively distant rutting red deer.

Saw my first Dartford warbler which even produced a few bars of sub-song which was lovely. I also while walking through the heath and trying to id a dragonfly high in a silverbirch met a chap who had seen a large stag slumbering in the heath (that wasn't you was it!?) and we went silently to look for it too but did not have the same luck unfortunately.

Went to Blythburgh on the Sunday and saw a leucistic pintail (and lots of other pintail) within a lovely raft of ducks and also good views of a few bearded tits and my first views of Brent geese of the winter. Have you been to Blythburgh? It is really lovely I'd recommend it.

Goatboy · #6 (**permalink**) 21-10-2010, 08:53 PM

Hey Gill, no I was there on the Friday.

Well done on the Dartford. That's one I certainly didn't get.

Agree with you on the Brent Geese. Lovely birds. We were watching them feeding on the Shoreline.

I haven't been to Blythburgh yet. I'll make a point of going when I go back in Spring.

Picidae · #7 (**permalink**) 21-10-2010, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goatboy

Talking to a couple of local birders at a local caff, they bemoaned their luck at having driven 15 miles up the coast to tick a reported Pallid Harrier, only to be confronted by a simple Montagu's. I suggested that Norfolk birders were maybe a little spoilt. They looked back with blank expressions.

You should have taken Norfolk birders with a little more on faith - the re-identication of the 'Montagu's' was later re-identified back as a Pallid. Just goes to show 'twitching' doesn't equate with 'skills' - the original finders were quite correct.

Quote:

as soon as I stepped out of the car, I could hear a very familiar call. Problem these days is you never know if your hearing real Deer or just an over-enthusiastic Simon King fan.

Or a Raven with laryngitis!

Gill Catton · #8 (**permalink**) 22-10-2010, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goatboy

Hey Gill, no I was there on the Friday.

Well done on the Dartford. That's one I certainly didn't get.

Agree with you on the Brent Geese. Lovely birds. We were watching them feeding on the Shoreline.

I haven't been to Blythburgh yet. I'll make a point of going when I go back in Spring.

My friend passed on a great tip regarding Dartfords and its that this time of year Dartford warblers are often see knocking about with Stonechat and sure enough that's where I saw mine flitting about the place with a couple of stonechat.