The Whitlingham Bird Report for 2023 is now available to download from the Bird Reports page or from here

Who needs swifts when you've got canoeists?

23rd March 2010
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Completely oblivious to the fact that Alpine Swifts had descended on the North Norfolk Coast like alien spaceships in Independence Day, I went down to Whitlingham after work. A Garganey had been seen in the conservation area the day before, but there was no sign of it, continuing my long-standing jinx with this species at the CP. If the past birds are anything to go by it was probably gone on the day, but a couple of people in a canoe who insisted on going right along the edge of the island and conservation area bay, made sure that any pre-roost ducks were moved on.
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Other than that, it was quite a nice evening. The Kingfisher fizzed across the Little Broad, now an almost regular occurence on my evening walks. A Green Woodpecker was feeding on a grassy area to the north of the broad, and couple of pairs of Teal skulked along the flooded edges. We had to wait for a pair of Mute Swans to vacate the area around the bird screen (still flooded) to have a scan, but only turned up a lone Snipe and a couple of Little Grebes. Across the river 100+ Tufted Duck and a pair of Oystercatchers gave a black and white theme to Thorpe Broad. No hirundines, and no sign of Saturdays Chiffchaffs, presumably they were just passing through.

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