NORWICH: Not seeing a Rose-coloured Starling

Mid October 2018

When news emerged mid-week that there was a Rose-coloured Starling in New Costessey, I was cautiously optimistic that it would stay for a while and I would therefore be able to catch up with it at the weekend. As it turned out, this was half right. Despite only being about 5 miles away as the crow flies, Costessey is a good 20-25 minute drive, sometimes more at rush hour. Rose-coloured Starlings often turn up in gardens, but usually at least show for a lot of the time on nearby hedges or rooftops. This one was spending a lot of time in one small garden, out of sight of the road. In total I visited three times, twice after work and once after a day out, without seeing it. Apparently early mornings were better, but that didn't fit in with my other commitments. A shame, as I would have loved to have seen one around the city, but there is only so much time you can spend on a housing estate before deciding to cut your losses.

Still, good to see Ricky Clovelly* Cleverley in the news discussing how much the bird stuck out like a sore thumb :-)

EDP link - http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/rare-bird-new-costessey-rose-coloured-starling-1-5735366

* In an otherwise nice article about Ricky's patch birding at Thorpe Marshes for 'Tern', they mispelled his surname, which some of us haven't forgotten.

BRECKLAND: Speedwell search & Stone Curlews

12th April 2014

Chronologically the next species on my list of 30 Interesting Things was one or more of the rare Speedwells that can be found in the Brecks. Cathy & I went to a site near Thetford, where we searched along the edges of a path for the tiny blue flowers. We did find two speedwells, but neither were rare - most of the plants were Ivy-leaved Speedwell, whilst the other turned out to be Common Field Speedwell. We did see a Goldcrest and heard a Blackcap in the nearby pines.

Before going back we moved on to Weeting Heath, where we got good views of two Stone Curlews from west hide and had a chat with one of the wardens. I didn't have my 'scope with me to take any photos, but I notice that Craig Shaw also visited Weeting yesterday and he has got a good photo of the Stone Curlews on his blog here: http://craigshawsbirdingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/brecks.html

EAST NORFOLK: Looking for Crossbills

27th October 2013

This afternoon Cathy & I went for a walk in Witton (aka Bacton) Woods. Having grown up in North Walsham, it was here that I saw my first Common Crossbills in the early nineties, so it seemed a fitting location to attempt to see Parrot Crossbill. I had been given directions to an area of trees where they had been seen earlier in the week, but other than Coal Tit and Goldcrest there weren't many birds about. The strong wind hindered any attempts to listen for distant calls or falling pine cones. Hopefully they will continue to be seen, and I can have another go later in the year.

On our way round we did see quite a bit of fungi - Cathy found an unopened Parasol and a number of Mycena sp, whilst there were also Fly Agaric, Amethyst  Deceiver and Beech Sickener. We also saw some Hard Fern, a species that I have presumably seen here before but not recorded. On the way back to North Walsham a Stoat ran across the road.

Hard Fern

Parasol

NORTH-WEST NORFOLK: Golden Dip

1st May 2012

With a message just after work saying that the Golden Oriole at Snettisham C.P. was showing well, I thought it was worth having a look (I haven't seen G.O. in Norfolk, and when they do occur they tend not to show well). Unfortunately Snettisham is almost as far from Norwich as you can get and still be in the county, so by the time we got there it had either gone to roost or at least quietened down.  With no birders on it I searched in vain through a lot of scrub, to no avail.  Large numbers of Linnets were present, along with a Whinchat, my first Cuckoo of the year and lots of Whitethroats.  A Lesser Whitethroat called, and Cathy saw it whilst I was off Oriole-hunting.

WHITLINGHAM: Finally some hirundines

21st April 2012

My first visit to Whitlingham in a couple of weeks, and still no sign of any Sedge Warblers, despite three being in residence across the river at Thorpe.  I did manage to catch up with Swallow, Sand Martin and a lone House Martin though.  Two broods of Greylag Geese have hatched out (seven and six goslings), and there have been no further Egyptian Goose fatalities (two broods of six still).

After lunch, and waiting for the rain to subside, I went to Earlham cemetery to look for a Pied Flycatcher, which had been found by Will around a hundred yards from my old house (see BirdBeards for a finders report).  Unfortunately there was no sign of it, although its a large area with some impenetrable evergreens, so it may still be around.  Either way its an excellent bird for the city and further evidence of what can turn up if you look regularly.

WHITLINGHAM: Fudge Dark

19th January 2012

Rather out of the blue a drake Ferruginous Duck was found at Whitlingham on Thursday afternoon.  In hope rather than expectation I managed to get to Whitlingham after work, but even a part jog (part wheeze) around to the conservation area bay wasn't enough to beat the impending darkness.  The conservation area bay was almost empty, with most of the wildfowl drifting into the middle of the broad to roost.   I tried to find a consolation Owl or Woodcock, but it was not to be.  The Fudge Duck has been seen again today, so if you don't need to use your digits for a while, I would appreciate you crossing them for me that it stays until tomorrow.

NORTH NORFOLK: Lots of men in a field

15th October 2011

The place to be for any Norfolk birders with an interest in listing or rarities was Warham (site of the UKs second Rufous-tailed Robin for any foreign readers), and I duly took my place on the concrete pad at dawn, having been given a lift by Gary. Ultimately it was not to be, but a steady stream of commoner birds overhead and on the saltmarsh was some consolation. The cold morning was also a reminder that I need to buy warmer socks. Many congratulations to Rob Martin for finding the bird, and thanks to whoever organised the field for parking. The day promised more birds for those who spent the time looking, but I had a ticket for the Norwich City v Swansea match, so headed back to the fine city. We won 3-1 and played very well, so its all good.

For a finders account from Rob Martin see here: Punkbirder

For an account of the find from James McCallum see here: UK400 Club blog

Alternatively, make up a conspiracy theory about it. Bare in mind it will directly contradict the accounts of the people that were actually there at the time, so make sure its good. Maybe you were flying over in a microlite at the time and heard the whole sordid affair go down? Or maybe a friend of a friend was doing a mole survey for Natural England and was in a burrow three feet below the track and heard everything. There's no prize for the most creative entry. In fact, it might be best to just accept the statements made by Rob & James rather than pissing off two of the people most likely to find the next mega in Norfolk. Just a thought.

NORTH NORFOLK: Rain in Cromer? What a surprise.

26th August 2011

After a couple of days of rainy weather I headed to Cromer on the train to try to catch up with the Greenish Warbler at Warren Woods. I walked through Link Woods on the way, and found a couple of birders looking into a Holm Oak across the playing field from Warren Woods. One of them thought he had seen the Greenish in it a minute before, so I spent a while staking out the tree and nearby scrub, seeing a couple of Nuthatches, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Coal Tit, before a Phylloscopus sp. flew out and into trees on the cliff-face. After another twenty minutes waiting to see if it would re-emerge I decided to have a look around the main woods.

By more luck than judgement I found myself almost beneath the Holm Oak that the Greenish Warbler had been seen in. Keeping still I was able to watch a number of small birds passing through the branches, including six Chiffchaffs. Several other birders came and asked if there had been any sign of the Greenish or Bonelli's recently, to which I replied no, only to find out that a large crowd around the other side of the hill had seen both 15 minutes after I had arrived. The curse of trying to locate birds away from the main group of birders I guess. I went round to join them, and heard the Greenish Warbler call on three occasions. On the first occasion a Phyllosc flew from the direction of the call into the oak, but was in no way "tickable" on those views. I stayed until 5.15 then left to get my train, a decision I was glad of when it started pouring with rain, even if the bird was seen briefly an hour or so later. On the bright side, hearing the call will hopefully help should I encounter a Greenish Warbler at some point down the line. During the afternoon a number of Swifts (max of 16) flew through.

WHITLINGHAM: Flyovers. You've got to love them.

31st July 2011

A lazy morning in Lakenham was interrupted when I found out that an Osprey had just been seen over South Tuckswood. This is just the other side of the ring road from Cathy's house, and with no details as to what direction it was heading (maybe it was just circling, daring people to make a move) we went out into the garden and looked south, hoping that it would glide past. It didn't. We were going to Royston later, so a proper search was out of the question, but Margaret offered to drive down to Whitlingham before we went so that I could satisfy myself that there wasn't an Osprey perched up on my patch laughing at me. Whitlingham was packed with people and boats, and no self-respecting Osprey would have done anything other than fly over. Looking on the bright side it would be better to find one out of the blue rather than semi-twitch one I suppose.

NORWICH: Keep a lookout for a Parakeet

18th June 2011

Having agreed to have a lay-in at the weekend I turned down a lift to see the Caspian Tern, and turned my phone off as well. Whilst having my breakfast and a cup of tea I turned it back on and received a message from Adam to say he had seen a Parakeet at Jenny Lind Park, opposite our old house on Trinity Street. he cautioned that it could have been an escape, but I thought it was worth checking it out anyway, so I walked across to the park, and conducted a tree-by-tree search. The park is small enough to assume that if I couldnt see or hear it then it was gone, so I moved on to Chapefield Park and similarly drew a blank. It could well be in the area still, and I'd be interested in seeing it even if it turns out to be one of the green parakeets other than Ring-necked. I've made sure my feeders are well stocked in case it moves on to Earlham Cemetery!

Walking back from the city a brief spell of sunshine allowed some butterflies to come out, including my first Ringlets of the year on Lakenham Way. In the afternoon we went to Pulham Market, and on the way returned via Stoke Holy Cross. I found a Little Egret hunting in the shallows of the river opposite Lakenham Mill, my second at this location and third around Norwich this year.

NORTH NORFOLK: The Burnhams

30th May-1st June 2011

Cathy & I went for a short break staying in a teepee (or tipi, take your pick) at Burnham Deepdale. The main purpose of the trip will become apparent, but the secondary one was to try and at least hear a Quail, now the commonest British breeding bird that I am yet to see or hear.

30th May - Having left Norwich in glorious sunshine, we arrived to the first meaningful rain in over two months. It continued raining all through the evening and overnight. Bugger. We had a nice meal at the White Horse (the first pub I've been to that has its own Tapas menu) and I had a pint of Oystercatcher Ale, brewed by the local Brancaster Brewery. The field behind our teepee was a potato field, scuppering my hopes of a Quail closeby, but we did hear Cuckoo, Tawny Owl and see Red-legged Partridges there.

31st May - After a brief walk and a few rain showers, I headed off along the coast path around Burnham Norton marshes, where Quails have been heard recently. It was mid afternoon, and accordingly I wasn't successful. It was a lovely day, and I got much more satisfaction from seeing Avocets and Marsh Harrier than I would have at a reserve. I heard a Grasshopper Warbler and saw a 4-spotted Chaser along the bank. Walking inland I momentarily got my hopes up that I had found another target, Marsh Warbler, but it soon became apparent that the mimicry I heard was from a Sedge Warbler. Walking back along some farmland I saw a Stoat.

1st June - On the way back to Norwich we checked out Beacon Hill, seeing some Grey Partridges.

NORTH NORFOLK: I blame it on the wind

29th May 2011

Gary & I went for a relaxing days birding in North Norfolk, aiming to catch up with a few raptors and generally see some good birds. We started at Swanton Novers raptor watchpoint, hoping to see Honey Buzzard. We left haing seen a few Common Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk, bu then it was quite windy. We had lunch at Sculthorpe Mill, a pub that has a reputation for being home to Grey Wagtails and Spotted Flycatchers. We didn't see them, but then it was windy, with a bit of drizzle. No luck with the Monties either, although we did see Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and 2 Red Kites, so that wasn't bad. Titchwell? Don't even ask. It was windy though.

NORWICH: Ok so this ones my own fault...

10th May 2011

I did consider going to Thorpe after work in case the Wood Sandpipers had hung around, but as some of you will know it was the Norwich City promotion parade through the city, and I duly went to that. Once the open-topped bus had gone passed I retreated to the pub for a drink. As my companions headed home it seemed like a good idea to go and have a look around Station Marshes. With no optics and no idea where I was meant to be looking, I was of course doomed to fail. With no other birders onsite I soon realised that I was never going to get tickable views of any waders, so I just enjoyed my wander. A very distant Cuckoo sounded like it was near Broadland Business Park area, and I got good views of a Water Vole in one of the dykes before walking home in the dark.

WHITLINGHAM: A river away...

9th May 2011

A walk around Whitlingham with Cathy just before dusk was shaping up to be a typical summer walk, nice weather, not many birds. As we reached the east end of the broad Cathy went and looked through the nettle beds for moths (Green Carpet was her best find) whilst I scanned the spit. I could see several birders with 'scopes, which made me feel slightly uneasy. What if something really good was the other side, out of sight. We moved on, and then I found out what they were looking at. 2 Wood Sandpipers on the "New Cut". I have birded Station Marsh a fair bit, and have never heard anyone refer to the new cut, so that didn't help. Could it be one of the drainage ditches across the marshy bit? If it is then there was no chance I could see it from my vantage point. With the light fading and Cathy still patiently waiting for me to continue our walk I went back and re-scanned the spit, then waited to see if a walker would flush them, and finally waited until a train had gone past. Darn it. Still, there's always next year.

WHITLINGHAM: Owl-less

26th April 2011

Cathy & I had a brief look along Whitlingham Lane this evening, searching for Little Owl, a near mythical species for me here. Adam had kindly texted me to say that he had seen one in the dead tree opposite the Canoe Club, but there was no sign whilst we were there. In fact I have never seen one at Whitlingham, which given that they would presumably be resident and are known for perching out in the open is quite odd. So keep your eyes peeled Whit-watchers, and please let me know if you see one! The evening wasn't a complete waste, whilst watching the meadows a Woodcock flew over at a rate of knots, heading towards Trowse.

NORTH NORFOLK: Wagtail hunt

25th April 2011

More in desparation than hope I spent Monday morning looking for the previous days Citrine Wagtail. Starting at Cromer there was just an apologetic looking Wheatear in the wagtail field. Further along the fields of West Runton held Linnet and Skylark, whilst the Eye Field had more Wheatears. In fact, the only wagtail we saw all day was a Pied at Northrepps. The one positive I took is that if memory serves this is the 4th straight year that Citrine Wagtail has occurred in Norfolk, so hopefully there'll be another one next year!

CAMBS: Ouse Washes

24th April 2011

Jim kindly offered me a lift to the Ouse Washes to look for the long-staying Blue-winged Teal. Unfortunately the birding Gods didn't take kindly to me leaving Norfolk, firstly hiding said Teal, and then dropping a spring male Citrine Wagtail in North Norfolk. We spent a quite a while in Welches Dam Hide looking for the Dam(n) Teal, but it was not to be. We had a brief look from another hide before returning to Welches, and did see Greenshank, LRP and Yellow Wagtail and heard a Gropper, but it was clearly not to be.

NORFOLK: Dips and Egrets

6th March 2011

I went out for a jaunt around Norfolk with Gary & his dad, intending to look for the Great White Egret and then make our way up to the North Norfolk coast. In half-hour or so at Marlingford there was no sign of the egret, although we did hear a Grey Wagtail at Marlingford Mill and watched Buzzards displaying over a local woods. Our dip-fest continued by not seeing two species of owl and not seeing Woodlarks. "Surely that isn't going to be the highlight?" was the groan as we came away from the first three hours birding with distant views of a Stonechat.

We reached Titchwell and sprinted for the food hatch, Gary being the winner of the one sausage roll, whilst the losers received the Cornish Pasties. Presumably we can't call these Cornish pasties anymore, as they now have some sort of European regional protection. Anyway, by the time Phil got to the hatch there was no pastry-based products of any description. On the beach we walked along towards Thornham to get level with the scoter flock. No sign of any Velvets, but we did see a small flock of Eider and two Red-necked Grebes. A flock of Snow Buntings flew over our heads and we were stalked by two Black-headed Gulls.

Other stuff at Titchwell included Twite, Water Pipit and Water Rails. Beginning our way back to Norwich we stopped at Choseley, where we were serenaded by the jingling song of Corn Buntings, which was lovely. Back at Marlingford, looking at the same field as before, the Great White Egret was bang in the middle of it. We blinked and it had gone, hidden in a sttep-banked bit of river. Blinking again it was back, staying in view for about five minutes before vanishing behind a clump of Alders. We lingered a while, but it seemed content behind its trees so we headed back to Norwich.

Egret hide-and-seek

WHITLINGHAM: Miss of the month

I've just found out that a drake Baikal Teal was seen at Whitlingham at the end of January! The chances of it being of wild origin are somewhere between nil and zero, but it would have been a cracker to see. As it happens I was at Whitlingham the morning after it was seen, so I can at least be content that I would have seen it had it stayed around.

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On a more serious note, first the Red-breasted Goose, now Baikal Teal (not to mention the Red-crested Pochard and Mandarin of unknown origin last year) - is someone nearby forgetting to lock the pen doors?!

NORFOLK: Cley jaunt

15th January 2011

Having not been up to the North Norfolk Coast for a while, me & Cathy got a lift to Cley. Just past Hevingham village we almost saw a Peregrine sitting on an aerial - a second look showed that it was a model decoy. We had a quick stop at Salthouse, sitting in the car and watching the Snow Buntings and Turnstones feeding close by on the raised bank. In the fields nearby thousands of Pink-footed Geese were feeding and wheeling overhead.

Snow Bunting, taken at Salthouse last January

It started to drizzle, so we sat in Bishop's Hide for a while. We didn't see anything out of the ordinary, mostly Wigeon, Teal, Shelduck, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Dunlin and Golden Plover. A Sparrowhawk flew in and perched close to the hide, just out of view of my viewing slot. Instinctively I moved my head to try and see it, banging my head in the process. Damn hides. Walking towards east bank Margaret twisted her ankle on the slippery mud, and after some persuading went back to the car to rest it. Cathy & I continued to east bank, but a combination of high winds and the lie of the land meant that we failed to find the American Wigeon. A quick check on Arnold's Marsh revealed loads of Dunlin and a scattering of Grey Plover, and four Little Grebes were in the storm drain.