WHITLINGHAM: Last visit of the year

30th December 2012

A last visit to Whitlingham of the year, hoping for the one new species that would break my year record. It was rather busy, at times feeling like I was in a rather large queue snaking around the broad. the duck highlights were 19 Wigeon on the Great Broad, a decent count here. A few Siskins flew over, and that was that really. I went along the Lime tree avenue to the farmland at the top to look for Yellowhammer (my top blocker here now according to BUBO) or Red-legged Partridge. I saw neither, but did get good views of a Green Woodpecker on the meadows. So there we go, 110 species, ten of which were site ticks, represents a very good year. I am now putting the finishing touches to my inaugural Whitlingham Bird Report( in lieu of a big summary post), so look forward to that early in the new year.

Merry Christmas y'all

24th December 2012

Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this blog!

As the year nears its end I would also like to thank everyone who has contributed to my enjoyment this year, be it giving or offering lifts, reporting birds, commenting on my posts, sending me photos or just saying hello when I've been out. It is all very much appreciated.

WHITLINGHAM: Trowse Woods fungus foray

22nd December 2012

It rained pretty much all day, but luckily I wasn't off to Whitlingham proper. Today was the last foray of the year for the Norfolk Fungus Study Group, and handily it was at Trowse Woods. Despite it being mid-winter, there hadn't been a frost recently so we were hopeful of a decent haul. With a combination of thorough searching, local knowledge and much greater identification skills than mine we managed well over 50 species. The pick of the day was probably Ganoderma pfeifferi (sometimes called the Beeswax Bracket because its pores exude a waxy substance) at its only known Norfolk site. Alex also noticed a rare form of Male Fern with crested frond ends. Afterwards we called into the White Horse in Trowse for a drink.

 'Crested' Male Fern

Beeswax Bracket (notice the yellow wax coming from the pores)

THORPE BROAD: Slavonian Grebe

15th December 2012

I hadn't been home that long after returning from Whitlingham when I looked at BirdForum and noticed that Steve had found a Slavonian Grebe at Thorpe. Slavonian Grebe was the only one of the five commoner grebe species that I hadn't seen locally, so I set off hoping that it was still around. Luckily it was, and showed nicely, swimming along the southern shore of Thorpe Broad. This was my 110th patch bird of the year, equalling my best tally from 2010. Will I manage a record-beating 111th bird in the final two weeks of the year? Stay tuned...

WHITLINGHAM: Less ducks, more elves

15th December 2012

Was I the only person today who had to pause their wildfowl count to wait for Santa to go past on a solar boat? Probably.

Starting near the Little Broad I saw a couple of Water Rails, which ran off into the bramble scrub. There wasn't much around at the west end of the broad, so I continued to the conservation area. The Shoveler and Wigeon had departed, and there had been a slight reduction in Gadwall, Pochard and Tufted Ducks. Disappointingly there was no sign of the Ring-necked Duck so I couldn't improve on my record shots from last week, but at least several photographers did manage to get some good shots in the week. I scanned across to Thorpe, where there were lots of ducks, but not all visible from my vantage point. Back along the south shore of the Great Broad and I was surprised to see that the Common Scoter was still there, a week on from its arrival last Sunday.

WHITLINGHAM: Ring-necked Duck & Common Scoter

9th December 2012

With the weather getting cold over the past week I headed to Whitlingham to look for newly arrived wildfowl. There had been an increase in the numbers of Tufted Ducks, Pochard and Gadwall, and four Shovelers were new. Near the island loads of Teal were busily swimming around, as were three Wigeon. Whilst trying to count the Tufted Ducks I was drawn to a female duck with a white area at the bill base and a clear white streak across the bill. A pale eye-ring was just visible, and the paler area around the ear-coverts gave it a slight capped appearance. I recognised it as a female Ring-necked Duck, presumably the returning Broadland bird that was first seen at Whitlingham in 2008. It was swimming around near the cormorant posts just east of the island. These photos don't really due it justice, mostly because they're rubbish.

I power-walked around to the north shore of the broad to try and get a closer look, but failed to do so. Looking south the light silhouetted many of the birds, and a large part of the flock was obscured from view by the smaller islands. Walking back around to the south shore I scanned again trying to find the Ring-necked Duck but this time I couldn't find it. I did however find a female-type Common Scoter, another self-found duck tick here.

WHITLINGHAM BIRD REPORT

With the year drawing to a close, I am currently compiling a bird report for the Whitlingham area for 2012. This will mainly be composed of my own sightings, but to make it as complete as possible I would welcome any interesting sightings that others have made. Anyone who sends in any sightings will of course be included in the acknowledgements at the end of the report

Of particular interest would be:

• Scarce species
• High counts
• Particularly early or late records of migrants
• Any wing-tagged/ringed/neck-collared birds

In addition, there are several relatively common or annual species, or species seen flying towards Whitlingham, that I haven't seen or heard of this year, notably:

• Bewick's Swan (now reported)
• Osprey (now reported)
• Red-legged Partridge
• Woodcock
• Jack Snipe
• Whimbrel
• Tawny Owl

Any reports can be emailed to me (address is on the right hand side of the blog), posted in the comments or sent to me via BirdForum. The completed report will be available to download for anyone who is interested early in January.

WHITLINGHAM: More ducks, more fungi

24th November 2012

With rain forecast later I headed down to Whitlingham in the morning. There was still a lot of fog around, so I wasn't confident of seeing much, but it cleared as the day went on. There are a few benefits of fog, namely that although you can't see very far, neither can the birds. As I walked along the little broad I looked into the alders across the other side of a ditch, and saw a Kingfisher looking back. It soon flew off, but I was very chuffed to get what may be my closest views of my favourite bird. Further along I found a couple of Lesser Redpolls, and was surprised to see a Black-headed Gull with an almost brown hood still.

Leaving the broad I went up into the woods to look for fungi, including a couple of specimens that Neil M had told me about. One of these, Red-banded Bracket (Fomitopsis pinicola) being particularly rare. Whilst wandering around I found a mixed flock of Tits and Goldcrests, which I checked through looking for Firecrests, without success.

Fomitopsis pinicola

Ascocoryne sarcoides

Back at the broad I went round to the conservation area, where there had been an increase in duck numbers since my last visit. Around 30 Teal were now milling around, whilst Tufted Duck and Gadwall were both more numerous. Three Little Grebes and a drake Pochard completed the winter wildfowl. A Marsh Tit called from some alders, and a Wren hopped around in a pile of cut trees. No new birds, but a very satisfying visit nonetheless.

NORTH NORFOLK: Surf Scoter & R-c Starling

17th November 2012

Whilst at home today I got a phone call from Gary mid-morning to tell me that a juvenile Surf Scoter had been found off the cliffs between Sheringham and Weybourne. Ducks are probably my favourite group of birds, and Surf Scoter was one of the three species on the Norfolk list that I hadn't seen (Canvasback and Blue-winged Teal are the others), so I decided to get the next train to Sheringham to go and have a look. After a long walk along the cliffs (failing to see a Richard's Pipit that was seen sporadically throughout the day) I reached the right place, where a couple of birders were watching the Surf Scoter with a small group of Common Scoter. The flock were actively feeding, but when seen in profile the head and beak of the Surf Scoter really stuck out. A little while later Neil and Gary arrived, and after watching the scoter for a bit longer we headed back.

On my way to the scoter I had been told that a Rose-coloured Starling had been found in Northrepps, so we headed that way. A birder at the village hall car park gave us directions to the garden that the bird was frequenting, and we found a small group of birders watching the juvenile Rose-coloured Starling in a small tree, where it showed well. Interestingly the bird had at least one dark adult covert, and the end of the beak had turned pink. We also clocked up a Cormorant and a Lapwing over the house, and saw a flock of Pink-footed Geese fly over near Southrepps on our way back to North Walsham to round off an excellent days birding.

Many thanks to Dave Appleton for finding the Surf Scoter, and to the owner of the garden that the Rose-coloured Starling was in.

NORWICH: Obligatory Waxwing photos

11th November 2012

A quick trip to Rupert Street was enough to catch up with a flock of nine Waxwings that have been frequenting the area off Unthank Road recently. Many thanks to Connor for letting me know they were showing well.

WHITLINGHAM: Goldeneye & Coral Tooth Fungus

10th November 2012

Despite the rain I headed down to Whitlingham, walking past the railway station to check for Waxwings on the way. As I walked near the Little Broad I heard a Lesser Redpoll call as it flew over. Part way along the Great Broad I was surprised to see a group of 8 or so birders (probably the sum total I'd seen in the past six months here). I eagerly looked to see what the attraction was, but it must have either been Gadwall or Tufted Duck, so I presumed they were on a guided walk and carried on. When I got to the island I checked the Cormorants in case any of the coastal Shag influx had made their way inland, without success.

I then detoured up into the woods to look for a particularly rare fungus. Readers of this blog with particularly good memories may remember in 2009 I posted a picture of the Bearded Tooth fungus (Hericium erinaceus)  in Trowse Woods, the first Norfolk record (see it here). There are two other members of this genus in the UK, H. cirrhata has only been found once before (also near Norwich) and  then in 2010, Coral Tooth fungus (Hericium corraloides) was found at Whitlingham Woods, another Norfolk first*. Why the area is so good for these species is unknown. Anyway, I heard that the Coral Tooth Fungus was fruiting again this year, so I went and had a look, and very nice it was too. It was growing 10-12 feet up, so this isn't a great picture, but check it out on google - it really does look like a bit of coral growing out of a tree.

I headed back down to the Broad, where I met the birders from earlier. I guess they must have really been grilling those Tufties. I carried on around the broad, clocking up flyover Redwings and Siskins. The bird screen was flooded, but scanning round I noticed a Goldeneye, which was a bit unusual. Further along the riverbank a couple of Goldcrests were in a hawthorn bush, and it sounded like a large flock of Siskin had flown into trees near the Little broad.

* There is an old record from about 1830, but I think that this hasn't been properly authenticated so I presumed the 2010 record would be considered the proper county first. This view was supported by the 2011 Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service newsletter, which states that the species has not been found in Norfolk before. However I have found a reference to a specimen being found in King's Lynn in 2006, so the Whitlingham record may be the 2nd for the county rather than the first.

EAST NORFOLK: Witton Woods fungus foray

3rd November 2012

When the Norfolk Fungus Study Group announced their programme, two forays stood out. The first was Mousehold Heath, just down the road, and the second was Bacton (aka Witton) Wood, my local woods from when I lived in North Walsham. Dad & I went along despite it being a bit late in the fungi season to see what we could turn up. In a couple of hours we recorded around 30 species, the most notable for me being Postia caesia (Conifer Bluing Bracket), which I found on the way back. There were lots of Amethyst Deceivers and quite a few Beech Sickeners along the eastern path, worth having a look at if you are that way.

Amethyst Deceiver

Beech Sickeners (poisonous!)

Fly Agaric (poisonous!)

THORPE MARSH: Checking for owls

2nd November 2012

Remembering that it was late October/early November that a Short-eared Owl appeared at Thorpe Marshes last year, I decided to go and check for one. I arrived at around 15:30 and having waded through a flooded area of the path, I settled down to wait until dusk. Whilst waiting for the light to fade I kept my eyes upwards, hoping to catch up with flyover Waxwing or a skein of Pink-feet. I did manage several unseen Siskin calling as they flew from Whitlingham, and a Sparrowhawk hunted over the marsh briefly. It began to get dark, and it became evident that no Short-eared Owls were coming out tonight. It's still worth a check if anyone fancies it, last year the bird was best seen between 16:00-16:40-ish.

NORTH NORFOLK: Cley White-front & White-rumped stuff

1st November 2011

At Cley we went and had a look at the wildlife art exhibition in the old visitors' centre, before heading out to the central hides. On the way we stopped to scan through a flock of Brent Geese, and I noticed a White-fronted Goose of unknown origin close by with the Greylags.

Further along a male Bearded Tit showed beautifully until I reached for my camera, at which point it flew a small distance into the reeds and pinged with laughter (maybe). Scanning Pat's Pool we saw one of the White-rumped Sandpipers, which was initially distant, but came closer after all of the small waders were put up by an unseen raptor. It later flew back after a similar disturbance. We also saw a Barn Owl hunting from the hide, and another one just east of Kelling on the way home.

BEER NEWS: Norwich Beer Festival 2012

30th October 2012

A reminder to everyone that this week is the Norwich Beer Festival! This year there aren't many bird-related beers (Silly Bustard is the only one I can remember from looking at the programme), but there is still a wide range to choose from. You can check out the full list before you go on the Norwich CAMRA website.

This year's logo 

Also with Halloween upon us, if you fancy a seasonal brew you have the standard choice of Hobgoblin, several Pumpkin-based ales (fine if you like the taste of Pumpkin - I don't) or try this special - Shepherd Neame's Spooky Ale.