Thursday 11 December 2008

11th December Sparrowhawks and other Garden Birds .......


11 December. A well posed Sparrowhawk that sat in our Ivy clad apple tree for least an hour and a half. Yesterday's Sparrowhawk was a flyover bird, but today this bird was in no hurry to go anywhere.Sparrowhawks are regular visitors to the Garden,but don't usually sit so close or for so long.Pictues taken through glass. An interesting few days in the garden recently.A female Blackcap yedterday and a male today.2 jays and perched Redwings yesterday, with flyover redwings and Grey Heron today. A single Jay in the Garden last week was the first I remember seeing in all the years we have lived here.With at least 1 Goldcrest flitting around today and yesterday I shall keep looking out for that bold white eyestripe !!!!



Monday 8 December 2008

Waxwings at Holme but no white Gulls at Blackborough End Tip ...



Waxwing Holme 6th December

Saturday morning seawatching had produced a Great Northern Diver among the Mergansers Fulmars etc but the bnest views of the day were the afternoons Waxwing on the wires. I had seen the ones at The Lodge in Sandy, and another individual in the Dunes at Holme - but all briefly and in poor light. This individual didn't stay long before flying off with another but at least the sun was shining. Sundays attempts to find a White winged Gull flopped but a Green Sand and 3 Bewick's Swans on a nearby lake were some consolation

Monday 1 December 2008

Cattle Egret Haversham Bucks and a retrapped Firecrest Holme


1st December A short trip out of Beds gave a pleasant couple of hours with a neighbouring Cattle Egret.Showed very well but never quite in the right place for the camera in the bright sunshine


Firecrest holme 28 November/ retrapped after several weeks without being seen !!

Monday 24 November 2008

Red Breasted Flycatcher Leagrave 24 November

A pleasant November surprise.Showing very well but the only Shot I managed to snatch of a very mobile bird

Thursday 20 November 2008

Steppe Shrike in Lincs and a surprise Phalarope in Beds 14/15 October



Steppe Grey Shrike Lincs. 15th October. An amazingly tame bird flying to the feet of it's admirers.










Twite. A bonus bird that perched on the seawall in very windy conditions, with a ringhtail Harrier gliding over the marsh



Grey Phalarope Radwell Beds 14th October. Missing and possibly gpone when I arrived to look for it, but appearing out of nowhere after an hour.

Thursday 13 November 2008

Anothe Grey Shrike.. and a couple of obliging Stonechats at Holme


A very obliging pair of STONECHATS in the Dunes behind the Observatory. Highlight of the previous day had been a fabulous Tawny OWL roosting in a tree at Snettisham sheltering from heavy rain - sitting at a perfect height for the car's headlights. All the more pleasing as the last TAWNY I had seen on the same road had been 1 lying dead in the road.





Great Grey Shrike Holme DUNES 7TH AND 8TH November. Visits to a very windswept HEACHAM produced a Black Redstart, but no further sign of the Shrike.







Thursday 6 November 2008

Green Heron in Kent and a classic late fall in Norfolk ....

After an impressive fall of Redstarts and Flycatchers - and a wryneck or two - earlier in the year , a stunning October fall of crests along the Norfolk coast contained not only Firecrests, but also some superb Pallas's Warblers ........ A long arranged trip down to Kent meant a slight detour to take in the unbelievably confiding Green Heron, only to find a Grey Phalarope waiting for me at Dungeness. With the Wilson's Phalarope at Cley and the Red Necked at Titchwell, a Phalarope Hat trick this year !

3rd November.Grey Phalarope at the patch. Dungeness. a nice bonus after coming away from the Heron,


3rd November.Green Heron Hythe Kent. An incredibly confiding Bird. Such a shame the light was so poor. the pictures don't do the bird justice !!!





1st November.Black Bellied Dipper Glandford Norfolk. A case of fortunate timing as the bird showed nicely as we arrived ,but then dissappeared for the remainder of the afternoon.


Pallas's warbler 30th October Holme. After years without seeing Pallas's, like busses thet arrive en masse !!!! At least 3 birds present and 2 ringed approximately an hour apart. Firecrest and Woodcock also ringed at Holme


29 October.Peregrine at Lynn Docks



27 October Great Grey Shrike Heacham Norfolk . Turning into a long stayer with a chance of over-wintering? See previous posts for more images of the same bird.





Monday 20 October 2008

Great Grey Shrike Heacham 18 October

Gret Grey Shrike Heacham 19 October. Still coming to sit on the wires and bushes around the Chalets.





A quiet week-end for late october but still producing a late Curlew Sandpiper at Titchwell as well as 2 Spoonbills,Purple Sand and a flock of 7 Snow Buntings instead of the 1 in the previuos post. Massive numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing appeared along the coast on Saturday, and the Sea at Holme offered a single Pom skua with the first Goldeneye of the Season. Holme Marsh added a brief flight view of Bittern as well as Buzzard Marsh Harrer Kestrel and Sparrowhawk.