A morning on the North Coast

Before picking up Norman I had to spend ten minutes defrosting the car: nevertheless we reached Cley before 08.00, starting with a brief seawatch at the Coastguards. Lots of gulls, but nothing more exciting than the odd Common Gull. Several seals were feeding close in, suggesting shoals of bait fish. Just past the pill box we found a very flighty flock of fifteen Snow Buntings that refused to settle for decent photos.

A move to Bishop's Hide added brief glimpses of Water Pipit and Kingfisher: Pat's was almost devoid of interest, apart from a solitary Pinkfoot, so we took a walk along the East Bank, before the obligatory coffee.

Last stop was Walsey Hills. Snipe's Marsh held a couple of Grey Wagtails, while the feeders were attracting a good selection of finches and tits: the path along the top added Yellowhammer and a very large flock of Linnets, as well as a distant Raven.

November survey at Hemblington Church

Despite the cold and occasional drizzle, Linda, Sue, Peter and I carried out this month's survey, recording the first winter thrushes of the year and several skeins of Pinkfeet

Great Spotted!

Not rare, of course, but still: always a delight to have as a regular garden visitor.

Rendlesham Forest trip!

Our usual team of Jason, Paul, Jane, Linda and me spent the weekend in our favourite part of Suffolk, exploring Rendlesham Forest by day and at night. In between we enjoyed some great food, conversation and walks, lunching at Orford Beach Cafe and dining at the Wilford Bridge: both really terrific venues. Lots of Crossbills in the Forest, but all fly-overs: one flock was over thirty-strong!

A talk for BADCOG (Weather permitting!)

Tonight I'm scheduled to give a wildlife talk for the Blofield & District Conservation Group - a terrific organization that does amazing work in helping to maintain local churchyards, meadows and small reserves. We kick off at 7.30 at the Strumpshaw Community Hall, Mill Road, Lingwood.

Finally! Clear skies and a bright aurora

Two early morning rises allowed me - finally - to connect with a decent display of the Northern Lights: they suddenly flared at 04.15, just as the sky cleared. Interestingly, there was little or no green, just a lovely deep red.

Aurora!

Despite the overcast, this morning's aurora was so intense that  it was visible with the naked eye here in east Norfolk. Note, however, the latest moronic barrier to astrophotography: the increasing use of searchlights and lasers. Was there any need for this at 04.00?

Some terrific north coast birding!

Despite a persistent drizzle, Norman, Brian and I headed north west to Titchwell. On arrival we were informed that one of our targets - a Hoopoe - had just flown, so we walked out towards Parrinder Hide, quickly locating a large flock of Golden Plover. Another birder had already found the long-staying  juvenile American Golden Plover, and we all filled up at close range. Carrying on to the sea, I found a distant Scaup and a Guillemot, but with little else, we turned back to the Fen Trail. After a bit of persistence we eventually found a tit flock holding at least two Firecrests: these weren't in the mood to be photographed, however!

Back to Cley for coffee and a walk out to Bishop's, where we added Water Pipit to the daylist, before the pager sent us hurtling east to West Runton for distant - and fleeting - views of a Pallid Swift.