Coal Tit

Glancing from my office window just now, I saw this delightful Coal Tit on the feeder. Worth every penny of the £30 a week Linda spends on bird food: our garden list (birds actually 'on the deck') stands at 46, which I think is pretty good, including unusual garden species such as Woodcock, Turtle Dove and Redstart.

Breydon bash: RLBs, Rockits and Pintails!

With just a morning at our disposal, Brian, Norman and I walked out from ASDA on the hunt for Short-eared Owls. Seven miles later and we remained owl-less! However, we did see two Rough-legged Buzzards and several Rock Pipits, both of which were a little distant, but very welcome.

The tideline was a mass of waders: Golden and Grey Plover,  Curlews, Redshank, Dunlin and a solitary Purple Sandpiper. A very welcome addition to the tally was a flock of around a dozen Pintail, as was a similarly-sized group of Bearded Tits in the reedbeds.

 

Who says birding marriages don't work?

Twenty years today! Linda and I met at work, but became an item through a shared love of wildlife: we've seen 400+ species together in the UK, 'done' three Scillonian Pelagics, over 100 trips to France and visited most UK counties and islands...

Despite many people's gloomy prognostications, we're still each other's best friend! Aaaaah!

Halcyon day!

As I'm sure you all know, the phrase above refers to a Greek myth that Kingfishers nest for a fortnight during unexpectedly pleasant weather: what we might call an Indian Summer. Even Shakespeare mentions the belief in Henry V1:

Assign'd am I to be the English scourge.
This night the siege assuredly I'll raise:
Expect Saint Martin's summer, halcyon days,
Since I have entered into these wars.

Well: nothing 'halcyon' about the weather today, but a Kingfisher (and a family group of Chinese Water Deer!) certainly brightened up the morning at Strumpshaw for Brian & me....

We heard and fleetingly saw two Penduline Tits from Fen Hide: very soon someone will get a photo!

 

David's Brent! (A new Yare Valley tick!)

The weather forecast was absolutely dismal, but since I had to go and post a bunch of meteorites, I thought I'd get booted and suited and have a walk around Cantley.

For a mile I saw nothing but a few Swans, Lapwings and Black-headed Gulls, but, as I reached the little pumping station, I heard a flock of Canada Geese approaching from the south. As I scanned them, I picked out a dark-bellied Brent Goose! A new bird on the patch for me, and a good one to have clawed back from Mr Lewis! Only ever distant, but the shots are conclusive... unlike the next bird I saw! In the distance past the Station Cottages I could make out more geese as well as an obvious raptor perched peregrine-like on a gatepost. When it flew, however, it was obviously a Buzzard: but Common or Rough-legged? It has a white tail with dark sub-terminal band...

A move to Buckenham revealed that, because of the continued work on the riverbank, the geese from the grazing marsh have relocated to arable land around Hassingham Church. Two white birds among the Pinkfeet caused some initial excitement, but seemed to be the usual 'Heinz 57s' that hang around with the Greylag flock. Still: seen distantly along the Acle Straight...

 

Winter waders and waterbirds!

A few odds and ends: nothing rare today, so I've saved money on meal-worms!

When you take the trouble to look at 'common' birds like these (Snipe, Dunlin, Godwit, Curlew etc) you realise just how beautiful their plumage can be. Even a Redshank has something to offer when studied closely....   Mind you: a Tatler or Killdeer would be better!

 

A day out for Compo, Cleg and Foggy!

Not much around, so the 'Yare Valley Crew' (Brian, Norman & yours truly) visited the north coast.

First stop was Salthouse, which produced a good mixed flock of Twite, Linnets & Goldfinches, with enough odds and ends to keep us interested. Highlights at Cley were the cheese scones: no sign of the Black Brant, although a pair of Stonechats was good to see...

A move to Wells Harbour provided unusually close views of a female Scoter, while Titchwell added all the usual waders, a young seal and a few Little Egrets to the tally...