Halvergate fill-up: Short-eared Owls, Rough-legged Buzzard and wild Swans...

Strumpshaw this afternoon was an almost totally bird-free zone: certainly nothing to point a camera at! So, despite the glowering skies and poor light, I drove over to Halvergate for a scan of the marshes.

The first birds of note were 100+ Bewick's grazing distantly towards the Berney Arms - always good to see. As I neared the bridge I recognised top birder and all-round good bloke Perry Fairman and his friend Sally. They were watching a Short-eared Owl quartering the fields to the West, so I managed to park in the small layby and join them for a thoroughly enjoyable half-hour.

First one, then two Short-eared Owls hunted across the rough meadow, allowing reasonable photography (albeit somewhat grainy, with ISO values of 1600 to 3200!) One of the Owls narrowly missed becoming a road casualty, before flying eastwards: a Rough-legged Buzzard slouched on a gate in typically louche fashion!

 

 

Oh Carolina!

On the way back from a shopping trip to Norwich, Linda & I stopped at the little tree-girt pool that held yesterday's Mandarin Ducks: these are a particular favourite of Linda's....

Imagine our surprise: the two Mandies were asleep in the middle of an overhanging willow, but on the other side of the pool was a Carolina Wood Duck! Although this somewhat detracts from the 'truly wild' credentials of the Mandies, I reckon they're as tickable as Ben's (hauled up on the lawn of a riverside pub!) and the Lingwood birds (coming to bread on the village duckpond!)

Of course, Carolinas have arrived here as apparent vagrants from North America, but Salhouse isn't the Outer Hebrides! Nevertheless, this handsome species might eventually make it onto Category C - there are certainly plenty of fully-winged individuals (like this one!) around the UK...

 

Patch tick! Mandies on the Heath!

I woke up feeling absolutely dreadful and was forced to cancel a piking trip: however, I had orders to post, so eventually crawled out of bed and dressed. Just as I was leaving, Norman phoned to let me know that a pair of Mandarin Ducks were happily swimming about on a small pool just a stone's throw from my front door (not Lingwood duckpond!)

Since this was on the way to the Post Office (sort of!) I popped over with the camera and grabbed a few shots, picking up a displaying Common Buzzard on the way!



 

Great White Egrets at Lakenheath

Brian, Norman and I spent a morning in the Brecks: firstly at Linford Arboretum (where Siskin, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Grey Wagtail were the best birds on offer!) before moving to Lakenheath Fen.

The day was still gloomy and overcast, making photography very difficult, but we soon located one and then two Great White Egrets. At first these were some distance away across the far side of the Washes, but one, more obliging individual flew up and northwards to the river bank, giving us great flight views. It settled on the edge of the river next to a Little Egret, allowing a fascinating comparison in size and structure.

The first two Egret shots are Brian Tubby's, just to show the bird really well (and also demonstrate the difference in results between my £1000 Pentax / Sigma set-up and his Nikon outfit, which set him back around eight times that amount!)

If you've never visited Lakenheath RSPB reserve, can I recommend it most strongly: it's a fabulous, friendly place with quality birding all year round!



Little Bustard: the plot thickens....

It has been announced by the RSPB  today that the Blofield Little Bustard was shot, rather than run down by a car.

This is absolutely dreadful, but not too surprising, given the amount of game & rough shooting around the mid-Yare region. But what a loss to local - and county - birders: an unrepeatable patch-tick snatched away by a careless hunter.

What with this and the Grimes Graves Short-toed Eagle, it's getting hard to add to a life-list in Norfolk these days!

Photo: RSPB

Short-eared Owls & Rough-legged buzzards: just like buses...

....wait ages for one and then lots come together!

An unpromising start at Strumpshaw with just a Goldcrest to show for a short, muddy walk round became much more interesting after I bumped into Brian and we decided to move to the rail bridge at Halvergate.

En route I noticed the first of two Little Owls - one at Hassingham, another at Strumpshaw on the way home!

Hardly had we climbed out of the van when I picked up a Short-eared Owl circling towards Brian & me from the west. It got near enough for a few  distant (but pleasing) record shots before dropping down into the grass. Scanning back the way it had come, I noticed a Rough-legged Buzzard perched on a gate post: again, very distant, but totally distinctive, particularly when it flew eastwards, hovering every now and again. Last birds of note here were eight or so Bewick Swans that flew overhead towards Acle.

 

 

Beans, Buntings, Beardies, Barnie, Brant & Rough-legs!

A terrific day on the north coast with Linda, which started with the amazing sight of a Polecat between Salhouse & Wroxham: it looked entirely good for a genuinely wild example!

First stop was the East Bank, which held several entertaining parties of Bearded Tits, while the shingle ridge to the east provided a flock of around 60 Snow Buntings.

After coffee at the reserve centre, we headed out to the centre hides for distant - but gratifying - views of three Tundra Bean Geese, as well as a couple of White-fronts.

As we headed westwards an obliging Barn Owl hunted across a rough meadow before perching in a tree: terrific daylight views!

Last stop was Burnham Overy dunes, where a walk down the muddy path failed to deliver Short-eared Owl, but some interest came in the form of a family group of a female Black Brant hybrid and her young! Distant Common & Rough-legged Buzzards added to the raptor tally before we headed homewards. As we approached Wells a Rough-legged Buzzard flew westwards reasonably close to the road, adding an excellent finale to a great day out!

(Postscript: I'm removed the photos of the Polecat and the exact details of its location because of the volume of offensive and abusive 'comments' it attracted....)