A possible Northern Treecreeper and a wild goose chase!

With a morning free (having just completed a laborious stock-check of all 10,000 meteorites) I thought I'd have another bash at the Bean Geese at Hemsby. In the event, the usual fields were being ploughed: despite a good run around, I failed to find anything other than Pinks, Greylags and a well-marked Buzzard.

I moved on to Filby Broad to see if the recently-present Long-tailed Duck was available: it wasn't, although I did add Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebe, Marsh and Long-tailed Tit and Treecreeper to the year list. When I processed the photos later, the Treecreeper looked a little different: it had a greyish tone, lots of white and a broad supercilium. It looked very similar to the Northern Treecreeper that was recently found in Sussex. All thoughts welcome!

Next stop was Halvergate, where the obliging Cattle Egret was once again close to the road amongst the cattle. (Video later!) Finally, I took a walk out to the river at Buckenham: Whitefronts and Pinks, but no Beans as far as I could see. Two Buzzards (including a very pale individual) a Red Kite and a sleeping Pintail were good to see, as were fellow birders Adam ('Wheatears in the Mist') and David.

 

Unexpected birds, including Bewicks and Whoopers, Barnacles and a Peregrine.

Linda wanted to visit Potter Heigham for some more bird food, so we took binoculars and camera 'just in case'! On the way, we searched the fields around Hemsby and Horsey, but couldn't find any obvious Bean Geese: lots of Pinkfeet and Greylags, as well as a large flock of (presumably feral) Barnacle Geese.

After shopping at 'Kens' we checked Ludham Airfield: just a single distant Whooper Swan, but a Peregrine covering its lunch was interesting and unexpected. We finished the 'loop', returning home via Ingham and Acle. Near Ingham, we stopped to enjoy a very confiding Buzzard and discovered the largest flock of Linnets - well over 500 - that I've seen for a long time. A little further along the frequently-present Bewick Swans were close by the coast road: I stopped to reminisce about the old days with a delightful couple who'd just been visiting the Desert Wheatear.

As we approached the famous barn near Clippesby, I noticed a group of three Cranes by the road: pausing in a convenient farm gate, we watched these fantastic creatures from the car for ten minutes or so, before a hooting truck horn scared them off. As we passed the barn itself, it was a shock to see at least ten cars pulled onto the farmer's access. A dozen or more birders were watching a group of perhaps twelve or so Cranes, before a couple with 'scopes spooked the flock by trying for a closer view. I can't imagine it'll be long before the landowner blocks off the gateway...

Three species of Egret at Halvergate!

If you're over sixty (as I am) you'll remember when even Little Egrets were rare birds, worthy of jumping in the car and chasing across the county to see. As I've mentioned a few hundred posts ago, I left a dinner party and drove to Welney to see my first! Great White was so rare in the seventies that I queued for an hour to see my first from the top of Horsey Mill: adding Cattle Egret to my life-list required a dash through the Fens to Lincoln.

Yesterday, on my way home from the Eccles Desert Wheatear, I stopped briefly at Halvergate Marshes. Within a minute I'd seen all three species! (I also saw a second Great White Egret at Horsey) I wonder how long it will be until Squacco Heron becomes an equally frequent Norfolk bird?

Desert Wheatear at Cart Gap...

I had arranged to take a couple of my ex-pupils (from forty years ago!) out for a morning's goose hunting: unfortunately the torrential rain predicated a postponement. Around 10.00am the weather began to brighten, so I made my way through the flooded by-roads to Cart Gap, where a pretty little Desert Wheatear had been found on New Year's Day. A couple of pounds in the ticket machine bought me two hours parking: I headed off south along the seashore promenade for about a mile and a half to where the bird had been showing earlier. As I joined a group of three or four birders, I was dismayed to hear that the wheatear had flown off to the inland caravan site. Strangely, I still felt confident that I'd be lucky: justifiably as it turned out, because minutes later it was refound by Lee Evans. I stood still and was rewarded when the bird hopped towards me, eventually feeding just a couple of metres away!

 

Big birds over the Heath!

Today the skies over our house were visited by two A400 M 'Atlas' cargo aircraft. Very impressive to see flying low towards the River Yare. Our resident female Sparrowhawk was not over-amused, since the 'plane scared away the many Collared Doves and Blackbirds that she had been patiently waiting to settle! She seemed to be considering a male Pheasant, but he stood his ground and squawked loudly enough to scare the Sparrowhawk away!

 

Black-necked Grebe at Holkham Park Lake: the video!

Not very well centred, but still a great little bird!

Black-necked Grebe, Great Egret, Cranes and other goodies on New Year's Day

Having enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends Sue and Peter (that didn't conclude until 1.00am) it was the abstemious Brian who drove Norman and me to the North Coast.

First stop was Holkham Park, where, after a few false starts, we enjoyed excellent views of a ruby-eyed Black-necked Grebe. Also lounging around the lake were a Great Egret and several Red Kites, as well as a Kingfisher and all the usual ducks. The walk back to the car gave us Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodie, as well as lots of photogenic Fallow Deer.

North Point added a few goose species but little else, while the famous gate at Wells was so crowded we didn't bother to stop!

After tea and scones at Cley we carried on to Acle, where a group of six or so Common Cranes were in their usual field: we weren't so lucky at Halvergate, where the Cattle Egret was a no-show. However, we did 'enjoy' distant views of a Short-eared Owl along the road back to the A47. A great day, with fifty species seen...

Here's hoping for a mega-filled...