Footit!

Two days comparatively dry (if cold!) weather allowed a couple of one-mile radius circuits of my patch, resulting in a 'Footit' total (so far) of 49. Whether I can reach sixty before January 31st largely depends on over-flying swans, ducks and geese: normally dependable, but, so far, absent.....

Good additions this weekend included a large wisp of Snipe, Song Thrush, Nuthatch and Stock Dove, with non-countable Helmeted Guinea Fowl for exotic appeal! Interesting to note that the 'Buckenham Corvid Roost' seems to assemble over Blofield Heath around 2.00pm: there were at least 300 mixed crows heading south-east yesterday afternoon.

Sunspots!

Well: no Aurora last night, but if we DO get a display, these are the cause!

Redwings!

Our garden is full of these delightful Winter visitors! Not rare, of course - but still most welcome!

Stargazing Live!

Very enjoyable (if tiring!) evening: great to meet up with Prof Lucie Green again...

Amazing raptors!

Despite the forecast of horizontal ice-cold drizzle, I thought I ought to get out and 'footit': I elected to leave the camera at home because of the threatening skies. I locked the front door, turned around, looked up: and there was a ginormous Goshawk being mobbed by Rooks! I quickly unlocked and grabbed the camera from the hall floor, just in time to grab one distant snap as the bird rowed away northwards. Now someone reported a Gos from Blofield last week: I wonder....

I resumed my walk (again, leaving the camera behind) and really enjoyed the fact that my plantar fasciitis seems to be on the way out. I added a few more 'footit' ticks - Nuthatch, Yellowhammer and Fieldfare, before returning home soaked to the skin for a hot bath. To finish the day on another high, I was putting some rubbish in the bin when I looked up to see a Peregrine! What a great selection of raptors to add to the pair of Buzzards and Kestrel I encountered at Hemblington!

Frustrating: but a good home patch year-tick!

Buzzards have been a little thin on the ground around the Heath this Winter, so Linda & I were amazed to see two sitting on a road-side hedge near Bullacebush Lane. I continued home at warp factor five, picked up the camera and returned, having to stop the traffic to snatch some frustratingly blurry snaps!

Aroond 'n' aboot!

Hmmmmm.... A trip to Exeter Street was a little frustrating: a couple of locals pointed out the 'Waxwings' in a cotoneaster tree - they were Redwings!

A run out to Acle was more successful: the two cranes were viewable very distantly towards Oby, but too far away to photograph. Linda & I tried to get nearer by driving along some very muddy little side roads, but were frustrated by hedges and orchards. However, we did find a ringtail Hen Harrier that put up every pigeon & crow in the vicinity!

Ride a White Swan!

Genuine wild swans (For non-birders: Whoopers & Bewicks from Iceland & Russia respectively!) near Ludham. Notice that they are truly white, unlike the manky old Mutes that we see all year round! Just beautiful creatures, associating with 30 or so Egyptian Geese

Falcon delightful!

A brief lacuna in this winter's dreadful weather suggested a long walk around the patch. First stop was Strumpshaw, where I bumped into Norman, Mark & Brendan in Fen Hide. A longish wait was finally rewarded with good views of two Bitterns at quite close range, both in flight and on the deck.

Carrying on alone to Buckenham, I added to the year list with some typically distant views of White-fronted, Pink-footed and Bean Geese, as well as the usual Canadas, Barnacles and Greylags. Wigeon and Teal numbers have increased considerably, attracting the attention of a beautiful pair of Peregrines. Both of these took a teal each: like shooting fish in a barrel!

Mealy bad weather!

Linda & I took the traditional New Year's Day stroll around the patch this morning, but were forced back to the pavillion by the wind and rain! Still: we notched up 40 species without trying too hard....
Best bird, I suppose, was a probable Mealy Redpoll in a large mixed flock of finches and tits with at least two Lesser Redpolls for comparison! Back home, our leucistic Collared Dove continues to evade the resident Sparrowhawk...

Patchwork!

Well, my final total for the year was 152 - not bad, considering Ben Lewis only scored 8 more! I didn't register, so this is purely unofficial...
Highlights were three different Monty's, four Ospreys, a Little Stint, several Whinchats and a Wryneck!