Unbridled enthusiasm

Local speciality Woodlark was a lifer for Graham – it took me 10 years to see my first in the New Forest!

I spent Saturday birding with ‘young ornithologist’ Graham from Kent. I first met Graham and his family at Cley a few years ago, when he was just seven and it was pretty obvious then that he was a very keen and able birder. Since then, whilst his enthusiasm has remained undiminished, his knowledge has increased considerably. He and his family are back this year on holiday, so I offered to show him some more local birds. We started off with a sea-watch from Cromer where Fulmar and Common Scoter were additions to his life list. A walk around Felbrigg added more ‘holiday list’ ticks, including a nice Green Sandpiper, on the beck below the dam. Kingfisher at Selbrigg Pond was the top bird there before we headed to Kelling Heath, where Woodlark provided an obliging ‘first’ for Graham. We ended the day back where we had started at North Lodge Park, for more seabirds including Kittiwake – another ‘lifer’. Today he joins me for our ‘duty day’ at Cley – more holiday birding memories and, hopefully, a ‘lifer’ or two. My gut feeling is that he is set to make his mark in ornithology in the years to come – part of the next generation sharing his knowledge, enthusing others and helping to protect our birds.

Bad weather – good birds (good weather – no birds)

The weather on Monday was not conducive to photography! – a passing group of Common Scoter

We knew Monday would be good for sea-watching – just looking at the weather charts – and so it turned out. Just not for us! Unfortunately the early morning wind was driving the rain straight into the shelter, making keeping our optics clean difficult – visibility out at sea was also limited. It did get better as the morning progressed but I had to get to Cley for my duty day. We did try again later on but the main passage was over by that time. A couple more attempts since then have delivered mixed results. Still we shouldn’t complain with more Arctic Skua, Manx Shearwater, seven species of wader including my first Sanderling of the year, lingering Mediterranean Gulls and a reasonable passage of Gannet and Common Scoter it does feel like autumn migration is getting started. Sadly we did miss out on the prize though – a Cory’s Shearwater passed Sheringham, reported mid-morning Monday. As the old maxim goes ‘bad weather, good birds – good weather, no birds’!

On my way back through the park yesterday evening a fresh Painted Lady was feeding on the Buddleia

Egrets – I’ve had a few

Great Egret on the sea-watch this morning

Alright, I know I’ve used this corny title before but it really fits the last few days of sea-watching. With 5 Little Egret on the morning of 17th, followed by 10 on 21st and 2 yesterday – today it was the turn of Great (White) Egret – one of which flew east this morning at 7.00. The sea-watching interest has been increasing over the past week with highlights including half a dozen wader species – nothing gripping yet – and my first Manx Shearwater and Arctic Skua for the year. But most spectacular of all has been the feeding-frenzy of gulls, brought in by an apparent glut of Whitebait. Too many to count (PL estimated of 20k!) but certainly a spectacle. I’ve had up to 100 Mediterranean Gull on the beach at one time and juvenile Caspian and Yellow-legged Gull in the melee.

A tiny fraction of the gulls attracted by a glut of Whitebait

Razorbill getting in on the act

Record shot of dark phase Arctic Skua

High as a kite

It looked better through the scope – honest! Watch out for much better photos from Steve G

It was Global Bird Fair this past weekend so I was busy supporting the boys on their Bird.Club stand. Despite the bad weather – very wet at times – there was a good buzz about the place. It’s always nice to meet up with old friends and make new ones at this annual gathering of the tribe. Birding has inevitably taken a bit of a back seat but I’ve managed a couple of sea-watches, a duty day at Cley and a Cromer Green Spaces recce of The Meadow – which since the pitch & putt closed has slowly been re-wilding. Highlights have included: an Avocet and five Little Egret sea-watching, at Cley, the Dowitcher, the Dutch-ringed Caspian Gull and a nice Wood Sandpiper, and on The Meadow a nice selection of butterflies including Brown Argus. This morning’s sea-watch with Gresham Phil was interrupted, mid-MacDonald’s, with news that the Black-winged Kite was still at Hickling – showing occasionally from Stubb Mill view-point. We were off and in the couple of hours we were there it showed twice before departing high north-west. We jokingly said ‘it’ll be seen from the Bee-eater watch-point soon’ – how right we were! At 10.30 the bird was picked up over Southrepps church and flew steadily towards the coast at Sidestrand. No word since. Only the second record for the UK, ‘first’ for Norfolk and on some lucky persons NENBC list!

Brown Argus – an unexpected bonus on our recce of The Meadow

Post-script: As anticipated Steve managed to get some great shots of the bird. For more visit his Cley Gallery

Black-shouldered Kite, Horsey, Norfolk, July 2023 (Steve Gantlett).

Under attack

Returning to it’s home perch after a failed attempt to catch the Common Sandpiper

Yesterday morning I took a stroll along the prom looking for gulls. Nothing new in that respect but a Common Sandpiper was on the groyne just east of the pier. It then flew towards the RNLI slip-way. I followed along the pier before it flew west… then it happened. One of the juvenile Peregrines appeared out of nowhere and stoop-dived on the poor bird, forcing it to ditch into the sea. Fortunately the young falcons are still perfecting their killing skills and the little guy survived, flying to the next groyne and resting briefly before departing west under the Peregrine’s radar.

The Real Deal – who knows

Ruddy Shelduck at Cley – wild or feral they’re still good value

Gresham Phil and I were sea-watching yesterday – a modest assortment of ducks and waders – when the news came through of two Ruddy Shelduck up the coast at Cley. They were still being reported when we packed up so we went to have a look for them. To our complete surprise the car parks at Walsey Hills and East Bank were both virtually empty and there was no-one watching the birds – which had moved to Arnold’s Marsh – when we got to Richardson’s hide. The trouble with Ruddy Shelduck is that: 1) they are widely kept in captivity 2) there are several sizeable feral populations, and 3) there are a number of notorious hybrids which roam North Norfolk. Perhaps that explained the lack of immediate appeal. That said these stunning birds, which breed intermittently across North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, do occasionally show up in the UK and generally at this time of the year. The real deal or not they were still nice to see. On our way home we stopped off at Beeston Priory for a very obliging Great (White) Egret which had been promptly reported on the NENBC WhatsApp group by Trevor. The last time we were there, in April, was for a Cattle Egret, in almost exactly the same spot!

An obliging Great (White) Egret at Beeston Priory – wearing a BTO ring on the hidden leg!

Belated Bee-eater duties

One of the three Bee-eaters in their North Norfolk summer residence

Despite the Bee-eaters being present back in their North Norfolk quarry for six weeks – the first time ever that UK Bee-eaters have returned the year following successful breeding – we haven’t been able to do any watch-point duties. Yesterday afternoon was our first. All three birds were sitting around on the wires when we arrived at two o’clock and were still in the quarry when we left after six – though with regular visits to the nesting burrow. There was a steady trickle of visitors, all appreciative of the opportunity to see these iconic birds in person. During the afternoon we had an unexpected visit from BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) Chief Exec – Juliet Vickery. Thanks for coming Juliet! Best bird, other than the Bee-eaters of course, was a fly-through Hobby.

Juliet Vickery – BTO CEO is shown the Bee-eaters by John, one of the NENBC watch-point volunteers, with local stalwart Simon on hand, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of the birds

A bit of beachcombing

One of three Mediterranean Gull on the beach this morning

After yesterdays sea-watch, which was decidedly average, this morning I decided to do a bit of gulling instead. There were around 100 mixed gulls on the east beach – mostly Herring but with a couple of Lesser Black-backed and three adult Mediterranean.

Hats off to Riverlands

Norfolk Hawker in abundance on the newly re-profiled section of Scarrow Beck, Felbrigg

Felbeck Trust has been a partner with the National Trust on their Riverlands project – improving the water quality in the Upper Bure – since it’s inception. We’ve done various small schemes on the Gur Beck and are currently participating in a joint programme of water quality testing. Whilst we were away in America in the Spring they finally got around to doing some re-profiling work on Scarrow Beck, below the dam at Felbrigg. Yesterday, after the rain of the past few days, I decided to take a closer look. All I can say is its fabulous – hats off to the Riverlands team for a job well done! This stretch of the beck, where it exits the lake, was channelised from the dam to the edge of the estate – deep sided, little open water and not very attractive to wildlife. Now it has been re-profiled and transformed. The thing which struck me most was the abundance of insects, including plenty of Norfolk Hawkers. Now I know it’s been a particularly good year for this scarce dragonfly but it can’t be just a coincidence that they are currently abundant along this new ‘wildlife friendly’ stretch of the beck. I also saw a couple of Green Sandpiper and an early returning Snipe, as well as a profusion of orchids. The challenge going forward will be to maintain these improvements. Previous schemes above the lake and another on Paul’s Common were equally impressive in the beginning but over the years they have quickly become choked-up, providing much less open water and less visible biodiversity. I look forward to seeing the wildlife return to this important and much improved habitat – and the benefits sustained in the future.

Green Sandpiper – just the sort of species which is benefiting from the new habitat

The dramatic improvements brought about by re-profiling

What a difference a day makes

Twenty Curlew flew west during my afternoon gulling session – record shot

The weather looked promising yesterday for a morning sea-watch – overcast with a moderate breeze from the north-west. It was half an hour before I saw anything other than the local gulls loafing on the beach. Unlike the day before there was more of a movement of ducks, mostly Shoveler, and waders including Curlew, Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Oystercatcher. The most surprising thing was only two Mediterranean Gull (nearly 200 during Tuesday). The afternoon gulling session produced nil of note – best bird being an adult Common Gull in the roost.

Common Gull in the roost – there seem to be more summer birds around this year