Barton Beauties

Sunday April 21

Such a beautiful day, we couldn't resist going out birding, despite having much to do before setting off for Scotland on Tuesday. No, not packing, that's a last minute job, mainly gardening, dealing with potting on vegetable seeds etc. I planted a row of Chard yesterday but still have pepper and tomato plants to pot on.

Barton Broad woods were echoing with the song of Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs which seem to have arrived in force. From the boardwalk platform, we added a few lovely, so elegant, Arctic Terns to the year list. Too distant to photograph, even through the scope.

A Water Rail called very close to us and Pam managed to see a Cetti's again, whilst I was digiscoping an adult Little Gull. So difficult to catch any light in a black eye in a black head.

We added nothing at Winterton, No room to park at the Village Hall so we walked Winterton south dunes from the southern Hemsby end. A mistake. Accompanying our walk was the smell of chips and kebabs and the noise of go-karts and arcade music. The place was heaving with holiday makers and they're well provided for with entertainment and food .

The dunes here are very sparsely bushed so we soon gave up, seeing only House Sparrows and Dunnocks. Deciding not to walk from the Winterton Beach car park, we drove home, Pam adding a House Martin at Somerton. 

Pager message. Male Pied Fly in Kings Loke Hemsby !! We set the SatNav and drove back.

The loke is a very quiet lane, lined with large treed gardens and 'nice' houses. Where was the bird? Another car was parked in a small pull in at the end of the houses. We parked and he was the reporter of the sighting who then kindly led us along an unmade road and into a dense copse, to where he'd last seen the bird. We saw our first Comma and Peacock butterflies, plenty of bee flies and common birds but not our target. Ah well. Male Pied Fly in spring is pretty unusual in Norfolk which is why we tried. Maybe half an hour wasn't long enough for a reported as 'elusive' bird. The reporter had seen it once, gone for his camera and had been unable to find it again. Steve saw it late afternoon !

Poor Start, Great Middle and End

Friday April 19

We took a friend out birding to-day. She arrives at 8.30 so it's not an early start, not too disappointing considering the outbreaks of rain, overcast sky and the return of a cold easterly wind.

Catching up with news occupied the time spent in travelling to Holme, by which time the raim had stopped, other conditions remained the same.  We walked to Gore Point seeing a few Dunnocks, Magpies and Skylark. a flock of Brent rising and then landing again on the distant marsh.

Walking out to the Broadwater Hide, I heard the first Sedge Warbler of the year, and saw it too, along with a Willow Warbler, in the top of a hawthorn. Still a lot of water in the lake, plenty of Avocets, two Black-tailed Godwits, four Ruff, 2 Redshanks, a pair of Pochard and Mute Swans. Five Marsh Harriers in the air at one time, Curlew dotted around the marsh. Couldn't turn any of them into Whimbrel....

Titchwell is always worth a visit. Several Little Ringed Plovers, about ten White Wagtails flitting about, one dazzlingly bright yellow male Yellow Wagtail amongst them. Lovely birds. More Sedge Warblers, a good VIEW of a pair of Cetti's (amazing), sleeping Bar-tailed Godwits, four sleeping Sandwich Terns and a host of Avocets. A woman from Australia asked for help with ID, always pleasing to help. Ray K said that there was a Grasshopper Warbler and a Whitethroat in an inaccessible part of the reserve !

On an impulse, I suggested that we walk the Fen Trail which paid off. We watched a Reed Warbler and several Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers in the shelter of the smallish pool near Fen Hide. The Reed was exploring the reeds, the Warblers in surrounding trees. On the way to Fen Hide a Blackcap sang in the same area as previous years.
I saw  House Martin at Holkham but no-one else did...everyone saw one at Cley. Four Wheatears near the cattle pens in Eye Field, two of them males. Another 6 near Iron Road and a few more south of the road at Salthouse. Here after much searching in bright sun, hazy conditions and against the light, I found a Whimbrel amongst the Curlew.
A most enjoyable and worthwhile day which ended at home at 5.45. I'd have liked to have seen the male Pied Fly at Horsey, hope it's there to-morrow.

Late Barton Visit

Tuesday April 16

 

When the car was returned from its state of health service - requested by Pam before our trip to Scotland next week, well it has done over 100K - we drove the 15 minute trip to Barton Broad Boardwalk. It's good for early migrants and we love it there.

A pristine Willow Warbler sang during the first 100 metres of the walk and then, showed well.

Sitting on the boardwalk end platform on a day like this,  is a sheer joy. Warm, sunny and very little wind as, it was sheltered for a change. Sixteen Great Crested Grebes, swimming in pairs and, closer than usual, displayed to each other, whilst a nearby male showed a great deal of aggression, flattening himself in the water, beak pointing forcefully towards the encroacher, before flying at them. Must be a nest nearby. I tried some digiscoping despite their rapid movements. I haven't got enough hands to hold the camera to the lens, keep it steady and then pan smoothly to follow their movement. That's the advantage of using a mount where the camera is locked in place. Maybe I'll find a light and suitable one one day.

 

At least these Terns landed for a short time.

 

 

 

 

Not as rapid as the 50 Common Terns fishing avidly, diving at the water and then rising again to dive once more. Exceeding their speed was the cloud of 100+ hirundine, nearly all of them Sand Martins with a few Swallows. A lone Little Gull looked sluggish in comparison. Reluctantly ceasing our attempts to see a House Martin - it was making me see double trying to keep up with them - we packed up our equipment. As we rose to leave, our first Kingfisher of the year arrowed across the Broad to disappear into the reedbed.

What a Beauty

Sunday April 14

After planting two double rows of Broad Bean plants - and retrieving my empty long rooters and tray from the dyke after a huge gust of wind - we watched Man U v Stoke.

2-0 to Man U, a penance though, I want us to play more entertaining football.

The pager rang at lunchtime with  news of a female Red-flanked Bluetail in Horsey Dunes. After the footie - 4.30 - we drove towards Winterton via The Marrams in Sea Palling. One Redwing in the horse paddock and a Swallow flew through. 

About a 100 Redwings and a few Fieldfare in the field near The Great Barn in Waxham.

I couldn't see any sign of birders in the dunes at Horsey, difficult to see from the road anyway. We hadn't discussed it but,  Pam drove in to the Gap car park and we walked north for about 200 yards before branching off seaward towards a clump of Willow in the dunes.Dune yomping is not my favourite........steep in parts and rough underfoot with plenty of snags to trip you up. We made our way up to a rise where a photographer was posed, overlooking the willow clump surrounding a pool. Almost immediately, the beautiful spring female showed well in the lower branches, sometimes landing on the ground to forage very near to us - if obscured much of the time. Much too busy watching to erect my scope and try some digiscoping.

This photograph was taken by the finder, Graham Clarke whose Blog is well worth a read.

What a weekend. 20C and great spring birds.

A Week's Round-up....

Tuesday April 9th

A lovely sunny day which we thoroughly enjoyed .......seeing one bird for the year.  

We were looking for Stone Curlew. The first area was full of pig fields with many suitable fields where SCs had been seen last weekend. None to-day. Next stop, Weeting, where the warden in his Blog had reported two birds. The Major ( we now know he's called Rocky!) emerged from his shed to greet us, telling us that our journey was ion vain, the warden was telling porky pies. Perhaps I read last year's news on the NWT website.......He's a mine of information though. 

On to Pentney Gravel Pits for a quickly seen Little Ringed Plover. None of the hoped for hirundine.

We returned via the north coast where it gradually clouded over, without adding anything else.

Wednesday April 10th
Barton Broad platform at the end of the boardwalk was like being in the Arctic. A very strong wind blew straight in across the water. All birds were huddled against the very distant reeds, trying to find shelter. A lone adult Little Gull in lovely summer plumage flew, dipping, across the broad.

Thursday April 11

Early for our caravan meeting - changed from Minsmere as it was pouring down - we drove to Dunwich clifftop. What luck. As we approached the coastguard cottages, a pair of Stonechats appeared on the seaward side and then, a male Dartford Warbler on top of a bush on the landward side. He posed for quite a while, long enough for us to see a female  flit in to the back of the bush. Brilliant.

Saturday April 13

After collecting the mower from Anglia Mowers in Beeston, we carried on to Weybourne hoping that the three day stayer hadn't gone overnight. Parking at the entrance to the Muckleburgh collection, I scoped the nearby field to no avail. We then saw a couple of people viewing from low down Muckleburgh Hill. Striding along the road, Steve Gantlett slowed to tell us that he thought it had gone as he hadn't seen it. Undaunted, we walked the lower path, meeting the scoping couple who told us that they'd seen it.
So did we. Two Blackbirds, a Mistle Thrush and a male Ring Ouzel. He was feeding in the open allowing great views, but into the sun,  so I didn't attempt any pics. I didn't have my camera either.....!
Back at the car, another slowed to ask us if we'd seen it and then pointed out a White Wagtail in the near field.
Cardigan only to-day, a temperature of 15C at last
Salthouse Beach Road
Julian provided us with a hot drink whilst we watched Sand Martins flying on the sea side of Gramborough Hill. I had two fly over the car whilst Pam was getting the drink.
Cley Beach
A regular passage of Sandwich Terns flying towards Blakeney Point was a joy.
The Savages and another couple we know told us of Wheatears in the Eye Field almost to North Scrape. There was also a Garganey on the scrape.
Trudging the gravel, glad to reach the grassy path, we walked almost as far as the hide to the mole hill area. Three female Wheatears dashed and perched, as is their wont, feeding on the rough pasture beyond the mole hills.
Chiffchaffs calling all over the place to-day.
Home for a sespite - Pam tried out the mower actually, I rested! She was delighted with how easily it started and what a good job it made of the grass mowing. It looks almost new too.
Next visit...
Barton Broad.
By now, it was overcast and the wind had increased, as forecast.
Scanning from the platform, up to a hundred Hirundine fed low over the water. Impossible to count accurately, so fast and active. Most of them were Sand Martins, the others Swallows. Twenty - 30 Common Terns were also avidly feeding along the far shore along with two Little Gulls and a Goldeneye. I could not find the reported Scaup nor the lone House Martin seen by a birder we met on the way in. He'd also had a Willow Warbler there and Jack Snipe, Woodcock, Redstart and Black Redstart and Wheatears at Winterton North Dunes this morning. He'd worked for them and deserved it.
Our first Cetti's burst into ear-splitting song as we left the platform in increasingly cold conditions.

At Last - Another Migrant

Sunday April 7

Fantastic overnight frost, the garden and all the trees were white. It didn't last long as we had a sunny day. The sun is warm enough to need the sun lounge double doors open to cool the lemon trees and warm up the living room.

Maybe a few migrants had arrived at last? We drove to Cley and Pam tried the Iron Road where we often see early Whimbrel. As we turned in, we heard the single call note of a Chiffchaff. There it was, leaving a bramble bush and working its way along the bottom of the reeds edging the dyke. A good omen? No !! Despite searching Salthouse and Cley Eye field for Wheatears - or anything really - nothing was found. We still had a NE wind so it isn't surprising.

Walking on the heath in search of Woodlarks and Dartford Warblers - they breed here - was fruitless. Apart from Chaffinch and Robin we saw/heard no birds at all. Very quiet, we agreed with another birder.

Any Sand Martins at Gunton ? No, nor Grey Wagtail either. I've never taken photos here so remedied that. The lake itself is not photogenic.......

But the old, historic, water powered sawmill is. It's kept in reasonable condition and does some active work on Open Days a couple of times a year.

Garden Flowers

9 inches tall Daffodils - I love the small ones

Erythronium

Clematis 'Freckles' in the hawthorn hedge. Flowering most of the winter.

The following photos - and this one - are all Hellebores