No Great Dot

Monday July 14

I'm not often happy to be woken by a 6.15 a.m. phone call. To-day was the exception. It was Steve telling us of a Great Knot from Breydon south wall. After a cup of tea, it was nearly 7 by the time we left, 7.30 at Breydon Fishermen's car park. Dot was leaving as we arrived, with the good news that the bird was now very near. Hastily parking, a returning Dave H told us that, on the fast rising tide, it had flown to the Lumps, accessible from Asda car park.

Very quickly, we  drove to Asda where we parked near the Breydon wall, walking under the bridge and along a netted path to beyond the Hide, where we joined two other Yarmouth birders and Dave H.

Waw, no sooner had I set up my scope than  a Club member located the bird in it for me, Excellent service.

 We watched for over half an hour. The bird was quite flighty so I had good scope flight views as well as feeding. It got quite close at one time but not close enough for a reasonable digiscoping shot. Just very dodgy ones ! When it flew into vegetation and was hidden from view, we left to use Asda's facilities. There were about 30 birders present by now, including a grateful Bob who I'd texted before leaving. Dot, Steve and Keith had returned as had Peter Allard who found the bird late last night. All are convinced that the putative bird of about 5 years ago was also a Great Knot but, not in adult plumage and difficult to prove. This one is a nailed on summer adult with it's dark spotted pectoral patch and streaking down the flanks.

Adult Great Knot. Definitely NOT my image.

It was with two Red Knot so could be compared for size, length of neck, and tail attenuation.

We also added Med Gull. two Whimbrel and a Curlew Sandpiper to the hundreds of commoner waders. The Avocet flock is building nicely.

We've seen many Great Knot in Australia and a small number in China, none in summer plumage before this. The earlier  UK 'Great Dot' on Seal Sands was a real distance tick, which I've always been unhappy about claiming. No way was it identifiable by me.

Thank you Steve. Such a beautiful early morning too, it was a pleasure to be there.

 A lavender carpet adds to the scenery

Another First of the Month - on the 3rd

Thursday July 3

We were both awake before the alarm. Even after watering the greenhouse and the newly sown carrots, we were away by 5.40 a.m. on what was promised to be the hottest day of 2014 so far. Not where we were, not yet anyway, we both had to don an extra layer to walk to Abbey Farm Hide. 

Apart from 3 Jays, Tree Sparrows, Barn Owl  and a Buzzard, the drive to Flitcham was both uneventful in variety and quantity of birds. Our faithful Grey Wagtail male was not on his usual wire perch near Ebridge but the pair showed at Sculthorpe Mill. Still no sign of any Spotted Flycatchers at the Mill - Bob hasn't seen them either - a singing Lesser Whitethroat was good.

Kingfisher sightings appear fairly regularly from Abbey Hide over the last few weeks. Not whilst we're there. No Little Owls to-day either. The vegetation is both lush and very tall, obscuring the roosting hole and everything not on the pools or in the trees. A lone Teal flew in and a 'Browncap' perched near the hide. No more activity with breakfast.

Will we ever stop driving around Wolferton Triangle? Just the once to-day, sighting a Coal Tit for the list.

No need to stop for the Fulmar at Hunstanton cliffs, it was a drive past. An earlier view spot had proved that the sea was empty of birds, even the gulls had gone off somewhere. 

The 'NOA members with a key'  hide at Redwell Marsh, is a very pleasant place to sit and scan. Coots and Moorhens feeding young, Swallows swooping down to skim surface insects, a secretively diving Little Grebe, the distant chacking of church tower Jackdaws and the closer distinctive peewit call of a Lapwing. The single Cormorant lumbered off like a Lancaster bomber, before moving gracefully away.

NOA car park hide - another key only - was Black-headed Gull metropolis to-day. We didn't stay long before going on to investigate the recently opened cafe at the Firs NWT centre. First impressions were of a very pleasant,  light and airy,  sitting area, viewing the feeding station and (obscured) the marsh over the Broadwater. I had a dishwater weak hot chocolate, very similar to the one at the Cley Centre. I shan't be repeating that here either. Pam enjoyed her coffee and the cake was pleasant if expensive. The snack menu looked both more attractive and reasonably priced. e.g. egg on toast, beans on toast, bacon roll for £3 -£4.

In increasing heat with a gusting wind, we walked as far as Island Hide at Titchwell, adding 15 species to the list, including 6 black summer plumage Spotshanks and six Spoonbills. The gleaming, red-gold heads of two sleeping drake Red-crested Pochards, showed on a far island. Why couldn't they have shown for Penny and Martin last week? That's birding. No better views of Beardies though - they were much less vocal too.
Little Terns at Both Brancaster and Burnham Overy Staithe before the drive to Cley where a Pectoral Sandpiper had been reported on Pat's Pool. Part of the way out to Pat's Hide,  a man we know by sight, said that it was only in view from Daukes Hide. That was a step too far.
Parking at Salthouse, hoping for an ice-cream, we decided that it was the 'wrong' van. This was the Mr Whippy type ice-cream which we don't like. A lucky stop though. I noticed a Peregrine appear from the beach near Gramborough Hill, then flying strongly towards us and away inland.
After ten hours in the field, I was tired but happy with our total of 83. I didn't see a Pheasant all day............
Earlier this week, Pam found and we both photographed, an insect in the garden. I posted my pic on FaceBook and Dawn Balmer of the BTO kindly ID'd it.

Longhorn Beetle Rutpela maculata

Aussies who are (were) English !

Wednesday June 25

Many years ago, in the early years of its inception, I joined BirdingPal, mainly in order to use its services abroad, whilst also offering mine as a birding guide in Norfolk. Over the years I have had several requests for help, most of them not convenient - health or holiday - others cancelled by the visitor for various reasons. Usually Americans who don't realise that a day trip to Norfolk from Bedford for example, by public transport, is not feasible. That was the latest, earlier this year, until I was contacted by Penny, who wanted to see Bearded Tit at Titchwell.I knew that she and her husband Martin were from Australia but had no idea of their expertise, age etc.

We arranged to meet outside the cafe at 9.00, they had stayed the night at the Briarfield just down the road. Penny and Martin turned out to be a very pleasant couple who's company we thoroughly enjoyed. They emigrated to Sydney eighteen years ago and were encouraged to take up birding by the profusion of colourful birds there. They are now keen and dedicated members of an active conservation group. Martin takes excellent photographs and has produced a membership, bird ID leaflet, much copied by other groups. We were presented with one each.
We should have picked them up at the Briarfields so that they didn't have to pay RSPB charges. Afterthought is no use at all.

Finding Bearded Tits for a good look is not easy, they fly close above the reeds for short distances and land out of sight - mostly. We have had very good perched views but, only by juveniles yesterday. A female Red-crested Pochard and her 5 ducklings were a delight. They were very vocal and agitated when she flew away to a distant pool. So were we. Odd behaviour. She soon returned and all was calm again. M and P loved that experience. They'd also seen a Barn Owl from the breakfast table.

Late June is not a good birding time. We managed a lone Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, Spotted and Common Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Tern, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Reed Bunting, Chiffchaff, Pochard, Wigeon and Marsh Harrier. The main target was the Beardies so that was achieved.

We left them after a leisurely lunch at Titchwell as I had several dizzy spells due to my inner ear problem. Maybe it's time for me to take my name off the BP list.........

Garden and Other Animals

Sunday June 22

Prompted by my daughter Sara, who lives in Brisbane, requesting a photo of 'the orchard' (7 fruit trees) and some activity around the small pond, Pam and I did some photography. Her photos of the Dragonflies and Damselflies are much better than mine, they're all hers.

The orchard and part of the veggie beds (covered against Pheasants and Wood Pigeons)

Small pond, rockery and Pam's elephant ornament

Goldfish sp

Broad-bodied Chaser male

Broad-bodied Chaser male

Common Blue Damselfly

Large Red Damselfly