Norfolk for Oriole Birding - 11th September 2025

With my body still two hours ahead in Lesvos mode it really was a no brainer to be getting up at 5am and heading off to Hickling whilst on my way to the north coast for four days guiding.  I drove along the Acle Straight not too long before sunup with Marsh Harriers quartering and three Great Egrets heading out for the day and before too long was pulling into Hickling where I bumped into a lovely chap from Bicester who I have met before on Lesvos.  We walked down to Brendan’s Marsh passing seven more Great Egrets and Kingfisher on the way and a Muntjac with a fawn and no sooner had we set up on the dead trees that he picked up the Black-winged Kite sat at the left hand end – I had started at the right.

It sat there glowing in the early morning sunshine, illuminating the powder grey and white and black velvety looking 1980’s shoulder pads.  The short little legs glowed vibrant yellowy orange and even the large red eyes glinted.  It was superb and my first UK new bird this year.  When presumably this bird appeared at the same spot in 2023 I was literally walking in through the door of my new house and escape was not really an option and although I do not twitch that much nowadays, I must admit that I really wanted to see this stunning raptor so close to home.

Black-winged Kite - it looked fabulous in the scope!

Black-winged Kite  - make the Crow look huge

And for a short while there was just the two of us watching it and it even gave us two short flights and it sought out a better perch before deciding that the lessening sun and increasing breeze would forestall early feeding and resulted in it going down to a lower perch to continue its morning ablutions.

Cranes bugled in the background and a Bittern flew low over the reeds and wherever you looked there were Great Egrets and about 22 were seen. There were just three Little Egrets and a few Grey Herons too and an adult and immature Spoonbill added to the heronry mix.

Great Egrets

Great Egrets

Spoonbill 

A juvenile Hobby rocketed through one way and a Sparrowhawk went the other and Marsh Harriers and the odd Buzzard were ever present.  The marsh itself was seemingly almost completely dry but three Green Sandpipers and a couple of Snipe did come up off it and the reeds in front were pinging with near invisible Bearded Tits.

An entanglement of Black Bryony and Hawthorn

At just after eight it did not look like it was going to get active too soon so I ambled back and started to wend my way up to the coast where I stopped at Cley and had a walk down the East Bank. It was quiet with just a few Bearded Tits to my left but just a single Dunlin and two Teal on the whole of the Serpentine. 

It was quite breezy so I sat in the shelter for a while and counted 238 Curlew roosting on Arnold’s with the odd Black-tailed and three Bar-tailed Godwits, a Ruff, Redshank, Avocet and a Spotted Redshank that called but remained out of view. 

Grey Heron

Curlew

A flock of 16 Sandwich Terns soon got up and went noisily over the sea wall to join a melee up the coast off Coastguards where I could seen some Common Terns and a single Black Tern swirling around.  The sea was calm with an offshore wind but was devoid bar three Scoter heading west.  I did not linger too long and came back to the car for a bite to eat while watching eight Wall Browns spiral around the sheltered sunny spots.

Sandwich Tern

Wall Brown

I picked up the van from Great Ryburgh and then Don from King Lynn before reaching Briarfield at just after 2pm and after a quick cuppa the whole crew of myself plus eight assembled for a walk down into Titchwell.

The Ivy hedges were alive with Wasps and Ivy Bees and few Red Admirals and a Willow Emerald was seen as we entered the woods were Migrant Hawkers still patrolled the ditches.  Down at the east bank track we scanned the pools for waders and amongst the swirling flock of Dunlin there were at least six each of Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers along with a few Ruff and Little Ringed Plovers.  We also picked up Avocets and Lapwings and a Greenshank gave chase to a marauding Sparrowhawk.

Two Glossy Ibis had been reported and were suddenly up and in flight betting buffeted to the east by the strengthening wind brought in by the violent squall passing just off shore that illuminated the vista with frequent long lived fork lightening.

Glossy Ibis - Dave Houston

A Kingfisher blew through and a Great Egret flopped along the reed tops where a juvenile Marsh Harrier hunted.  Behind us a Red Kite drifted over the Willows and a glance the other way gave us a Spoonbill following the line the Ibis took.  It was all go and I am not sure the new crew knew where to look.

With rain coming our way too we moved on passing another Great Egret and then five Yellow Wagtails feeding in the horse paddocks with about 30 Pied Wagtails.  It was good to see some autumn ones on the deck for a change rather than just flying over calling.

Great Egret

The trees homed many Chiffchaffs and a few Tits but with rain falling we pressed on thankfully by the time we reached the first hide it had stopped.  We stayed outside and watched a fine flock of 36 Ruff which included every size imaginable and one very fine white male.  I found the Pectoral Sandpiper feeding with them and it was close enough to show off the intricate ruff-like feather markings and pale mantle braces as well as the tell tale breast band.  

Ruff and a Dunlin

Pec Sandpiper and Ruff

They soon spooked and we moved to the other side of the hide to continue our scanning which put us straight onto the Red-necked Phalarope spinning in silky whiteness out on the lagoon.  After just two minutes it flew but we soon picked it up again in the adjacent corner but hang on, it looked a bit dark? I scanned back to the original corner and there was the pale bird – two RNPs!  The new bird was much browner and presumably younger?

Three Chinese Water Deer were seen

A Ringed Plover called and Snipe, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits were added along with an immature Water Rail having a good preen.  All the dabbling ducks were represented with six circling Pintail being the most popular and a dashing female Sparrowhawk spooked everything o the back lagoon which included two Cattle Egrets to go with the herony tally for the day.

Cattle Egrets

It was tempting to stay and check the big gulls but it had been a long day for one and all and we needed to get back to Briarfields for dinner so began to retrace our steps adding two Common Terns, a couple of Little Egrets and a Tit flock that gave us Coal and Long-taileds and several Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps while the Yellow Wagtails were still on the paddock as we wended our way back in the light rain and truly blinding mega rainbows.  Not too shoddy for three hours in the field.