Up with the Geese and then off towards the Broads for the day. It took a little while to get there but we were soon at Hickling Broad having driven passed a field with at least 400 Fieldfare in it before we got there!
We walked down past Brendan’s Marsh which was still absolutely
bone dry (they are not allowed any water till 1st November!). There were many more Fieldfares in the big
Oaks and Hawthorns but they felt newly arrived and were soon on the move in
land again and I think that with several other flocks we saw our total was
probably over 800.
Continuing the run of good birds photographed badly - Fieldfares
Redwings and Blackbirds were in the hedges in good numbers and both seemed more settled and we watched the former coming down to feed in a stubble field with a few Song Thrushes.
A Bittern appeared high in front and spent a leisurely couple
of minutes to disappear north and out of view and was a new bird for a couple
of the crew and once down at the viewpoint we soon picked up Grey Herons, Great
and Little Egrets to add to the tribe along with many Marsh Harriers patiently
quartering the reedbeds.
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| and Bittern |
Jane found two Otters in the one visible watery channel and
they fed actively for quite a while and flushed an Great Egret and Green
Sandpiper in the process but only I heard the Water Rail and Bearded Tits!
Pinkfeet drifted over us in small skeins and a few Siskins
bimbled inland with a few high flying Redwings. A drinking cow had us all
confused as to what the sound was for a while but the contemptuous stare from
the Koniks suggested we should have been paying them more attention that the
guzzling bovine.
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| Pinkfeet |
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| Koniks |
Down at Stub Mill we got lucky and a pair of Cranes were
visible quite close in and after a while put on s superb fly by for us although
they were strangely silent. There were
more Marsh Harriers and we heard Kingfisher and Golden Plover but saw neither
before starting the walk back where I gave the group a crash lesson in leaf mining!
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| Crane |
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| Cranes |
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| We talked about Green Islands on these Oak leaves |
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| But I am unsure if the two larva can be identified. I lost the leaf! |
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| There were lots of others but I do like Phyllonorycter corylifoliella |
The Thrushes showed well again on the way back and a Stonechat and several Reed Bunting and four Yellowhammers were added before a last look at the gorgeous White Park cattle and a lazy lunch in the centre garden.
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| Kung-Fu Pheasants |
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| White Park |
Afterwards we drove the lanes around to Waxham and walked up
onto the dunes but there was nothing to see in land whatsoever which was
disappointing and I was doubly glad of our two earlier Cranes while the was
similarly devoid with just a couple of Red-throated Divers, an adult Gannet, six Brents and
single Oystercatcher and Curlew. Two big
bull Grey Seals were close in and a Harbour Seal was a little further out.
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| Grey Seal |
Siskins moved north in flocks with 60 being the biggest and
we also got good flight views of five Crossbills as they called over our
heads. A Tit flock passed by and
certainly contained Goldcrests but nothing rarer leapt out and we had two more
cracks at the same flock with just a male Blackcap for our troubles.
Somehow the day had got away from us so we started the long
journey back to Titchwell and I opted to follow the coast road from Sheringham which
humorously added Canada Goose to the whole group tally before I came off for a
last light look at North Point Pools for Barn Owl and Gulls but there were none
of either. Cattle Egrets were still
poking around and chasing each other with what I suspect were Toads as this is
what I usually see on here at this time year here.
There were eight Ruff including two small females with the
Lapwings on the west pool and they were joined by a throng of bathing Starlings
too. Two female Marsh Harriers came in
late on and spooked the dabblers and as we all got back on the bus the Glossy
Ibis flew in to roost making it four days on the trot for the species!
Dinner beckoned after a long day.
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