Norfolk for Oriole Birding - 30th October 2025

At last a glorious morning and after a swift breakfast we had checked out of Briarfields and had worked our way along the coast to Lady Anne’s Drive for what became a very pleasant stroll through the autumn colours.  Admittedly it was slightly difficult to hear anything whatsoever as the F35s were back and tearing the sky apart with some frankly astonishing moves and the Hercules was once again performing low circuits but soon they were gone and we could hear Crests, Tits and Treecreepers in the pines and with some effort everyone got good views of even the common birds.  A Mistle Thrush perched up for us and a few Fieldfare flew over towards the fresh marsh where Geese could be heard.  Pinkfeet drifted overhead and I will always love that sound as a backdrop to autumn and winter up here.

Pinkfeet

Blue Tit

Mistle Thrush

Long-tailed Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Great Spotted Woodpeckers played chase and Green Woodpeckers were heard once again and a sudden bout of alarming from the Long-tailed Tits alerted us to a female Sparrowhawk barrelling through the Pines.   Red Kites, Buzzards and Kestrels patrolled the woodland edge as usual but we did not see the Ravens this time.

There were more duck on the lake this time and the Wigeon and Gadwall were following the pair of Mute Swans much in the same way that the Phalarope was shadowing the Shovelers yesterday.

The Mumpers

The Washington Hide gave us both Great and Cattle Egrets and plenty of Marsh Harrier action and a Cetti’s Warbler even showed in the Brambles below us while a Water Rail squealed from the reeds.  I found two Common Darters and a single Mesembrina meridiana on the warming fence and down at the beach a pristine Wall Brown was found but the sea was quiet with just five Scoter and our first Great Crested Grebe.

Great Egret

Great Egret

Wall Brown

The slow walk back added no birds but as usual gave me the chance to introduce the crew to some leaf mining as well as some late flowering and fun fruiting plants. 

Privet

Common Centaury

Spindle

Ectoedemia heringella & Acrocercops brongniardella

Carline Thistle

Waxcap sp

Peltigera sp

Polypody

Honeysuckle

Old Man's Beard

Bramble

Cow Parsley I think - and Spider

Lucilia sp

Pine Ladybird

LAD was no heaving and the challenge that I set them of counting over 100 dogs was achieved with some ease. I opted for lunch at Titchwell before a final walk which actually became the other way round on arrival.  We stuck to the Fen Trail in search of the Yellow-browed Warbler and when we got down to the viewing screen overlooking the pool I pointed out our first Tufted Duck as a Bittern flew through my bins.  Thankfully it went through Stephen’s too and onto the list. 

We stood there for some time watching the gulls come and go and a Great Egret majestically feeding in the margins.  Red Kites, Marsh Harriers and Buzzards patrolled and a group of Redwings popped out of the Blackthorn where more Cetti’s shouted at us.

Great Egret 

Red Kite

The paddock gave us great scope views of more Redwings and Blackbirds and a chance glance up added a silent Raven heading inland. There were more late flowers to add to the lengthening list and as we approached the end of the trail two Water Rails started kipping at each other.   Golden Plovers moved towards Choseley and joined over a thousand birds in a tight ellipse which predictably became a series of lengthy Vs.

Raven

Golden Plovers

Ragwort

Wild Carrot

Sloes

Sphaerophoria sp

Helophilus pendulus

Down on the scrapes I picked up a tardy Curlew Sandpiper and a Dunlin and a Greenshank repeatedly called but remained out of view but at least everyone heard it.  Lunch drew us back and a final look from the screen was perfectly timed with the Bittern clambering up to the top of the reeds and sitting there like some glorious golden lemon for all to see.  Walk away views were had.

Bittern

It was a very happy late lunch but there were still more birds to add even at this late stage with a male Blackcap, hawking Swallow and at long last two Collared Doves!  With more coastal travel problems at Heacham, we opted to head inland through Docking and around the trouble to get us to Kings Lynn station in time after most excellent final day.