Monday 25th October - Blue Skies and Boilers

Stuck !! - Apart from a lurgy I've had for a couple of days which is draining rather than debilitating - there are beautiful blue skies outside and I've been grounded by the boiler, which has been on the blink meaning intermittent hot water and heating. The midday appointment from the boiler man turned into a 2.30pm arrival. Just over an hour later all seemed to be well. Boiler up and running, man left,  so I went to get some provisions and birdfood. Returned about 5pm - No Power in the house, something had tripped - reset everything  - 10 mins later same thing - After repeating this 3 more times I worked out it was the boiler causing the problem - Man can't come back until Wednesday - which means no hot water or heating  !!!! - Have to rearrange work stuff so I can work at home Wednesday to accommodate boiler man again !!! Garden birds only today so tried a few pics, other than a flyover Skylark, had a Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk in quick succession. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Marsh Tit, Long-tailed Tits, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Blackbird, House Sparrow,  Pheasant, Magpie.





Saturday 16th - Friday 22nd October - Norfolk Rocks and 'Twit'


When Adie was asked - did you enjoy Norfolk ? - 'yeah Norfolk rocks' was the response and pretty well sums up our few days away. 

My first ever trip to Norfolk was a Bexley members group RSPB coach trip to Cley in 1982, followed later that same year when I spent a week in August staying near Holt with my Dad for a full week Birdwatching, where I remember the highlight was my first ever Baird's Sandpiper at Salthouse. Since then, many more day trips, weekends and week long breaks have occured and I still love going back.

Cley Windmill

 16th October - Journey

We dropped in at Welney late morning to break the journey, after the normal M25 chaos, as a coffee and craft break for the girls and I had a wander onto the reserve. A dozen Whooper Swans had arrived from their northerly Summer grounds fairly early and was nice to see. Refreshed, we headed on, stopping in Holt to get lunch and some provisions and then onto our cottage for the first 4 nights next to the windmill at Cley.

I went off to Cley beach for a seawatch while the girls settled in. Despite a strong northerly the sea was fairly quiet with Arctic Skua (1), Red-throated Diver (3) and several groups of Common Scoter. Small numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares were seen arriving from the north and a Short-eared Owl was picked up a long way out and took about 45 minutes to make landfall, amazing how it seemed to struggle to make headway despite the strong on-shore winds.

Whooper Swan - Welney

17th October - Sunday walk

I had a look at the sea again this morning pre-breakfast and it was still very quiet, the winds had veered more to the west and a Little Gull  was the only new addition. After breakfast we went for a walk in Wells woods. Plenty of Thrushes were filling the hedgerows and flyover Siskins and Redpolls were seen before 2 Brambling and a single Firecrest. A circuit back to the car via the beach showed a couple of Water Pipits with the masses of Meadow Pipits on the saltmarsh.


Walk in the Woods  - Wells

Brambling - just wouldn't show its face.

We lunched at a Cafe in Burnham Deepdale then stopped at Lady Anne Drive in Holkham where  I had a brief wander into the pines to see the Red-breasted Flycatcher that was frequenting a single Ivy-clad pine. On my way back to the car news came through of a Red-flanked Bluetail at Holme ! No panic then. By this stage it was about 3.15pm and the girls wanted to get back to the cottage and chill (there was no way they would agree to go Holme without a mutiny). So I had to drop them back at Cley before re-tracing steps back to Holme.


Red-breasted Flycatcher - Holkham

The A149 can seem tortuous if you want to get anywhere quickly on a Sunday afternoon, so I eventually arrived at Holme around 4.30 after several expletives aimed at hat-driving Sunday drivers - surely they knew I had to try and see the bird and should hurry up rather than admire the views. The bird was being fairly elusive and there was around a hundred birders crowded into an area which didn't afford great vision, all with the potential to move on-masse and cause chaos, so I decided to pick a spot in lighter traffic and stay put. The bird dashed a couple of times between cover  and then there it was ! a Red-flanked Bluetail, I managed to get good scope views just as it flitted onto the ground and bounced around a little before heading back to cover, it showed briefly, no more than 3 more times when I was there until around 5.45 and the light had started to fade.  Arriving back, elated, a discussion ensued with the girls about the number of birders at the Bluetail prompting a debate as to what was the collective noun for twitchers. Hannah decided that it had to be a 'Twit' of twitchers -maybe some hints of derision but the term appears to have stuck and was used several times over the next couple of days.

18th October - Bewildered

A quick pre-breakfast visit to Cley yielded a Grey Phalarope on the north scrape (although right at the back).
Both Hannah and Adie were asked to choose one thing each they particularly wanted to do. Adie choose a visit to Bewilderwood near Wroxham. A land of Boggles and Twiggles with lots of slides, climbing, den building and boat rides and that's where we went. It wasn't particularly warm but 4 hours seemed to pass quickly as the girls had great fun and den building was a huge success as we all voted it was the best den we had built.



A Twiggle House - Bewilderwood



Beware Spiders !

Our Den - Fit for Boggle.

We drove back along the coast and saw a Purple Sandpiper with some Turnstone as we drove through Walcott on the sea wall.

Having watched Strictly' - Mr Purple Sandpiper and Ms Turnstone practiced their Quickstep together

19th October -  A bit of crabbing

The girls were spending the morning doing homework and school projects so I headed down to Cley beach and again found a fairly quiet sea. Two fairly close Black-throated Divers were on the sea with a Razorbill. A large number of auks were moving but all fairly distant so I moved onto Holkham. Given the quantity of trees in the Wells / Holkham area,  bizarely the one same Ivy-clad pine held all the birds (and still all the birders hovered around the same tree). The Red-breasted Flycatcher was still there joined by a Yellow-browed Warbler, Blackcap and Chiffchaff. Further on I had a group of 5 Redpolls alight in a tree just ahead on closer inspection they were Mealy Redpoll.


Yellow-browed Warbler - Holkham

We had lunch at the Cley NWT reserve Cafe - I don't think there's a Cafe in the UK with better views - and then headed to Blakeney armed with crab equipment and spent a while crabbing - catching about 25 with a bacon lure. A blustery walk out from the harbour finished the day.

20th October - We found a Twit

I paid an early visit  down to the sea as there had been a very strong northerly gale in the night with lots of rain so I was quite hopeful of a seabird fiesta - but 4 close Bonxies and an Arctic Skua was all that was on offer.
We spent the morning wandering around the boutiques of Holt, had lunch, then moved accommodation to the George in Cley for the last 2 nights - A large family room which worked perfectly. We just about persuaded the girls to go for an afternoon walk at Stiffkey, which ended with them in better spirits than they started ! On the way back we found the 'Twit' and stopped at a field near Morston where there was an American Golden Plover in a group of  c50 Golden Plover. I managed to get the girls a view through the scope and they agreed it was very cute and hoped the other other Golden Plovers didn't pick on it. - Despite the derogatory collective noun the birders present were very helpful - as they usually are !

21st - Extreme fear

So Hannah's choice, for her special thing to do was to go to Extreme Adventure - a high ropes course just south of Fakenham. We had seen this from the road on a number of visits to Norfolk but the minimum age is 10 and Hannah has been waiting in anticipation for the day she was old enough to do this and generally has no fear when it comes to heights or climbing - unlike her Dad who much prefers two feet firmly on terra firma - but somehow the girls assumed that I must enjoy being hoisted 80ft up a tree as at least spiritually I must be closer to the birds.
Well, as expected, once Hannah had got to grips with the various ropes and clasps and buckles she was away - I followed and coped, although I think we both voted that the 3G gravity swing we could happily have missed as my breakfast relocated itself nearer to it's entry point during the process, but by the time we got to the 1000ft zip wire I was starting to enjoy it !

Going up !

No Fear - Aged 10

We had a fabulous seafood lunch at Cookies Crabshop in Salthouse, and in the afternoon I went for a walk down the East Bank at Cley and along the beach towards Salthouse. There had been several Shorelark reports from the beach at Cley but they were particularly mobile and I spent a few visits missing the birds including this time, although I did see 2 Lapland Buntings. A large number of waders were on Arnolds Marsh including a Spotted Redshank and Curlew Sandpiper (2)

Little Egret - Cley



Spotted Redshank - Cley




Arnolds Marsh - looking towards Salthouse



22nd October - Homeward Bound

We called in at Titchwell on the way home, with the reserve car park almost full at 10am on a Friday !. It still spooks me when you walk past the toilet block and it starts talking at you (The RSPB does over-do some things). A pleasant walk down to the beach on the new path was more akin to walking across London Bridge on a Monday morning with the number of people around. A small group of Twite feeding on freshly put out grain on the saltmarsh were the most interesting birds . The new hide construction was still in progress and looks like it will be a new breed of hide of the Hilton variety when completed.

There had been a big influx of Waxwings to Norfolk over the last day although all reports tended to be birds in flight and therefore it was all down to luck whether any would be seen, so when we returned from the beach I was a little miffed that a group of 5 Waxwings  had been seen in a tree next to the singing toilet about 15 minutes after we had passed it, no doubt being talked to by the toilet, but had taken flight fairly quickly - understandably once they'd worked out where the strange sound was coming from,

Thus ended a fantastic week, the journey back was nothing short of horrendous, but I should learn not to travel in the middle of the day.

Friday 15th October - Italian Whites and Pink Fizz

The reference to Italian Whites is a wine tasting evening I went to last night, so the lingering effects of too much Verdicchio made it a slow start but hey I got my Camera lens back yesterday !!!!!  I had an early  wander beyond the back fence in the lane to the trout farm and saw a male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in a tit flock, it called several times before revealing itself in the top of an Ash tree. I've had one around the house intermittently for the last 4 years including on the feeders but not seen it since February.

I went down to Newhaven fort mid morning to see the Rosy Starling which was in brambles just below the coast guard tower, it was seriously tucking into the blackberries before it flew further down the cliff. There were also 2 Wheatears, a Chiffchaff , several Blackbirds and Song Thrushes in the cliff bushes but nothing more interesting.

I called in to Cissbury on the way back and managed to locate at least 2 Ring Ouzels in the bushes on the SE side in the gulley before a sheep field, feeding largely in cover but calling frequently and moving between bushes . However, a Sparrowhawk shot into the hedgerow causing commotion between Chaffinches and Ring Ouzels, followed by a curdling sqawking that was definitely from a Thrush rather than a Finch but I couldn't locate where the Hawk ended up - but sadly I fear maybe one less Ouzel. Plenty of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests around and a group of 11 Fieldfares were the first I've seen this Autumn. Back for Adie's Judo. and to get ready for the Norfolk trip tomorrow.



A recently arrived Fieldfare at Cissbury



Monday 11th October - Solitary confinement and digiscoping

Lots of good birds were turning up on the East coast over the weekend and I was tempted to travel further afield to try and connect with something good, so when the pager announced a Solitary Sandpiper had turned up at Seaton in Devon I decided that would be my target as it was a lifer for me and Seaton is only just over the Dorset border. I didn't leave particularly early waiting until about 8.15am, just missing the tail of the south coast rush hour, and arrived in Colyford shortly after 11am. Black Hole Marsh is a newly created section of a set of flooded marshes that border the Axe estuary. The reserve looks great, with brand new wader scrapes a new hide and proper path, the local reserve people and council have done a fantastic job and should be well proud. It always seems a newly scraped scrape properly managed  does turn up good birds (whatever has happened to the neglected Ferry Pool at Pagham !!)



Black Hole Marsh - Seaton

 When I told Sally and the girls I was going to see a Solitary Sandpiper they announced that they were sad as a bird with such a name must be terribly lonely in its solitary existence. True to form the SOLITARY SANDPIPER remained on its own in a corner of the scrape next to the footpath. Other birds there were a juv Little Stint, Green Sandpiper(3), Knot and Ringed Plover (4) and a few Little Egrets.

When I first arrived in the small crowd of other birders the bird was showing about 30ft away out on the mud I watched it exceptionally well for about 10 mins before deciding to try and get at least a record shot digiscoping the bird.

There is an art to digiscoping, which I have never mastered, mostly because I am completely cak-handed at anything requiring any element of fine motor skills - I have none !. To complicate matters,  at this point the bird decided to move closer to the bank and then right under the bank making viewing more awkward. The bank was a raised mud bund just over 5ft high, which firstly meant I had to extend the scope over my head and twist the eyepiece so I was looking skyward through the eyepiece to see the bird. I then had to manouver the contraption that holds the camera to the eyepiece also at this odd angle and looking into the light I couldn't see a thing on the camera viewing screen. So whilst all the competent photgraphers around me snapped away no doubt getting perfect shots of the lovely bird I was fumbling around, body contorted, making a hopeless mess of even trying to find the bird in the camera. Every now and then I pressed the shutter just to convince those around me that I was doing as they were, rather than what it must have looked like, which was trying to digiscope the passing Easyjet plane going to Exeter airport. ... I need my lens back please Mr Nikon. ..





'..despite being lonely, the Solitary Sandpiper turned away doubled over with laughter at the awkward one trying to take a really bad picture ..'

 

Sunday 10th October - Burton Mill and Pulborough

Decided to stay local this morning, quite a cooling East wind but brilliant blue skies and heating up to c20C which is amazing for this time of year. Had c40 Redwings fly over the house yesterday - the first at home for autumn, and another 15 were the first birds I saw when I arrived at Burton Mill. Other than about 20 Siskins and some flyover Skylarks there was very little to be seen on half a circuit up to Chingford Pond and back. Went on to Pulborough, and it was a delightful site to see so many juv Starlings on the brambles. Caught in the brilliant light their plumage is quite amazing with the white spots just starting to blend into the bright glossy plumage. The image reminded me of a picture in an old ladybird book I had I think called  'Autumn' which was painted in almost exactly the same pose these birds were in - Just wish I had my sodding camera lens back !!. The brooks had just started to fill with the recent rain and wildfowl numbers were obviously starting to increase with plenty of Wigeon and Teal but the huge numbers of Canada Geese were most obvious, with one Barnacle type and one Snow Goose cross obviously escapes. I have mixed feelings over the large flocks of these probably feral geese. Seeing up to 30,000 truly wild Canada Geese migrating over the vast Manitoba arable plains about this time last year was a real spectacle, Doesn't quite work at Pulborough !.
Little else was on show and no sign of the Ring Ouzel that had been around earlier in the week so headed home.

Friday 8th October - Selsey and Sardines on Toast

Couldn't make a day of anything as again found myself waiting on work emails. Decided to go to Selsey for a couple of hours and managed a seawatch between 8.30 and 10.30. There was a brisk East wind but low cloud - the mile basket was only just visible. There was a steady migration, with hundreds of hirundines moving East - Mainly Swallows and some House Martins.  Passerines off the sea all moving North were Meadow Pipits (53), Skylarks (14), Pied Wagtails (18) Chaffinch (4). On the beach Rock Pipit (1), Wheatear (1) and Grey Wagtail (1), Sanderling (4), Turnstone (68).   And offshore, Common Scoter (22 E), Bonxie (1), Guillemot (1 os), Razorbill (1 os), Arctic Tern (1 juv E), Sandwich Tern (26 E), Med Gull (3E) Brent Geese (10 W). I had a quick look at Church Norton on the way home, but the tide was high and the wind kept any passerines down. A Peregrine was sitting on one of the islands and and with several Little Egrets and small numbers of Brent Geese a few roosting waders were visible, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit.

Working in London, lunch tends to be a slightly rushed branded sandwich (i.e. Pret / Eat etc) and after several years of said sandwiches there is a certain blandness to the packaged same taste, despite the freshly made on-site claims. So my sardine on toast lunch at home was gourmet by comparison, it had also warmed up enough to eat this outside. Tinned sardines were a more familiar lunchtime staple when I was growing up and so there was a certain comfort element to lunch I hadn't experienced for a while. My afternoon consisted of a few work calls and emails, mowing the lawn, and refreshment breaks whilst generally scanning for birds and it was now a very pleasant temperature and bright blue skies. I had  Buzzard (6), Sparrowhawk (2) including a male that nailed a Chaffinch in the garden, Kestrel (1) and  Hobby (1) (circling eating a dragonfly through the scope). There was also a continuation of this mornings migration, despite being some 20 miles inland. I counted Meadow Pipit (18) and  Skylark (2) flying north. Also seen Bullfinch (1), Linnet (2) and the normal feeder crew.

Monday 4th October - Toadstools !!! and Firecrest

So today, despite being a Monday, was weirdly a day when I didn't have to think about work. Living right on the edge of Ebernoe Common which is Ancient Woodland - largely Oak and Beech, but best known for Bats, Fungi and Nightingales - I do occasionally go for wander, although being fairly dense woodland, variety of species can sometimes be limited. I thought with all the rain and the time of year there might be quite a few Toadstools and Mushrooms showing. Not that I know anything about Toadstools or Mushrooms or can even tell the difference between the two - I always thought Toadstools had the Pixies sitting on them. Several years ago I bought a Collins field guide to Mushrooms and Toadstools. There are about 1800 listed and hardly any of them have english names, just seriously long latin ones. They also look pretty similar and the ones that are delicious on toast look exactly the same as the ones which mean certain death by the morning. The field guide is also comparable to looking through 1800 species of Herring Gull, appealing to Larus lovers but not really my thing. So not needing a telephoto lens I took some pictures - other than the Fly Agaric - I have no idea what they are so feel free to offer names.

I encountered a couple of large feeding flocks in the woods, the first one held 5 tit species (including Marsh), Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, a few goldcrests and 1 FIRECREST , the second flock was similar size with no Firecrest but a couple of Chiffchaffs. Even though it was around 3 in the afternoon I heard  3 calling Tawny Owls. With the ones near home the last few nights this owl activity suggests lots of territory making. 



Birch Bolete - Maybe ??



Maybe the edible and mild tasting Russala turci or maybe the deadly poisonous Death Cap - Strogonoff anyone ?

    



Perhaps how dinosaurs were created ?



Sunday 3rd October - Arlington and Rain

At about 9pm last night another Tawny Owl was hooting away and was in one of the Oaks in the garden with a female responding a short distance away.

The weather looked grim today, the girls were expecting some school friends for the afternoon, so after a gym visit I decided to head off to Arlington to try for the Buff-breasted sandpiper in fairly heavy rain and another stiff southerly. The water was low enough to expose a small section of mud just off the dam where the bird had been favouring. It was only a short walk but once on the dam the conditions were reminiscent of a blustery Blakeney point last weekend. The Buff-breasted sandpiper showed well and was quite active. The wind was helpfully back-on so viewing wasn't too bad. A rather washed out Avocet,  4 Ringed Plover and a handful of Dunlin were also there with a good number of Meadow Pipits. Wigeon, Pochard and Tufted Duck were on the water, but I was pretty wet after about 45 mins so returned to the car and home.  

Saturday 2nd October - Selsey Bill and Roast Pork

Decided to go to Selsey early this morning rather than to Arlington to try for the Buff-breasted Sandpiper that turned up there yesterday. The weather yesterday was very wet with strong southerlys and it appeared that this morning at least would offer a brief respite and I was hoping there would be a few lingering goodies. Selsey can be a bizarre place, often with absolutely nothing to be seen, or very little and very distant, but very occassionally lots of great birds. So it was with anticipation when I set off at 6.45am and as I opened the front door just starting to lighten up and there was a Tawny Owl calling nearby . Worryingly on the journey I was driving through patches of fog. I've tried Selsey before when I've hit patchy fog to arrive at the Bill and not see beyond the shingle, luckily today it was clear by the time I arrived just before 7.30 and I stayed until through until 10.45. A couple of other birders appeared for periods but it was fairly quiet.

A large number of swallows (c150) quartered the beach,  a Great Northern Diver flew W fairly close in and there was a steady trickle of Meadow Pipits mainly heading S with a single female Wheatear and a couple of Chiffchaff in the bushes being the only migrants. A few Gannets and lots of Cormorants were moving and there were up to 4 Shags on the sea along with a Razorbill. 8 Sandwich Terns moved East with 3 Common Terns and a single Black Tern. 2 Little Gulls, 3 Med Gulls went East and a single dark phase Arctic Skua W and 1 Brent Goose with 3 Red Breasted Mergansers.

The weather closed in shortly after I left and spent the rest of the day on domestics, so perfect weather for cooking Roast Pork with Sally and the girls and then Strictly and X-Factor  ???!!

First Blog Entry - Friday 1 October 2010 - WHY ?

WHY have I decided to try a blog ?

Well officially my life has changed on 1 October (I've agreed to only work 3 days a week !) giving me extra time to do stuff like this - although I haven't yet got a proper plan !, I've mentally given myself until after xmas to work that out.  I have no idea whether the new part-time work arrangements will succeed either for me or for work as my first day has proved as I've  already spent a couple of  hours this afternoon going through reports needed for next week.  I did however manage to go to the girls school and see Adie doing her Judo  - Aged 7 and almost being the smallest but oldest in her group, at least she is described as being 'very ferocious' something her big sister can frequently attest to. There is definitely a school pickup social structure for parents that I have no intention of subscribing to, and will remain happy and consider myself successful having bundled the girls into the car in military fashion in as short a time as possible whilst avoiding questions from inquisitive Mum's.

I hope to add some pics to the blog as I go - My new camera lens however is currently at the camera lens hospital - It won't zoom ! and Mr Nikon told me to expect 4 weeks before I'll get it back, so I'm left with a macro lens which will only be any good if the birds kindly perch on my tripod - I hope the lens return is before a family trip toNorfolk which is only 3 weeks away.  I'm also a VERY amateur picture taker (point and click ) but other blogs I've seen have such fantastic pictures that I'll give it a go.

A few birds over the garden today- 3 Siskins flew north ,18 Meadow pipits, 50+ House Martins all W and the Chiffchaff that's been around for a week or so is still attacking all the Blue tits on the feeders.