... Arrived home from work at 6ish ... around sunset.... it had been such a mild day and bright day14c !, although not getting the benefit as being in London but I opened the bedroom window and in the half light saw a Tawny Owl fly across the field then heard a rasping call and saw a Woodcock flying just along the edge of the garden.
Weekend is planned as domestically busy with family ... and house selling ????!!
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Saturday 19th - Wednesday 23rd - Norfolk in Winter
Well yes Winter still very much has it's grip - and the natives are beginning to squeal. - some more signs of spring please !
Saturday driving to Norfolk was cold, windy and wet. Wednesday driving back was just windy and wet and the days in-between were very cold, grey and murky between 2c and 4c but luckily not wet ! - So itineraries for the girls were car-to-cafe variety especially as Hannah was still suffering from a nasty bug. Naturally I managed to get birding squeezed in, mostly at either end of the day, although pictures were poor because of the light ... and me. Our accommodation at Titchwell was perfect and even when driving the birds were often obliging - Hannah coined the phrase ' Wol Patrol' every time we saw a Barn Owl - which was often.
In summary the birds were all of the Winter variety but not a beter place in the UK to see such a variety at theis time of year (well there might be but I think Norfolk is great). My bird list for the trip was 104 species. Highlights by site being as follows.
Welney - 100 + Whooper Swans, 3,500 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Tree Sparrows, Ruddy Duck and an escapee Greater Flamingo which had Adie confused as it looked out of place in the rain.
Titchwell/Thornham - Bewick Swan, 3 Diver species, Red-necked Grebe, Northern Harrier (hudsonius) (saw twice with decent scope views), Long-Eared Owl, Peregrine, Velvet Scoter, Water Pipit, Spotted Redshank, c30 Twite and c40 Snow Bunting.
Holkham - 2 Rough Legged Buzzards, White-fronted and Pink-footed Geese.
Salthouse/ Cley - 10 Shorelark, c30 Snow Bunting.
Lots of Barn Owls everywhere - the most seen in one day was 5 different birds.
So another great trip, will never tire of Norfolk.
Saturday driving to Norfolk was cold, windy and wet. Wednesday driving back was just windy and wet and the days in-between were very cold, grey and murky between 2c and 4c but luckily not wet ! - So itineraries for the girls were car-to-cafe variety especially as Hannah was still suffering from a nasty bug. Naturally I managed to get birding squeezed in, mostly at either end of the day, although pictures were poor because of the light ... and me. Our accommodation at Titchwell was perfect and even when driving the birds were often obliging - Hannah coined the phrase ' Wol Patrol' every time we saw a Barn Owl - which was often.
In summary the birds were all of the Winter variety but not a beter place in the UK to see such a variety at theis time of year (well there might be but I think Norfolk is great). My bird list for the trip was 104 species. Highlights by site being as follows.
Welney - 100 + Whooper Swans, 3,500 Black-tailed Godwit, 8 Tree Sparrows, Ruddy Duck and an escapee Greater Flamingo which had Adie confused as it looked out of place in the rain.
Titchwell/Thornham - Bewick Swan, 3 Diver species, Red-necked Grebe, Northern Harrier (hudsonius) (saw twice with decent scope views), Long-Eared Owl, Peregrine, Velvet Scoter, Water Pipit, Spotted Redshank, c30 Twite and c40 Snow Bunting.
Holkham - 2 Rough Legged Buzzards, White-fronted and Pink-footed Geese.
Salthouse/ Cley - 10 Shorelark, c30 Snow Bunting.
Lots of Barn Owls everywhere - the most seen in one day was 5 different birds.
So another great trip, will never tire of Norfolk.
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Whooper Swans and Pochard - Feeding time at Welney. |
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| Greater Flamingo - looking for it's pen - somewhere a bit warmer. |
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| Ruddy Duck - Welney in the rain. |
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| The number of Barn Owls were a highlight. |
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| More reminiscent of Bagpus - Long-eared Owl at Thornham |
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| Long-eared Owl - Thornham - Obligingly sat in view rather than in middle of hedge |
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| Shorelark - one of ten at Cley. |
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| Spotted Redshank - Titchwell |
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| Hares - just starting to get 'mad' - a bit murky. |
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Thursday 17th February - End of Week !
A few days off work (although today and yesterday were almost spring-like days weatherwise the weekend forecast is cold and very wet - ain't that right !) - Anyway, amazingly saw a Barn Owl from the train this evening at half light just after the train left Guildford (train was going slowly !!)- first ever Owl from a train in 25 years commuting ! - Saturday going to Norfolk for a few nights with Sally and the girls (Sally and Hannah are suffering at the moment so hope they get better) - Norfolk will be more relaxed alternative to Gull or Pigeon hunting , wet or not !
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Sunday 13th February - Yuk !
Well that's Sunday's weather - a complete wash out - Cleaned the greenhouse - which was the only outside/inside thing I could do without getting soaked.
Saturday turned out to be a dry and fairly bright day - but I only had a couple of hours in the morning before minding Adie and her friend and then taking them up to the school for an open day, consisting of a Parents v's Teachers netball match (which I avoided participating in but Sally helped organise).
So my couple of hours consisted of a walk into Ebernoe. The garden was filled with birds, still holding c30 Chaffinches, 20 + House Sparrows ( largest numbers in 12 years) and up to 10 each of Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Robin, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Marsh Tit, Wren, Great Tit and c20 Blue Tits - all these before I'd reached the gate at the end of the garden where a Treecreeper was on the trellis and a female Sparrowhawk flew through causing a commotion but left empty-handed. A Bullfinch flew along the back fence and the field still held a few Redwing. The trout farm pond had 9 Tufted Duck, 4 Coot and 3 Moorhen along with the Mallard. and 4 Cormorants were flying around. In the woods themselves I added Kestrel, Buzzard, Siskin, Goldcrest and a Tawny Owl gave a brief hoot and a distant Roe Deer was sitting in a field. I had a male Firecrest in a Holly bush which I was trying to take a picture of when 3 bull-terrier type dogs bounded up the path barking furiously, with the owner seemingly ignoring the disturbance - Rather than sniff and pass they surrounded me and I started to get pawed and barked at - The ignorant owner just passed by assuming they would follow which they didn't - I then had words with the dogs and then the owner - Eventually, without an apology they disappeared, needless to say the Firecrest had vanished as well. Despite seeing quite a few Firecrest since the start of last autumn my attempts to get a decent picture have always been hampered by me being cak-handed but now the hounds of hell have been unleashed to thwart me - Reaffirms my dislike for barky dogs. Back at the house 2 Canada Geese flew over then 6 Buzzards were doing aerial displays, ....
Saturday turned out to be a dry and fairly bright day - but I only had a couple of hours in the morning before minding Adie and her friend and then taking them up to the school for an open day, consisting of a Parents v's Teachers netball match (which I avoided participating in but Sally helped organise).
So my couple of hours consisted of a walk into Ebernoe. The garden was filled with birds, still holding c30 Chaffinches, 20 + House Sparrows ( largest numbers in 12 years) and up to 10 each of Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Dunnock, Robin, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Blackbird, Marsh Tit, Wren, Great Tit and c20 Blue Tits - all these before I'd reached the gate at the end of the garden where a Treecreeper was on the trellis and a female Sparrowhawk flew through causing a commotion but left empty-handed. A Bullfinch flew along the back fence and the field still held a few Redwing. The trout farm pond had 9 Tufted Duck, 4 Coot and 3 Moorhen along with the Mallard. and 4 Cormorants were flying around. In the woods themselves I added Kestrel, Buzzard, Siskin, Goldcrest and a Tawny Owl gave a brief hoot and a distant Roe Deer was sitting in a field. I had a male Firecrest in a Holly bush which I was trying to take a picture of when 3 bull-terrier type dogs bounded up the path barking furiously, with the owner seemingly ignoring the disturbance - Rather than sniff and pass they surrounded me and I started to get pawed and barked at - The ignorant owner just passed by assuming they would follow which they didn't - I then had words with the dogs and then the owner - Eventually, without an apology they disappeared, needless to say the Firecrest had vanished as well. Despite seeing quite a few Firecrest since the start of last autumn my attempts to get a decent picture have always been hampered by me being cak-handed but now the hounds of hell have been unleashed to thwart me - Reaffirms my dislike for barky dogs. Back at the house 2 Canada Geese flew over then 6 Buzzards were doing aerial displays, ....
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| Trout Farm Tufted Ducks with Mallard and Coot - A record 9 were present ! |
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| Distant Roe Deer |
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| Dunnock in garden |
Friday, 11 February 2011
Thursday 10th February - Mid-Winter Ramble
....... no I haven't been on a long walk. Just a couple of weeks where very little has been done so just decided to write something anyway. The mixed grey, wet and windy weather hasn't helped. These weather systems seem to rush through being interspersed with a couple of bright, calm sunny days, but the nice bits have fallen when I've been at work, my only outside foray last weekend was a few hours tidying in the garden. The early signs of Spring are the bright spots in all this greyness, a few Snowdrops had appeared in the garden and the bulbs and perennials are starting to burst through with fresh growth. I have been leaving the house just before it gets light but even at this time Song Thrush, Robin and Dunnock are gearing up their song to full throttle. Adie has been sick with a fluey virus so I stayed in and watched Rugby and Football (and SpongeBob Squarepants !) whilst Sally did taxi service for Hannah, so birds were limited to what turned up in the garden - which was nothing different to the big birdwatch weekend other than a male Bullfinch.
This week highlighted for me something I've been doing a bit of head scratching on for a while. The advance of social technology seems to me to be killing off any non-technological social skills i.e talking to other people using the mouth rather than the keypad. I'm no technophobe, I don't twitter and have done little more than register on Facebook a few years ago, although I've obviously embraced other bits such as this blog. As little as seven or eight years ago, getting the train from Haslemere involved standing on the platform, sitting in approximately the same carriage and seat with the same familiar faces every day. It was usual to give a polite nod or the odd good morning greeting without launching into rabid conversation, not sure whether this contact made people uncomfortable, but the advent of blackberries and the introduction of quiet zones on the trains means that this small amount of verbal contact has been well and truly lost. The blackberry (or equivalent device) appears to give the owner a degree of comfort that when buried in its' screen the rest of the world can be ignored at the same time as giving an impression that 'I am doing something very important on my Blackberry so I can't possibly look where I'm going or acknowledge the presence of any other being'. I was in a lift this week which was nearly full, when two more people got in and immediately whipped out their Blackberry (presumably to answer an urgent email of world importancy). I was standing behind both and had a look over their shoulders as to what they were doing (I know I shouldn't..but) One was playing Solitaire, the other rather disbelievingly was just randomly pressing the buttons ! - WHY !!! - Is this just to avoid the possibility of eye contact with others? - Would be easier to walk round with a big Do Not Disturb sign. .....Unbelievable !!
This week highlighted for me something I've been doing a bit of head scratching on for a while. The advance of social technology seems to me to be killing off any non-technological social skills i.e talking to other people using the mouth rather than the keypad. I'm no technophobe, I don't twitter and have done little more than register on Facebook a few years ago, although I've obviously embraced other bits such as this blog. As little as seven or eight years ago, getting the train from Haslemere involved standing on the platform, sitting in approximately the same carriage and seat with the same familiar faces every day. It was usual to give a polite nod or the odd good morning greeting without launching into rabid conversation, not sure whether this contact made people uncomfortable, but the advent of blackberries and the introduction of quiet zones on the trains means that this small amount of verbal contact has been well and truly lost. The blackberry (or equivalent device) appears to give the owner a degree of comfort that when buried in its' screen the rest of the world can be ignored at the same time as giving an impression that 'I am doing something very important on my Blackberry so I can't possibly look where I'm going or acknowledge the presence of any other being'. I was in a lift this week which was nearly full, when two more people got in and immediately whipped out their Blackberry (presumably to answer an urgent email of world importancy). I was standing behind both and had a look over their shoulders as to what they were doing (I know I shouldn't..but) One was playing Solitaire, the other rather disbelievingly was just randomly pressing the buttons ! - WHY !!! - Is this just to avoid the possibility of eye contact with others? - Would be easier to walk round with a big Do Not Disturb sign. .....Unbelievable !!
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