Just come back from a "Non- Birding" holiday in Norfolk. Well it was supposed to be but I still mananged to squeeze in 2 RSPB reserves and a few local nature reserves as well. We had a great holiday though the first 4 days were non stop sun and the last few days were sunny spells and showers which luckily we managed to miss.

We called at Nene Washes RSPB on the way there, this is where the RSPB have re-introduced the Corn Crake, but there’s no chance of seeing one or hearing one for that matter unless you visited a night. I only saw 2 birds here Swallow and Wood Pigeon.

Notice board at Nene Washes

Nene Washes, Corn Crakes are suppossed to be in there somewhere

The best birds we saw all week were Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (a year tick), Common Crane, Red Kite, Little Tern, Little Egret & Marsh Harrier. Its not the best time of year for birds though everthing is overgrown so you can’t see them and they’ve stopped singing.

During the holiday we visited Southwold, Diss, Ely, Blickling Hall, Potter Heigham, Horsey wind pump, Wroxham, Great Yarmouth and of course another RSPB reserve at Strumpshaw Fen, We had great views of Marsh Harriers quartering the reed beds in search of food. I was hoping to see a Swallowtail Butterfly here but it was too windy on the day we were there but Red Admiral butterflies were all over.

Strumpshaw Fen

The Brown Blob behind the leaves is a female Marsh Harrier

On our visit to Blickling Hall National Trust we were sitting having a picnic when I heard this bird in a nearby tree, sounds like a Woodpecker I thought, Then it flew out and to my delight it was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Great a year tick!!!! these must be one of the most elusive birds in the country. Alas though the only photos I managed to take here were of a Pheasant and a Small Skipper butterfly the first I’d seen this year.

Pheasant at Blickling Hall

 Small Skipper at Blickling Hall

Called at Stubbers Green on our way to Brocton Coppice on Cannock Chase, we were soon surrounded by birds expecting us to feed them some bread. They were out of luck, we don’t have any waste bread in our house, I’m too mean! I couldn’t resist taking one or two photos though.

Coot with young

Mallard with young

Canada Geese with young

We then went on to Brocton Coppice there were still plenty of Warblers singing here, Willow Warblers seem to be everywhere, there was also Chiff-Chaff, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap. The butterflies were also plentyful, Small Pearl Bordered Frittilary were still on the wing and we also saw Small Heath, Large Skipper & Small Tortoiseshell. All in all it was a lovelly morning.

There were still one or two Tree pipits about as well.

Large Skipper

Small Pearl Bordered Frittilary

It was a repeat of last week today, Whitmoor Haye for Quail and still no luck! but we did have great views of a Hobby displaying and we also saw a Corn Bunting fly out of the road side hedge.

We then went on to Blithfield but no Spoonbill this week.

The sighting of the day were 7 Sandwich Terns and one Little Tern which flew through about 11:00 am this morning.

We also had our first Meadow Brown butterfly of the year today.

I didn’t get to take any photos of birds this morning but I couldn’t resist taking this picture of a field full of Ox-eye Daisies.

Ox-Eye Daisies Blithfield.

We spent an hour at Whitmoor Haye first thing this morning before the rain set in, with the hope of possibility seeing or hearing a Quail. One had been heard here yesterday between the rough track and Sitchels farm. We didn’t find one this morning but we won the second prize seeing 2 Grey Partridge.

Pair of Grey Partridge

Lying low in the grass

The male keeping guard as the female feeds

We then went on to Blithfield managing to get into the hide in Tad Bay without getting soaked as the rain had now started. The Spoonbill that was mentioned here yesterday was still present (It moved once for about 10 seconds so we were able to see its beak). There were also severel Dunlin & Ringed Plovers here.

Spoonbill in Tad Bay at Blithfield, keeping its head down

This is one feeding at Titchwell a couple of years ago

Nothing much around today so we decided to go to Belvide as there’s always birds here. The best bird today was a Common Scoter.  There were also plenty on Warblers still singing and I’ve never seen so Many hirundines (Swallows, Swifts, Sand Martins & House Martins) in the sky at any one time.

There must have been at least 40 Common Blue butterflies past the far hide and we also saw our first Large Skipper butterfly of the year today.

Male Common Blue Butterfly

Female Common Blue Butterfly

Large Skipper Butterfly the first we’d seen this year

A Field full of Flax, where Linseed Oil comes from

What a beautiful summers day it was today. 

We had my Scottish cousin Sheila and her husband Ian with us from Aberdeen, they were staying with us for a couple of nights. Ian being a deer stalker I asked him if he would like a walk on Cannock Chase to see if we could catch up with some Fallow deer, he said he would like that very much.

So we duly went to the top of Brocton Coppice walked down to the Sherbrook valley walked along to the stepping stones then back up to the top of Brocton Coppice again, but alas we didn’t see any deer!

But we did see Redstart, Pied Flycatcher & Tree Pipit also Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary butterflies were on the wing. We generally have to go down by the stream to find these but not today we saw at least 3 from the path, one of them even landed on my Grandson Ellis’s "Turquoise" blue T shirt.

We also heard the Cuckoo and saw a common lizard.

So all in all it was a lovely walk although we were all Knackered when we got back to the car.

Redstart Sherbrook valley

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary

Pied Flycatcher

Another good morning, we went to Upton Warren on the off chance that the female Red-necked Phalarope which had been present yesterday would still be there. It duly obliged, although it was being harrassed by Black-headed Gulls & Avocets, it seemed to be holding it’s own. We also finally caught up with a White Wagtail probably because it had a damaged wing and couldn’t fly very far.

Another delight this morning were Little-ringed Plovers, Avocets and Oystercatchers all with young.

Then to cap it all we found the Bee-Orchids along the causeway, we hadn’t seen any of these since they knocked down Hamshall Power Station.

Red-necked Phalarope a fabulous little bird

White Wagtail

Little-ringed Plovers with young

Young Avocets there must be at least 3 breeding pairs here

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this little beauty

A little Grebe or "Dabchick"

Bee Orchid

So called because it looks like there’s a bee taking pollen fom the flower.

We went in hunt of a Corn Bunting this morning at Whitmoor Haye and would you believe we found one. It was a very fresh morning after rain and there was a very strong wind. Most of the birds were keeping there heads down. We always used to see Corn Buntings here but we hadn’t seen one for a couple of years, the bad winters seem to have affected them. We managed to see one this morning though being blown about all over the place at the top of an oak tree.

Corn Bunting at Whitmoor Haye (Archive photo from 2006)

"After the Lord Mayors show" is what we thought we’d get this morning after our Norfolk trip last week, but it turned out to be rather a good morning. I heard 6 Male Redstarts singing seeing 3 of them, I also saw a female. What we went for really was a Stonechat which we hadn’t yet seen this year. The last  2 winters has reduced their numbers drastically. The warden at Minsmere told me last week there used to be 18 pairs along the shore between Dunwich and Minsmere but the have all disappeared. We did manage to see a pair today though.

Male Stonechat (there’s still one or two about!)

Other birds seen Cuckoo, Green & Great Spotted woodpeckers, Tree Pipit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Mistle Thrush, Whtethroat, Chiff-chaff, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest plus all the regular species.

We also came across some Fallow Deer

Fallow Deer all young Bucks

Who you looking at!

We’ve just returned from 3 days of fantastic birdwatching in Norfolk & Suffolk, 107 species seen of which 25 were year ticks, which include the likes of Golden Oriole, Hobby, Stone Curlew, Nightingale etc etc etc.

We called at Hockwold RSPB near Lakenheath in the Brecklands on our way there, this is the home of the Golden Oriole, it is also noted for Hobbies of which there had been up to 65 in the sky at one time, we saw 35 and had great views of them hawking dragon flies catching them and eating them on the wing. We also saw 2 Common Cranes here.

Although you can’t see them as they are minute dots in this picture, there are at least 10 Hobbies in the sky

Close up on the previous photo 2 Hobbies in the picture

An escaped Harris Hawk causing trouble at Hockwold

A Common Tern at Hockwold

Well it was posing so I just had to take this photo of a Wren

Our base was at Hemsby in a caravan which is close to Horsey Wind Pump which we visited on several occasions. Seeing, Whimbrel and both Pink-footed and Egyptian geese here.

Horsey Wind pump at dusk

Whimbrel

Swallow on top of one of the boats moored at Horsey Wind Pump

We’ve seen Barn Owls and Wood Larks in the fields at the back of Horsey wind Pump in the past but not this year, but we did get a sunset.

The next day we spent at Minsmere we saw 2 and heard 3 Nightingales "magic to the ears" others seen here were Mediterranean Gulls, Little and Sandwich Terns, Loads of Waders including Avocets these are common all down the east coast. Marsh Harriers are also plentiful here. 

Avocet

Avocet on its nest

Avocets with 3 chicks

Mediterranean Gull with Blackheaded Gulls

Pair of Mediterranean Gulls nesting

A reported "Spectacled Warbler" turns out to be a Whitethroat

On the last day we went to Cley next the sea and Titchwell RSPB below are photos taken

Knot at Cley

Hare at Cley

Reed Bunting at Titchwell

Turnstone at Titchwell

Grey Plover at Titchwell

It looked black legged to me but the Warden said this was a Temmincks Stint mind the light was poor

This one was a Little Stint, sorry about the "crap" photo

While were talking about crap photos hows about this one of Dunlins

I’ll finish with this photo of Cranes taken at Horsey Wind Pump

All in all a wonderful 3 days I went home completely and utterly Knackered!!!!