Norfolk Birding

[Sue Bryan]

8th Dec
A wonderful walk yesterday to see the Desert Wheatear at Horsey. However stars of the show were the young Grey Seal pups on the beach.
Sue

[Bobolink44]

Hi Sue, beautiful shots! Saw Red-eyed's video of this bird and the seal pups. Hope it gets better.

[forktail]

Hi Sue

cracking pix

for those wishing to see the bird and the seals over the next few days (hoping it lingers...) note that access to the gap has been curtailed for a short while. It is still very easy to get excellent views of the seals from the dunes either side of the gap. The bird was being 'walked' a long way back up the track by folks after the understandable photo op. this afternoon but I managed to get top side of it and it began making its way back.

no sign of the Green-winged Teal yesterday but there was a Rough-legged reported from Hickling - presumably the one that has been roving a bit of late. Be nice if it settled around Horsey somewhere or showed up at the roost now and again.

otherwise a bit quiet out in east Norfolk currently

F.

[Sue Bryan]

Hi Forktail and Bobolink
Thanks. The bird appeared to be totally oblivious to our presence and even hopped right up to folks walking the other way. As you say, it was even possible to take top-side photos of it.

Sue

[Nighthawk]

Two beautiful shots Sue, that Seal pup is wonderful, the Wheatear too, but if I were to start to come on up it would soon be gone then!

Lovely shots.

[forktail]

The northerly winds brought a few birds in today:

4 Poms, Sooty and a GND were among the highlights recorded by a neighbour of mine in Eccles. 339 Eiders also past

petrel species reported past Sheringham and 89 Snow Bunts in-off at Salthouse

F.

[600cat]

Hi Sue

cracking pix

for those wishing to see the bird and the seals over the next few days (hoping it lingers...) note that access to the gap has been curtailed for a short while. It is still very easy to get excellent views of the seals from the dunes either side of the gap. The bird was being 'walked' a long way back up the track by folks after the understandable photo op. this afternoon but I managed to get top side of it and it began making its way back.

no sign of the Green-winged Teal yesterday but there was a Rough-legged reported from Hickling - presumably the one that has been roving a bit of late. Be nice if it settled around Horsey somewhere or showed up at the roost now and again.

otherwise a bit quiet out in east Norfolk currently

F.


Following the Bonapartes Gull and Brünnich's Guillemot :wideeyed: (Breydon & Winterton respectively, late November, per GYBC website) E.N. does seem a bit quiet right now! Still, in a couple of days the sun will be heading north again and before you know it we'll be looking for Black Reds, White Wags, Wheatears...

600cat

[Sue Bryan]

As I drive home from school between Sandringham and Roydon at dusk, the skies are full of thousands of Pink-footed Geese in their skeins heading north to roost in The Wash. It is a sight to behold and one that I shall never tire of. How lucky we are.
Sue

[forktail]

Currently out east are

Dark-breasted Barn Owl - Ludham
3 Med Gulls (ad, 1st winter and 2nd winter) - Walcot
2 Purple Sands - Walcot
10 Barnacles - Horsey
5 Whitefronts - Horsey
175 Bewick's - Ludham (221 at Hickling yesterday)
8 Whoopers - Sea Palling, on and off, but difficult to track down
11 Purple Sands last week - Sea Palling, Eccles, Waxham - mobile.

no sign of the Lesser Snow or Ross's Geese lately.

http://www.freewebs.com/eastnorfolkbirding/

[forktail]

Black Red at Sea Palling again today

recent local sightings include:
16+ Purple Sands down the east coast (Walcott - Waxham)
Black-throated Diver
30 Little Gulls past Sea Palling
2 Velvets
2 Mergs
300+ Teal today past Sea Palling
Curlew past Sea Palling
2 Med Gulls yesterday at Walcott
50 Yellowhammers Sea Palling
5 Bullfinches
and Gannets and auks passing.

[Sue Bryan]

Jack Snipe at Boughton Fen today (7th March)
2 Bramblings in my garden at Roydon
Sue

[Ilya Maclean]

Looking very good for rare stuff in Norfolk for the next few days....

http://www.uea.ac.uk/~e039/ilyabirding.htm#outlook