Day 1 of a 4-day Spring Migration tour in Norfolk. It was a lovely sunny day, the warmest day of the year inland reaching 27C, but with a light E/NE wind keeping the temperatures down a little on the coast. We spent the day around Cley and Salthouse, looking for spring migrants.
There had been a Temminck’s Stint around at Cley for the last couple of days, but it had been very mobile. Yesterday afternoon it was reported on North Scrape, which is always hard to view once it warms up. So we decided to try there first, before the heat haze built. We drove down to the beach car park.
Getting out of the minibus, we stopped to scan the Eye Field. A Whimbrel flew in and landed on the grass, so we got that in the scope. We found a couple of Wheatears, both females, hopping around out the short grass too.
One of the group noticed a bird on a fence post further down, and looking over we could see it was a Short-eared Owl. It didn’t stay long enough for us to get it in the scope, but flew out over the Eye Field to our left. We had barely lost sight of it when a Short-eared Owl flew in high from our right now. It had to be a different bird and our suspicions were confirmed when we could see both of them hunting out over the Eye Field. We stood and watched them for a while. Presumably they are lingering here, waiting for the right conditions to set off over the North Sea back to Scandinavia.
There were several Meadow Pipits flicking up and down from the fence directly in front of us and a Stonechat worked its way between the fence posts. Then a Yellow Wagtail landed on one of the wires too, where we had a good view in the scopes. It dropped back into the field and scanning the grass, we found three Yellow Wagtails together now, two yellow-headed British (flavissima) males and a single female. A nice selection of spring migrants to start the day.
We heard Sandwich Terns calling behind us, so we walked up onto the shingle. The sea was flat calm, with a bit of mist lingering further out offshore. We managed to find a couple of rather distant Sandwich Terns flying past, plus a small group of Sanderling which flew along the shore. Eight Brent Geese headed high east, perhaps heading off on the long journey back to Siberia.
We noticed a message now that the Temminck’s Stint was on Pat’s Pool this morning. Not wanting to risk it moving again before we got to see it, we decided on a change of plan. We headed straight round to the Visitor Centre and walked out towards Bishop Hide. As we were walking along the Skirts Path, we were annoyed therefore when a local coming the other way told us he hadn’t seen it from the hide and it might have flown already. We continued on regardless. A Hairy Dragonfly over the Skirts was out first of the year.
Into the hide, and the first birds we saw were a Wood Sandpiper with a drake Garganey in the same view just behind. We were just setting the scope up on those when one of the group noticed a smaller bird on the back of the same island as the Wood Sandpiper – the Temminck’s Stint! For a few minutes, we didn’t know where to look first but eventually we made sure everyone had a chance to look at all the above.
Scanning round the rest of the scrape now, we found the lingering Cattle Egret on one of the other islands. A Spoonbill dropped in out in the middle of the water but went straight to sleep. It did wake up after a bit, but just walked back to the nearest island and went straight back to sleep again. Typical Spoonbill! We could see its shaggy nuchal crest blowing about in the breeze.
A smart Little Egret in breeding plumage dropped in in front of the hide too, its plumes fluffed out and we could see its bright purple/pink lores.
There were several Black-tailed Godwits feeding in the deeper water at the back, and a male Bar-tailed Godwit moulting to its rusty breeding plumage dropped in to the scrape closer to us. Through the scope we could see the rusty patches extending right down under the tail as it fed. A single Common Sandpiper was on the bank right over in the far corner.
A male Marsh Harrier flew up out of the reeds out to the side of the hide. It came across right in front of us, stopping to hover over the small island, presumably having seen something in the short reeds. It looked like it might drop down but then turned and headed off over the reedbed. A Reed Warbler was flitting around down in the reeds out the other side.
A message came through now that there had been four Little Stints on Simmonds Scrape but they had flown out towards North. We had been thinking about trying the central hides next, but instead drove back round to the beach car park.
The hope was we might get out to North Scrape before the heat haze got too bad, although there were still a few distractions on the way. Three Wheatears were out in the Eye Field now, all female, but there was just one Yellow Wagtail left. Several Meadow Pipits and Skylarks were perched on the fence and flying in and out from the grass. Two Great White Egrets were out on Billy’s Wash. Another Wheatear was on the shingle off away to the east beyond the entrance to North Screen.
Scanning North Scrape, we could see we were a bit too late and the heat haze was already a problem. It didn’t help that the waders which were on here were mostly right at the back. We could make out several Greenshanks, at least five. Some other medium sized waders looked like they were probably a few Ruff. A single Little Ringed Plover was closer and therefore easier to identify. What we could tell was that there were no small waders here, no sign of any Little Stints. We decided to head back. On the way, another Whimbrel flew over and disappeared off west.
We drove back round on the coast road and parked at Walsey Hills next. A Common Buzzard was hanging in the air over the wood as we got out. A couple of Little Grebes, one or two Coot and a pair of Gadwall were on Snipe’s Marsh as we walked past.
Up on the East Bank, we could hear several Sedge Warblers singing but they all refused to show themselves properly at first. They were hiding down in the reeds, although a couple did launch themselves up in song flights. They are normally the showier of the warblers here and further up normal service was finally resumed. A couple of Sedge Warblers perched up nicely where we could get a proper look at them. We could see a Reed Warbler down in the reeds too. A Cetti’s Warbler was calling in some small willows, and unusually we managed to see it flicking around in the leaves as well.
Scanning the grazing marsh the other side, we found the single Pink-footed Goose still out on the grass with the Greylags. A distant drake Wigeon was out on Pope’s Pool beyond, along with the usual Cormorants and Great Black-backed Gulls on the two islands. Two Bar-tailed Godwits were feeding in the water in between.
A single Curlew was feeding out in the grass, an opportunity to contrast it with the Whimbrel from earlier. Two Golden Plovers were out here too. Several Redshanks and Lapwings are more expected here at this time of year, our breeding waders, some of them were displaying and we watched a pair of Lapwings mating.
On to Arnold’s Marsh, we could see lots of Dunlin, several sporting their summer black belly patches, but no sign of any Little Stints here either today. Four or five Grey Plovers were coming into breeding plumage too, with black faces and underparts. About a dozen Bar-tailed Godwits were feeding in the far corner and a couple of Turnstones were picking around the islands. A larger group of Ringed Plovers were mostly hiding in the saltmarsh at the back. There are normally a couple of local breeding birds on here, but these were presumably north-bound migrant Tundra Ringed Plovers.
We couldn’t see anything on the Brackish Pool now, so we turned to walk back. There were at least three Reed Buntings singing in the reeds now. One male flew in and landed on a bush on the bank right beside us. Almost to the road and a Hobby was hanging in the air, drifting over North Foreland plantation.
We drove back round to the Visitor Centre for lunch, and sat out on the picnic tables in the sunshine. The male Marsh Harrier was still flying back and forth over the reeds across the road. Another Hobby flew in over the scrape catching insects, then turned and flew inland right over where we were sitting. Great to watch while we were eating our sandwiches!
After lunch, we drove on the short distance to Salthouse. There were a couple of cars already parked badly in the small car park at Iron Road, so we drove on and pulled in opposite the Dun Cow. We walked back carefully along the road. There had been a couple of Little Stints reported from one of the pools here earlier, and we figured they were probably easier to see from the verge than from the Iron Road itself. Scanning the pool, at first we could only see the large flock of Ruff feeding in the water. All females, ‘Reeves’, we counted at least 40.
Then we spotted some smaller waders on the patch of mud in front. They weren’t easy to see even from here and kept disappearing behind the reeds. Eventually we managed to see both the two Little Stints with several Ringed Plovers and a single Dunlin.
On to Iron Road, there were both Reed and Sedge Warblers singing from the ditches either side as we walked up to the gates. A smart male Ruff was on the main Iron Road pool. Already moulted into its brighter summer body plumage, with creamy yellow head/neck and black throat, it was yet to get its ornate ruff.
Scanning out the other side, the Little Stints were much harder to see from here, hidden behind the growing reeds. But then something spooked the Woodpigeons from the grass and all the waders flushed too. The flock of Reeves took to the air and flew round, and we could see the two Little Stints and the Dunlin in with them.
A Great White Egret was feeding in the wet grass on the edge of the ditch. The American Wigeon had not been seen since Monday and lots of birds had moved on with a change in the weather overnight on 28th. But now we noticed a rather odd belated report come through this afternoon that it was still present on Wednesday 30th. There had been no sign of any Eurasian Wigeon either here since 28th and we couldn’t see any sign of any wigeon at all here again today. Odd!
We walked on out towards the beach. The pools beyond the bridge are now drying out fast but we did find two distant Bar-tailed Godwits. Up onto the shingle, it was even mistier offshore now than it had been this morning. We could only just see the large flock of Common Scoter very distant off towards Sheringham, but they were very hard to make out. One for another day, perhaps.
We decided to have a quick look round at Babcock Hide. Along Attenborough Walk, there was nothing much of note out on the grazing marshes now. The small pools in the grass are all dry. Some of the Greylag Geese had goslings. There were no Yellow Wagtails with the cows beyond the path to the hide this afternoon. All we could find were just a couple of Lapwings and Redshanks on Watling Water. Back out of the hide, we flushed a single Wheatear up from the path, which flew round and landed on bush behind us.
We had time for one last short stop, so we drove back to Cley and walked out to the central hides for a quick look. The Cattle Egret was still out with the cows on the grazing marsh. Several lines of Brent Geese came up off the scrapes and flew inland to feed in the fields behind the Visitor Centre.
The Temminck’s Stint was still out on the scrapes, but was getting chased round by the Little Ringed Plovers. It started on Pat’s Pool, flew to Simmond’s Scrape for a while, then back to Pat’s Pool. A couple of times it landed much closer, before it was chased off again, good views now. The Wood Sandpiper was still out on Pat’s and we found several Common Sandpipers scattered around the scrapes now, at least three.
We could hear the Greenshanks calling over on North still from time to time. Then one flew in and landed on Simmond’s, disappearing behind the bank just to the left of the hide. It worked its way down the edge of the water and eventually came out into view right in front of the hide. Smart!
Four Yellow Wagtails flew in and two landed briefly on the bank right in front of the hide, both females. They took off again and all four landed on Whitwell Scrape, where they stopped to bathe briefly. Then they flew round again and landed further down on the bank, disappearing out of view in the vegetation.
It had been a great first day of our Spring Migration tour, with some good spring migrants seen. A nice selection of spring waders in particular. Now it was time to head back to base.
