Day 2 of a 2-day Winter Weekend Tour in Norfolk. After a light frost overnight and a lovely clear start, it clouded over quickly during the morning. The wind picked up and got particularly blustery into the afternoon before the rain eventually arrived around 3pm. We spent the day on the North Norfolk coast and made the most of the morning.
Given the forecast, we headed first for Holme this morning. We also wanted to get there before it got too busy and too disturbed. On the drive over, there were lots of Red Kites hanging in the breeze or trying to scavenge carrion from the road. Several Common Buzzards were perched in the sunshine, warming themselves. It was already starting to cloud over from the west when we arrived.
As we walked across the golf course, a Stonechat was perched on the sea buckthorn and a Grey Heron game up from a ditch by one of the fairways. Over the top of the dunes, several Skylarks fluttered up from the saltmarsh beyond and one started singing. A couple of Rock Pipits flew round calling too before dropping back down in the long grass.
There were lots of people out early this morning, making the most of the bright start. Several dogs were running round loose on the beach. A group of Sanderling and a few Turnstones were trying to settle to feed on the high tide line. The tide was out and looking out over the sea beyond, we could see a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers just offshore and a few Great Crested Grebes. A Red-throated Diver flew past further out.
As we walked down along the beach towards Old Hunstanton, we kept stopping to scan. It didn’t take long before we found the long-staying juvenile Glaucous Gull out on the edge of the water. We got the scope on it and could see its pale wingtips and distinctive pink bill with ‘dipped-in-ink’ black tip.
Not much further, we could see three photographers lying on the tide line, in a tight circle. That would be where the Shorelarks were then! The birds normally work their way up and down the line of washed-up vegetation, but they were surrounded and had nowhere to go now. So when a dog ran past it was no surprise that the Shorelarks flew. Thankfully, they just circled round and landed on the sand a little further back.
We walked on quickly and got the scope on them. The Shorelarks were feeding on the top of the dune ridge now, digging out buried vegetation from the sand to get to the seeds. They flew round again, but came back in. As several people were standing in their favourite feeding spot now, they landed on the top of the beach again.
We had received a message earlier to say that the Snow Buntings which had been feeding here had been repeatedly flushed by dogs and flown off towards Holme. While we were watching the Shorelarks, we turned to see a small group of Snow Buntings fly back in and land on the shingle on the south side of the saltmarsh. We got them in the scope now too. There were around 30 in this flock, about half of the total which had been here earlier.
The Snow Buntings flew up a couple of times and landed back on the shingle, but when they took off again they flew round and the next thing we knew they landed right beside us, just a few metres away. Stunning close views now as they ran around on the sand, picking at the tufts of vegetation. We admired the variation, from the palest adult males to the darkest 1st winters, possibly a mix of Scandinavian and Icelandic birds too.
Three for the price of one here, we had enjoyed good views now of all the main target birds here. As we walked slowly back, a couple of Ringed Plovers and a little group of Dunlin flew in and landed in a pool in one of the dune slacks. As we got back to the path to Holme, another small flock of Snow Buntings whirled round and landed on the sand ahead of us. The other half of the bigger flock which had gone missing from further down the beach.
Cutting in over the dunes, a large flock of chattering Brent Geese came up from the fields inland and out towards us. Some headed off west over the beach, but the rest turned and headed back the way they had come.
We made our way round to Titchwell next. The main car park was full and a coach was parked at the far end – popular here today. As we made our way in from the car park, we checked the bushes. A Treecreeper was feeding on the underside of a horizontal branch in the corner nearest the car park.
After checking in at the Visitor Centre, we headed out along Fen Trail first. There was no sign of any Woodcock today, but we were a bit late and it was quite busy along the trails this morning, probably too much disturbance. The Tawny Owl was in its usual tree, with its head in the ivy thinking it couldn’t be seen. We stopped and got the scope on it.
Out at Patsy’s Reedbed, it was much easier viewing with the new cut-down screen. There were still several Coot and Gadwall here as usual, as well as a few Tufted Ducks and Teal. Scanning the cut reeds, we found six Common Snipe. They were awake today and feeding, rather than being asleep as they normally are.
Scanning over the reeds beyond, we could see a couple of Marsh Harriers, including a smart grey male which drifted over the back of the pool. A couple of Spoonbills flew up in the distance, over beyond Brancaster beach, but quickly dropped down again before everyone could see them.
Cutting round via Meadow Trail, as we came out onto the main path again we could see several people looking down into the ditch. We walked back a short way and could see the Water Rail they were watching, although it was well hidden at first under a tangle of thick branches. It started to come out into the open, but there was quite a bit of noise and it ran quickly along the water and in under the brambles further up.
Heading out past the reedbed, we stopped to look at the pool. As well as the regular ducks, we found a couple of female Common Pochard diving out in the middle, which we got in the scope.
The water level on the Freshmarsh is very high on all three compartments now, so there wasn’t much on here today. A few Wigeon and Teal were scattered around the edges of the bunds and the tiny bits of the islands still showing, but no Pintail here today. There were a few Lapwing too and scanning round we managed to dig out a single Golden Plover bathing just beyond the further bund.
The top of Avocet Island is still just visible above the flood on the eastern compartment. There were a couple of Black-tailed Godwits feeding on the flooded grass among the ducks and six Dunlin. A couple of Pied Wagtails were out there too, but we couldn’t see any pipits at this stage.
With the forecast of rain from possibly as early as 1pm, we decided to press on straight out towards the beach while the weather held. The wind was already starting to pick up now. There were not many waders in the channel at the far side of Volunteer Marsh, a couple of Curlew, a Black-tailed Godwit, and a few Redshank.
Out on the Tidal Pool, we finally found all the Pintail. A larger group were swimming around towards the back and some of the drakes were displaying to the females. Another pair were upending by the bank and further up, a 1st winter drake was swimming across the increasingly choppy waters.
There were a few more waders on here, a small flock of Dunlin, a couple of Turnstones, several more Black-tailed Godwits. With the higher water levels on the Freshmarsh, the Avocets have retreated out here to roost – although still only four of the ones which have overwintered here so far, no sign of any returning here yet. At the far side, just beyond the concrete bunker, several Linnets and Skylarks were feeding on the seed put out for them.
Out on the beach, we could get out of the wind in the lee of the dunes. The small Common Scoter flock was just offshore and, helpfully, when we arrived the Velvet Scoters were all in one group at the far end of the flock making them much easier to pick out. We quickly got them in the scope so everyone could have a good look. We could see at least four Velvet Scoters today. There were a few Red-breasted Mergansers out on the sea too, off towards Scolt, but we couldn’t find any other ducks now. Three or four Red-throated Divers flew past further out.
The tide was already coming in and the mussel beds were covered with water. The Oystercatchers were starting to gather on the sand off towards Brancaster. A couple of Grey Plovers were feeding on the shore in front of us. A single Bar-tailed Godwit flew past, showing off its not-black-and-white wings, and looking off along the beach to the west we found a large flock of Bar-tailed Godwits feeding on the wet sand. A little later then flew up and circled round in front of us before heading off west, presumably looking for somewhere to roost.
Heads down, we made our way back into the wind. Thankfully the rain was still holding off. A close Redshank was feeding right by the path on Volunteer Marsh now, as we passed. Back into the trees, it was a bit more sheltered. A small crowd was gathered on the path and we assumed at first they would be watching the Water Rail. But several were looking at a Muntjac below and others at an odd-looking raptor perched in the trees. An escaped Harris’s Hawk, it was apparently lost by a local falconer a few days ago.
Back at the Visitor Centre, it was time for a welcome hot drink and lunch. We managed to eat on the picnic tables outside, which were sheltered by the trees. The rain helpfully held off until we had finished but it then finally started spitting just as we packed up. With the forecast still for heavy rain this afternoon, we needed to avoid long walks or standing around now, so we decided to head back east and try to see a couple of things close to the road on the way.
We stopped in at Brancaster Staithe briefly. There was no sign of the Spoonbills we had seen earlier from the slipway, but they had probably dropped into the creeks out of view. There were several Turnstones and a single Grey Plover around the parking area and lots of Oystercatchers picking over the discarded mussels.
The Green-winged Teal had been seen at Holkham again the last couple of days and was still present late morning. We drove over to Lady Anne’s Drive to see if we could find it. A couple of Red Kites were drifting over the grazing marshes as we arrived, flushing all the ducks. It was very windy when we got out, but we walked up the drive looking through the groups of regular Eurasian Teal. There were lots of Wigeon feeding on the grass and whirling round and several Shoveler on the pools. A single Ruff flew past over the Drive.
There were not as many Teal here as there had been but there were still quite a few on the west side of the road at the top. They were mostly hunkered down in the grass or down in the dips on the edges of the pools, out of the wind, so they were not easy to see. It was tricky to keep the scope from blowing over too! We walked down to the far end, stopping to check regularly from different angles, but we couldn’t find the Green-winged Teal now. What we needed was the Red Kites to stir things up, but they seemed to have retreated back to the Park.
At least the rain was still largely holding off, but it wasn’t particularly pleasant in the very blustery wind. We decided to press on and try one more thing. By the time we got to Stiffkey, the heavier rain was finally starting to arrive. We parked on Greenway and walked down the steps opposite where it was at least a little more sheltered in the trees. The Glossy Ibis had been here still earlier but there was no sign of it either now. Perhaps not a surprise in the wind. There were just a few Black-tailed Godwits, a couple of Redshank, a Curlew and several Common Snipe feeding in the wet grass now.
We beat a quick retreat back to the minibus. Unfortunately the weather had caught up with us now and it was time to call it a day and head back for tea and cake in the warm. It was so different from the sunny start as we drove back to base, but at least we had made the most of it and had a very successful day before the conditions deteriorated.
