3rd May 2025 – Spring Migration, Day 3

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Day 3 of a 4-day Spring Migration tour in Norfolk. A mostly bright day with plenty of sunshine, but with a cold N wind picking up particularly into the afternoon. We spent most of the morning inland, then dropped down to the North Norfolk coast for the rest of the day.

Our first destination this morning was one of the Heaths. As soon as we pulled up in the car park we could hear a Turtle Dove purring in the bushes. Looking behind us, we could see it perched in the top of a large hawthorn. It was so close and through the scope we had a fantastic fill the frame view. We watched it puffing its throat out as it purred. Such a wonderful sound and such a shame it is now so scarce.

Turtle Dove
Turtle Dove – purring in the bushes

Eventually the Turtle Dove flew up and dropped down behind the trees the other side in a long glide. A Garden Warbler was singing halfheartedly further back in the blackthorns but went quiet before we could work out where exactly it was.

We set off out on the path across the heath and we hadn’t gone very far when we heard a Woodlark singing in the distance. Walking on, we found it perched in the top of a pine tree. We got it in the scope, but it was back on to us here, so after a good look we moved round to where we could see it side on.

A pair of Stonechats were flitting around in the gorse, which looked resplendent in full flower at the moment. There were lots of Linnets flying in and out of the bushes too. There is often a Dartford Warbler here, frequently with the Stonechats, but there was no sign of it this morning.

A male Yellowhammer was singing from the top of a birch tree as we walked on, so we stopped to look at it. There were two Turtle Doves purring now, one either side of the path. Further on, we heard another – though we couldn’t be sure it wasn’t one of the two having moved. We could see it perched on a dead branch in the top of a birch tree out in the middle of the heather.

Yellowhammer
Yellowhammer – singing from the birch tree

Looking up along a side path, we had a glimpse of a Dartford Warbler flying over the gorse in the distance. So we walked up to see if we could refind it. On the way, we stopped to watch a Carrion Crow which was anting in the grass by the side of the path. It was very reluctant to fly off and allowed us to get quite close before it eventually moved. We could see all the ants still in the grass where it had been. Interesting to watch.

Carrion Crow
Carrion Crow – anting in the grass

There was no sign of the Dartford Warbler now, just lots of Linnets in the gorse. It was starting to warm up and several Common Buzzards began to circle up, along with a single Kestrel. We walked back down and round to another area to try for Dartford Warbler.

There were several photographers standing here waiting for the Dartford Warblers to show themselves. One of the group glimpsed one on the top of the gorse, which seemed to drop down into the heather behind. We stood and waited for a few minutes but it didn’t reappear. We decided to try round the other side, to see if they had gone out that way, but all we could find there was another pair of Stonechats. So we walked back to where the photographers were.

One of the photographers had walked off the path into the heather. We could see why – a Dartford Warbler was feeding out in the low vegetation beyond him now. So we politely reminded him that he should stick to the path. We could see it was a female Dartford Warbler and a couple of times it flew in and out of the gorse past us. The male Dartford Warbler flew up onto the top of a gorse bush further over and sang briefly. Then the two of them disappeared again.

Dartford Warbler
Dartford Warbler – feeding in the low gorse

A Woodlark started singing further over and fluttered up. It seemed to drop down behind the trees over towards the main path but we could still hear it. We walked round that way and found it perched in a dead gorse bush. Great views in the scope now and wonderful to hear it in full song, sounding much more melancholy than a Skylark.

Woodlark
Woodlark – perched, singing

We made our way back round to the car park. When we got to where we had stopped first we found the wind had started to pick up and there was no sign of the Stonechats here now. Back towards the car park, there were a couple of Blackcaps singing in the birches and a Common Whitethroat but still no further sign of the Garden Warbler where we had heard it earlier.

We dropped down to the coast and drove round to Kelling village. A couple of House Martins flew round over the Reading Room – hopefully they will nest there again this year. Lots of Rooks were coming and going from the rookery behind the school. Setting off up the lane, there were a few finches and tits in the hedge and a Kestrel flew out and down the path ahead of us. A few Red-legged Partridges were on the edge of the cultivated field. We could hear a couple of Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs singing.

Down by the copse, a Lesser Whitethroat was rattling on the edge of the trees. We had a brief glimpse of it as it dropped down to the bottom of the hedge but it saw us and disappeared straight back in. Scanning from the gate, we could see a few Brown Hares and a couple more Red-legged Partridges on the hillside beyond. There was no Yellow Wagtails around the feet of the cows today.

The resident pair of Egyptian Geese were in the field to the west of the Water Meadow with a gaggle of Greylags. A pair of Shelducks were there too, presumably checking out the local empty rabbit burrows. Several Sand Martins were hawking low over the Water Meadow pool, together with a couple of Swallows. There wasn’t much on the pool itself though – just a couple of Gadwall – plus a pair of Lapwing and a single Redshank feeding in the wet muddy margin.

Common Whitethroat
Common Whitethroat – singing in the brambles

It was noticeably cool out here in the wind today. The warblers had mostly gone quiet, but a Reed Warbler started up in the reeds as we walked along the cross track. Down towards the Hard, a Common Whitethroat flew up singing and perched up on a curl of bramble. There were several Linnets in the bushes here too.

Linnet
Linnet – one of several, in the bushes

As we walked on, something flicked out of the reeds and across the path ahead of us. We caught a flash of the distinctive white patches in its tail, a Whinchat. It landed briefly on the brambles the other side, then flew further on and landed again, before dropping back down to the path. It was obviously trying to feed out of the wind along the track. We had some nice views of it, but it was very flighty. It flew round behind us and landed on the brambles again, then disappeared off out over the Quags. Scarce here at the best of times in spring these day, and even more so in the cold wind, Whinchat is a nice spring migrant to find.

Whinchat
Whinchat – a scarce spring migrant

Taking the track up towards the gun emplacements, we stopped to look out to sea. We could see the huge flock of Common Scoters not too far out offshore, so we set up the scope for a closer look. All the ducks started to take off and we could really appreciate just how many of them there were, hundreds and hundreds. In amongst them, we managed to pick out a couple of Velvet Scoters too, their distinctive white wing patches being particularly obvious in flight. When they landed again, it was very difficult to pick them out on the water in the wind.

Velvet Scoter
Velvet Scoter – in with the Common Scoters

Continuing on up the path, a female Wheatear was perched on the metal frame around the entrance to one of the gun emplacements. Further up still, we found a male Wheatear too, on the grass in the lee of the old radar compound. There was a Song Thrush out on the grass too, perhaps a migrant out here waiting to head off back over the sea to Scandinavia. It certainly looked greyer – the Continental subspecies of Song Thrush is greyer than the one which breeds here.

Wheatear
Wheatear – on the gun emplacements

It was exposed up here on the top path, so we decided to walk back round past the Water Meadow where it was more sheltered. There was no sign of the Whinchat now, but several people were out walking around the paths so presumably it had moved on. We had been lucky to catch it when we did. When we got back to the minibus it was time for lunch, so we drove round to the Visitor Centre at Cley.

It was a bit cooler on the picnic tables here than it had been a couple of days ago, but the sun was out and thankfully it wasn’t quite as windy as we thought it might be. There were several small groups of Brent Geese flying in and out from the fields behind and a Common Swift flew over. After lunch, we set off further west along the coast.

We thought it might be more sheltered along the path at Stiffkey Fen. It was, but it was still a bit cooler and there wasn’t much activity in the bushes down by the river. Looking across to the Fen, we could see a rather dark-looking redshank through the reeds on the water in the corner, but we couldn’t get a clear view of it. We walked on and up onto the seawall and now could see it was just a Common Redshank in breeding plumage, heavily streaked with dark.

There were several Black-tailed Godwits out feeding on the Fen too. It looks like quite a few Avocets are nesting on the island, which has been cultivated over the winter. We couldn’t immediately see any other waders on here though. There were a few Common Gulls with the Herring Gulls loafing on the dry mud.

There were more waders down in the harbour channel beyond. We counted at least six Greenshanks with a single Redshank on the mud. As we walked on, a Whimbrel was down on the water’s edge. It walked back up the mud and found a small crab which it fiddled with then swallowed. There were some walkers coming the other way down the seawall now and sandwiched between us and them it flew off away over the saltmarsh.

Whimbrel
Whimbrel – feeding in the harbour channel

Looking back to the Fen, a Spoonbill had dropped in so we got that in the scope. It was having a good preen. Looking back into the near corner, we could see three more Greenshanks on the Fen now. A couple of Stock Doves flew up from the back of the Fen and we followed them until they landed in one of the fields behind. We got the scope on them and counted nine Stock Doves together feeding round where the straw had been spread for the pigs.

We made our way round along the Coast Path to the corner, we could see dark clouds coming towards us and the wind picked up. It was distinctly chilly out here and felt like there might even be a couple of spits of rain. We had a very quick look out over the harbour. There were lots of Brent Geese out on the mud and a couple of distant Grey Plover. Two of three more Whimbrel were out on the saltmarsh. Then we decided to head back, just in case it started to rain.

Back on the seawall, a second Spoonbill was on the Fen now and one flew out past us as we walked back to the steps. A Common Sandpiper flew over the saltmarsh calling and dropped back down into one of the smaller channels out of view.

Spoonbill
Spoonbill – flew out, as we walked back

We still had time for one more stop, so we made our way further west along the coast to have a look at Burnham Norton. As we got out of the minibus, we could see lots of House Martins and Common Swifts hawking low out over the marshes. Scanning the first pool, we could see a single Common Sandpiper but it disappeared round behind one of the islands.

We set off up the path through the middle of the marshes. There were more Swifts and House Martins swooping low over our heads, the bushes and reeds were rather quiet. Lots of geese and Shelducks were hunkered down in the grass out of the wind. There was nothing in with the closer groups of cows but we could see a couple of Cattle Egrets in the long grass with the ones right out in the middle.

Common Swift
Common Swift – there were lots hawking low over the marshes

The pools further out towards the seawall are looking great at the moment, holding on to much more water than the ones at Holkham and Burnham Overy. But there were not many different birds on here today. A single Ruff was the only migrant. There were several Avocets on their nests and a few Shoveler in the wet grass. A Great White Egret flew up from one of the pools by the path ahead of us.

Avocet
Avocet – on the nest

Up on the seawall, we looked out over the saltmarsh beyond. Two Little Terns were on the mud in the channel, so we got those in the scope. A Whimbrel flew over and dropped down out of view. Scanning the larger pools in the reeds, the only different thing we managed to find was a single drake Wigeon.

It wasn’t as windy up here now as we had feared and, with the wind at our backs, we decided to walk back round on the seawall. A Spoonbill flew in over Burnham Overy channel and landed in a small pool out on the saltmarsh, where it was joined shortly after by another two. A canteen of Spoonbills? There were a few Oystercatchers, Redshanks and Avocets feeding in the muddy channels. A pair of Tufted Ducks were in one of the ditches on the grazing marsh the other side, and a Little Grebe was lurking in the edge of another.

Back along the path to the village, we stopped to scan the pools here again. The Common Sandpiper was much easier to see from here, but it was hard to keep the scopes still.

It had been a productive day, despite the more challenging weather this afternoon. Time to head back for tea and cake.

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