Day 3 of a 3-day Winter Birds, Brecks & Goshawks tour. After another frosty start, though not as hard as yesterday’s, it was another gloriously sunny day. We spent the day in North-West Norfolk.
Our first destination this morning was Titchwell, but we drove over via Choseley. There were a few Yellowhammers in the hedges but, despite winding down the windows, there was nothing singing in the early morning sunshine. There were still lots of Red-legged Partridges in the fields – it seems to be a recurring theme, way more released than can ever be shot, left to roam the countryside and eat anything remaining that could have fed some of the wild birds through the period when food is at its shortest. This used to be such a good area for farmland birds, sad to see how badly it has deteriorated in recent years.
Moving on, there were already quite a lot of cars in the car park at Titchwell when we arrived. A couple of Robins appeared instantly next to the minibus, come to see if any food was on offer. We walked in slowly down towards the Visitor Centre, but couldn’t find anything under the sallows this morning. The hope was for a Woodcock, but they often disappear deeper in the more people walk up and down past them.
We headed out along Fen Trail first. The only birds we could find under the sallows here were a couple of Moorhens. We stopped to look at the Tawny Owl in its usual tree and quickly realised there were actually two Tawny Owls there. With one directly behind the other, they weren’t both easy to resolve in the leaves though. Through the scope, we could just see the bill and an eye of one of them, and the left wing of the second.
There wasn’t very much on Patsy’s Pool today – a couple of Tufted Ducks, Coot and Mute Swans. A single Common Snipe was asleep initially on the edge of the water but did wake up and come out briefly. A Water Rail appeared a couple of times along the edge of the reeds but scuttled in before everyone could see it. When it came out a third time, it stood in the open for a while, trying to decide what it wanted to do. Then it flew low across over the water and dived straight into the bulrushes the other side.
We could hear Mediterranean Gulls calling and picked up a couple flying over the reedbed. Their translucent white wingtips really stood out. They turned back and dropped down towards the Freshmarsh, so we were hopeful we might find one or two there later and get them in the scopes. Several Marsh Harriers were perched in the bushes and trees in the early morning sunshine. A small group of Long-tailed Tits and Blue Tits were feeding in the bulrushes and flew up into the sallows next to us.
As we made our way back and cut round on Meadow Trail, we continued to scan under the sallows. Success! We found a Woodcock asleep in a tangle of tree trunks now. It was quite deep in, which was probably why it hadn’t been disturbed yet, and we were able to get it in the scope, though partly obscured by the branches. It woke up and stood looking at us with its big beady eye (all the better for seeing in the dark!).
Out on the main path, we walked out to the reedbed. It was surprisingly quiet today, despite being sunny and fairly still. Looking out over the old Thornham ‘pool’, a couple of pipits dropped down into the grass. This can be a good area for Water Pipits, but despite scanning, we couldn’t find them again. It is too overgrown on here now. There were lots of ducks on the Reedbed Pool, particularly lots of Common Pochard and Tufted Ducks. A couple of Little Grebes were along the edge of the reeds.
Further up, the water levels on all three compartments of the Freshmarsh are very high, so much so that the water appeared to be flowing over the new bunds in their lowest spots. Most of the islands are still completely under water. There were a few Black-headed Gulls which seemed to be looking for their breeding islands, one perched on the top of the water level measuring post which was just sticking out. The top of Avocet Island was just visible, over the back, and we did eventually dig out three Mediterranean Gulls in with a small group of Black-headed Gulls there.
There were quite a few Golden Plovers roosting on the bund. Another couple of small flocks flew in calling and circled down to join them. A handful of Lapwings were with them and a couple of Common Snipe flew up along the edge of the water. A small group of Avocets were roosting on the top of Avocet Island at the back, no sign of significant numbers returning here yet, along with a few Black-tailed Godwits.
Groups of Brent Geese were continually flying in and out over our heads, calling. Duck numbers seem to be thinning out – there were a few Teal and Wigeon still – though not clear if they have just moved on elsewhere locally. A smart drake Shoveler was on the pool on the saltmarsh the other side of the path, in the sunshine.
High tide had been at around 8am this morning, and it was a big tide. We decided to press on out towards the beach before it went too far out. We stopped to scan up along the tidal channel at the far side of Volunteer Marsh, which was just draining. There were a few Curlew and Redshank, but the highlight here were several Grey Plover on the mud. We got the closest of them in the scopes for a good look.
There were not many waders left on the Tidal Pool which might have roosted here over the high tide, just a few Redshanks and Turnstones. A few more Avocets were feeding out here in the shallower water. And more ducks, including three Pintail which were upending, the drakes showing off their long pin-shaped central tail feathers.
Out on the beach, the tide was still going out and the mussel beds still covered. There were a few people down along the tide line and most of the waders were feeding off in the distance to the west, up towards Thornham Point. Three Sanderling were running in and out of the waves. When all the waders were flushed from further up, one Bar-tailed Godwit landed in a channel on the beach in front of us, great views now in the sunshine. We could see all the feather detail of its upperparts through the scopes.
Scanning the sea, we could see a small raft of Common Scoter just offshore. A few Red-breasted Mergansers were catching the sun out on the water further east, with two immature drake Goldeneye diving in front of them. There were lots of Great Crested Grebe on the sea, in various stages of moult to breeding plumage now. At first, we couldn’t find the Great Northern Diver which had been reported here earlier but then picked it up flying in from the west a long way out. When it landed and started diving, it proved impossible to see. We did find an equally distant Red-throated Diver too, but it stood out slightly more with its much whiter head and neck.
A report had come through that there was a Jack Snipe on the Freshmarsh now, so we decided to head back and see if we could find it. When we arrived, someone was thankfully watching it as it was asleep in the vegetation and very hard to see if you didn’t know where it was, looking into the sun. We got it in the scopes, and from time to time it would just lift its head and look round, showing off its shorter bill and dark central crown.
After a while the Jack Snipe woke up, stretched and started to bob up and down as it walked slowly down to the water’s edge. That was more like it! It looked like it might start feeding but then suddenly took off and flew up, over the water, up over the bank and out over the saltmarsh beyond. It had been forced off the saltmarsh by this morning’s high tide and now it had receded, it was heading back out there.
A couple of Mediterranean Gulls had come in a bit closer and were now standing on the bund, beyond the Golden Plover. A much better view of them, as well as their white wingtips, we could see their more extensive jet black hoods and heavier, brighter red bills.
We walked back to the Visitor Centre for lunch. On the way, we stopped by the reedbed to listen, but it was still all quiet apart from a brief shout from a Cetti’s Warbler. A Water Pipit flew up from the old Thornham ‘pool’ now but dropped down again quickly, before most of the group could get onto it. Settled in on the picnic tables in the sunshine, a Siskin was feeding in the alders above the Welcome Hub. After lunch, we decided to move on. We had done so well over the last couple of days, there were just a couple of things we hadn’t seen, so we went to try to find them.
There had been a male Greater Scaup on one of the pits at Snettisham over the last few days and it was reported still present this morning. We parked in the RSPB car park and walked out. There were a few Tufted Ducks on Pit 2 and we quickly found the Scaup with them. We had to find a gap in the hedge where we would not be looking into the sun, but we were then rewarded with great close up views through the scope.
That had taken no time at all, but with the tide out we decided against walking on down to the edge of the Wash. There have been some Snow Buntings at Heacham this winter, probably the most consistent and accessible ones along the coast in recent weeks. However, we were slightly nervous they might have been pushed off by the number of people and dogs out on the beach in the sunny weather today. Still, it was just around the corner and we had time available to look now, so we decided to give it a go.
Parking in the South Beach car park, we bought a ticket for a couple of hours, thinking we might have to spend a bit of time to track them down. We walked up onto the top of the seawall to look out at the Wash beyond as everybody gathered. But before we could even look out, we noticed movement on the high tideline right in front of us. Snow Buntings – it had taken us all of a minute to find them! We set up the scopes and had a great view as they fed in the sunshine in front of us.
There were only five Snow Buntings here but there had been a group of around 14, so presumably the others were further up or down the beach. They fed very quietly until two people walked right up along the tideline until they almost stood on them. The Snow Buntings flew out and landed on the rocks on the wet sand below the outfall sluice. They did come back up to the beach further north after a while, but were then flushed again by two dogs and flew off. We had been lucky with our timing.
Looking out over the Wash, the tide was out. We could see lots of gulls gathered on the wet sand, mostly Black-headed Gulls and Common Gulls. We could hear Mediterranean Gulls calling and picked out one in the nearest group of gulls. A Lesser Black-backed Gull was bathing in the shallow water nearby.
Most of the waders were a long way out, though we could make out lots of Curlew on the sand towards Hunstanton. A large flock of Knot came up in the distance, like a smoke cloud, and whirled round in the sky before dropping back down. We could see them through the scopes though they were too far out to make out any detail. Several Common Seals were hauled out on one of the sandbars too, loafing in the afternoon sun.
It had been a very productive afternoon, and the success came much quicker than expected too. With people heading off home and with long drives ahead, we decided to head back. It had been a very enjoyable three days with lots of good birds. And still time for tea and cake one last time if we are quick!
