Out with the old and in with the new

On the 28th Debs and I visited Ludham and the area around St. Benet's Abbey, without doubt one of my favourite places in Norfolk. On arriving in the small car-park, a Short-eared Owl was hunting right out front, cruising by scanning the long grass. A superb start! We enjoyed the Owl for a while before heading back down the track towards where we had seen a group of wild Swans on the drive down. Sure enough, there were 36 Bewick here and further towards Catfield we could hear the call of a group of Whoopers. A single Barn Owl hunted the far river bank, and the Cormorants headed to roost overhead. There is something eerie yet familiar about the Abbey, and the big skies and open country make for an evocative cocktail of the best of Norfolk.

Yesterday, the final day of 2014, Debs and I walked round the marsh (quite literally round the block) and enjoyed calls of a 1/2 pinging Bearded Tit. This is the first time I have had them so close to home, and hopefully they will stay to breed this year, be it here or Church Marsh.

This morning I blew the cobwebs away and walked round the block again. 27 Species which for a change have all been Birdtracked! Highlights were a male and female Bullfinch feeding with a mixed Tit flock, Sparrowhawk and calling Water Rail and Cetti's. Not a bad start to the year, and I hope to have that total up to at least 50 by the time I go back to work on Monday.

For me on a personal level, 2014 will be tough to beat having married Debs and moved to Surlingham. This year, I am looking forward to our main honeymoon in (Thailand?) and a trip to Scotland in April. I want to make the most of the breeding season in both the Brecks and The Broads, and ultimately have a good year at Church Marsh after a couple of leaner years. I continue to meet some top folk through birding and hopefully this will be the case again in 2015. All the best guys and girls. To all readers of my blog- I wish you a happy and bird filled 2015.

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Grey Phalarope- a new patch bird

The 7th of April was another bitterly cold Spring day, hats and gloves in prime position on pegs and in bags ready to be deployed. A few brave Garganey have been reported north of the river, but it was a bird from the north itself that had me rushing for the thermals and the telescope late in the day. I was thankful for the local Whatsapp group who were quick to report that a Grey Phalarope had been seen on Rockland Broad. This tiny Wader would have come in on the northerlies over the last few days, although to grace one of the broads is a real surprise, since most stick pretty close to the coast before moving on. Indeed, my experience of the birds has usually been on a sea watch in the Autumn, waves crashing and foam flying, my eyes straining to pick them out as they fly low just above the surf. They are fantastic birds, and now one was here on the patch. I had a brief panic when I realised my scope was in my car at the garage (thankfully I do have a much older spare) but once the ho

A change is as good as a rest

Casting my mind back to February 14th, survival rather than love was in the air for the birds of the Yare Valley. Tramping across the Surlingham corner of the patch, I recorded 8 Woodcock within 2 hours. These Cryptic Waders had been forced out of hiding, and even amongst the woodland floor they were easier than usual to spot against a backdrop of snow. The small pine wood opposite the church and adjacent to the parking area held at least 2 birds, creeping around and huddled up low to the ground. A further investigation of likely habitat around Church Marsh and I was presented with 6 more, a record count for me in a single day. I hope they made it through the trial sent from the north in the form of ice and snow. A Great Egret exploring a dyke at Postwick must've been thinking twice about the whole range expansion thing. However, a small Squadron of Bewick's Swan and a single Goosander over Claxton fitted the mise en scene nicely during this period. That image and that day fee

Foulden Common- Skippers and a Hairstreak

Been meaning to get to Foulden Common for what feels like years, and it probably is that in terms of timescale! I recall being poorly last Spring, and my days put aside for a Butterfly hunt there were postponed. Before long, the mid-summer doldrums had set in and all thought of Norfolk's scarce Skipper species were put on hold until 2019. And so despite the overcast conditions and lack of some Bird Therapy, I headed out this morning. Arriving from the direction of Mundford, travelling through Foulden village and approaching an S bend, I noticed a small bowl-shaped pull in. Doubling back I parked up, walked through two gates and began searching the common land. The first 45 minutes had me cursing the lack of sun and planning my next free morning before returning to work. A pair of Common Blue and Small Copper gave some hope, and a hoarse Cuckoo and 2+ Garden Warbler were clearly harbingers of warmer fronts moving in. As the sun threatened to bust through the clouds, I pic

Notes from the valley

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