Mick Sway
Well-known member
North Norfolk Coast Sat 20 - 27 March 2010 - Part 1
A brief report of the more interesting sightings during our recent stay.
It’s always both a pleasure and a privilege for Tina and myself to visit North Norfolk at any time of year especially when we are lucky with the weather! It was mainly dry and sunny with temperatures in double figures, peaking mid week when on Tuesday and Wednesday, I was able to manage in shirt sleeves by mid afternoon. We arrived at our base, a reasonably priced and cosy rented cottage, in Stanhoe (near Docking), on the afternoon of Saturday 20 March.
Our daughter Kelly and partner Richard joined us on the Sunday afternoon.
The good weather provided us with the opportunity to undertake some substantial walks, taking in most of the major birding sites. From a birding point of view there were no major surprises.
During two visits to the Holkham Gap and NWT Cley, we dipped on the shorelarks and spoonbills respectively, also on the Alpine Swifts passing though Titchwell and Hunstanton.
However on the plus side we did get the firecrest at Titchwell on Sat 20 March (thanks to Penny Clarke for her help with that one) a woodcock was also showing well near the path to the visitors centre on the same day, a single snow bunting at Salthouse on Sun 21 Mar (still there on Mon 22). A gannet in Blakney harbour on Tues 23 Mar was also a scarce visitor to the area, a great crested grebe was also present.
Titchwell also hosted both water pipits on the freshwater marsh and tree sparrows on the feeders, on Sat 27 March.
We had a med gull at Snettisham, which also hosted a spectacular roost of several hundred avocet, a single greenshank was visible on the mud flats on Thursday 25. The same day as we left Stanhoe we nearly ran over an unusual green common pheasant morph, the bird was a metallic bluey green up to the neck, from which it carried the usual head markings but without the white collar.
Although we did also see yellow hammers at many other locations, a mixed flock of some 30 including corn buntings was at Choseley all week. Two common buzzards were over Stiffkey on Tues 23 Mar and another very dark phase buzzard was also nearby the same location on Thursday. The water rail in the ditch at Titchwell showed very well on Wed 25 March, and a Cetti’s at the same location on Sat 27 March.
Barn owls were showing very well as we travelled from site to site, with three hawking at Gypsy Lane on Wednesday 24 March.
A brief report of the more interesting sightings during our recent stay.
It’s always both a pleasure and a privilege for Tina and myself to visit North Norfolk at any time of year especially when we are lucky with the weather! It was mainly dry and sunny with temperatures in double figures, peaking mid week when on Tuesday and Wednesday, I was able to manage in shirt sleeves by mid afternoon. We arrived at our base, a reasonably priced and cosy rented cottage, in Stanhoe (near Docking), on the afternoon of Saturday 20 March.
Our daughter Kelly and partner Richard joined us on the Sunday afternoon.
The good weather provided us with the opportunity to undertake some substantial walks, taking in most of the major birding sites. From a birding point of view there were no major surprises.
During two visits to the Holkham Gap and NWT Cley, we dipped on the shorelarks and spoonbills respectively, also on the Alpine Swifts passing though Titchwell and Hunstanton.
However on the plus side we did get the firecrest at Titchwell on Sat 20 March (thanks to Penny Clarke for her help with that one) a woodcock was also showing well near the path to the visitors centre on the same day, a single snow bunting at Salthouse on Sun 21 Mar (still there on Mon 22). A gannet in Blakney harbour on Tues 23 Mar was also a scarce visitor to the area, a great crested grebe was also present.
Titchwell also hosted both water pipits on the freshwater marsh and tree sparrows on the feeders, on Sat 27 March.
We had a med gull at Snettisham, which also hosted a spectacular roost of several hundred avocet, a single greenshank was visible on the mud flats on Thursday 25. The same day as we left Stanhoe we nearly ran over an unusual green common pheasant morph, the bird was a metallic bluey green up to the neck, from which it carried the usual head markings but without the white collar.
Although we did also see yellow hammers at many other locations, a mixed flock of some 30 including corn buntings was at Choseley all week. Two common buzzards were over Stiffkey on Tues 23 Mar and another very dark phase buzzard was also nearby the same location on Thursday. The water rail in the ditch at Titchwell showed very well on Wed 25 March, and a Cetti’s at the same location on Sat 27 March.
Barn owls were showing very well as we travelled from site to site, with three hawking at Gypsy Lane on Wednesday 24 March.
