19 March 2010
Steve, DAS and I set off from Manthorpe, Lincolnshire today at 6am to see if we could break our Winter (Mid March) bird race record of 94 birds seen by all three of us in a day. The record was set back in 2004 by DAS and I and while we have equalled it a couple of times since we have never been able to beat it!
We didn’t get off to a great start as in ’04 we already had 9 birds in the bag by 6am, whereas this year’s count didn’t start until 0601! It was a nice day, with blue skies when we set off, although the sun had yet to show itself so it was still rather cool.
0600 Hours Total = 0 (’04 = 9)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first stop after picking up a number of birds from my mother’s garden and surrounding fields was down Wilsthorpe Road (Photo1), a mile from Manthorpe, where Steve and DAS picked up Corn Bunting’s for their year list. There must have been 40-50 birds in one bush, a very healthy flock!
By the time we got to Greatford, another couple of miles away, we should have been celebrating, as we were 4 birds up on ’04. However DAS saw a Kingfisher that neither Steve nor I could lock onto despite searching the manicured grounds of Greatford Hall!
0700 Hours Total = 33 (’04 = 29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over the next hour we just stopped for a couple of minutes at both Tallington and Peakirk without even getting out of the car as we had decided it was better to get to Norfolk as early as possible. Therefore we ended up one bird down on the 41 seen in ’04 by 0800 hours.
0800 Hours Total = 40 (’04 = 41)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After dipping on Golden Pheasant at Wolfreton Triangle (Steve was smiling as he had seen one a couple of weeks earlier!) we stopped at the car park there (Photo 2) where our first Chiffchaff of the year was singing in a tree.
147.Chiffchaff---------------------Wolfreton---------------------England
We then headed down to Dersingham Bog in search of Wood Lark, dipping on them but picking up some good birds including Green Woodpecker, Crossbill, Stonechat and Marsh Harrier. Again DAS saw a bird that we didn’t, a Short Eared Owl dropping out of a tree (that later the Ranger said is often where it is seen) onto the ground. This still left us one short of the record come 0900 hours.
0900 Hours Total = 48 (’04 = 49)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We probably stayed at Dersingham too long as we only added another three birds over the next hour falling further behind on the record!
1000 Hours Total = 51 (’04 = 54)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next stop was Sandringham to check out the feeders but the only bird we added to our day list was a Coal Tit. The gap to the record again increasing with just the one bird in that hour!
1100 Hours Total = 52 (’04 = 57)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As we left Sandringham and headed towards Hunstanton we picked up a Common Gull in a field at Heacham and then an Oystercatcher in the usual school playing field on the outskirts of Hunstanton. Down to the sailing club car park in Hunstanton we were pleased to see that the Fulmars had returned and that there were several of the usual shore birds on the beach.
148.Fulmar---------------------Hunstanton------------------------England
Before visiting the Titchwell reserve we nipped up the road towards Choseley Barns confident that we would pick up the Little Owl in its normal tree. No chance, even after three further attempts later in the day, but we did pick up a Curlew. The gap to the record remained the same!
1200 Hours Total = 60 (’04 = 65)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Titchwell it was food time before we lucked in on the reported Firecrest as well as the very obliging Woodcock that got Steve into photography mode. Consequently we only added these two birds in the next hour, the gap now growing!
1300 Hours Total = 62 (’04 = 69)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entering the reserve we picked up a Water Rail (Photo 5) either side of the path and over the next hour birds were coming at us like confetti with 20 additions to the day list, including a number of Sand Martins flying in off the sea, taking us four ahead of the record. Things were looking up!
149.Sand Martin------------------Titchwell-------------------------England
1400 Hours Total = 82 (’90 = 78)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As we made our way down to the beach we added a further ten species over the next hour, including a Peregrine falcon flying over. There must have also been a couple of thousand Common Scoter out on the sea, but we couldn’t pick out a Velvet Scoter. Still we were happy as we were 14 up on the previous record at this time!
1500 Hours Total = 92 (’04 = 78)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After returning to the car and heading off for Holkham DAS’s acute hearing locked onto a Goldcrest as we drove through Burnham Overy, the weather being warm enough to have the windows open. Sure enough at the top of a tall conifer there was the bird. A couple of other birders stopped to see what these three chaps were all craning their necks to see!
1600 Hours Total = 93 (’04 = 83)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Between there and Holkham I picked out a Barn Owl and Grey Partridge, while I should have been concentrating on driving, which took us up to and passed our previous total record of 94 birds in a day in winter. Steve also picked out our first Pink Footed Goose of the day.
It didn’t stop there however. We turned into the Holkham estate and as we neared the main house we heard a Greater Spotted Woodpecker drumming. Before we found the bird DAS spotted a Nuthatch and seconds after the woodpecker flew over Steve found us a Treecreeper. Now we were on 99, surely we could find just one more bird to take us to 100!?
1700 Hours Total = 99 (’04 = 90)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There was nothing at Holkham gap, the reported Shore Larks not playing ball!
1800 Hours Total = 99 (’04 = 91)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back at Hunstanton it was fish and chip time and then back to Lincolnshire
1900 - 2000 Hours Total = 99 (’04 = 93)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then we took a quick rest stop at my fathers at Kirkby Underwood
2100 Hours Total = 99 (’04 = 94)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Finally, during the drive through the back lanes between Kirkby Underwood and Manthorpe we saw two different Tawny Owls, our 100th bird of the day. With high fives and childish whoops we celebrated!
2200 Hours Total = 100 (’04 = 94)
Next bird race will be in mid May where we have to try and beat the 115 birds seen in 2008!
A full list of birds seen today, are listed below in alphabetical order: -
Avocet, Bar Tailed Godwit, Barn Owl, Black Headed Gull, Black Tailed Godwit, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Brent Goose, Buzzard, Canada Goose, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Common Gull, Common Scoter, Coot, Cormorant, Corn Bunting, Crossbill, Curlew, Dunlin, Dunnock, Egyptian Goose, Feral Pigeon, Fieldfare, Firecrest, Fulmar, Gadwall, Goldcrest, Goldeneye, Goldfinch, Great Crested Grebe, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Green Woodpecker, Greenfinch, Grey Heron, Grey Partridge, Grey Plover, Greylag Goose, Herring Gull, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Knot, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Linnet, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Long Tailed Tit, Magpie, Mallard, Marsh Harrier, Meadow Pipit, Mistle Thrush, Moorehen, Mute Swan, Nuthatch, Oystercatcher, Peregrine, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Pink Footed Goose, Pintail, Pochard, Red Breasted Merganser, Red Legged Partridge, Redshank, Redwing, Reed Bunting, Ringed Plover, Robin, Rook, Ruff, Sand Martin, Sanderling, Shelduck, Shoveler, Skylark, Snipe, Song Thrush, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Stockdove, Stonechat, Tawny Owl, Teal, Treecreeper, Tufted Duck, Turnstone, Water Pipit, Water Rail, Wigeon, Woodcock, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer.
Total Mileage in 2010 = 1,791.5miles
