TRANSFER FROM SOMERSET TO NORFOLK - WITH BIRDING STOPS AT LYNFORD ARBORETUM - TITCHWELL RSPB RESERVE
WEATHER; attrocious to start with,. then clear sky with windy conditions.
The drive across to Norfolk began with an horrendous start, the weather was awful, very strong winds and torrential rain, we drove in the dark leaving at 6am from Yeovil, the first couple of hours were really bad. Guy did all the driving I slept for a while and when I awoke we were on ther M25, the wind had died down and large patches of blue sky lay ahead.
We started our trip list with the common corvids but a count of 12 Red Kites in the London area was nice, we also logged Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
It was 11:15am when we arrived at Lynford, it was still quite windy but the large trees offered good shelter. We ate our picnic lunch before wandering down the track to some bird-feeders that had been attracting a lot of species in recent days.
It took my birding companion, the self-aclaimed Birding Guru, all of five minutes to find a stunning male HAWFINCH and several Brambling, one of which was a beautiful male bird. Other species coming to the feeders where: Blue, Great, Coal and Long-tailed Tits, we also saw Jay, Nuthatch, Crow, Magpie, Robin, Dunnock and Wren.
Hawfinch at Lynford Arboretum
another shot
and another - don't you just love this bird?
A walk down the main track to a small bridge produced more sightings but not many, we were more exposed to the wind and the trees would not keep still for us. A couple of Siskins flew around, we saw another Nuthatch and heard a Treecreeper but did not find it.
Brambling with its cousin the Chaffinch
two female Brambling with a Blue Tit
a single Brambling with a Blue Tit
Back at the feeders we had one more look at the Hawfinch before returning to the car at 1pm. We drove to Titchwell Reserve arriving an hour later. The first thing we done at Titchwell was to enjoy one of their magical hot-chocolate drinks, mmmmmm!!! Lush!!
The reserve staff pointed us into the direction of a roosting Tawny Owl and a roosting Woodcock, in the cafe we bumped into some friends, Sally and David, who had seen both birds and walked with us to show the exact spot of the owl and the woodcock. The Tawny behaved very well and remained in place, partially hidded and impossible to get a photo of it but it was present. The Woodcock however, had done a runner, we couldn't see it. One of Guy's most wanted sightings this year is that of a Woodcock in broad daylight, he will have wait a little longer I'm afraid.
a male Pintail taken from the Parrinder Hide at Titchwell
We said goodbye to David and Sally and walked down the main track towards the beach where a very cold blast of wind in our backs pushed us along nicely. We sat in the Parrinder Hide and scanned the main lagoon where a lot of species were hunkered down to shelter from the wind.
Hundreds of Golden Plover were joined by Lapwings, a few Dunlin, singles of Ringed Plover (my first for the year), Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Avocet, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Tufted Ducks, Pintail and Mallards. A few Linnets landed on the grassy islands with Meadow Pipits, but we never found the Water Pipit that was seen earlier.
Golden Plover with Lapwing
Over the reedbeds we saw a dozen or more of Marsh Harriers, a few Greylag Geese dropped in and not much else happened. So we walked back to the visitor's centre and took the 'Fen' Boardwalk for a second time, it was approaching 5pm and getting dark, it was time for the Woodcock irruption. Birding Guru Guy then found a Water Rail feeding in the ditch at the side of the path.
the Parinder Hide at Titchwell
In recent winter visits we had seen many woodcock flying from the wooded area around the car park out onto the marsh and grass meadows. We waited about 15 minutes and they started to emerge, all of them were in flight of course and only silhoutted against the setting sun. We saw 7 Woodcock before we called it a day. One other interesting sighting was that of a HARRIS HAWK, we saw it earlier on the ground in the woodland, feeding on a Wood Pigeon, we saw it again last thing as we left, it flew around us in the evening light, we could see that it had a full crop, poor Pigeon. We learned earlier that the Hawk had escaped from a private collection nearby!
a Dunlin in the light of the setting sun
Muntjac Deer taken at the Arboretum
63 Species went onto our Norfolk list and at least 6 went onto my year list which stands at 136 right now. We also saw five mammals today! Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer, Grey Squirrel, Brown Hare and ther lovely Brown Rat.