OLD HUNSTANTON BEACH - KEN HILL MARSHES - TITCHWELL - WARHAM GREENS
WEATHER: cold all day with a bitterly cold light-wind, top temp 9C
It was really nippy out today, you needed your thermals on along with gloves, hats and woolly socks. We drove to Holme-next-to-the-Sea and parked the car next to the golf course. We then walked across the Golf Course and into the sand dunes and onto the marsh before crossing onto the beach. We had walked a mile before we reached the shingle bank that was our destination.
Along the way we saw a variety of sea birds and gulls also Chaffinches, Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Linnets. Some waders were milling about on the marsh too, we saw Curlew, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Redshank, Ringed Plover and Dunlin. On the side of the path we flushed a Snow Bunting, the bird flew a few meters ahead of us and settled down again, what a little beauty!
Snow Bunting at Old Hunstanton Beach
On the shingle bank we located the carcass of a dead seal, on which, for the past week or so, a juvenile GLAUCOUS GULL had been feeding. We staked out the corpse for a while but the gull did not show. Other birders we looking at something a little further ahead, Guy went over to investigate. A second Seal corpse was located over the ridge but the gull was not there either.
Looking across to Old Hunstanton Lighthouse form the shingle ridge
Dipstick Guy had forgotten a couple things and needed to drive back to our rented digs to collect them, he dashed off and I stayed for a while scanning the beach and shoreline. The Gull did not turn up, but I did add a few species to the trip list, such as: Knot, Sanderling, Fulmar, Red-throated Diver and Great Black-backed Gull.
We met up again back at the car park having seen our first Stonechat of the trip, then we drove the short distance to Snettisham but instead of visiting the RSPB Reserve we walked along an embankment to view Ken Hill Marshes. Along with about 30 other birders we viewed the marshes and located our target species the LESSER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. This is a mega for the UK and a lifer for Guy. However, a little water was thrown onto our fire of enthusiam when we learned that the Geese (all 22 of them) had flown from Sweden where they had been a part of a "raise and release" scheme, they were reared in captivity and released into the wild.
some of the rare group of 22 Lesser White-fronted Goose at Ken Hill Marsh
acloser look at the Lesser WF Goose - you can see the obvious eye-ring, the white face shield and the short pink bill
A bunch of birders watching the Lesser White-fronted Geese
From Ken Hill Marshes we drove to Titchwell. It was 11:30 when we arrived at the visitor's centre, we dropped into the cafe and had a hot chocolate and a delicous bacon bap, yummy (a great idea, Guy).
Next we walked around the Fen Trail to look for a Woodcock which apparently had been showing again, of course, it had gone by the time we got there. We walked all the way down to the beach making many stops to scan the feshwater lagoon and the brackish marshland.
we got very close views of a pair of Pintails - male shown
female Pintail.
We saw a good variety of waders, some of them new to our list. Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Lapwing, Avocet, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits, Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Curlew, Redshank, Common Snipe and Ringed Plover.
Bar-tailed Godwit with Avocets and a Teal in flight
On the beach we were a little sheltered from the cold wind, we enjoyed a good 30-40 minutes scanning the shore and the open sea. We saw many Sanderling, Knot, Dunlin, Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers and Turnstones on the beach and out at sea we located a number of species.
A large raft of Common Scoter sat out in the middle-distance and after a while we picked a Long-tailed Duck and at least two Velvet Scoters. Several Red-throatded Divers flew past, we also found a single Goldeneye, a couple of Great Crested Grebes and Guy got onto an 'auk' species which was too far out to identify.
We scanned the lagoons on the way back to the visitor's centre but we couldn't find the Spotted Redshank or the Water Pipit, both of which were on our most wanted list.
It was now approaching 3pm and we needed to be off and away to Warham Greens near Wells-next-to-the-Sea so that we could watch the raptors come in to roost. Along the way we saw, not one, but two, Barn Owls and also added Egyptian Goose to our goosey list.
We arrived in good time, the bright sun was now low on the horizon delivering one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. To top that, all the birds of prey we had hoped for came out to play. Guy spotted one of two Short-eared Owls, then shortly afterwards a Barn Owl quartered the marsh. Red Kites and Marsh Harriers drifted over and then a female (Ringtail) Hen Harrier flew in front of us. A couple of other birders standing next to us pointed out a Merlin perched distantly, it was a male, then a little later a second Merlin (female) flew in and landed close to the male.
a skein of Pink-footed Geese over Warham Greens
The headliner raptor species was of course the PALLID HARRIER, this little beggar made us wait in the cold, but it did eventually show up. It gave us a fantastic show by sitting on the top rail of a wooden fence over a small bridge. Everyone saw it well.
a blaze of colour over the marshes (I haven't enhanced this picture one little iota!).
It took another twenty minutes before the Pallid Harrier moved again, it was almost dark when it did so. In the meantime we had a fantastic time watching the huge numbers of Pink-footed Geese flying out to the shoreline to roost, there was thousands and thousands of them. We even saw a flock a Barnacle Geese giving us our seventh species of Goose seen today!!
Finally it got dark and the marsh began to grow quiet, we walked back up the muddy track to our car and drove back into Wells where we bought our fish 'n' chips beforte driving 'home'.