posted 29 Feb 2012 12:14 by Andy Birder
February, ah that time of year for trawling through the endless Common Gulls moving through east Norfolk! At Coltishall today, a lunch time visit got me brief views of a (returning?) pale iris Common Gull, very much of the ilk of last February's bird (here) , and at least another two individuals with pale iris's (though more subtle than the former). Also here a Mediterranean Gull was my first sighting at this site. Later in the day a stop just outside North Walsham to look at what I initially thought was a LBB Gull from the car also turned out to be a Common Gull - too much variation in one species me thinks! Where's Wally? best to just keep driving... |
posted 16 Feb 2012 12:49 by Andy Birder
Acting on a strong hunch, a visit to my regular private lake pleasantly paid off in the form of a pair of Smew keeping as far away from me as they possibly could. I had been hoping to get one here over the past couple of weeks during the cold snap and thought I may have missed my chance, when seemingly they were arriving everywhere. A Peregrine put in an appearance shortly after, enhancing a good couple of minutes birding with a Green Sandpiper calling overhead. Oh, why Weasel Coot? An old Norfolk name for Smew, apparently relating to the female 'redhead' , with her slim, slinky chestnut head stripe, like a Weasel - full of useless s**t me!
Smew
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posted 5 Feb 2012 02:29 by Andy Birder
A bird just outside TG23 was to good an oppotunity to miss, and with an appointment close-by last week, I managed to see this bird well, albeit a bit distant. Never the less a cracking bird, as usual.
Rough-legged Buzzard - As is often the case this raptor was harassed by the local corvids.....
....which potentially could have been the next meal!
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posted 29 Jan 2012 14:47 by Andy Birder
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updated 5 Feb 2012 02:17
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Our recent trip Down Under coincided with the December Wollongong Pelagic, and before we left the UK I made certain I was gonna be on that boat! Now December is not a great month for Antipodean pelagics and by their own admission the trip organisers were pretty cool about it, but for this Pom (as in Brit, not jaeger!) the trip went down as one of my top days birding ever, it was fantastic, and will never be forgotten.
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
White-chinned Petrel
Grey-faced Petrel
Providence Petrel
Black-browed Albatross with Wedge-tailed Shearwaters
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posted 28 Jan 2012 03:18 by Andy Birder
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updated 28 Jan 2012 12:05
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VERY slowly getting back into the routine of things back here in North-east Norfolk. Beginning of the week saw work take me past the redpolls at Kelling, so I eased myself back in to it with a cold ten minute wait before getting good views of the COUSES ARCTIC REDPOLL here with assorted Lesser and Common 'polls.
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posted 11 Jan 2012 03:49 by Andy Birder
Greetings from Down Under.........(well you didn't think they were all in Norfolk, did you?!)
All the following were observed whilst adopting the appropriate stance - Knees slightly bent, hands with palms on top of thighs, being slowly rubbed in a forwards and backwards motion. See, you're all doing it now!
White-throated, Needle Tailed, Spine-tailed swift Swift
Pasty faced Stormie
Dont-look-at-me Albert-ross |
posted 4 Dec 2011 13:59 by Andy Birder
After having to sit this one out all week, watching the unfolding identity and counter-identity online, my quandry was whether to endure the 'Idiots Circus' (more on this later!) that is the first weekend after a good bird has been found and do a smash and grab this morning, or risk another few days for a mid week visit? I buckled fairly easily and found myself in 'Dauke's' this morning watching the bird being widely touted as a Western Sandpiper. I took in all the saliant points- bill length, lower scapular pattern, long hind toe, feeding action and also saw extended breast streaking, a constantly hunched, almost rotund profile looking distinctly un-lankey. Coming home, and after a bit of surfing on the web, I find that almost all the ID criteria overlaps between Western and Semi-palmated Sandpiper leaving me with a nasty taste of Felixstowe in the back of my mouth!
 
A nice drake American Green-winged Teal was a nice addition to the day, the vertical stripe being dazzling against all those horizontals!
Idiots Circus - The first weekend after a good bird has been found invarably attracts some bizarre characters, some what reminicent of clowns , providing incredible side-shows to the birding experience,to be looked on a-gog by the rest of us. There were a couple of top highlights here today.
Initially the bird was fairly distant to the right of the hide on Pats Pool, but the flock flew and landed straight infront of 'Dauke's' - cracking! There was the inevitable raising of voices 'there it is, right infront!' followed by a chorus of 'ssshhhhhhhh' with that, some muppet directly infront of me shouted (not loud talked-shouted,) " Kev! Kev! where are you! its here Kev, where are you its here!" followed by a second chorus, "will you 'kin shut up for Christ's sake!" What was worse was that there were eight Dunlin and the peep, and he still couldn't see it without direction.
With the hide fairly well full, but with everybody able to see, some needed to get closer, even within the restraints of the hide. A group of four 'bird spotters' were obviously not happy with their view from which ever part of the hide they were in, so they decided to sqeeze through the rest of the birders and tripods to the corner infront of me and a couple of birders beside me. The four were not exactly racing snakes and knocked every tripod and camera on the way through, to a mexican wave of tuts and 'sake'. With that the biggest arsed bastard sat down infront of the guys beside me, slid across the bench and sent the Leica 'scope sat there crashing onto the concrete floor! To say the guy was not pleased was an understatement! " You stupid, ignorant f***ing tw*t!"
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posted 19 Nov 2011 11:29 by Andy Birder
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updated 20 Nov 2011 09:36
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I left work yesterday, thing was, my phone didn't leave with me! So it was both inevitable and somewhat freakishly fortunate that today I should bump into Greg in Jarrolds in Norwich where on seeing me he asked "Have you seen the owl?" My immediate minds eye pictured a Snowy Owl on Blakeney Point. Not quite this time, but I was keen to get back home to Northrepps where a good friend had a cracking day sharing his garden with a fine Long-eared Owl, my first sighting for...21 years!!!!!!!!!
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posted 17 Nov 2011 14:33 by Andy Birder
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I made a conscious effort NOT to put all my birding gear in the car this morning before leaving for work. With geese to be sought out on fields, continuing eastern quarter winds, and wildfowl-filled lakes to look at, I reminded myself I have a shed-load of work to complete in not very many work days before a little family jolly. I had to chuck my bins on the back seat though, feel naked without them! I had just left my office heading off towards the Broads when my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the unusual, a not-often seen flight action over my car as I was driving, but I knew what it was as it flew away but along side in my direction. Out loud, to myself, "land you bugger, land!" as I could see a convenient pull-in ahead. It did land. My second Great Grey Shrike of the autumn sat proud, just east of Aylsham, and warmed my heart! Consequently I had a great day at work, with even the addition of a "right miserable cow" of a client unable to dampen my spirits! |
posted 14 Nov 2011 00:00 by Andy Birder
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updated 15 Nov 2011 12:03
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A cracking November days birding today, with good patch birds scattered around the Northrepps area. Just after first light, whilst walking the dog around Hungry Hill, I managed 8 hoped-for Eurasian White-fronted Goose, a new TG23 bird for me and one I was desperate to get this weekend, with an apparent influx of birds in off the continent. Present in the the field just east of the nursery, they headed off east into the early morning murk. Shortly afterwards the Black Redstart was rather confiding around the nursery buildings.
After a quick breakfast I then popped out towards the coast where between Sidestrand and Trimingham there were 3 Snow Bunting, a fine Scaup, couple of Chiffchaffs, Blackcap, Short-eared Owl which flew up from the cliff and blogged about before drifting west offshore, and a Bonxie west. It was good to see I.P. here my old birding oppo from years back in darkest Essex!
Heading back inland I took a wander down one of Northrepps country lanes, hoping for a stray Yellow-browed or the like with no luck, but did come across a single Barnacle Goose in winter wheat. Whilst watching this bird some more 'grey' geese were noted at some distance, so with some rapid re-positioning we (I'd been joined by Carl and Greg by now) were able to get better views of 4 Pink-feet, 8 Eurasian White-front (same?) and 2 corking Tundra Bean Geese. With 26 Eurasian White-fronts east overhead at the same time, Egyptian goose on the way home and a Merlin thrown in for good measure, it really was an excellent days birding, all within walking distance of home!
Black Redstart Scaup Short-eared Owl
Barnacle Goose White-fronted Goose Tundra Bean Goose
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