Simeon's Birding Diary

Young Norfolk Birders

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Before you start judging my photos, note that they are all phone-scoped (or just taken with a phone)...just look at them from a distance!

January

4/1/10

Driving past the orchards to the East of Wisbech James and I saw a cornucopia of thrushes, mainly Fieldfare. Estimates from the birds we saw meant that there could be up to 5-figure counts of birds there - probably more than 10,000 birds in just 2km sq. Eyebrowed Thrush anybody?

3/1/10

More survey work in the local area produced year ticks in the form of Redwing, Mistle Thrush and Red-Legged Partridge, putting me on 85 so far. 

1/1/10

An early start at Denver Sluice saw me boosting my yearlist from 0 to 62 by the end of the morning. My aim for 2010 is to beat my own yearlisting record set in 2008 with 251 species. Last year was comparatively poor with only 217 species!

Highlights from the morning were a very nice Sparrowhawk which showed perched for once, Kingfisher, Kestrel, Goosander (though numbers are very low - single figure counts only at the moment), Water Rail, a Whooper Swan and about 30 Bewick's Swans on the fens. The best bird however was a Pink footed Goose in amongst a group of 52 Canada and 8 Greylag Geese! It was the first record for the sluice and a good way to start the year.

A brief snowfall just before I left the house meant that Skylarks were again on the move, with 83 birds in total heading west, including a single group totalling 67 birds which flew low over the bank in front of me and landed in a nearby stubble field! There was also a Little Egret which flew towards the village.

Unfortunately there were no Lapwing or Golden Plover, but 4 Redshanks on the Ouse and another 2 on the Ouse Relief Channel were added to the yearlist. Large numbers of Bullfinch were noted at the sluice and in hedgrerows on the way home, bringing counts just into double figures.

An early afternoon trip to Snettisham RSPB was good with Goldeneye on the pits and the usual waders on the beach. The pair of Peregrines were hunting and playfighting over the mudflats and made me realise how big the female is compared to the male bird! It was great to get this species on the list on day 1. The group of Snow Buntings were on the beach and flew past several times, and luckily I glimpsed one of the Shore Larks, but the views weren't that great! Still, Shore Lark and 32 Snow Buntings were very good for day 1 though! The Snow Buntings showed very well once they had landed and allowed a very close approach, so I got a reasonable picture, but unfortunately by this time it was about 3:30pm so the light wasn't that great...

A pair of Buzzards were flying over fields near Knight's Hill roundabout and another bird was in a tree near Stow Bardolph Farm seen from the A10, bringing the total number of raptor species for the day up to 4.

My final count for the day ended on 81 species which was very pleasing.

Happy New Year everyone!

December

31/12/09

Nothing of note (seems to have become an all too regular introduction) recently but I thought I'd give a bit of a review of the year seeing as it's what a lot of others are doing...

2009 was an interesting year to be honest. In some respects it wasn't as good as others have been and certainly wasn't a memorable one to end the decade. Or was it? With fewer british ticks than 2008 (to be expected though) and a smaller yearlist too, it wasn't that amazing in the UK, and Autumn migration never really happened for me, but on a different note I went on my first ever birding holiday abroad - and who better to spend it with than my brother and best friend? I am of course talking about the two weeks spent in Poland in the summer - it was amazing! Not only did we see some fantastic birds, but the trip signified something bigger, something better and something that everyone experiences at some stage - freedom. It was the first trip where we could do whatever we wanted (within reason of course) and it made me realise that I can now do this kind of thing if I want to. It brought about change, and what better time to do that than the end of a decade?

What will the next dacade be called? I thought "the noughties" sounded a bit silly to be honest, and someone will probably go and label this next one "the teenies"... In my case it might well be the decade of change (oooh, deep!). By the year 2020 I should have done my A levels, I might have had a gap year (or two?!), I should have gone through university and I should be in a job! It all sounds a bit frightening and a long way off now, but it starts in under 3 hours...lets take it one step at a time...

Happy New Year to everyone and lets hope this one's good!

28/12/09

Another brief walk at Denver Sluice yielded 5 Curlews North (not all that common here), 2 Redshank, a female Goosander which flew past us in the fog (I couldn't see any others further down the river as the visibility was awful) and nice views of a Fox on an evening stroll of its own.

27/12/09

A lot more quiet at Denver Sluice this morning after the recent goings on. Only 6 Goosanders (!) and a couple of Snipe which flushed from a small pool of meltwater. Also quite a few thrushes on the ground uncovering the food that had been unavailable before. 19 Bewick's Swans flew over and about 6 Whooper Swans landed on a nearby river out of sight. Kestrel, Green Woodpecker, Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were also seen, along with the usual group of geese containing 13 Canada and 3 Greylags.

26/12/09

A nice morning walk at Wissington produced 5 Redshank and 5 Goosander. along with a beautiful Red Kite which flew right over our heads! There were at least 5 Marsh Tits present and a Crossbill flew over! Another surprising one! A Woodcock also flew past and a few Wigeon and Gadwall were on the river, along with at least 4 Whooper Swans. Hope everyone had a good Christmas. Walking back to the car a few Bullfinches flew out of a hedgerow and more and more emerged...in the end we saw 12 birds in total! Quite an impressive count by any standards.

24/12/09

A quick walk at Denver Sluice this afternoon produced plenty of Goosander as usual, 20 Gadwall, 28 Tufted Duck, 3 Little Grebes, quite a few Grey Herons, a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail. A few birds were perched on top of a bush and were calling oddly, when a fourth bird joined them. I got my scope on them and they were large Buntings. On creeping closer I identified them as Corn Buntings! This was really surprising as I have only ever seen one bird at the sluice before! Suddenly another group of them flew past calling and there were 10 Corn Buntings! Perhaps even better though was another bird which flew over calling! I instantly recognised the call from yesterday at Dersingham Bog - it was a Crossbill! What was going on!? It must have been seriously lost and headed south towards Welney! Unfortunately the light was getting bad so I had to leave, but I will hopefully make another trip there before too long! Crossbill is my 130th patch bird for Denver Sluice, and it was a good milestone...

23/12/09

Another walk around Dersingham Bog failed to produce the Great Grey Shrike that was there earlier in the winter, but a Woodlark flying over was a pleasant surprise. It was so cold that the condensation on my binoculars actually froze at one point! We had excellent views of 13 Fallow Deer on the bog, including a brilliant stag with huge antlers, and a white animal as well! Near the roundabout a group of 7 Crossbill flew over the trees calling, but unfortunately we didn't see them perched. A single Snipe flew over too and we flushed another 2 from the same ditch as yesterday back in the village. There were also a couple of Marsh Tits with a tit flock near Dersingham which showed nicely.

22/12/09

A short ringing session with Trevor this morning produced a few Blackbirds and 2 Green Woodpeckers, bith of which I held and released!

A nice walk around Sandrigham with James and Connor this afternoon produced a single Crossbill, a Siskin, 11 Woodcock (including some excellent views of a couple of birds on the ground!) and 4 Snipe which we flushed from a small ditch near the church in Dersingham.

We got back to Connor's house and I was annoyed to see a report of Smew at Ten Mile Bank! The one day I can't get to the sluice a Smew turns up! These things happen...far too often sometimes!

21/12/09

A quick check of Tottenhill gravel pits this afternoon failed to produce the hoped-for Smew, and in fact there were surprisingly small counts of wildfowl altogether given the recent weather conditions; 19 Pintail, 21 Wigeon, 3 Goldeneye (2 males), c.100 Teal, 3 Gadwall, 1 Tufted Duck (1!), 10 Pochard, 10 Shovelor and 2 Little Grebes. A Common Buzard flew over and a Marsh Tit showed well by the side of the road and called a few times.

20/12/09

More of the same at Denver Sluice this morning with 2 Bewick's Swans north over, 4 Whooper Swans south over, several Snipe, and a few Lapwings over. A high count of 5 Water Rails was excellent, and one showed particluarly well near the control centre at the sluice. Wildfowl of note were 3 Gadwall, 5 Teal, 10 Tufted Duck etc. but by far the highlight of the day was the even bigger number of Goosander than yesterday! A massive 61 Goosanders were seen, with one flock alone totalling 46 birds! I didn't think the numbers would ever get beyond 50, and now, a count of 20 seems small!

Back at home, uncovering the apples in the garden encouraged more Blackbirds to come and feed, with the highest count being 45 birds at one time under the one tree! A quick visit to Bates Wood in the afternoon revealed a couple of Bullfinches along with 3 Woodcock which we flushed from the ditches. There were about 60-70 Blackbirds feeding on the apples, along with a few Redwing, Song Thrush and Fieldfare - about time for some ringing I reckon!

Below are some pictures from Denver Sluice this morning, with the last one showing some of the large flock of Goosanders!

19/12/09

Another morning at Denver Sluice, this time with James, had us cover the area thoroughly, and it was clear from the outset that there would be many birds. 2 Woodcock flew over the road on the way down and I flushed another bird later on.

On arrival, a huge group of Goosander swam out from the reeds and after several counts the final total was 48, with another two that James had later on the Ouse River making it 50 Goosanders! 20 of them were males. It was certainly the most I've ever seen, and has to be a contender for the site record!

James wandered down the New Bedford River and saw several Wigeon, a Shelduck, a couple of Shovelor and a family party of 6 Bewick's Swans. There was also a largr flock of Geese containing 48 Canada and 6 Greylags.

Other birds I saw included 2 Bewick's Swans flying South, 2 Grey Wagtails, 2 Barn Owls, a Kestrel and a Little Egret. There were fewer Snipe on the banks of the River Ouse, but other birds were in reeds along the Ouse Relief brought our combined total to 33 birds! Another brilliant count!

There were several nice fresh Mallards on the river along with 5 Egyptian Geese, with other wildfowl including 12 Tufted Duck, 6 Teal, and the unusual sight of 4 male Pochard.

A pair of Goldfinches showed well feeding on teasels at the end and allowed some attractive shots:

The snow also made some beautiful landscape views

18/12/09

Got up and left the house in good time this morning. It was freezing outside so I even wore a scarf and sunglasses to protect my face from the chill as I cycled towards Denver Sluice! There had been about 2 inches of snow overnight and just before I left, I heard the familiar call of a Yellowhammer flying over - no surprise there - I was expecting to see many birds moving around today to locate a reliable food source.

On the way down a couple of Bullfinch called and it took me a while to get there as the snow and ice provided strong resiliance against my tyres! As I arrived, I crossed the bridge and immediately saw a large group of Goosanders - 15 in total! I wondered what must be on the rest of the river! Quickly getting my scope up I noticed a Shag near the Goosander. The group had flown a little way down the river but as I walked along I managed to see more and more birds, counting and recounting, my final total was 28 Goosanders! It was the highest count I'd ever had at the sluice so things were looking up. There were understandably a large number of Cormorants flying around the different rivers, more than 30 birds being my rather hurried estimate!

A group of Skylarks flew over calling, moving west into the fens. There were about 40 in the first group but my final count was 219 Skylarks west between 8:00 and 9:00am. A few Meadow Pipits, Fieldfare and Redwing were passing overhead too, but not in nearly as big numbers. A few flocks of Lapwing went over too, totalling about 150 birds and two groups of Golden Plover (8 and 12) made 20. A Snipe flew up followed later by another pair.

Walking on down the river a motorbike the other side of the river made a little too much noise and flushed all the wildfowl, so I lost the Shag, but I did spot 2 Wigeon and a male Teal in the hordes. There were also plenty of Mallard, probably from nearby frozen rivers. A large group of gulls near Downham Market probably held about 50 birds, but most were Black-Headed and Common, although there were a couple of Herrings and a few Lesser Black-Backeds flying along the rivers. A Great Black-Backed Gull also flew down towards the sluice and completely dwarfed a nearby Black-Headed! I spotted a raptor coming from the direction of Denver and getting it in the scope confirmed it as a Common Buzzard. It flew right over my head and out into the Fens. A Kestrel was doing it's best to hunt later on in the snow too!

Suddenly a Fox ran across the river bank about 100 yards in front of me. It looked beautiful against the white background!

Climbing the bank of the River Ouse I was hoping to refind some of the Goosander which had dispersed from the large group earlier on, but instead only a single Redshank flew up. I scanned along the mud which the falling tide had swept clean of snow and was surprised to see a Snipe...then another...and another...the mud was dotted with Snipe feeding on the mud and I had excellent views of them! They totalled 17 birds and together with other ones flying over later the day count reached 24 Snipe - a site record! There were also 2 Redshank on the mud and a group of 15 Canada and 5 Greylag Geese which took off and flew North - a little day trip in the snow for them!

Back on the Ouse Relief Channel there were 10 Tufted Ducks - most, beautiful males. Walking back to my bike I saw a Kingfisher and heard a Grey Wagtail.

I returned home delighted with the days totals and did some Blackbird photography, but the results weren't that great in the poor light conditions. One real surprise though was when I was standing next to the house and suddenly a Grey Wagtail came and landed on a melted patch of snow! It only stayed for a few seconds but it was a brilliant bird to have in the garden! It made me realise how I took the one at the sluice for granted, but that this bird meant so much more! It was also a new bird for the house!

17/12/09

Decided not to go to the sluice this morning and caught up on a lot of much needed sleep instead! There were several snow and hail showers, but it didn't settle. In the afternoon, a quick walk around Bates Wood to assess whether it's worth ringing Blackbirds there yet, or not, provided the answer : it's not! In the wind and gentle snow I only saw about 15 Blackbirds, but there was also a Green Woodpecker, a couple of Redwings, a Bullfinch calling and a Marsh Tit which I heard a few times.

If I go out to the sluice tomorrow I'll have to wrap up very warm - on my way back from Bates Wood this afternoon (about 3:30pm) some of the puddles I had cycled through on the way down had already frozen over again! Crazy!

16/12/09

On the school bus this morning going over the River Ouse a male Goosander flew over and landed amongst nearly 20 birds (I couldn't identify these birds I hasten to add, due to the poor visibility) - a talk with James later revealed he had 16 Goosanders at the Sluice mid-afternoon. We broke  up for the Christmas Holidays today so I'm really tired and could probably sleep for most of tomorrow, but should I get up and do an early morning visit to the sluice? I'll sleep on it...

13/12/09

An early morning trip to Welney for the event "Swans Awake" gave James and I the opportunity to search through all the wildfowl whilst they were at close range. We arrived at 6:30am and James remained in the main observatory whilst I went with half of the group to the Lyle hide. It was great to see all the Whooper and Bewick's Swans waking up right in front of the hide as the light gradually seeped across the wetland. Many birds were calling to each other and it was an awesome spectacle in the chill morning air.

Looking back towards the observatory many hundreds - possibly thousands - of white blobs eventually became clear enough to identify and we were soon able to pick out the Bewick's from the Whooper by their calls. A few Bewick's had roosted right in front of the hide and we were able to watch them from the moment they awoke to when they flew off to feed in the fields.

There were some lovely male Pintail and plenty of Wigeon. A Sparrowhawk flew right past the hide and 7 Bearded Tits moved through the reeds right in front of us. 2 Marsh Harriers were harassing a Coot, which kept diving underwater to avoid the raptors' multiple dive-bombs. A third bird joined but eventually they gave up.

Searching through the Wigeon, Lee - the warden - soon found the American Wigeon that had been present recently! It was quite close to the hide and we enjoyed nice views of it with the rising sun behind us and I called James, who arrived and saw it before long as well. It was another lifer for me, which was great! A Cetti's Warbler sang outside the hide a few times.

We went back to the visitor centre where we enjoyed a bacon butty that quite frankly could rival Titchwell's, along with a chocolate muffin and a nice cup of tea to warm us up before we ventured out again!

A quick check from the main observatory revealed roughly 500 Black-Tailed Godwits (120 on a small spit of land, and many birds flying over), 4 Dunlin and 2 Ruff, along with further views of Marsh Harrier. Heading back to Lyle hide James stopped off at Buxton hide on the way, but soon carried on when I texted him, telling him I had seen the Bearded Tits in an exposed tree! They showed fantastically, and called to each other frequently, then flew into the reeds where we both had excellent views of them ater on. Shortly before James arrived though, I refound the American Wigeon amongst a smaller group of Wigeon. This time though, the bird was much closer to the hide feeding near some mud, only about 50 metres away! I called James and he quickened his pace, but the bird stayed put. It was a beautiful bird, with the cream-coloured flash on it's forehead really standing out in the morning sunshine. The pink extended all the way down its flanks and the green eyestripe was quite dark, but nevertheless quite striking.

I put it out on the pager and no-doubt some people came to see it just because it was so close. Earlier in its stay it had only been seen right at the back of the marsh, so we were really lucky! I managed a few decent shots through my scope and someone else's (another Kowa of course...).

After plenty of decent views we returned to the visitor centre where 10 Ruff and 10,000,000,000 Curlews were on Lady Fen.

11/12/09

An e-mail from Connor with one of his friend's sightings from Denver Sluice read:

"14 Goosanders, 1 imm. Shag, 14 Cormorants, 1 Kingfisher, 2 Grey Wagtails, 1 Sparrowhawk, 8 Meadow Pipits, 200+ Fieldfare, 6 Yellowhammer and 2 Reed Buntings."

These birds were noted on 9/12/09

7/12/09

2 male Goosander on the river near Outwell this morning just after 8am was a nice surprise away from their usual haunts.

6/12/09

A mid-morning trip to the survey area in Stow Bardolph revealed a sizeable flock of Redwing: about 100 birds along with Treecreeper and Nuthatch. A Cormorant and 2 Yellowhammer flew over, and both were new birds, as were Long-Tailed Tit and Marsh Tit, bringing the total site list up to 43 species.

In the afternoon, Dad kindly offered me a lift to Snettisham RSPB, as he was heading to Heacham anyway. It was a nerve-wracking journey there, as a couple of stops were made on the way, but it wasn't my trip, so I wasn't about to be demanding! On arrival at 3:05pm there was still enough light left, so I marched down to the Rotary Hide, stopping all too briefly for a flock of around 25 Snow Buntings on the beach. There had been nearly 60 birds present apparently, with 2 Shore Larks as well, but unfortunately my flock contained no horned beasts! I asked someone about the Ferruginous Duck, as this was my primary target for the afternoon, but they hadn't seen it all day and had only recieved mixed messages about it. The outlook wasn't looking good, but as I rounded the corner to the hide a group of 3 gents appeared and on asking them they replied that the bird was easy enough to find, sitting on a bank! In I went and asked a young lady to show me the bird, as the light was fading by now. She let me look through her scope, but the bird she was looking at was a female Wigeon. Using my scope however I found the Ferruginous Duck about 5 birds to the right of the Wigeon, sitting alone on the bank. Unfortunately it's head was tucked in and it looked settled for the night, but I showed the lady the bird and I got nice enough views in her Swarovski to confirm it's ID. It was nice to add this duck to my list, as they don't seem to turn up that often, especially this close to home.

Walking back to the first hide, the Snow Buntings had left the shoreline, presumably disappearing to their roost, and in Rotary Hide I got rear-end views of the duck again. After recognising a fellow team member from the NOA cricket match a few months back, but annoyingly not being able to put a name to the face, I left the hide and meandered back to the carpark, enjoying the Goldeneyes, Little Grebes and a Little Egret on the pits on the way.

Half way back to my pick-up point I heard a strange call from above and looked up in surprise as I saw a group of swans flying over. I knew the call wasn't Whooper, as I'm used to this call, and getting the birds in my bins in the semi-dark I was just able to confirm their identity as a group of 9 Bewick's Swans! It was brilliant to see these birds, as I normally ever see Whoopers migrating. The birds were heading south towards Welney and there were 2 young ones in the group.

I was hoping to try and pick out a Snow Geese in the Pinkfeet when they came over my head to roost on the Wash, but they never came. Just as darkness was falling and my Dad appeared to pick me up, the first couple of V's flew over, but only about 30 birds were involved, and sadly no white wonders today.

5/12/09

A trip to Denver Sluice this morning was in order, so I set out and arrived mid-morning, to spectacularly close views of 3 male and 5 female Goosander! Another male was further up the river, totalling 9 birds! At last! They've got to be one of my favourite birds, but there was no time to stare at them, as everything seemed to happen in the first few minutes. A huge flock of thrushes flew out of some poplars just as I was arriving, totalling at least 200 Fieldfares which made up the vast majority of the flock. There were also a few Redwings mixed in. As I was parking my bike, 6 Whooper Swans flew over (followed by another single later on). I was in a rush to get of the bike as a huge flock of birds had flown north, but thankfully they were coming back down the river again. Several large flocks of Lapwings flew over, but a massive cloud of Golden Plover stole the show with about 1500 birds present! There must have been a good 1000 Lapwings in smaller flocks too. They all soon dropped onto a field which was frustratingly out of view behind the river bank. Walking along the edge of the Ouse Releif Channel a Common Buzzard flew from the Fens towards Downham Market and 2 Kingfishers were making a bit of a racket; one bird showing really well on an exposed perch. On the river were 3 Tufted Duck and to my surprise 4 Wigeon (2 males, 2 females) along with 26 Mallard. A Little Grebe kept close to the reeds and only 2 Great-Crested Grebes were to be seen. A Kestrel was being harrassed by crows in a field and eventually flew off to hunt elsewhere. Onto the Ouse and a group of 11 Redshank were frequently being disturbed by dogs. Back at the sluice gates a Grey Wagtail showed excellently and was brilliantly yellow on the breast and vent. On the journey home I stopped in a layby and 3 Bullfinches were calling to each other, flying across the road occasionally.

It was a great trip and nice to get out again, but I've just discovered there's a male American Wigeon at Welney! I should be content with what I've got though...

4/12/09

Going past Denver Sluice on the bus this morning the river was glassy calm, and there were several gulls roosting on it - mostly Black-Headed. I also spotted a few ducks further up the river but they were just too far away to ID. Never mind, I'm sure they'll still be there in the morning...watch this space!

2/12/09

Well it's been a long time coming, but thankfully now the holidays are almost upon us, and I can get some proper birding done. First off will be a visit to Denver Sluice this weekend hopefully, where Malcom has just found 6 male Goosander today, while I've been bored dissecting a sardine which didn't go well as it was too small and fiddly! I was surprised to see how tiny its brain was though (literally smaller than the average pea)! Or was I...?

November 

29/11/09

A feeding frenzy on the berries of a Yew tree across the road consisted of at least 10-15 Blackbirds, 3 Mistle Thrushes and 4 Song Thrushes. A Nuthatch was calling near the house and a pair of Goldcrests chasing each other in the garden was a nice sight; especially the male with its raised crest which looked superbly orange in the early afternoon light.

A drive near West Dereham was highlighted when a female Kestrel swooped down from a telegraph pole right next to the car, and a few hundred metres later a Roe Deer ran out across the road only yards away from us! Another three deer were in a neighbouring field too...fantastic!

Finally, I'm kind of glad I didn't go to Denver Sluice this morning, as I would have been cycling back in heavy rain and hail, underneath this;

It looks like it could be a from a scene in "The Day After Tomorrow"...

28/11/09

On the way to King's Lynn by train this morning a few Fieldfares and Redwings errupted from the hedgerows and whilst on another driving lesson at dusk a presumed Woodcock flew over the road near Tottenhill. I know it's bad not fully concentrating on the road but I never seem to be able to fully supress my birding instincts!

27/11/09

I didn't feel particularly cold this morning but at least 8 Swans on the Ouse Relief Channel at Downham Market contained a family party of 3 birds which I thought were Whooper; unfortunately didn't get good enough views of them to tell. Another sign of harsh weather in the near-future was a gathering of about 20 Mallards on a nearby river...beautiful looking pure-breds too - not mankey hybrids!

26/11/09

A flock of 16 Swans flying towards Welney this morning were seen from the bus on the way to school. They were probably either Bewick's or Whooper.

24/11/09

A Geography school-trip to attend a conference in London today involved a train journey all the way down there. Consequently, I stared out of the window for most of it and noted a flock of around 250 Bewick's Swans in a field a few miles south of Ten Mile Bank, a Marsh Harrier somewhere near Ely, and a huge flock of Golden Plover and Lapwing on a flooded field further towards London.

21/11/09

Whilst staring out of the window in the usual fashion this morning a surprise Woodcock flew over just before 10am! It had probably been flushed from nearby woods as lots of shooting was going on. A fantastic bird, and a nice addition to the house list!

In the afternoon, a Sparrowhawk flew over being mobbed by a Black-Headed Gull.

19/11/09

A nice view of a Buzzard which flew close to the bus on the way to school; the Fens is one of their final frontiers but this will undoubtably soon be breached too, albeit only a scattering of birds given the lack of much extensive woodland! Also 2 Kestrels on the journey.

18/11/09

Very little in the way of birds recently. A group of 19 Golden Plover flying over the bus on the way to school this morning reminded me it was nearly winter...as if the weather hadn't already! Hopefully I'll get out sooner rather than later!

14/11/09

Quite a few raptors today. I had another driving lesson and the car decided to develop a loud clunking noise when I accelerated, so I wasn't driving irresponsibly when I saw Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and a Marsh Harrier (the latter of which was near King's Lynn)...I wasn't driving at all in fact, the instructor was...to the garage!

11/11/09

This morning a Sparrowhawk flew over the bus, but that was about it birdwise...it seems the fingers of winter are slowly stretching across the country, and hopefully there'll be plenty of wildfowl this year! I haven't seen a Smew in ages...

8/11/09

At Denver Sluice this morning I was surprised that there still weren't any Goosanders around, but I suppose it's not cold enough yet. There were several signs of winter though; 2 Whooper Swans flew South towards Welney, along with 165 Golden Plover. 2 Snipe were present and a huge finch flock numbering over 100 birds contained mostly Linnet, with a few Goldfinch, Yellowhammer and a couple of Reed Buntings. They fed in the stubble fields along with quite a number of Skylarks. On the river there were 3 Tufted Ducks (2 males), 2 Little Grebes and a Water Rail called a few times - the first of the winter.

A few Fiedlfares flew over and on the way back a Marsh Tit and Bullfinch called near the railway crossing, where 2 Siskins flew over.

In the garden early afternoon there were 2 Nuthatches on the Peanuts, and 2 Goldcrests showed nicely in the pear tree. I caught a brief glimpse of a male Blackcap before it shot over the wall too.

In the afternoon Nigel took me around a local estate which I will be surveying over the next 12 months. The place is an extensice garden in the nearby village of Stow Bardolph and has some excellent habitat. On the tour round we noted at least 3 Nuthatches, many Redwings and Fieldfares, and Kestrel

7/11/09

On my first driving lesson (which went surprisingly well) a nice male Kestrel flew over some fields and landed in a nearby tree, but don't worry, we were parked in a layby at the time...I wouldn't dream of birding whilst driving!

Back at home another Kestrel flew over the house and landed on the church, before moving on.

5/11/09

4 Swans flew South over the house this morning and two flocks (4 and 5) totalling 9 birds flew South over Denver Sluice yesterday too, so it would appear that they are starting to congregate on the washes. Although I couldn't see what species they were, they looked majestic against the rising dawn.

I also flushed a Green Woodpecker from the pear tree in the garden and there are several Blackbirds beginning to "clear up" the various fruits... I've noticed that they seem to prefer the grapes round the back, and have seen upwards of 5 birds at a time feasting on them - hopefully they'll soon start on the apples!

3/11/09

A Yellowhammer called as it flew over the garden this morning; a surprisingly scarce bird from the house. A Little Grebe on the way to school was in an area I haven't seen them before, and was a nice bird to start the day. A Siskin flew over the playing field and hundreds of Gulls went over after school too, heading to roost.