A protracted visit to Sheringham Obs today was fairly quiet compared to recent days, with seemingly no new migrants 'in' passerine wise. However there were birds to be seen some certainly more interesting than others!
Lesser Grey Shrike - still present and drawing the crowds.
Velvet Scoter - single then three west
Common Tern - 1E
Sandwich Tern - 6 present
Red-throated-Diver - 10E
Arctic Skua - 1 off shore (conspiring with a Gbb Gull to take an incoming, unidentified wader!)
Teal - 7 west
Pink-footed Goose - 40 west
Grey Heron - 1 west
Egyptian Goose - 2
Wheatear - 5
Willow Warbler - 1
Whinchat -1
Hen Harrier - 1st wtr, first seen yesterday flew off west early afternoon.
Whilst watching the shrike a lone goose flew over the fields along the cliff top low and fairly close. Intially thinking it was a Pink-foot, I took a couple of shots, as I did so it gave a single un-Pink-foot type honk! Later meeting up with Steve Joyner he too mentioned the bird and thought it may have been a Bean Goose! The photos below are not great but there does appear to be rather restricted white border to the outer tail, rather brown upperwing coverts and something I've noticed on alot of photos on in flight Bean Goose, the more pointed flank patch rather than Pink-footed Goose's seemingly rounder one making the latter appear more white ended. Interesting. Unfortunately the clarity isn't good enough to confirm the presence of a 'grinning' line on the bill.
Hen Harrier
Lesser Grey Shrike
After getting home for little more than an hour, Dad phoned to say there was a Woodchat (another species of shrike!) on Beeston Bump. About ten minutes later I was watching the bird, a pale 1st winter type as it hopped about on the tall scrub behind the gardens here. Those of a certain inclination may have been able to see four species of Shrike in a day here in North Norfolk with Great Grey and Red-backed both being reported further along the coast.
Woodchat
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