First Frost

Awoke to the first frost of the winter here this morning, which is not bad considering its nearly mid December. It was a toe tingling -2 degrees... I don't like it! (in a Little Britain's Andy stylie!)


I had to drop the young un' off at High School for panto practice this morning so I decided to continue onto Salthouse for an hour or two to see if anything was going to oblige for a shot or two.
Initially nothing was doing but a brief look out to sea seemed to indicate that there was some cold weather movement occurring with a couple of Lapwing flocks west at sea, a fine Merlin at about half distance and 2 Fieldfare and a Redwing coming in. Also here a pair of Grey Seal cavorting just offshore
Walking back, jammed in on a flock of Shorelark that have been ranging between here and Blakeney Point. I managed to get a few disappointing shots before they spooked and flew of west.

Shorelarks
The type of shot many digiscoper's would like to aspire to...!(bloody typical!)








Just as the Shorelarks flew off, a flock of 18 Snow Buntings flew in and landed on the shingle bank briefly but not long enough for me to get in pics, though Rob Lee, a fellow coastal patch birder, faired better earlier on.

Snowbies courtesy of Rob Lee


Just as we were leaving couldn't resist the three Turnstone that were bathing in the carpark puddles, these birds are excellent subjects for anyone just starting digiscoping, due to their comparative tameness and their thankfully regular pauses in rapid movement.

Turnstone

Mediterranean Gull

After spending the last couple of weeks scanning the local gull flock at every opportunity to pick out a Med Gull, I opted for a bit of reverse psychology/double bluff by going to look at one that a knew of near by- the reasoning behind this being that if I go out of my way to see one I'll probably see one here pretty soon after!
Mediterranean Gulls are a real birder's bird, they look handsome in every plumage, they are just about uncommon enough for you to always want to watch it and they are different enough for a birder to be easily separated from Black-headed Gull, but similar enough to make you always congratulate yourself on picking one out in a flock!

Mediterranean Gull... Soon to be seen again in Aylmerton!



In adult winter plumage

Sugar Beet Mountain

The last crop of on my Aylmerton patch is now almost completely lifted and 'though the ragged tops still remain attracting the gulls and a good flock of c75 Linnets, I'm sure they will be soon ploughed back in again.














This is my most loathesome time of year, with work being at its busiest and dark mornings and long dark evenings it can be a bit of a struggle willing yourself through to Christmas! A couple of later starts this week managed me to rack up a post roost count of 2,500 Pink feet moving west over the village on Wednesday and upto 28 Stock Dove on the field behind our house.

This morning was pretty quiet as would be expected but the weather continues to be mild and frost free. Only birds of note were unusually 240 Pink-feet east mid morning and 125 Golden plover on the fields. There's still an obvious lack of winter thrushes so the local birds have plenty of food in the hedgerows.

Hawthorn

'Black-eared' Black Kite

My threshhold resistance to birds of prey (especially rare ones!) is pretty low and , after breifly turning down the chance to go and see one, I rapidly backpeddled and found myself on the fens of East Lincolnshire this morning looking for one! A Black kite (a rare and difficult to 'catch up with' species at the best of times) had taken temporary residence here over the past couple of weeks. However earlier this week the bird had been re-identified as a sub species of the east asian race generally known as Black-eared Kite, of which there is no positive previous sighting in Britain (though at least one is pending). Anyhow, after a chilly 2 mile walk across level flat fields via high access banks (and they say Norfolk is Flat!) the Black-eared Kite was seen excellently initially on the ground and then giving prolonged flight veiws. The major down side was as soon as I turned my camera on after charging it up all yesterday, the battery went flat! Not a happy bunny!! I had to make do with grainy video!


Apparent Black-eared Kite the spotted upperparts are typical of juvenile Black Kites




Apparent Black-eared Kite- showing the crucial solid white primary bases to at least the first four primaries (9-5) and a strong demarcation with the black primary tips. (similar to photos of nominate race in Forsman?)


Apparent Black-eared Kite in flight, you could be forgiven for initially thinking that this was a Red Kite at a quick glance, look at that white panel!







Also noted here were 9 Whooper Swan overhead and single Hen Harrier and Peregrine.

Back home in Aylmerton and the last of the spuds were being lifted, which brought in more gulls, which happened to bring in a Mediterranean Gull ... when I was watching the Kite! Typical! Anyway no sign of it this afternoon but managed to time my walk to coincide with a couple of flocks of Pink- feet overhead.

Saturday

A cold but bright day with a keen SW wind ensured that nothing too exciting happened today. The track is currently in a quagmire condition due to farm machinery use as the sugar beet is finally starting to be lifted, although a nusiance now, come spring time the bare ground may well pull a few birds in. There's still a staggering amount of 'fruit' on the trees, with both Hawthorn and Blackthorn bowing under the weight of berries, by now usually the thrushes would have stripped them clean- where are they this year? The gull flock on the field behind our house has been a constant feature over the pass few weeks, I checked no less than five times today, hoping for a Mediterranean Gull but with no luck, though a 'black' headed Gull noted to be coming IN to summer plumage rather than moulting out of it! Also on the field up to 300 Golden Plover and 18 Stock Dove.

Year Tick

Done some parish birding today. A visit mid morning to Felbrigg lake produced little in the way of wildfowl with just half a dozen Tufties and a few Mallard. A walk along the southern boundry faired a little better with two hunting Common Buzzard (hopefully these will be over-wintering), Sparrowhawk, 2 Kestral, 5 Brambling briefly and 150 Golden Plover. Also here more evidence of the mild weather with a Honeysuckle still in flower.



Had some tidying up in the garden to get on with this afternoon which was a drag at first but I was well rewarded as I was clearing up with a single Snow Bunting flying west directly over the garden calling, not a garden tick but new for the year GYL 84

A Barn Owl has been noted back hunting over the Meadows, I tried to get a flight shot during the week and this was the unintended result I'm calling it...

Going Home..

After the Lord Mayor's Parade

After hundreds of Little Auks passing the Norfolk coast over the past few days it was a return to as you were on this bright and crisp Saturday morning. At my coastal patch near Sheringham the only species moving in any real numbers were Starling (7,500 by midday), and just a handful of Brent geese and Common Scoter. Two seperate Little Egret did move west mid morning and a single Little Auk was floating in the surf before flying down the beach. As usual the ever present Stonechats were in residence.

Little Egrets off-shore











Little Auk







Stonechats

Back in Aylmerton the Winter Barley behind our garden currently holds good numbers of Lapwing (125) and Golden Plover (c 200).

A blow at last

True to form, after months of waiting for a descent weather system to hit the coast one does so, not only late in the year but also mid week when I'm at work! With Little Auks being reported all along the coast this morning , my first appointment was fortuetously at Eccles on Sea where I managed a twenty minute seawatch.

Little Auk 10N 3S
Sanderling 2N
Brent Goose 20N
Common Scoter 30N
Also here an obviously newly arrived Short-eared Owl was battling its way over the fields

Parish Tick

Ever faithfully walked the track this morning, with the strong NNW wind whiping cross the fields and a heavy grey sky pressing down, I half expected a Little Auk to come flapping over the field. Well I wasn't too far off the money because two minutes latter a murderous looking BONXIE! powered its way against the wind heading north and back to the sea presumably. Flying over the fields, it passed low directly overhead and struggled onward, scattering all bird life in its path. These birds whose common name is Great Skua are ruthless predators and pirates of the seabird world, capable of picking Puffins and Kittiwakes of their breeding cliffs or harrassing Gannets over the sea to make them throw up their latest catch! Charmers! A little later 2 Common Buzzard drifted south and may have been immigrants

Bonxie over Aylmerton interpretation-ish thing!

Back in time

Clocks went back this morning so the dreaded short days and long nights are upon us! A glorious morning weatherwise though the wind (fairly breezy) was still in the western quarter. down the coastal patch near Sheringham again today, not as good as the past couple of days, though mustn't grumble at c 475 Little Gull, 4 Arctic and 2-3 Great Skua, single Little Auk and two Lapland Bunting flying west. Called in at Sheringham prom on the way home for hoped for Purple Sandpiper. No luck with that so I took a few common bird pics.

Cormorants on the verge of being issued an ASBO

'Calm Down Calm Down' (add scouse accent for effect!)





Turnstones




Shortly after arriving back home I got a tip off from a neighbour that saw me tearing down the front drive just in time to see an ever fantastic Red Kite drift high south-eastwards over the village. Not a bad way to end a fruitful couple of days!

Still here!

What with a somewhat damp weekend last week and a tense period mid week as we took a second (and this time successful) attempt at connecting to broadband (hooray!) there had been little to report with little wildlife seen. In Aylmerton, Saturday night provided the most recent moth session, with these November Moth types still causing a bit of a headache as regards to identification- they could all be different or all be the same!

November-ish Moths!






All but the Sugar Beet has been harvested from the fields, and the depressing sight of a sea of Winter Barley already shoots skyward, ok for the very short term but generally lifeless come spring. All's not completely lost yet, only half of the old potato field is Winter Barley so far, and the beet field may be the saving grace.

Winter Barley= Wildlife desert


In the short term the fields are being used by the usual gulls(a few in the pic above) some Lapwing and about 180 rather skittish Golden Plover.

Golden Plover coming in to land

The last two mornings have seen me down at my coastal patch near Sheringham, and despite the constant SW wind the birding has improved at last. No pics, but yesterday moring the highlights of a busy period included a smart, schreeping Richard's Pipit, single Shore Lark flying west, Lapland Bunting, Merlin, Marsh Harrier and a chacking Ring Ouzel. This morning the sea was very lively here with literally hundreds of Little Gulls offshore(probably over a thousand!), presumably the same Black Guillimot flew east, and shortly afterwards two seperate Little Auks whizzed east among many Razorbills, all in all a good couple of days!

Whiskered Tern

Work today took me fortuitously close(ish) to Titchwell RSPB reserve where a Whiskered Tern (a rare bird from Europe) has taken up temporary residence over the past few days. Believe it or not, I'm gonna moan because the bird was too CLOSE! It was patrolling a brackish lagoon probably down to 15ft and proved virtually impossible to digi-scope, of course I didn't have the foresight to bring my other camera which would have done the trick- DOH! This bird was a juvenile coming into its first winter, the adults are smart grey and white birds with a white blaze on the side of the face, hence the name.

Whiskered Tern jigsaw (just put the bits together!)