Snowdrop walk at Walsingham

Walkers on Walsingham's Snowdrop walk today.

Its as much o fixture of the Norfolk social calendar as the county show. Every year around about Valentine's day Snowdrop walks are held across the county. One of the best known is held at Walsingham where I'd guess on a busy Sunday hundreds of people will plod around the paths leading through the woods surrounded by tens of thousands of Snowdrops and Aconites.

Not only do these small white flowers lay on quite a visual spectacle to draw the crowds, they also I think pull folk in for another more important reason. By mid February winter feels like it has been going on for a very long time and we are all ready to start clutching at any sign that Spring is coming. Whether that be a Mistle Thrush in full song, the first frogs back in our garden pond or just the inexorable lengthening of the days. The display of Snowdrops and Aconites I think plays to that yearning for longer days and a warm sun and offers us real proof that spring really isn't now too far off.

If you plan on going the coast is £3.50 per adult, the paths are of a mixed standard and a little muddy in places, the loos are basic outdoor affairs. We had a light lunch at The Old Bake House in Walsingham, reasonably priced, friendly service and a child seat willingly provided, the food was OK but a little uninspiring.

Sanderling Time

Sanderling, Titchwell Beach today

I had the luxury of not only a couple of spare hours to myself this afternoon, but also for three quarters of an hour or so some great light. Even better this coincided with me being on the beach at Titchwell and able to photograph some of the Sanderling to be found here.

Tactics for photographing these energetic little waders are pretty straightforward, work out which way they are moving along the beach, crouch down and stay still and hope that they come towards you, which as you can see this bird did. The crouching bit is important, not only does it seem to reassure the birds but it also changes the angle at which you take the picture and improves the final image.

Sanderling feed along the line of the breaking surf so you do need to keep an eye on where the next wave is going tow ash up. They are very busy birds and I wonder if I could sell the idea to Duracell of using them to advertise their batteries?

Spring is out of the traps

Crocuses, Rosary Cemetery, Norwich


Butterburr, Rosary Cemetery, Norwich

Aconite, Rosary Cemetery, Norwich

Snowdrop, Rosary Cemetery, Norwich

I knew that Spring was limbering up by the starting blocks a few weeks back, when on a blue sky day I heard a Mistle Thrush in full song. Today though there was no denying that the season of growth and renewal has begun to muscle its way in on winter. The Rosary Cemetery in Norwich is home to one of the county's best natural spectacles, the sight of thousands of naturalised Crocuses carpeting the cemetery floor in a great show of life amongst the trappings of death.

Today the spectacle was a little looted under a grey and gloomy sky but there was no denying that it had begun in earnest. Interestingly most years the Butterburr comes out ahead of the Crocuses, this year, perhaps because of the cold winter weather they are coming into flower together.

Expect to see more snaps from the cemetery in the coming weeks or if you are really keen take a pick at my Rosary Cemetery set on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bullofthebog/sets/72157612369872412/

Swans in the gloom

Strong blustery winds and a grey sky today saw us taking the road south and across the Fens to WWT Welney for a family outing to see the 3.30 pm swan feed.

As usual the area in front of The Observatory [WWT's centrally heated, double glazed, showpiece 'hide'] was dominated by Mute and Whooper Swans and a pack of male Pochard.

Careful scanning did reveal a couple of the smaller Bewick's Swans, a single Pink Footed Goose and a pair of Ruddy Ducks. More unexpected was a single Long Tailed Duck, a long way from its usual maritime haunts.

A winter visit to Welney always offers a reliable spectacle and nice lazy [and hesitate to use the term] birding. What is lacks in leg stretching, wind in your hair, rain on your glasses it makes up for as a chance to see some truly wild birds up close. This is why on an average winter Sunday 400 - 500 people pay to watch this spectacle.

For the adults in our party it worked well, and for our toddler the easy spectacle outside the hide window held his attention for as long as we could have hoped before he turned his attention to 'posting' pebbles in the collection cairn and running up and down the ramp.

The Visitor Centre had a nice clean baby changing room that was accessible to parents of either sex. The cafe was a bit of a disappointment, expensive [all but 5p for a average slice of cake] and only served hot food at lunchtime, I think Welney could learn something from the catering operations at Titchwell or Minsmere on that score at least. That aside we had a great time and will be back.

Both pictures taken at Welney today, top is a Whooper Swan, bottom the Long Tailed Duck.

January 2011

The rather splendid new Parrinder Hide at Titchwell

January started as last year ended with a busy family and work schedule that birding had to fit around. It is of course at times like this that the advantages of living somewhere like Norfolk really kick in, and when even a 60 minute window of opportunity can be enough to see me enjoying a quick walk to the beach at Titchwell.

Its amazing what you can see even when going about your daily rounds, I’m sure its more about how you choose to observe the world as much as where you are. For example some of my best birds this month have been when travelling, a roadside Tawny Owl on the way home from work and a Peregrine Falcon whilst driving through King’s Lynn.

When I have got out and about locally Titchwell has had some good birds this month and the Twite flock on the Brackish Marsh continues to impress as did a Whooper Swan on New Years Day and Long Tailed Duck and Red Necked Grebe on the sea. In Norwich a flock of Waxwings feeding on apples in a railway compound was lovely to see. And on a rare blue sky day a singing Mistle Thrush was a sign of the spring that will be with us soon.

So despite limited opportunities it was great to run through my notebook and find that so far in 2011 I have managed to see 114 species.

Birding Highlights from 2010

Waxwing, one of many during the second winter period of 2010.

Now that BT have finally got around to sorting out our Broadband connection I thought I would resume this blog with a brief look back at some birding highlights from last year.

2010 was dominated by my continued adjustment to family life and the demands of a young son and busy job. Nonetheless I still managed to see 199 species in the UK during the year which I think was a good effort.

The year got off to a good start with 83 species clocked on New Years Day including a Red Kite and Little Gull at Titchwell.

Spring started well with a visit to Lakenheath Fen where I saw the young Common Crane fledged there the previous year the first to be raised in the wild in the Fens for over four centuries.

Red Kite's popped up several times during the year, a sign of their welcome recovery as a breeding species. Perhaps the most surprising encounter I had with this enigmatic bird was of a flock of three drifting over Holme Marsh one April morning.

The other Bird of Prey highlight of the year was the increase in sightings of Peregrines in King's Lynn, although not guaranteed the prospect of a brief glimpse of one of these wonderful birds as you sit a traffic lights on your way to the station adds a certain something to a journey through town.

I only managed to see three or four Kingfishers during the year, a reflection of doing most of my birding on the North West Norfolk coastal strip. Of those Kingfishers that I did managed to see three were seen from my car, one on the Norfolk / Cambs border, one near Swanton Morley and one flying into a ditch on the outskirts of Lynn.

I did manage to see some reasonable sub rarities, including a flock of five Black Winged Stilts at Titchwell, where I also had in the same scope view one afternoon a Buff Breasted and a Pectoral Sandpiper. Holme produced some good birds including my second British Arctic Warbler and one memorable afternoon when in the space of two hours I saw Red Backed Shrike, Barred Warbler and Red Necked Phalarope.

Oddest sighting of the year was a Bittern lifting off from underneath a line of trees bordering a field in Titchwell, with not even a puddle for it to have been getting its feet wet in.

Trips to London for meetings meant that I had no problem in year ticking that exotic alien Ring Necked Parakeet whose raucous calls are a feature of St James's Park.

The year ended with a Waxwing invasion and I was lucky enough to bump into several flocks of these birds including one of 31 that flew over our house in Hunstanton whilst I was unloading the car late one Sunday afternoon.

Away from Norfolk a family holiday to Speyside and a chance to visit many favourite old haunts was wonderful. In the memory now six months on, what stands out are the immaculate freshly emerged Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries, lots of Red Squirrels, Bottle Nosed Dolphins at Chanonry Point and 'pishing' in a couple of Crested Tits at Loch Garten. That and our Little Fella taking his first steps in Garten Wood.

All in all a good year. Here's hoping that 2011 is equally full of birds, wildlife, landscapes and memories.

Winter catch up

Waxwing, north Norfolk


Common Snipe, north Norfolk

As usual I seem to start a post by apologising for the delay since my last appearance and proffering the same mix of excuses; work and family commitments reducing time in the field and a intermittent BT Broadband connection reducing time online.

Even for a range restricted birder like me this has been a Waxwing winter. I've had a flock fly over the front garden whilst unloading the car, a single bird over Titchwell and a couple of roadside flocks feeding on hedgerow fruit. All were unexpected treats, picked up on call or out of the corner of the eye whilst driving a back road in NW Norfolk. What I haven't managed is to spend time in good light with confiding birds so none of the shots I have taken are any better than 'record' shots.

It would be nice to think that the cold weather would push over some exciting birds from the continent [Nutcraker, Gyr Falcon or a White Tailed Eagle would be good]. Even without these sort of birds its been nice to have a chance to take some pictures of birds in the snow and ice.

The second picture is a of a Common Snipe frozen out of the main body of the saltmarsh at Thornham and forced to feed in the open on the edge of a tidal creek. Even here with the twice daily scouring of the tide the sides of the creek were coated in a layer of ice.

Not had a chance to have a proper look inside the new hide at Titchwell yet, but I'm told its quite spectacular and offers a great birding experience something to look forward to when I get a moment over the holiday season.