Autumn mislaid

Jack Snipe, Titchwell, 23 October


Autumn has shot by this year and I seem to have missed all the fun. This has been due to the usual commitments required of a young family so I mustn't grumble too much. And thumbing through my notebook my little grabbed 30 - 60 minute walks have been quite good.


In the very hot weather at the end of end of September I was still seeing Grass Snakes in Ken Hill Wood and on the 30th had a nice second brood White Admiral. The following day sitting on Holme Beach whilst our toddler played in the sand, on a flat calm sea I managed Razorbill, Guillemot, Gannet, Red Throated Diver plus early Brent and Pink Footed Geese. A Weasel running across the access track here was a bonus. As was a late Hummingbird Hawk Moth in a Titchwell garden later that day.

Last weekend a flying visit to Titchwell rewarded me with a brief view of a sleeping Jack Snipe.

With baby number two due to appear in the next few weeks I suspect that early winter will also pass by quickly and with very little field time.

Banham Zoo - second attempt

Emperor Tamarin, Banham Zoo, Norfolk, UK

I had tried to put up a post yesterday about a visit I made with my two year old son to Banham Zoo on Saturday. Unfortunately for reasons only known to blogger I wasn’t able to do this, so I’ve had another day to mull on what to write.

I guess I should make clear my broad views on Zoo’s first as they can raise strong emotions in people. I grew up in north London and one of my key early influences were the books of Gerald Durrell. Of relevance to this post was his manifesto for modern Zoo's The Stationery Ark. I learnt my early birding skills in and around north Londons' parks and reservoirs and as a member of the XYZ Club [Exceptional Young Zoologists I believe] also spent many happy hours wandering around London Zoo. on me.

So I'm pro good zoo's, zoo's which have high welfare standards, which educate their visitors, who take part in conservation initiatives and who help to change how people feel about wildlife conservation.

Over my two family visits to Banham Zoo I have gained an impression of a family friendly, reasonably well run zoo. One or two of the cages look a little small, but I know size alone doesn't make a good home for wild animals. I also like the sense that they haven't tried to squeeze in the full suite of stereotypical zoo animals. There are for example no Lions, Rhino's, Hippo's or Elephants. This isn't universally popular with all their visitors and I overheard one young mum saying to her chap "I can't believe they don't have elephants" as if you couldn't call yourself a zoo without at least one Elephant.

The Zoo does seem to be in a state of flux at the moment with several new enclosures either about to open [The walk through Lemur exhibit] or on the cards down the line [The Rainbow Lorikeets]. These look like they could be exciting additions to the zoo adding not only to the animals well being but also to the quality of visitor experience.

But I do feel that the zoo need to think more carefully about how it interprets the animals both through static and face to face interpretation. Being in sole charge of a lively two year old, I like many visitors had my hands full on Saturday and had little time to absorb messages. On the odd occasion I looked at an interpretation panel it did seem a little wordy and in need of an edit. The only live interpretation we listened too was about the spectacular Siamang Gibbons, this was somewhat lack lustre and tried to pack in too many messages, but much more importantly it was broadcast to the visitors and there was no attempt to interact and build excitement.

I also think that Banham Zoo could think harder about placing seats in positions that make it easier for folk to dwell by exhibits, so that they can slow down and wait for the animals to behave, rather than wandering past each cage and moving on if nothing is happening there and then. I wonder what is the dwell time in front of an exhibit here?

Having said all this we enjoyed our four and a bit hours on site and the zoo got many things right. From a parents perspective the baby changing facilities were great [they have them and they are unisex]. I didn't bother with the cafe which looked just as poor as last time, but we came prepared with a packed lunch and there are plenty of tables to eat at. The Safari Road Train ride was a great way of spending 10 - 15 minutes with a two year old boy and a great way for the Zoo to exceed my jaundiced expectations as it was free!

I’ll finish with our favourite moments. Mine were on arrival listening close up to the deafening calls of the Siamang Gibbons, this brought back memories of a couple of visits I made to Khao Yai National Park in Thailand in the early 1990's where I was woken each morning by a dawn chorus dominated by Gibbon's. I also, as before, loved the Red Panda exhibit and I think the Emperor Tamarin's with their free access to Birch trees is great, especially if like me you want to photograph animals without bars or reflections in the glass getting in the way. But it would be even better if there were more / better placed seats by this exhibit.

My little boy loved the Penguins and we had to pay these a second visit. He was also keen on the Giraffe's and wanted to see more of the sleeping Tiger. Of cours ethe large Dinosaur that we saw from the train was also a firm favourite.

I'd go back maybe once or twice a year with the family and perhaps as often again on my own with a camera.

For more Banham Zoo pictures check out my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bullofthebog/sets/72157623737928335/

A Day at Banham Zoo

Red Panda, Banham Zoo, Norfolk

I took our two year old to Banham Zoo yesterday. This was his and my second visit although he was too young to remember his first visit.

I grew up reading Gerald Durrell books including his manifesto for modern Zoo's The Stationery Ark. I also grew up in London and although I'm a great advocate of the view that if you have eyes to see you can find and experience the wild in our big cities. I also know that having London Zoo close by was an important formative influence on me.

So I'm pro good zoo's. Zoo's which have high welfare standards, which educate their visitors, who partake in conservation initiatives and who help to change how people feel about wildlife conservation.

Over my two family visits to Banham Zoo I have gained an impression of a family friendly, reasonably well run zoo. One or two of the cages look a little small, but I know size alone doesn't make a good home for wild animals. I also like the sense that they haven't tried to squeeze in the full suite of stereotypical zoo animals. There are for example no Lions, Rhino's, Hippo's or Elephants. This isn't universally popular with all their visitors and I overheard one young mum saying to her chap "I can't believe they don't have elephants" as if you couldn't call yourself a zoo without at least one Elephant.

The Zoo does seem to be in a state of flux at the moment with several new enclosures either about to open [The walk through Lemur exhibit] or on the cards down the line [The Rainbow Lorikeets].

We enjoyed our four and a bit hours on site. From a parents perspective the baby changing facilities were great [they have them and they are unisex]. I didn't bother with the cafe which looked just as poor as last time, but we came prepared with a packed lunch and there are plenty of tables to eat at. The Safari Road Train ride was a great way of spending 10 - 15 minutes with a two year old boy and a great way for the Zoo to exceed my jaundiced expectations as it was free!

My favourite moment was on arrival listening close up to the deafening calls of the Siamang Gibbons, this brought back memories of a couple of visits I made to Khao Yai National Park in Thailand in the early 1990's where I was woken each morning by a dawn chorus dominated by Gibbon's. We returned here just before we left for a rather lack lustre bit of live interpretation. The guy said all the right things but didn't engage at all with the audience. I also, as before, loved the Red Panda exhibit and I think the Emperor Tamarin's with their free access to Birch trees is great, especially if like me you want to photograph animals without bars or reflections in the glass getting in the way.

My little boy loved the Penguins and we had to pay these a second visit. He was also keen on the Giraffe's and wanted to see more of the sleeping Tiger.

I'd go back maybe once or twice a year with the family and perhaps as often again on my own with a camera.

For more Banham Zoo pictures check out my Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bullofthebog/sets/72157623737928335/

Little Bittern at Titchwell

The 'Gallery' for the Titchwell Little Bittern this evening


Juv Little Bittern, Titchwell Marsh this evening

Not had much time to get out birding but a short walk this evening to test out the camera after its return from Canon for repairs turned up trumps.

A Little Bittern was showing well by the side of the West Bank path and I managed this heavily cropped and tweaked 'record' shot. I am sure those with more time at their disposal will have managed far better results.

This was incidently a Norfolk and UK lifer.

Also had a female Marsh Harrier, male Sparrowhawk and a calling Cetti's Warbler during my brief visit.

Passing time with Passage Waders at Titchwell

Little Stint, Titchwell Marsh


Ruff, Titchwell Marsh

Curlew Sandpiper, Titchwell Marsh

Real feel of autumn in the air the past week or so. This morning saw me taking our toddler to Home beech for a play and a chance for me to have a very quick squint at the sea where couple of young Gannets could be seen feeding way offshore.

This afternoon I managed an hour at Titchwell on my own. The Fresh Marsh was looking pretty good and absolutely hooching with waders, In the time I spent there I saw 13 species and dipped on Wood Sandpiper. Perhaps the highlights were the juvenile Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers and the mixed winter and summer plumage Spotted Redshanks.

After Titchwell back to the father in laws in Titchwell where we watched a Weasel work its way along one of the flower beds.

Top wildlife moments from Asturias July 2010

Marbled White, Asturias, July 2011.

A little top seven wildlife moments from our recent family holiday in Asturias.

Evening and two Honey Buzzards fly by at eye level, wonderful profile view with lots of lovely plumage detail visible. A brief but classic view and a wonderful moment with nature.

Knowing that there should be raptors somewhere over the distant 'Turbine Ridge' and eventually scoring distant but distinctive views of Griffon's.

The first afternoon butterflying. Warm sunshine, a meadow splashed with purple, yellow, pink white and blue flowers. So much promise and so many Marbled Whites, Clouded Yellows and Meadow Browns.

The first evenings unsuccessful Salamander patrol but the discovery of Glow Worms and churring Nightjars.

A montage memory of rock pools and sea anemones, crabs and shrimps, sandy beaches and jagged rocks, all with our toddlers excited screams and shouts.

Fire Salamanders and then more Fire Salamanders. The relief of finally getting them and then their abundance on that first damp night, followed by time spent photographing them and learning more of their lives by following them on succeeding nights and in chats with our hosts.

West Iberian Painted Frog. The joy of the unexpected. The joy of plunging my hand into a warm, muddy ditch and pulling out a gem of a frog. The rain and wet adding to the experience and then later the buzz of identifying it from photos.

West Iberian Painted Frog

West Iberian Painted Frog, Asturias, Spain, July 2011

Lets keep the Amphibian vibe going a little longer. Towards the end our holiday I went for a walk along the road that runs beneath La Cumbre and up towards a small chapel. I had a few days before noticed some tadpoles living in a ditch that ran alongside the road. On this evening other than a short burst of Nightjar churring, it was very quiet.

On this evening as I walked past the ditch I flushed one or two frogs, these dived into the mess of overgrown herbs and grass that had been flooded out by the rising muddy water levels in the ditch. Moving quickly I plunged my right hand into the murky water and located one of the frogs pulling it out for a closer look and to take its picture with the small digital compact camera that I had in my pocket. It posed on the tarmac for a few pictures before disappearing back into the ditch.

Looking in Arnold & Ovenden I am pretty certain that this is a West Iberian Painted Frog Disclogossus galganoi. This is based on range, its pointy head shape, patterning and lack of a visible ear drum. A frog lifer!

Fire Salamanders by torchlight

Fire Salamander, Asturias, July 2011.

Before I got into birds I was into Amphibians. As a kid I used to love exploring marshy corners and ponds in search of frogs and newts. Finding these was no mean feat in the concreted over corner of north London where I grew up, but find them I did. I've never lost this love of searching for Herps and on the rare occasions these days that I manage to get somewhere with a less impoverished Reptile and Amphibian than population than the UK's I enjoy the challenge of finding, identifying and photographing the local Herps.

I had a chance to do just this recently on a two week family holiday to the Asturias region of northern Spain [we stayed at http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p224154 ]. The big draw here was Fire Salamander, an amphibian that I had never seen in the wild and which I was told occurred in good numbers around the farm buildings 'after rain'.

So for the first week of our stay I patrolled the bone dry gardens and fields around the farm by torchlight in a fruitless search for Fire Salamanders, turning over every movable stone, log, plank and piece of plastic in the hope of finding a hiding beast. Then it rained and rained some more and out came an army of slugs and snails. But still on my first torchlit circuit no Fire Salamanders. Then half way through my second damp walk round the grounds, just as I was resigning myself to never seeing one of these little black and gold gems, there one was in my torch beam in the middle of the grassy path.

I got down on my hands and knees to get a closer look and to take its photo and spent a happy ten minutes in its company. When I got back to the buildings Fire Salamanders seemed to be everywhere and I watched bemused as two squeezed out of a narrow gap [narrow even for a Salamander] between the stone steps and wall of one of the outbuildings. For the next two or three nights I encountered Salamanders on my nightly patrols, enjoying their company to the sound of cow bells and churring nightjars as a light rain fell on my back.

These Salamanders were of the Asturian race Salamandra salamandra bernardezi which tend to be smaller than other European Fire Salamanders and have adapted to giving birth to a handful of live young.

I was asked by our helpful host Lynn, whether they were poisonous to people and I still think my gut instinct that they would only cause you harm if you rubbed their mucus in your eyes or mouth [an unlikely scenario] is true, I can though find very little online about their toxicology.

Lynn felt that numbers had perhaps declined around the farm and certainly elsewhere on the mountain where chemicals were used on the land and I suspect this allied to the stands of Eucalyptus and Pine where once there would have been native deciduous forest has probably reduced their numbers.

I'll put some more pictures on my Flickr page shortly http://www.flickr.com/photos/bullofthebog/ .

A evening spent on the Bog

Nightjar, Dersingham Bog

Dersingham Bog 22.10: Nightjars are churring making a sound like the worst shortwave radio interference, three or four Roe Deer have been barking to each other and a couple of Tawny Owls have been 'hooting' to each other from the woodland edge. A group of birdwatchers voices intrude across the silent heath on the western horizon the last pastel pink stain left by the setting sun and above a four fifths moon.

A very tranquil hour and a half and the relative coolness of the evening kept the biting insects at bay but may also have been responsible for the lack of Glow Worms sightings [some had been seen here last weekend].

I tried the EOS 5D MK2 out on the Nightjars pushing it to its limit with a ISO setting of 6400 to get the result shown here, maybe I should take a flash next time?

Train ticks

I regularly make the train journey from King's Lynn in west Norfolk to Sandy in Bedfordshire a journey that takes me across the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Fens and then down through Hertfordshire arable country and finally through some more scruffy Bedfordshire countryside.

Last autumn when these journeys were becoming more frequent I started keeping a bird list, the rules being that the birds on it had to be seen or heard from a station platform or train.

The best bits of the journey are the first and last bits. The section across the Fens between King's Lynn and Cambridge is best of all with herds of wild swans in the winter and regular sightings of Little Egrets, Lapwings and occasional Barn Owls. The big Hertfordshire arable fields are sometimes enlivened by Common Buzzards and the last length of line from Hitchin to Sandy goes past Biggleswade Common and some gravel pits.

Having started my list in the autumn I still need to add many summer visitors. Today I managed to add a couple of Cuckoo's just north of Ely and a Hobby over Letchworth Station platform, so a really good day that took the list to over 40 species.

All that and I cleared my email inbox on my Blackberry!

Lessons in Swift photography

"They've made it again, Which means the globe's still working, the Creation's still waking refreshed, our summer's still all to come" from Swifts by Ted Hughes


Every summer I try and take a good shot of a Common Swift and every year so far I've not been satisfied with my efforts.

With an hour to spare this afternoon I popped into a busy Titchwell Marsh and underneath a grey sky I spent some time trying to photograph the low flying Swifts and the shot shown here was my best effort. The technique that I have adopted is to reduce my 100 - 400 lens to 300mm, put it on the closer focusing and panning settings, over expose by 2/3 of a stop and then expect to delete an awful lot of what I take.

Image above is of a Common Sift over the Titchwell Marsh reedbed today.

Roe Deer & Fawn

Friday lunchtime saw me on one of my regular local walks in Ken Hill Woods on the edge of Snettisham village. It was a cool grey day with a threat of rain in the air and I suspect as a consequence of the weather conditions the woods were devoid of people walking dogs.

As usual I entered the woods from the path that leads off the busy A149 and almost immediately picked out a Roe Deer in the bracken perhaps 50 metres away. Normally I'd wouldn't expect to see a Roe here, not because they don't occur in these woods, but because the heavy usage by dog walkers make of them, means that as the day goes on the more sensitive wildlife tends move away from the paths. I'd also expect a Roe Deer to bolt as soon as it saw me. So the fact that this one stared at me from the waist high bracken that carpets the woodland floor here was enough to arouse my curiosity.

As I changed position to try and get a picture of the deer, I noticed a movement in the bracken by its feet and was then delighted to see a small, spotty Roe Deer fawn emerge briefly from the bracken as it staggered after its mother moving deeper into the woods and away from me. I can only guess that when I first spotted the adult female it was feeding its fawn and that was why it didn't bolt.

Apologies for the not quite sharp images, there was next to no light under the canopy and I only had a rather basic DSLR and a slow old zoom lens with me.

Both pictures of Roe Deer in Ken Hill Woods, Norfolk

Snake Eyes

Grass Snake, Ken Hill Wood, Snettisham, Norfolk

As a birder you learn to read the countryside through a birds eyes, where are the good places to feed, cover from a predator, somewhere to sing from and as you develop your bird eyes, you start to see more and more birds until the process can seem uncanny and instinctive to non birders.

If you want to look at other taxa you have to develop your skills and train your senses to find them. Now we've only got three native snake species in the UK one of which the Smooth Snake is very rare and range restricted, another the Adder is in decline and I've not found locally and the third and commonest is the Grass Snake. This relative paucity of species and low population levels, along with the beasts habit of hibernating for half the year means that perhaps unsurprisingly, I rather disappointingly don't have 'snake eyes.' I do though have a chance to try and develop them.

Ken Hill is a lovely wood that covers the slopes of a hill overlooking The Wash on the edge of the West Norfolk village of Snettisham. It is popular with locals as a place to walk their dogs and is an OK birding site where each January I reckon to add Marsh Tit to my year list. It also would appear to have an excellent population of Grass Snakes and I have taken advantage of several days work in the village to spend my lunch breaks looking for these snakes.

At the moment my technique is to walk slowly along the woodland paths listening for the distinctive sound of a snake sliding through the leaf litter. This can be an effective way of finding snakes but has the disadvantage that they have normally already spotted you and are slithering away or are on a mission anyway and moving fast across the forest floor.

So my next challenge is to develop the eyes to see snakes before they move, to see and understand the sorts of places that a snake would find attarctive to sun bathe, rest and wait for prey and then hopefuly I will spot them when they are lying still by the side of the path and be able to creep up on them and look into their snake eyes and take their photo.

Today was a little cloudy and cooler than of late and I found one Grass Snake in the 40 minutes I spent in the woods. This image is the only vaguely acceptable one I got and not quite sharp. So I'll have to try again.

Duelling Green Hairstreaks

"Sunbathing?" Green Hairstreak, Ringstead, Norfolk Green Hairstreak, Ringstead, Norfolk A beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon saw me slowly walking around Wharton's Belt. This corner of Courtyard Farm has been a reliable local spot for Green Hairstreaks for me and I wanted to grab the opportunity that today's warm temperature's offered to catch up with this early butterfly. Never easy to spot, their green wings merge well with the spring leaves, I spent a fruitless 40 minutes slowly pacing along a drove before finally on my return walk I spotted a couple of insects about 30 feet in the air, tumbling in circles as they fought for territory. Occasionally even without binoculars and at this distance I could see the green pigments in their leaves catch the light and eventually my patience was rewarded when one settled on a leaf. It then did something I not noticed before it quickly flattened its wing on the leaf in what looked like an attempt to sunbathe or perhaps to make it less visible to its rival? I managed a couple of long distance record shots which I have added to this blog. If I get another chance perhaps on a cooler day I will have another go at photographing these dainty little creatures. Also present here were Speckled Wood, Green Veined White, Orangetip, Brimstone, and Holly Blue. Had Buzzard and Sparrowhawk over and lots of singing Blackcaps and Chiff Chaffs.

This is nice

Blackcap, Rosary Cemetery, Norwich What more is there to say, car thermometer read 23 C when I left Norwich this evening and the forecast is for warm weather, sunshine and southerly winds through to the weekend. Lunchtime mooch around the cemetery was just pleasant with singing Chiff Chaff and Blackcap although bizarrely didn't see any butterflies.. Even managed a Swallow perched on some roadside wires during the drive home.

Tarnished Kite

Male Garganey, Titchwell Marsh Red Kite, Titchwell Marsh Dead pleased with myself for picking out my second Norfolk Red Kite of the week at Titchwell this afternoon. I did this shortly after my arrival on site as the bird flew west over the trees surrounding the Visitor Centre. I then had a pleasant 40 minutes or so photographing the pair of Garganey on the Fresh Marsh. On leaving I heard at first in amused disbelief and then as I realised it wasn't a late April Fool that White Tailed Eagle had been accompanying the Red Kite as it had been drifting East. And that I had probably missed it by a matter of minutes.

Spring out of the traps

Blurry, distant male & female Garganey at Titchwell Common Buzzard & Crow near Fring I had a splendid walk at Titchwell Marsh this morning, a reasonable amount of time available between family commitments, a warm south west breeze at might back and a warming spring sun in the sky. Marvellous its been a long protracted winter. Even better than the weather were the birds, a real sense of the season having properly turned now and spring is in the ascendant. Most obvious were the singing Chiff-Chaffs in the woodland around the car park and visitor centre. Also by the VC was a male Blackcap in full exuberant song. Looking west across the cow pasture at the start of the West Bank path I could see a single Wheatear and as the Fen woodland thinned into reedbed I saw and heard Willow Warbler. Overhead the odd Swallow slipped past heading west and in the hour and half I had on site I saw 10 - 20 Sand Martins also heading west. On the dried out mud of the Brackish Marsh was a mixed flock of Pied and White Wagtails and in amongst these a glowing Yellow Wagtail. All this plus the 'usual suspects' of Avocets and Marsh Harriers. After Titchwell I had time for a slow drive home, I had hoped to have a go at Photographing Hares but although I found some good fields with lots of Hares none were close enough to the road to make photography viable. I did though stumble across a couple of Common Buzzards including the one pictured above, These are becoming an increasing frequent and welcome sight in the county as they recolonise their former range. Even better on Thursday I had a Red Kite near Guist a species which has been absent from the east for even longer than the Buzzard. Apologies for the formatting being wonky, can't work out how to fix it.

Spring Squirrels'

Grey Squirrel, Rosary Cemetery, Norwich

Found time for a quick lunchtime walk in the Rosary Cemetery, Norwich. Amazing how the season is picking up momentum, the Snowdrops are now a memory and the Crocuses which carpeted the rides in the cemetery a couple of weeks ago are nearly all gone and replaced by the yellow blooms of Primroses and Daffodils. High in the trees I could hear the song of my first Chiff - Chaff of the spring.

Approaching the small pond I heard the purr of mating Common Frogs and looking into the water I could make out the swish of Smooth Newts tail.

In the picture is one of the local Grey Squirrels that spent a lot of time on the ground foraging for last autumns acorns.

Mealy and Lesser Redpolls side by side

PicaHD's Mealy and Lesser Redpoll footage

It has been a pretty full on couple of weeks with little time for birding, however I have recently managed a lunchtime session in the hide on the heath at the RSPB's Lodge nature reserve in Bedfordshire. This is always a good spot to watch a wide range of woodland birds come in close to the hide to bathe, drink and feed.

This winter it has offered a great opportunity to watch the two commoner forms of Repoll [Mealy and Lesser] at close range and alongside. The attached YouTube footage by PicaHD nicely illustrates the differing plumage's of the two birds. Certainly during my stint in the hide the odd Mealy that put in an appearance stood out with their appreciable colder, whiter plumage.

Also present were some stunning Siskins drinking from the pool within a few feet of the hide and always fun to see Nuthatch and GS Woodpecker.

Male Teal at Titchwell Marsh

Little Owl, near Ringstead, Norfolk

A cold grey day. Spent the morning looking after our toddler and in the afternoon a family visit took me along the coast road and meant that I could spend an hour at Titchwell. En route I found this Little Owl sitting amongst the Ivy cladding a roadside Oak Tree, my first of the calendar year.

It was bitterly cold at Titchwell with a north east wind and drizzle. So I prioritised my time and spent a pleasant 30 minutes on my own in Island Hide photographing Teal. Leaving aside the terrible light this was a really nice treat, usually the hides at Titchwell are pretty busy places and even when you can get onto a bird to do some photography you run the risk of someone disturbing it just enough to make photography more of a challenge. It was also great because its easy to forget what cracking little ducks Teal are, especially the males and in the flat light their feathers seem to glow.

My walk back to the car was delayed by a number of the ridiculously tame Robins that live at Titchwell and I amused myself photographing them.

Snow Buntings and Shorelarks

Snow Bunting, Salthouse Beach Car Park

At last a day that more resembled early Spring than the depths of Winter, an air temperature of 13 - 14 C and some sunshine, made it a pleasure to be out and about today.

Started out at Salthouse Beach car park with a very pleasant 45 minute session photographing Snow Buntings and Turnstones at the baited spot at the east end of the car park.

Spent the late morning at Cley Marshes NWT reserve, hadn't been here for a while and today was relatively quiet bird wise with the highlight being a single Shorelark on the shingle bank.
Next to Holkham Park where a walk in the woods in the hope of connecting with a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker ended in disappointment.

Finished the day at Holme Marsh a favourite spot for just sitting and watching, seeing what pops out of the woodwork, today that included a Sparrowhawk flying fast past the hide carrying prey, single Barn Owl, Marsh Harrier and Green Woodpecker and slightly incongruously Long Tailed Tits impersonating Penduline Tits by feeding on the Typha heads.

In the rain at the Sealife Centre & Titchwell

Wolf-fish Hunstanton Sealife Centre


Twite at Titchwell Marsh


Bewicks Swan at Titchwell Marsh

Hunstanton Sealife Centre
Spent just over an hour this morning at the Hunstanton Sealife Centre, my first visit for many years. First impressions were how expensive it was [£12.80ish for adults] and bemusement that they had their admission price in bold and then 2 columns for the VAT on this and then the price you had to pay, a touch of the Ryanair approach to advertising costs I thought.

The place was busy which was not surprising on a wet half term morning in Hunstanton, but I don't think there were vast numbers of people present and as it was it felt uncomfortably crowded in places. The exhibits were fine and on a quieter day I think we would have got more out of the live interpreters, touch pools etc.

The seal feed at 11 o'clock was very popular and as a consequence for children difficult to see.

Having said all this our toddler, once he had got used to this new and exciting place, enjoyed himself and had a fun morning. On balance I'd go again, but not often and not in school holidays. It would be good value at half the admission price.

Titchwell Marsh
Afternoon visit on my own to Titchwell in the wet. Highlights were the wintering Twite flock and a single Bewick's Swan feeding in the company of ferla Greylag, Canada and Egyptian Geese in a roadside field at the east end of the reserve,

Shorelarks in the Bay

Shorelarks in Holkham Bay today


Bullfinch in Wells Woods today

A real treat today, just me and the wife out for a walk together whilst our little lad enjoyed playing with his friends at nursery. We walked from Lady Anne's Drive east to Wells on the south side of the conifer belt and then back west on the landward side of the dunes.

The walk along the edge of the conifers was very quiet but at Wells the soft piping calls and then flashing white rumps got us onto five Bullfinches. Even though they didn't cooperate with having their picture taken these are great birds to spend time watching.

Holkham Bay was wonderfully empty of the usual mix of dog walkers, horse riders, kite flyer's and birders. We found the small flock of seven Shorelarks feeding at the eastern edge of the low saltmarsh vegetation that covers the area landward of the dune system. There were also Skylarks and Rock Pipits feeding here.

After our two and a bit hour walk we stopped off at the White Horse in Brancaster Staithe for some lunch. This was very nice although in common with many of the gastro pubs that litter the north Norfolk coast the plate of food was a little lacking in carbohydrates.

A nice morning.

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.