10th October
Was rather rainy so we decided to drive to Cambridgeshire and try for the Lammergeier. When we arrived it had just flown off having given good views as it fed on a hare in a field adjacent to the road. We set off in the direction that it had flown and after some searching it was seen in flight overhead. We were fortunate enough to spend some time watching it as it drifted above the ploughed field, often harassed by Red Kites and Buzzards.
We spent the afternoon at Titchwell.
A flock of Ruff
Redshank
Wheatear on the beach
Little Egret
Black-tailed Godwit
Bearded Tit
11th October.
We headed to Burnham Overy dunes in a strong and chilly wind. We made for the pine trees and having first found a Lesser Whitethroat, connected with the Barred Warbler. The very dark eye showed this to be a first year bird. We didn't see the Short-eared Owl that's been seen in the dunes.
Lesser Whitethroat
Barred Warbler
View across the dunes
The afternoon was spent at Holme NOA where the pines sheltered the observatory area from the prevailing wind and dragonflies and insects flew around the buddleias and pond.
Migrant Hawker
Wall Brown
White tailed Bumblebee
12th October
Dawned and it looked like rain was likely although this was not due according to the forecast.
We spent the morning at Sculthorpe where some trails were underwater and closed off.
Brambling
Coal Tit
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
13th October
Was also a rainy start, but we were out before 8am and went to Holkham Meals. There were many thrushes arriving and the pathways that had been cut through the bracken to the left of the track allowed so good views.
Song Thrush
We were struggling to hear bird calls over the persistent rumble of plant working in the pines, doing forestry work. We heard Yellow-browed Warbler and had at least 4 along the track, possibly more!
Two of the four birds seen.
Additional walkways make viewing easier
Fungi in the dunes
Grey Partridges by the car park
Pleased with having found our own YBWs, we tried North Point hoping for Ring Ouzel. There were plenty of thrushes dropping in for a brief stop off.
Redwings, Fieldfare, Blackbird are attracted by the berries
Hawthorn berries signal thrushes of a good place to stop!
Ring Ouzel record shot
Hare
14th October.
Wednesday was a little windier than the previous day. We started off at Holme NOA. There were plenty of Redwings, Fieldfare and Blackbirds about, also finches including many Brambling and Goldcrests. A reccie along the dunes on to the NWT reserve turned up a Pallas's Warbler in the calm, sunny leeward side of a clump of mixed vegetation.
Pallas's Warbler
A Ring Ouzel was feeding in the dunes.
There was a second Pallas's in the NWT car park in the usual Sycamore trees. Closer inspection showed that it was the bird ringed earlier at the NOA observatory.
Hummingbird Hawkmoth at NOA
15th October
Thursday had a showery start. We walked Holkham, finding some Yellow-browed Warblers again. When the news of a Red-flanked Bluetail came through we were only 5 minutes walk away.
Record shot RFBT
We carried on further along the path and tied down another Yellow-browed Warbler. On the way back a Reed Warbler was seen, but turned out not to be a Blyth's as originally reported.
Reed Warbler
A pm visit to Stiffkey to check out the campsite woodland was made only to get there and find out there was a report of two Pallas Warblers in the area, but no birders as yet, give a chance to have a quite check around the area, though most of the tres on the coastal side had already lost their leaves. At the south side of the eastern end, there was not one, but two Pallas', and what was the second one from the report was still present by the boat, making three present in total. But, if a better check had been made around the car park, what else might have already been there?
16th October
We decided to start off at Holme, working the paddocks on the way to the already located Red-flanked Bluetail. However we'd seen a RFBT on the way, in the paddocks so was it the same bird?
RFBT at the end of the golf course
Cetti's Warbler in full view
We do our best to avoid twitches,
especially when social distancing is not in evidence
The second RFBT that we found in the paddocks.
There was a third RFBT at the NOA (no photos of that one) and lots of Goldcrests in the pines.
We drove home, having found a lot of our own birds through the week, but we could have done with another day - then we would have been there for the Rufous-tailed Bushchat. Who knows, Chris might even have found it (or not) had we been there.
