Norfolk

Apart from having to tow a caravan 265 miles to Snettisham, and back, it was a relaxed week visiting friends and family, back in Jenny's "homeland" and a place where I have spent many, many days birding, either alone, with pals or leading birding holidays.

Amber relaxing on holiday

Apart from seeing and hearing the Pink-feet going over to the salt marshes every morning, and seeing the fantastic Knot flock being moved by the tide, the highlight was being able to see the "Sea-Henge" exhibition in the Kings Lynn Museum at last. I was also able to take Jenny to the spot where it was built way back in 2049 BC, where we used to go to catch Sanderling. Back then, we just assumed it was part of a fossilised forest.

Now for a family pic - Jenny and her younger brother, John, at his 14th century farmhouse.

Jenny & John King

 ... and afterwards, J & A at Knettishall Heath in the evening sun.

We followed up a lead from Dawn Balmer (and family) and found "Natural Surroundings", a cafe and nature reserve tucked away on the Bayfield Estate. It was a surprise to be greeted by an old ringing friend, Andrew Cannon - and also to see four Red Squirrels from another friend's place, namely Bill Jordan's Pensthorpe reserve. The pictures are rubbish since these critters just wizz around at frenetic speed!

H S R S 

'Natural Surroundings'

Andrew sells Norfolk produced sunflower hearts that have a high oil content at £30 for 20 kg. Get some if you're in the area! A bargain!

The next two days

Two more mornings were spent down in the water meadow orchard (21 & 22 Sept). The Friday was cloudy with the wind easing and Saturday was brighter with the wind picking up again. Altogether, we had 33 new birds with a mere 3 recaptures.

Under-tail coverts of Grey Wagtail (1CY)

The red-letter bird on day 1 was another Grey Wagtail; the rest of the cast comprised mainly of 'King Harry's, a pleasing return to autumn ringing. With a small Mipit passage going on, I 'tape lured' two specimens, both 1CY birds with short (UK) wing lengths.

Simultaneous shedding of greater coverts in juvenile Goldfinch (late Sept)

Day 2 was less successful but we handled yet another Song Thrush and our first Goldcrest of the second winter period. However, the star prize 'today' was to be a 3F Reed Bunting, yet another 'new for year' species. 

The full count was as follows:
Goldcrest 1 - adult male
Chiffchaff 2 (1) - new birds both adults
Blackcap 2 - both males
Blackbird (1) - aged '4M' Aug 2011             
Song Thrush 1 - another juv
Robin 1 (1)
Dunnock 2
Grey Wagtail 1 - 1CY
Meadow Pipit 2 - 1CY

Contrast between greater and primary coverts - 1CY Chaffinch

 Chaffinch 3 - 2 adults & 1CY
Greenfinch 4 - all juvs undergoing PJ moult
Goldfinch 13 - no adult birds!
Reed Bunting 1 - a small imm. female

I spent the next week with our caravan up in NW Norfolk, enjoying the noisy Pink-feet and the swirling Knot flocks! ... and meeting friends and family of "her indoors", my partner Jenny. [I should say she spends much of her time in the garden or walking her dog, so a bit of a mis-nomer!!!]

Some hols

I have been away in NW Norfolk for the last week, ostensibly to bring the caravan back. I did manage some bird-watching - by taking the dog for a walk mornings and evenings around the Coastal Park - and clocked up over 70 species. A brief ringing session on the Sunday with Trevor Girling produced just 2 birds, a Chiff and a Wren.


I did manage to find the first Ring Ouzel early one morning (Sat 2nd), but missed the Gropper found by David Roche on the 5th.

Jenny has had a caravan here for many years and it was sad to leave and become just a "tourist pitch".


It was handy for the beach, dog walks and birding, not forgetting Hunstanton.


We were up there one day during high tide and the Turnstones, about 40 of them, were all feeding on the grass beside the road.


Whilst there, we had the obligatory dinner dates with old family friends, where the wine flowed. Next door is "Sandies", the local pub. Sandie was born in Luton Hoo and worked on the caravan site before taking over the pub.



The coastal park and the inner sea wall was were Jen and I first went for a walk after we had known each other for about a month (on the internet). We will always think of PFG, pink-footed geese, when remembering the area since the fields hold many after dusk; in fact, there were 250 there this week and they might remain for another 6-7 weeks yet before the last migrate north.


One historic event was about to happen; the flood siren was disconnected and siren itself was due to be 'recycled' and the post removed.


Another milestone - but will the new electronic notice boards that replace the siren be as effective? Will everybody ensconced in their 'vans/chalets be aware of the notice on the inner sea-wall if they don't venture out?

It's terminal

Well, goodbye to Norfolk - for the time being. There's always the caravan to fall back on when we get withdrawal symptoms!


Up bright and early 'cos there's still a lot of boxes to finish off and nearly all need taping up. Before 9am, the men arrive with their pantechnicon. Immediately they pitch in to get the upstairs cleared first. Furniture and boxes go into the containers just like a jigsaw, with some bits left out to fit in to another one later.

We rush about downstairs, closing boxes as they're filled. Bits and pieces make their way out to the cars on next door's drive (they're away). Coffe is served. Dog gets a short walk.

All the tools are ready in the garage; Jen's brother John will dispose of what he doesn't need.

Then, miraculously, suddenly, just after 12 noon, it's all done.

Ah, but we now have to empty the fridge into the cool boxes. One last look around ... and we're off to my place. One touch of luck - the estate agent says I've got a viewing tomorrow morning.

Ah, well, that's it! Shan't be ringing in this lovely garden backing on to woodland ever again! Sob.

Penultimate visit

This was to be the only April visit to NW Norfolk. The reason - Jen has sold out to her brother and is moving to Bedford ... temporarily. I have an appointment with our Priory CES site next weekend and the weekend after I shall be packing for our caravan holiday in Dorset (where we will be house hunting) and Cornwall, where we will get pissed in Padstow at the May Day celebrations. It now looks like we will be met there by one of Jen's neices, Hannah, and her partner, 'Ginge' (Ian).

Rear view. The net runs in front of the RH shrubs to the pole

Getting the net up after lunch on the Saturday, it didn't yield many birds before dusk; just 4, with nothing between half two and five o'clock. Up early on Sunday morning to open the net proved a deliberate act of masochism again, with 3 birds by breakfast time, 2 more just before lunch, and then 3 more as it was getting dark. Bank holiday Monday and I followed the same routine, but did close for a couple of hours mid-afternoon when we walked to "Onion Corner", once on the main road to Hunstanton but now by-passed by the 'Queen Elizabeth Way'. Then nothing.

This is how it panned out.
Saturday pm - 1 Greti, 2 Chaff & 1 Blabi.

 A neat 5M Chaffinch with a wing of 86.5


Sunday am - 2 Bluti, 1 Blabi, 1 Robin & 1 Grefi.

A 6m Greenfinch with a low weight of 24.4 - hence the fluffed up appearance

Sunday pm - 1 Dunno, 1 Robin & 1 Bluti.
Monday am - 1 Goldc, 4 Grefi, 1 Coati & 1 Chiff.

A surprise 6F Goldcrest. 'Hubby' was nearby

So that was that. Chiffchaff 1, Goldcrest 1, Blue Tit 2 (1), Great Tit 1, Coal Tit 1,

The sole Coal Tit, unringed, aged 5, 4 ogc's.
The rest have deserted the feeders for now. 

Blackbird 2, Robin 1 (1), Dunnock 1, Chaffinch 1 (1) & Greenfinch 5.

Another garden rarity - 4M Chiffchaff with a wing of 64

19 birds in all with just the three retraps. It'll have to do.

Movements

No. Not those! They're called motions.

A day and a half just gone in Norfolk to sort out the latest developments. Jen is being 'bought out' by her brother - so the packing has started. This means that my ringing there will also cease sometime in May. Since October 2005, I have ringed c.2000 new birds and handled over 3,000. This has meant a handsome database of retrap histories and one or two "beaut" recoveries.There maybe more to come.

A mere 14 birds. The weather was all wrong and wasn't suited to this particular garden on the day. Having said that, it was a glorious day with temperatures reaching a balmy 15C. Pity about the cold wind.

Blue Tit 1 (2)
Great Tit 2 (1)
Coal Tit 1 (2)
Dunnock (1)
Chaffinch 3
Goldfinch 1

The finches were all female and the Chaffinches were all 6's, with a broad tail, finishing in a flat angle. They were in good condition and were either carrying  fat or showed signs of having recently used some of it up.
As I was travelling light, I could not take any 'photos, having left my "ringing accessories" at home

Margaret's funeral

Jenny asked me to come and support her at her mother's funeral, which was yesterday (10th). Couldn't turn down a second visit in a week, could I? Joking apart, I felt I had to go and wish this sweet lady farewell anyway, along with all the King clan.

I took advantage by putting just the one net out early, hoping to catch more 'continental' Blackbirds. Both days were dull and the temperature never got above +6C, having climbed from near freezing. There was no frost however, the wind keeping it at bay. The one sign that spring was somewhere over the horizon and about to descend on us was this female Goldfinch. Her presumed mate was singing his heart out in an Ash tree above the garden. These are the first we have seen or heard since the late autumn.

The total haul was a mere 23 birds of which 9 were recaptures as follows:
Dunnock (1),  Robin (1),  Blackbird 7,
Long-tailed Tit 1,  Marsh Tit (1),
Blue Tit 2 (3),  Great Tit 2 (3),
Goldfinch 1.

A fairly even split with the Blackbirds; 2x each of 6M, 6F & 5M plus 1x 5F. There were 2 possible 'continentals'; a whopping 6M had a wing of 144mm and a weight of 139gm and a 5M with 135 & 118 respectively. The oldest known bird was a Blue Tit caught as a full adult (4M) in December '07.

Fred Cooke reported 30 odd Siskins in the Babingley valley, which is not very far away at all. None so far heard in our part of the wood. I suspect his were in the Alders on the Castle Rising Estate.

Cakes & ale rejected

A mid-week trip to Norfolk, principally for the Norfolk Ringers annual meet. A good night was had by all, thanks to Allan, the county ringing co-ordinator.

But, as always, a session in the garden is what really stirs the brain into action - especially at 06:30 on a frosty (-4C) morning. Now that the sun is climbing in the sky, I only get about 4 hours before the nets are 100% visible to all and sundry. Nonetheless, 40 birds of just 7 species was good enough. It would have been better if the Siskins had returned from their winter haunts, possibly as far away as Catalonia (thank you, Jeff K) - Barcelona, Spain for the uninitiated.

Robin 2 (1)
Blackbird 8 (2)
Coal Tit (2)
Blue Tit 1 (8)
Great Tit 4 (4)
Greenfinch 6
Chaffinch 4


First up was this large (wing 139) male 'Blackie' with a crossed bill; as a >/=3CY it must be managing OK. It was not as heavy, at 115g, as some which I caught later that reached 132g with a good fat load (scored 3).

At the same time I had this female, a normal 'English wing' sized bird. However the 4 old greater coverts show up much better in the photo' below than in the hand. Many 'continental sized' birds habitually have these deceptively coloured covert feathers. This female had a lovely mottled breast - which took my fancy.

aaaaa

Jen had mentioned that her Garlic shoots had disappeared. Her thoughts were that a mouse or similar had had them because the mesh cage over the plot stopped any birds getting to them. Lo and behold, what should appear on the feeder hanging under the climbing rose but "Mr. Country Mouse"

I was able to get fairly close and eventually 'it' stopped hiding round the other side of the peanuts. Finally, a couple of Coal Tits frightened it back to its underground home below the patio.

The day the Blue Tits came

Took my eldest grand-daughter to Norfolk for the weekend; we stayed at Jenny's with the object of taking her bird-watching. It also helped her parents who are "between houses" and staying with Ali's parents and her sister in their small house making 6 persons, sometimes 7, and a fat Labrador!

Here's the little princess with 'Floppsy Rabbit' ready to return home.

The weather was not good but I did manage to get in some ringing on the Saturday morning before more rain. The session was dominated by Blue Tits with 28 individuals out of the 47 trapped.

Totals were - Blackbird 1, Marsh Tit 1, Coal Tit 3 + 4 r/t, Blue Tit 13 + 15 r/t, Gt. Tit 3 + 6 r/t & Chaffinch 1 r/t. The oldest bird was a GT from September 2007 while another bore an NOA ring from March 2008. [They ring occasionally in Fred Cooke's garden at the other corner of the wood, Fred being the NOA president).

On Sunday morning, we set off early (for us) and arrived at Snettisham before the 9.30 high tide. Apart from Oystercatchers and Turnstones on the tide line and a few large gulls and a lone Cormorant, there was little on the seaward side. At peak tide, a mere 6.0 metre one, a flock of 50 Knot headed south towards the inner Wash and RSPB Snettisham. We prefered to stay in the relatively sheltered 'so called' country park.

The main interest was the Meadow Pipits along the outer sea wall and the squadrons of Starlings arriving from the continent. They numbered from 6 to 60 with many in the 15-20 range, coming over every few minutes during the hour we were there. We also noticed a few Linnets, the odd Blackbird, a small party of Redwing and several noisy Wrens. From the inner sea wall there was little to be seen; I suspect it had been shot over the day before. The Wigeon, numbering several hundred, of a month ago were gone.We did, however, find a group of 30 Curlew, some Mallard and a few Coot.

Next it was a trip to the nursing home to visit "the mother", who is coming 95. Here we could get close to some splendidly colourful Mallard, Coot and Moorhens in the grounds. The weekend was a bit of a 'wash-out', I'm afraid, but Erin made it safely back to mum

Watch this space

My grand-daughter, Erin (whose initials also spell Erin), sometimes known as Renee, has been pestering me for ages to take her bird-watching. She's just 5y 5m and keen to get going.
So this week-end I'm taking her to NW Norfolk. At worst, she can sit in the conservatory and watch the birds on the feeders. But, knowing her, she will want me to do some ringing - AND take her to the "seaside" which will mean a jaunt along the beach at Snettisham. Good job we have a 'freebie' parking slot at the caravan.
Just hope the rain keeps off for her.