False alarm! Yes, day 2 started with a rude awakening from the fire alarm at 3am.
Day 2 then restarted at 7.30am in a much more peaceful manner after a much needed good night’s rest. Thus far the 80 species we had compiled on our list of birds consisted of predominantly river and inland species, therefore this morning we decided to scour the coast.
After a brief look at the coastal marshland outside the hostel we had added a couple more common species to our list including Dunlin and Redshank before moving on towards Holkham Bay. However, en route to Holkham bay Ashley reminded us to keep an eye out for Barn Owls and literally as he said it Cain and I spotted a couple soaring across a snowy field to our right. We stopped the car to watch but they were too distant to get a good photograph. A small buzz of excitement tickled us as a Rough-Legged Buzzard joined the soaring Owls. We have the pleasure of observing them soaring over some grassland which contained some fairly friendly Lapwings and a few Grey Partridge. It was a surreal sight for all five minutes that it lasted before everything was disturbed and dispersed across other fields.
On arrival at Holkham Bay we were greeted by field of Pink Footed Geese and a broken ticket machine. You win some, you lose some... we lost 50 pence. This was not my first visit to Holkham Bay, however my intentions were very different from last time. The stunningly vast beach had been blanketed with a carpet of snow meaning that running around with a bucket and spade in just a t-shirt and swimming trunks was no longer an option. This trip was for the birds and it really paid off as we were treated to a feast of surprises. Enticing arrays of tantalising birds were found within a few hundred meters. It began with the simple species again with yet more Dunlin, Redshanks and a Red Breasted Merganser that was drifting in the waves. Cain spotted our main target of Holkham Bay; a pair of Shore Larks fluttering around the sparse shoots of vegetation in the vast sea of snow. They stuck around almost completely unhindered by our presence. Unfortunately we were not wearing the correct camouflage for the snowy conditions and our attempts to commando crawl towards them were unsuccessful. Thwarted because did not want to risk flushing them.
After watching these for a while we continued and came across a mixed flock that contained a large number of snow bunting. The action picked up for a while as a Hen Harrier flew overhead causing the flock to panic but this settled down as quickly as it began.
As we went to leave there were a few more surprises waiting in the car park: A Dunnock frolicking by a fence and a Kestrel that swooped into a nearby tree. One Pink Footed Goose, surrounded by what seemed like a few Moorhens for bodyguards, seemed relaxed enough to allow us to photograph it too.
The final port of call for the weekend was RSPB Titchwell Marsh. Upon arrival we were greeted by some extremely friendly Robins and a Woodcock flying over the Car park. An Arctic Redpoll had been spotted around the reception area so Ashley made it his mission to find it and it didn’t disappoint him, eventually appearing amongst the alder trees. Whilst this was happening Cain and I decided to make the most of the photogenic Robin posing for some traditional Christmas card style pictures.
After this we made our way towards the hides. Half way there we spotted a Chinese Water Deer roaming the marshes. For a deer it was fairly tame and surprisingly did not bolt at first sight of us. Luckily I was prepared and managed to sneak a picture before it settled in the sheltered comfort of a shrub.
Steve and I then visited a hide and managed to identify a Ruff amongst the masses of sea birds trying to find the holes in the sheets of ice that had covered areas of the fresh water pool. Ashley and Cain managed to spot a juvenile Med Gull on this pool too. Finally we added the last few birds to our list including a Velvet Scoter and a Water Rail.
The total number of species after this chilly yet successful weekend was a reasonable 116. There were a few surprising species missing from the list including Bittern and Kingfisher however, this was a magical weekend of non-stop birding and stunning landscapes and wildlife.
Thanks for reading
No comments:
Post a Comment