Norfolk - More from Cley.

Continuing on from my previous post Norfolk Review (Part 2) Cley NWT. Tony and I followed the East Bank scanning either side for any new sightings.

 Greylag Geese feeding on the grazing marsh with Brent Geese and Wigeon in the distance.

 Little Egret gently creating ripples as it hunted for its prey.

 Black-tailed Godwit.

 Turnstone.

Two migrant species to look out for at this time of year are Shore Lark and Snow Buntings that often frequent the shingle seawall defences and we were not to be disappointed.

One of four Shore (Horned) Lark flitting about on the shingle.  (Regretfully I only managed a distant  record shot, heavily cropped, in very harsh sunlight!)

Both Tony and I did get to find at least 5 Snow Buntings but they were constantly feeding and hidden by a mound of vegetation so regretfully no pictures on this occasion so we trudged onwards across the pebbles to meet up with our other halves who were waiting at the beach car park.

 Pied Wagtail

During our walk back inland we added Canada Geese, Reed Bunting, Stonechat and Kestrel to the day list. As we we prepared to cross the road back to the car park I spotted a Barn Owl floating over the reeds.

I took this quick shot as it disappeared into the distance not expecting it to return, but I was wrong ... a few minutes later it returned and this time I was slightly better prepared to capture the following shots as the light began to fade.

What a glorious finale to an excellent few hours birding around the NWT reserve at Cley before heading off to Holkham to watch the Pink-footed Geese fly out to their night time roost.   FAB.

Reunion in Kent.

On Tuesday I arranged a day out with David, an ex-RHS work colleague, who has moved to Kent to restart his life again. Our day started at Oare Marshes where I  met David, his wife June and most unexpectedly Rob, one of their sons, who has got the birding bug. 

With a nearly clear blue sky and not a breath of wind we headed out along the sea wall and scanning the bushes around the car park produced Reed Buntings and Meadow Pipits. The mudflats were littered with Redshanks but our attention very quickly turned to a pale ghostly shape quartering over the inland marsh.

The direction of the sun and the flight path of the Barn Owl failed to provide a very close encounter but we watched this individual for over half an hour as it searched for a meal and I managed a few record shots.

Our eyes soon returned to a search of the sky over Sheppey and we soon latched onto several Marsh Harriers and possibly a Buzzard. Bearded Tits were often heard as we wandered slowly but never showed themselves. At the sea wall hide we added Avocets (40+), Shelduck, Cormorant, a female Sparrowhawk mobbing a Harrier plus the usual Gulls. 

The East Flood held the expected Mallard, Tufted Ducks, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Shovellers, Coot, Moorhen, Redshank, Lapwing, a single Ruff, a dozen Common Snipe and masses of Golden Plover (pictured above). The waders took flight as a Peregine flew fairly high over the marsh heading westwards without stopping to hunt for a meal. On the western side we added Greylag Geese, Mute Swan, Little Egret, Grey Heron, Kestrel plus Starlings, Dunlin and Pied Wagtails.

David & Rob.

After consuming our packed lunches we headed inland towards 'Stodders' and my hosts stopped on the edge of an area of farmland to enable me to scope out two Whooper Swans (tick for 2010) distantly amoungst a group of Mute Swans but no sign of any Bewick's. Our afternoon was spent at Grove Ferry.

Scanning from The Mound we found the usual Lapwing, Wigeon, Teal and Mallard on the pools but no other waders. The chat soon got around to our chances of finding a Bittern and scanning with the scope along one of the furthermost reed banks I located the camouflaged 'head up' shape standing partly hidden by the reeds.

This digiscoped image has been heavily cropped but you should be able to make out the browner shape of the Bittern just off centre-right. It soon started moving and then disappeared from view. During our leisurely stroll to two of the hides we heard both Water Rail and several Cetti's Warblers. A number of sightings of Marsh Harriers, mainly males and just when neither of us had our cameras ready a fly past by another Bittern!

 

Unfortunately this was all I could manage as it disappeared to our left in the fading light. My day in Kent ended at David's new home with a fish pie supper which was greatfully appreciated after a glorious day out on the Kent marshes in good company before I made my way home in the dark.  FAB.

The Barn Owl by Ted Kooser

My thanks to Lynne from Hastybrook for e-mailing a 'Valentine' poem "The Barn Owl" by Ted Kooser (United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004 - 2006) which we think provides an appropriate link to the previous post, albeit a few weeks late!

High in the chaffy, taffy colored haze of the hayloft,
up under the starry nail-hole twinkle of the old tin roof,
there in a nest of straw and bailing twine I have hidden my valentine for you:
a white heart woven of snowy feathers in which wide eyes are welcome
open to you as you climb the rickety ladder to my love.
Behind those eyes lies a boudoir of intimate darkness, darling, the silks of oblivion.
And set like a jewel dead center in the heart is a golden hook the size of a finger ring,
to hold you always, plumpest sweetheart mouse of mine.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

It is not often that one gets the chance to photograph a Barn Owl (Tyto alba)..so here is another image that I digi-scoped over the weekend.

For the technically minded I used my pocket Samsung Digimax through a zoom lens set at 20x on a Swarovski ATS 80HD scope (Auto exposure 1/180 at f4.1 ISO 200)

Bloggers visit Holmethorpe

This morning 'The Early Birder', Anita and Tricia, a fellow blogger, visited Holmethorpe for a guided walk led by Graham (not really 'The Old Grouse') and ably assisted by local birders Richard & Gordon. We arrived early and were able to make a full circuit of Mercers Pit before the organised walk started and watched Rose-ringed Parakeets at their nest holes, probably stolen from the Starlings, a pair of Siskins, Great-crested Grebes, Green Woodpecker, Blackbird, Robin, plus Blue, Great & Long-tailed Tits.

During our walk Gordon located Peregrine Falcon, Common Buzzard & a Mediterranean Gull. We also saw Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Reed Bunting, Shelduck, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, a male Shoveller, a flying Little Egret, Common, Black-headed & Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Little Grebe, Redwing, Moorhen, Coot, Mallard, Yellowhammer, Common Snipe, Goldfinch and Cormorants.

After a brief stop back at the car park for refreshments Richard then located Lesser Redpoll and more Siskin were also seen. But the "bird of the day" undoubtedly has to be the 'resident' Barn Owl, enabling me to get a reasonable photo by digi-scoping.

Once again our thanks go to Graham for an excellent few hours of birding around his patch at Holmethorpe and in those immortal words "I will return".