A nice day in Norfolk. Todd’s Canada Goose and several Bean Geese seen with 1000’s of Pinkfeet near Docking. Lots of Velvet Scoter and Long-tailed Ducks at Titchwell and plenty of waders on a lovely sunny but cold day.
Todd’s Canada Goose
Scoter flock – spot the Velvet Scoter and Long-tailed Duck amongst the Common Scoter
Knot
Bar-tailed Godwit
Dunlin
Sanderling
Great result and weekend in Blackpool.
Up early on Saturday for a trip to Beeley a nice little village on the edge of the Peak District in Derbyshire to see a Dusky Thrush. As the villagers did not want lots of people parking in the village they had set up a free one-way shuttle bus from the Carlton Lees carpark about a mile away. They also supplied tea/coffee and bacon and sausage baps.
Dusky Thrush
There are 4 White-fronted Geese at Cainhoe in Bedfordshire, first I have seen in the county.
After seeing the Cliff Swallow at Minsmere I went to Carlton Colville near Lowestoft and saw a Waxwing and then Limpenhoe in Norfolk for a juvenile Rose-coloured Starling.
Rose-coloured Starling
Waxwing
Luton had a lot of possession but did not create any chances, Notts County could have won the game when they were awarded a penalty but Christian Walton made a great save. Luton took 2033 supporters to this game and the total attendance was 6313. COYH.
A Cliff Swallow was seen at Minsmere late afternoon on Friday 4th November. I had intended to go to Norfolk but changed destination to Suffolk and arrived at Minsmere at 7am Saturday morning. Waiting patiently in bittern hide in the hope that the Cliff Swallow would be seen having reportedly roosted in the reedbeed. Whilst waiting I saw an Otter and 2 Bittern. Someone in the hide got a call to say the bird had been seen over the visitor centre, this resulted in a mass exodus of the hide with a brisk walk/run to the visitor centre only to find the bird had drifted off east with a flock of 8 Swallows. Luckily about 15 minutes later it came back and even rested in hawthorns near the visitor centre. It was only the 11th Cliff Swallow that has been seen in Britain. Rubbish pictures but a great bird.
An Isabelline Wheatear was found inland at Wardy Hill, Cambridgeshire. I had intended to go to Norfolk for one that was at Burnham Overy Staithe so it saved me a much longer trip.
On the way out to sea between the islands we saw an Osprey, 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, 2 Common Scoter and Grey Plover. It was quite choppy out towards the Seven Stones reef and we did not stay out there too long. Best birds were a Pomarine Skua that was right next to the boat and a couple of Sooty Shearwaters. There were also 4+ Bonxie, Balearic Shearwater, Storm Petrel and an unusual record of a Snow Bunting that flew around us a couple of times.
Pomarine Skua
Sooty Shearwater
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