The weather forecast put this as our best day but things didn't quite work out as planned. Nevertheless we made the most of it and finished up having another great day, seeing our primary target species.
The overnight rain had just cleared as we motored down to the Brecks from our base in Wells-next-the-Sea and things did not improve significantly until early afternoon.
Thetford Forest
- We started with a stroll in the northern section of the Thetford Forest where the main birds that caught the eye were a couple of Woodlarks,
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| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
Outskirts of Cockley Cley.
- As soon as we arrived on site, Marcus picked out 2 Goshawks in full display mode - a male and a female flying over the tops of the trees immediately ahead of us. Panic over - Marcus was so worried that the overcast conditions might prevent these birds from showing today!
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| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
- We stayed almost an hour during which time the birds re-appeared and showed well at times. There were definitely 3 Goshawks - a male, a female and a juvenile - and probably a fourth. That brings my total to an impressive 9/10 sightings in 3 counties and 5 sites in the last week or so!
- Also seen were an impressive 20+ Fieldfares.
Main job done!
There was a bit of a lull in the middle of the day where we went to a well known site for Willow Tits but hardly heard a bird let alone see a rare species such as this.
Lynford Arboretum
- In the feeding area just down from the car park we enjoyed watching 20+each of Brambling
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| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
- Down the hill, heading towards the bridge and the lake, we came across a group who were looking at a Tawny Owl high in the tree by the main path. We stopped to take in this unexpected bonus before carrying on.
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| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
- By now we were running late and we had missed the Hawfinches in the Hornbeam trees in the paddock area. Thankfully Marcus picked them up in the tall pines behind and eventually we were able to enjoy good views of most of the 14 birds that we knew were present.
| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
- By the bridge near the lake we had a superb view of a male Crossbill at the top of a deciduous tree to the left of the path. As we approached things got even better with more views of more males and at least one female using the trees as a strategic stopping point before dropping down to drink by the waterside.
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| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
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| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
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| courtesy of Marcus Nash |
A cracking Day 2!
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