11/01/2020 Marcus Nash Norfolk Trip Day 3/3

Sunday 12 January 2010

The heavy rain cleared overnight and it was dry again all day. After a cloudy start, the sun started to break through  and we enjoyed a lovely bright afternoon, even if it was rather breezy again.

 

Part of the plan for this weekend was to look for some owls. Having seen short-eared owls and barn owls on Friday, we headed out to add to our owl list.  Things worked out perfectly!

• At a site near the village of Blakeney we saw a truly magnificent tawny owl, enjoying the daytime roost in a hole in one of the trees along the edge of the wood.

courtesy of Marcus Nash



• Not far away, near the old RAF Langham airfield, we completed our owl tally for the trip when a little owl was seen in a spot  tucked under the lip of a roof.  It was sheltering from the wind, looking out towards the morning sun.



 courtesy of Marcus Nash

 

At Holkham the target species were shore lark and snow bunting and though we found both species in the end, the chase was quite energy sapping, especially in the gale force winds that we encountered there. 

• Several birders were looking for the larks but no one had seen any.  Initially, we were unsuccessful but just when we were about to give up and head off to the visitor centre for lunch our luck changed when we joined a young man and woman who were looking at a small flock of 6-8 that had just flown in to the cordoned off area we had searched previously.  They didn't stay long before they were flew off again but we were able to get a good view of them beforehand.

courtesy of Marcus Nash



•   The snow buntings were somewhat more straightforward.  After a fruitless search at the start, a large flock of about 90 flew in as we were sea-watching.  After that, we had regular sightings as they moved around the cordon or took flight from it.



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courtesy of Marcus Nash

• A short sea watch, in quite unpleasant conditions with lots of sand blowing around in the strong wind, provided us with impressive sightings of common scoter, gannet, red-throated diver, sanderling, long-tailed duck and red-breasted merganser.

 

•  The other target species was a black-necked grebe that had been recorded regularly on the lake at Holkham Park. We duly found it after a long walk from the car park.  By now the weather was at its best and the lighting conditions were ideal.  Needless to say the views were terrific

courtesy of Marcus Nash



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•  The final highlights were played out at Stiffkey where the stunning evening conditions made it ideal for watching the harrier roost.  We had at least one male hen harrier, a couple of ringtails, several barn owls and at least one merlin. 

 

• My year list was boosted by the following species seen at various points during the day:

                           skylark,  goldcrest, jay, long-tailed tit and mistle thrush.

What a trip, truly memorable, with a guide who, as always, was at the top of his game and delivered a first class itinerary.