We took our annual Easter migration to Wroxham with the family in our usual waterside chalet.
The weather was dry this year, but very cold, frosty nights and lazy northerly winds in the day.
Somehow I managed a new weekly record of 97 species !!!
The usual birds around Wroxham and our boat trip to the Swan for lunch on Sunday, although this year I had 2 Kingfishers on fly past, which was better than last year. Harold, the Heron made his appearance to the delight of the kids.
On our first trip to my favourite Barton Broad we had Scaup and Common Tern, but it was too cold to linger on the platform for long.
The second time I went, later in the week on evening, I got Arctic Tern, Cetti's, Water Rail, and Scaup, along with Swallow, Sand Martin, and House Martin.
I wanted to find Lesser Spotted Woodpecker this year, but having tried a number of sights dipped.
Hickling produced the strangest sight, two Sacred Ibis flew in to feed !!!
We only had Jean's phone for a record shot, but you can just make them out, bizarre !!! I talked to a local birder later in the week, who said that 8 had escaped from Thrigby and only 5 had been recaptured, but Birdtrack accepted the record.
Tichwell was a new place for me in Norfolk, coupled with a trip to Sandringham. It would be a lovely reserve in the right weather, but was very cold when we went. It's like Cley but smaller and with some very modern hides overlooking fresh and salt water lagoons. The best here was Spotted Redshank until I got Red Crested Pochard on the way back to the carpark.
Cley was quite again, the first time I've been and not seen any Marsh Harriers in the air. Plenty of Brent Geese about and the ususal waders on the scrapes. The strangest here was a Purple Sandpiper on the Eye Field. No larks at Salthouse, just some ridiculously tame Turnstones, I'm sure they'd eat from your hand if you tried.
Couldn't find any Cranes or Bitterns this year, so maybe I'll try for 100 next year !!!
The weather was dry this year, but very cold, frosty nights and lazy northerly winds in the day.
Somehow I managed a new weekly record of 97 species !!!
The usual birds around Wroxham and our boat trip to the Swan for lunch on Sunday, although this year I had 2 Kingfishers on fly past, which was better than last year. Harold, the Heron made his appearance to the delight of the kids.
On our first trip to my favourite Barton Broad we had Scaup and Common Tern, but it was too cold to linger on the platform for long.
The second time I went, later in the week on evening, I got Arctic Tern, Cetti's, Water Rail, and Scaup, along with Swallow, Sand Martin, and House Martin.
I wanted to find Lesser Spotted Woodpecker this year, but having tried a number of sights dipped.
Hickling produced the strangest sight, two Sacred Ibis flew in to feed !!!
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| Sacred Ibis |
We only had Jean's phone for a record shot, but you can just make them out, bizarre !!! I talked to a local birder later in the week, who said that 8 had escaped from Thrigby and only 5 had been recaptured, but Birdtrack accepted the record.
Tichwell was a new place for me in Norfolk, coupled with a trip to Sandringham. It would be a lovely reserve in the right weather, but was very cold when we went. It's like Cley but smaller and with some very modern hides overlooking fresh and salt water lagoons. The best here was Spotted Redshank until I got Red Crested Pochard on the way back to the carpark.
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| Spotted Redshank |
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| Avocet |
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| Bar Tailed Godwit |
Couldn't find any Cranes or Bitterns this year, so maybe I'll try for 100 next year !!!
