For a sixth former like myself the Christmas period means only one thing... revision. However, I was gladly able to have a days break from the slog and elected to go birding a bit further afield. After some consideration, I decided I would pay a visit to my favourite nature reserve in Norfolk - Holkham. This was mainly to try my luck again at the Shorelark and Snow Bunting that I'd unwillingly dipped almost a year to the day, and maybe even jam in on a White-fronted Goose or two.
The day started off poorly when - despite it being 7:30 in the morning, my father and I were stuck in standstill traffic. This, and the fact that it was the shortest day of the year, really had me worrying about how much time I would be able to spend birding. Gladly, we eventually managed to get moving again and arrived at Lady Anne's drive at around 10:45.
Birding proceedings began promisingly when a Stonechat hopped out obligingly - a matter of metres from our car - and was eventually joined by a Wren. After enjoying this spectacle, I decided to check for the Grey Partridges that my good friend Arjun Dutta had pointed me in the direction of the previous day; but to no avail. So, after checking out the visitor centre, we decided to head down to the beach and ensue the serious business at hand - the Shorelark and Snow Buntings. On the beach we bumped into another fellow birder (always a good sign) who helpfully pointed us in the right direction towards the cordoned off area where he had seen the two species residing earlier that morning. We headed down there and were eventually greeted by a large flock of small birds - could it be the Snow Buntings? A closer view confirmed this suspicion and the first lifer of the day was firmly in my grasp.
Now for the next target. Shorelark. The general consensus from other birders was that there was a group of 5 of the birds were proving to be rather elusive, but a thorough scan and it was possible to pick them out. After searching for about 5 minutes, some movement on the salt marsh caught my eyes, a quick look in the scope and low and behold, 3 Shorelarks together. By half 11 in the morning the two target species for the day were in the bag - not a bad day so far! After watching the two species for a while, we decided a seawatch was in order - a must during a coastal birding session in winter. After setting up my scope, a mass of Common Scoter greeted me but unfortunately not a lot else. However, a bit of persistence saw me rewarded with a close Slavonian Grebe with a supporting cast of close(ish) Red-breasted Merganser and a Long Tailed Duck - all of which were welcome additions to my year list. After succumbing to the cold of being next to the sea and gaining some directions from another helpful birder, we decided to have an attempt at the long-staying Rough-legged Buzzard which had been frequenting a field in Wells. The walk back to the carpark was not to be uneventful however, as we stumbled upon 6+ Grey Partridge in the position we checked earlier! This was to be my third lifer of the day, adding to a fantastic morning of birding.
On arrival at the lay-by which was best to view the Rough-legged Buzzard from, we were greeted by a couple of other birders who gladly pointed out that the bird was showing. A look in the scope revealed it immediately - contently sitting in the field seemingly unbothered. Another lifer in the bag and another plan that had actually come to fruition. The day was going almost too smoothly, surely it could only go downhill from here...
But an unbelievable (and somewhat appropriate) Cod and chips in Wells helped to place us on the right track to a good afternoon. In high spirits and with a carefree attitude, we set off back towards Holkham, with another quick stop at the lay-by to get cheeky seconds of the Rough-legged Buzzard on the way. Here we got to witness the bird in flight (something I had been secretly hoping for) and managed to add a few other species to our day list including a distant Red Kite, Sparrowhawk and Linnet.
After this quick pitstop we decided to head back to Holkham and visit the hides for the first time, in the hope of finding a White-fronted Goose or two. On arrival at the car park, we were greeted by 6 more Grey Partridge - a good start to the afternoon. However, the venture began to look unpromising, with a distinct lack of geese by Lady Anne's Drive, but we decided to stick to the plan. The walk to the first hide accumulated Marsh Harrier to the day's list but little else. So we ploughed on to the next hide; still believing that we might get one last bit of luck. A mixed tit flock caught my attention by the old house, featuring mainly Long-tailed Tit, with a Coal Tit and a couple of Goldcrests. For a brief second I thought about the prospect of a Firecrest being mixed in with the birds and then, right on cue, a Firecrest popped out from the trees! This was to be yet another lifer for me and an extremely satisfying find (probably the highlight of the day) after all the time spent at Rainham trying to find one (and even hearing one). The bird proved to be very mobile, hopping from tree to tree, but this took nothing away from the stunning colours of the bird - an absolute beauty. After losing sight of the Firecrest and the ongoing threat of the light diminishing, we headed on to the final hide - our final hope of finding a White-fronted Geese.
On arrival at the hide things looked unpromising, with the only flock of geese being rather distant and in extremely challenging light. With a brief scan, I managed to pick out 2 Egyptian Geese as well as a few Curlew. However, as was the theme of the day, we struck lucky AGAIN, as the sun fell behind the clouds providing suitable light to at least attempt to ID the distant geese. Some Pink-footed Geese became evident after a good look at the flock - a long awaited year tick, but it was two other geese that caught my eye; they looked like good candidates for White-fronted. A record shot was a must to confirm the ID. Gladly, a good enough shot was obtained to reassure me that I was in fact looking at some White-fronted Geese! Yet another lifer and a fantastic way to top off what had been an amazing day!
With the light rapidly fading, we headed back to the car with a Marsh Harrier seeing us off. A Chelsea win against Tottenham (which we listened to on the journey home) put the icing on the cake of a fantastic day! A big thanks to my Dad for doing the driving, and to Arjun for helping me out with directions. If only I lived in Norfolk...
The day started off poorly when - despite it being 7:30 in the morning, my father and I were stuck in standstill traffic. This, and the fact that it was the shortest day of the year, really had me worrying about how much time I would be able to spend birding. Gladly, we eventually managed to get moving again and arrived at Lady Anne's drive at around 10:45.
Birding proceedings began promisingly when a Stonechat hopped out obligingly - a matter of metres from our car - and was eventually joined by a Wren. After enjoying this spectacle, I decided to check for the Grey Partridges that my good friend Arjun Dutta had pointed me in the direction of the previous day; but to no avail. So, after checking out the visitor centre, we decided to head down to the beach and ensue the serious business at hand - the Shorelark and Snow Buntings. On the beach we bumped into another fellow birder (always a good sign) who helpfully pointed us in the right direction towards the cordoned off area where he had seen the two species residing earlier that morning. We headed down there and were eventually greeted by a large flock of small birds - could it be the Snow Buntings? A closer view confirmed this suspicion and the first lifer of the day was firmly in my grasp.
Snow Buntings
Grey Partridge
On arrival at the lay-by which was best to view the Rough-legged Buzzard from, we were greeted by a couple of other birders who gladly pointed out that the bird was showing. A look in the scope revealed it immediately - contently sitting in the field seemingly unbothered. Another lifer in the bag and another plan that had actually come to fruition. The day was going almost too smoothly, surely it could only go downhill from here...
Rough-legged Buzzard
But an unbelievable (and somewhat appropriate) Cod and chips in Wells helped to place us on the right track to a good afternoon. In high spirits and with a carefree attitude, we set off back towards Holkham, with another quick stop at the lay-by to get cheeky seconds of the Rough-legged Buzzard on the way. Here we got to witness the bird in flight (something I had been secretly hoping for) and managed to add a few other species to our day list including a distant Red Kite, Sparrowhawk and Linnet.
After this quick pitstop we decided to head back to Holkham and visit the hides for the first time, in the hope of finding a White-fronted Goose or two. On arrival at the car park, we were greeted by 6 more Grey Partridge - a good start to the afternoon. However, the venture began to look unpromising, with a distinct lack of geese by Lady Anne's Drive, but we decided to stick to the plan. The walk to the first hide accumulated Marsh Harrier to the day's list but little else. So we ploughed on to the next hide; still believing that we might get one last bit of luck. A mixed tit flock caught my attention by the old house, featuring mainly Long-tailed Tit, with a Coal Tit and a couple of Goldcrests. For a brief second I thought about the prospect of a Firecrest being mixed in with the birds and then, right on cue, a Firecrest popped out from the trees! This was to be yet another lifer for me and an extremely satisfying find (probably the highlight of the day) after all the time spent at Rainham trying to find one (and even hearing one). The bird proved to be very mobile, hopping from tree to tree, but this took nothing away from the stunning colours of the bird - an absolute beauty. After losing sight of the Firecrest and the ongoing threat of the light diminishing, we headed on to the final hide - our final hope of finding a White-fronted Geese.
On arrival at the hide things looked unpromising, with the only flock of geese being rather distant and in extremely challenging light. With a brief scan, I managed to pick out 2 Egyptian Geese as well as a few Curlew. However, as was the theme of the day, we struck lucky AGAIN, as the sun fell behind the clouds providing suitable light to at least attempt to ID the distant geese. Some Pink-footed Geese became evident after a good look at the flock - a long awaited year tick, but it was two other geese that caught my eye; they looked like good candidates for White-fronted. A record shot was a must to confirm the ID. Gladly, a good enough shot was obtained to reassure me that I was in fact looking at some White-fronted Geese! Yet another lifer and a fantastic way to top off what had been an amazing day!
White-fronted Goose
With the light rapidly fading, we headed back to the car with a Marsh Harrier seeing us off. A Chelsea win against Tottenham (which we listened to on the journey home) put the icing on the cake of a fantastic day! A big thanks to my Dad for doing the driving, and to Arjun for helping me out with directions. If only I lived in Norfolk...
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