Returning home from University in Liverpool brought with it mixed emotions - on the one hand I was gutted to be far away from my uni mates again, but on the other hand was the prospect of some proper meals. Oh. And a closer proximity to Kent, Suffolk and Norfolk for some birding. It was the latter county that proved to be the first to wet my birding appetite when the news was released that up to 7 Bee-eaters were attempting to nest at a quarry in Triminghan.
Whilst the birds were reportedly attempting to breed (meaning they'd likely stick around a while) I didn't want to take any chances so set out to see them at the first opportunity. This first opportunity proved to be the 18th June.
On the chosen day I set off at around half 7 for the long drive up to North Norfolk in the humid weather (since the heat wave had buggered off) and arrived on site at around 10ish. Upon entering the car park two things became apparent - that the RSPB had done a cracking job at arranging a safe viewing space for the birds and secondly that the birds were indeed still present due to the frequent calls that could be heard. After paying the required £5 to enter the site, I trundled towards the crowds and was immediately greeted with the site of several Bee-eaters flying around. Relieved, I set up my scope to get a better look and had some fantastic views of the birds on the ground, perched in bushes and again in flight.
Bee-eaters
At one point some birds even perched on the wires! This provided a flashback to the Roller in Icklingham, Suffolk last year which similarly perched on wires.
Bee-eaters on wires
Having been satisfied with my fix of Bee-eaters and the weather taking a turn for the worst, I decided to head on to Hickling Broad for a good look around the reserve and hopefully even some year ticks - this is what I did after seeing the Roller last year!
Eventually I arrived at the reserve in some light drizzle to the song of Willow Warblers by the visitor centre. I then headed into the woodlands for a look for Swallowtail butterflies but didn't hold out much hope due to the poor conditions. Sadly I failed to connect with this special butterfly. However, I headed on to Brendan's marsh to have a look from the viewpoint. This provided many Black-tailed Godwits, a few Little Ringed Plovers, a Snipe but best of all was a Spotted Redshank in it's black summer plumage which showed briefly before scurrying behind the grass.
Having being pleased with seeing my first Spotted Redshank of the year, I decided to head on towards Stubb Mill. On the way, I stopped off to scan for Bitterns over the readbed for a good three quarters of an hour. Sadly, I didn't connect with the elusive species but was certainly rewarded for my patience. Firstly, a Spoonbill flew in which a group of Little Egrets and sat distantly in a dead tree - another first for the year. Then, even better were 3 Common Crane which flew distantly towards Stubb Mill - yet another welcome year tick and the target bird for my visit to Hickling!
Spoonbill
More than happy with these species seen, I headed towards the Mill where I failed to see any Common Cranes in a scan of the grass - a Stonechat kept me good company however. I finally decided to head towards the Bittern hide to have another look for the elusive species. On the way there I had another look at Brendan's Marsh where a stunning Ruff in breeding plumage was added to the day's list.
Ruff
At the the next viewpoint a Cuckoo was heard only before the bird was probably glimpsed flying past the Bittern hide. Sadly though, no Bitterns were to be had. Eventually I relented and headed back to the visitor centre and the warmth of the car more than happy with the colourful lifer and several year ticks that I had managed in my outing to the birding Mecca of Norfolk!
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