After what feels like weeks of westerly winds, the duck finally broke giving way to two days of easterlies on the 19th and 20th. Even better still, a trip to London to see Bob Dylan meant that a trip to Norfolk during this spell of easterlies was possible. For one reason or another I have never been able to get to Norfolk in autumn so to say I was excited is an understatement. The original plan was to go on the Thursday whilst the winds were still blowing to the east, however a very dodgy ankle prevented me from driving to Norfolk that day. This dodgy ankle proved to cost me a Blue Rock Thrush... that typically turned up at Winterton Dunes on the day that I was planning to go! But this wasn't the only goody to be had, as I watched with envy on Birdguides the number of migrants that began to pour into the country - in Norfolk Pallas' Warblers began to turn up in numbers whilst more Yellow-browed Warblers arrived...
Roll on the morning of Friday 21st, I'd manage to gain clearance to use the shared car all day and my ankle passed a judgement test at 6AM. So after getting some petrol in the car I set off in the direction of Winterton Dunes. But after no news of the Rock Thrush was had after 9AM, I decided to change direction and instead head up to the North Norfolk coast in the hope of seeing the Pallas' Warbler that had been spotted at my favourite nature reserve Holkham. After a lengthy drive, and even year-ticking Red-legged Partridge from the car, I finally arrived at 11AM and headed straight towards the group of sycamores on the west end of the pines where the warbler had been seen. I didn't mess about checking tit flocks for large periods of time but instead legged it down.
Upon arrival, I was told that both the Pallas' Warbler and a Wood Warbler had been showing well 5 minutes before my arrival but had been lost to view. This certainly got my spirits up and I felt there was a good chance of me seeing the birds. But fast forward an hour or so and this confidence was beginning to diminish as neither bird had been seen within the large tit flock. What felt like dozens of Goldcrests got my hopes up every time one would flit into view, other than that a couple of showy Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Robins was all I had to keep me entertained. This was until around 12ish when a birder called that he was on the Wood Warbler - a scramble to get on the bird ensued during which I failed and missed it! I was becoming even more disheartened. But thankfully at 12:30, the Wood Warbler did the right think and perched obligingly in the right hand sycamore in fantastic light. You could really see the lemon yellow of its top half contrasting with the white of its breast. What a bird and a top class lifer to boot - east coast Wood Warblers are even rarer than Pallas' these days!
The Wood Warbler continued to show well on and off throughout the next hour or so. At one point, the Pallas' Warbler even called whilst we were watching its lemon-yellow cousin - this got our hopes up to seeing the bird. But alas it was not meant to be as I decided to move onto Cley so I could have a good few hours there before the light diminished. On the way back to the car a flyby Great White Egret was noted - a solid addition to the day's list. Although disappointed with not connecting with the Pallas' Warbler, I took great consolation in still managing a lifer. This was until I got to the car and saw on Birdguides that I'd missed the Pallas' Warbler by 10 minutes! Pain!
Sometimes you've just got to laugh. But I got my head up and headed onto Cley Marshes in the hope of connecting with what I had been told was a very showy Long-billed Dowitcher. After completing the half hour drive, I headed into the visitor centre to pay for parking and entrance. After asking the NWT woman where to go, she remarked that there were very few birders at the East Bank (where it had been seen) and that maybe it had departed. After hearing these words my heart sank but I still swiftly ambled in the direction of the bird. Thankfully, the Long-billed Dowitcher was showing well in poor light on arrival in 'the Serpentine' - a great name for a snake shaped pool of water! With my binoculars (the only optics that I had been able to bring) it was very difficult to make out the bird's colours. But with some patience, the sun came out and the Dowitcher swam closer - which made for stupendously good views of this rarity. Proper views of a proper bird that I have been informed is not all that frequent in Norfolk. Yet again, this was another lifer for me.
After watching this wader for an hour, I decided to check Snipe pool for Jack Snipe but only managed a Grey Wagtail in a thorough search. News of a reported Black-throated Diver on the sea then made me head back up to have a look from the shingle. On the way back up, I had more views of the Dowitcher which had now been joined by a Curlew Sandpiper. Norfolk birding at its best! Sadly, the sea was empty and with the light beginning to die I decided to get in the car and set off home. But not before having a third look at the Long-billed Dowitcher - a bird that had more than put my disappointment of missing the Pallas' Warbler to rest!
Finally I had managed to get out in Norfolk during autumn and it hadn't disappointed. Not even the woeful traffic in a wet and pitch black drive home could put a dampener on the day. A double lifer day is always a great day and pardon the pun... a rarity these days!
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