Norfolk magic

A long time coming. Alpine swift on my UK list finally, thanks to a long-staying bird twitched as soon as I heard about it (on the third day!).

I have never been a very good twitcher and these days rarely stir for a rare (unless it it a lifer) but the belated discovery that an alpine swift was at Sheringham added a pleasant UK tick on a trip up the coast with the team. Arriving at the top of Beeston Bump we were immediately treated to close flyby views but again the 180mm macro was not really up to the task. Looking forward to getting a 300mm in the near future.

Always nice to look west from Beeston Bump, especially when an alpine swift is in the same view.

"ere Iceland, we said send the cash!"

Management at Buckenham Marshes (now RSPB) has changed hugely since I worked here in the 1980s. The site is much much wetter now and supports many more pairs of waders. Lapwing seemed thin on the ground though during a recent visit.

Just had a slightly longer than anticipated stop-over in the UK. Did not get out birding much but got the distinct impression that migrants are rather slow to return this spring. Norfolk always seems a bit birdless after Sweden though, and I cannot believe how little we have seen whilst driving about. The pick of a few sessions here came yesterday with a trip to Buckenham Marshes, on the Yare. The easy highlight were four black-tailed godwits, looking at home and a splendid endorsement for the management of the site. Also avocet (10) and redshank (6 pairs). Wildfowl included shoveler (8 pairs), gadwall (7 pairs), teal (4 pairs) and wigeon (15). Sedge warblers were singing from the trackside reeds.

Norfolk impressions - 09/12/09

Just finished our two days in the UK. The long-staying brown shrike at Staines disappeared just before we arrived, which took the pressure off on the twitching front [sadly I got this wrong and the bird was actually still present, a big day would have netted Pacific diver too I suspect... too busy though really, c'est la vie]. Today I drove up to Salthouse to pick up some new field-guides for trips in 2010 and saw a few birds in passing but had no time for a proper session up the coast.

A big flock of brent geese were in the fields near Kelling. From Cley Visitor Centre I also just had time to notice several wintering ruff feeding out on the reserve. Heady stuff for a southern Sweden based birder. Otherwise I noticed the abundance of pied wagtails, dunnocks, starlings and song thrushes - all scarce for me at this stage of the winter back home. Overall though the overwhelming impression is of the lack of birds in the wider countryside in the UK compared to Sweden. Island Britain is in big trouble and no doubt points the way that mainland Europe will ultimately go too. More than a little depressing.

Birding - 15/03/09 - UK

Dersingham Bog - currently hosting a well-watched great grey shrike

Team Benstead have been cruelly struck down by a winter D&V virus that has knocked them all for six on their spring holiday. I had an important meeting though in West Norfolk today and so dragged my feverish carcass off to West Norfolk. After eating nothing all day and surviving the meeting without hurling, I headed out with the chaps for a short team-building session at nearby Dersingham Bog. Here we quickly connected with the wintering great grey shrike and enjoyed numerous flyover siskin and common crossbill.

Birding - 13/03/09 - Norfolk (UK)

Back in the UK for a week recently visiting Mother Benstead - no rares about so contented myself with seeing a few birds not represented so frequently in the Scandinavian avifauna. Nipped out early in the morning to look for barn owls at nearby Burgh-next-Aylsham. This produced the goods in the form of a fine barn owl - they really are good and they are one of the things I MISS about Norfolk (along with real bacon and good English sausages).



Other things that caught my attention were a fly-by little egret (never seen one in the Upper Bure Valley before and it shows the extent of the infiltration into the UK) and the presence of jays in open farmland habitat.

Nipped up to Cley later and especially enjoyed about 45 brent geese, another glorious barn owl, a pair of stonechat and pied wagtails. Also here marsh harrier (1) and a fly-by rock pipit (1).