26 April 2013

A flabbergasting number of Wheatears have made landfall today all along the east Suffolk and Norfolk coast.  In an hour this evening in the North Dunes I counted over 100, between the totem pole bushes and the top of the Warren.  Most were sitting absolutely still, dotting the landscape wherever you looked.  They flew strongly on approach though, so I don't think they are overly exhausted.  Two Curlews also flew south.

24th April 2013

The first Swift seen over the village this evening.

16th April 2013

Well, if I'm putting on a post it can only mean one thing - another Winterton tick.  This time it was a lovely Purple Heron, inadvertently flushed from the Toad Pools on the North Dunes. Sadly it made off to the south west where it no doubt found the vast expanses of Reed much more to its liking.

Also two Ring Ouzels and a Yellow Wagtail south.

14th April 2013

A very exciting day on the patch as the weather finally became warm and spring-like.

Last night in the dark I saw an 'eared' owl with long, rather slender wings go zigzagging over my house and thought it could have been a Long-eared. Today, sure enough there were two, or maybe even three, Long-eared Owls roosting in the valley. There was also a massive movement of thrushes, first Redwings and later in the day it seemed like thousands of Blackbirds, clearly relocating after the seemingly endless cold weather.  Several Ring Ouzels were also in the south dunes, plus a Black Redstart on the Hermanus rooftops, and some very confiding Common Redpolls feeding on the dune tops.  Swallows, Sand Martins and a House Martin were flying through, and other migrants included Blackcap, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. It was a great day and I got twelve year ticks!

Just out of the parish, in Horsey, a Red-flanked Bluetail was showing off gaudily. We don't want birds like that down here thank you very much (and I'm certainly glad that I dipped it when I guiltily went to look for it late in the evening...).

8th April 2013

Well, it's happened again!  Years can go by without a patch tick and then you get two in three days.  Today it was the turn of a Goshawk to finally make it onto my Winterton list.  A few years ago Winterton became one of those places where it was alleged that if you hung around long enough and stared at the sky over the woods eventually you would see a Goshawk.  Many were duly rewarded but many also (including myself) never quite got satisfactory views.  There wasn't much doubt about the big streaky monster today so onto the list it goes.

Also today 2 Barn Owls and 2 Short-eared Owls.

6th April 2013

Well it was a great day here on the patch and well worth an update on the now virtually moribund blog, an anachronistic dinosaur indeed in the brave new world of tweeting and all the instant instant gratification it affords.

The cause of all the excitement came to light when a small group of Lapwings flew over.  Amongst them was a smaller paler wader which I at first expected to be a Golden Plover but the reddish/orange legs and bill revealed it to be a Ruff - a genuine Winterton tick for me.

The excitement continued when I got home in the form of a group of five, or maybe even six, Great Tits in the garden, easily beating my previous record of three.

The icing on the cake was another brief sighting of the male Reed Bunting in the garden.

Other birds seen today included upto 15 Common Buzzards, 4 or 5 Red Kites and a White-tailed Eagle.