Winterton Bird Spotting Collective: October 2013

Welcome

You have found us. We are a secret group of crack birders who have turned our backs on the machismo, corruption, and backstabbing greed that constitute today's birding scene, and have united together to follow the True Path of non-competitive, collaborative and generally lovely birding-as-meditation-and-spiritual-growth. Consequently, we never see anything. Birds that land right in front of our noses, and which we can identify with our observer book, are written about here. Oh, and they have to be seen in - or from - the parish of Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk, or on the walk round past East Somerton Church ruins and up the concrete track to Winterton Holmes (because it's a nice walk which we all do).

Sunday, 13 October 2013

13 October 2013

A lovely flock of about 20 Common Redpolls in the Totem Pole bushes today. Several had very white rumps - they were naturally the birds which proved hardest to photograph and I failed miserably to get the best which had a large, seemingly unstreaked white rump. Any ID comments welcome since I totally do not understand Redpoll ID and there was a Coues's Arctic in Norfolk today...

Redpolls Winterton 13.10.13, a set on Flickr.

Saturday, 12 October 2013

12 Oct 2013

Fantastic late autumn birding in the north dunes today, starting off with a Great Grey Shrike in the Totem Pole bushes, where Pete then found a lovely Pallas's Warbler -record shots here. Later in the afternoon I managed to see and hear the Richard's Pipit which had been seen by various people intermittently all day. Supporting cast of Redpoll, Brambling, Ring Ouzel, Woodcock, loads of Robins and Reed Buntings, Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Goldcrests, Redwings etc. Marvellous stuff and two patch ticks bringing my Winterton list to 199. Now if I can just see a bloody Merlin before Christmas...