New Year's Day Bird Race!!!

Grey Partridge, Sandringham.

A dull, drizzly start, but brightened up a bit later!

Team: Me! – 8am Start


My garden and King's Lynn area
Collared Dove, Robin, Black headed Gull, Blackbird, Herring Gull, Jay, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Starling, Carrion Crow, Rook, Common Gull, Pheasant, Mallard.

Sandringham Bird Table
Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Hedge Sparrow and tons of squirrels!

Squirrel feeding on MY bread at the Sandringham bird table.

Sandringham Saw Mill, Shernborne, Dersingham
Grey Partridge x 12 actually in the Saw Mill grounds! and another 7 further along in a field, Red Legged Partridge, House Sparrow at Manor Farm along with a Magpie. A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Treecreeper on the same tree in someone's garden! Egyptian Geese, Curlews, Moorhen, Pink footed Geese.

Three of twelve Grey Partridges.

Hunstanton Cliffs and Sea
Fulmar, Rock Dove, Ferral Pigeon, Brent Geese, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Sanderling, Grey Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, Redshanks, Ringed Plover x 2, Great Black backed Gull and sitting on the sea a surprise of a single Long tailed Duck, 2 fem. Eiders and a single Great Crested Grebe.

Old Hunstanton Churchyard and field behind
Green Woodpecker, Long tailed Tit, Greylag Geese, Wren, Bullfinch.

NOA Redwell Marsh
Lapwing, Kestrel, Barn Owl, Pochard, Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal.

Barn Owl, NOA Redwell Marsh.

Holme Reserves
Fieldfares, Redwings, Marsh Harrier x 3, Coot, Tufted Ducks, Shelducks, Little Grebe, Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Canada Geese, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Golden Plover and a Red throated Diver flying east on the sea.

Choseley Barns
Mistle Thrush on telegraph wire, but annoyingly no sign of any Corn Buntings or Yellowhammers - in fact there was nothing on the concrete pad - no sign of any corn!

Titchwell RSPB
Water Rail, Whooper Swan, Mute Swan, Pintail, Hen Harrier, Dunlin, Little Egret, Ruff, Pied Wagtail, Cormorant, Red breasted Merganser, Heron, Snipe, Common Scoter, Golden Eye x 2

The evenings are noticeably lighter now - got back to the carpark at 5pm!!!!!

Tried desperately to flush a Woodcock or hear a Tawny Owl - but no luck!

I would like to thank 'Debbie' and her friends for pointing out the Merganser, Common Scoter and also for very kindly walking back down the path to tell me there were two Golden Eye in the semi dusk!

I had no idea how many birds I had seen until I got back to my parents and had a count up - I guessed around 70ish and to my surprise it was in fact a massive 87!!! Not too bad just for little ol' me!!!

After leaving my parents I drove along Chapel Bank road at Old Hunstanton to look for Woodcock and also spent some time at Wolverton hoping to hear a Tawny!

Total for Day: 87 Species


Birds I should/could have seen:
Siskin, Linnets, Avocets, Woodcock, Snowbuntings, Shorelarks, Redpolls, Knot, Med Gull (one at Titchwell before I got there), Reed Buntings, Cettis Warbler, Bearded Tits at Titchwell and also dipped out by approx 5 minutes on two Bitterns scrapping in the pool to the left of the main path! Marsh Tit (usually at Sandringham), 15 Barnacle Geese that were sitting on Holme Marsh earlier and also a Waxwing there also. Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting at Choseley. Smew at Wells, Stock Dove in my mother's garden daily (she forgot to tell me!), RLB at Holkham. THE Northern Harrier! Tawny Owl, SEO (two been seen at Brancaster), Skylark, Rock Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Stonechat, Kingfisher, Goldcrest, Nuthatch (Sandringham or Old Hunstanton), Brambling (Holme or Titchwell), Tree Sparrow and Little Owl (Flitcham)

Also see New Year's Day Bird Race on:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=188797