Dawn 'til Dusk Hot Birding!

Konick Pony at Holme Marsh Reserve.

Incredible Migration at Hunstanton Cliffs
Gary Hibberd, Andy Brown, Chris Mills and Penny Clarke
6.30am until 10.30am

I struggled to get up this morning, but was determined to get out early. It was a beautiful sunny morning with a south westerly wind. I arrived at Hunstanton Cliff Top at just before 6.30am. The first bird I saw was a sparrowhawk zooming along the cliff top. I joined Andy Brown, Chris Mills and Gary Hibberd who had already been logging migration from 6am. It was an incredible morning indeed and very exciting. At times there were so many birds passing through we were unable to log them all! The light was perfect and it was magical watching tree sparrows, siskins, meadow pipits, yellow wagtails and hundreds of goldfinches bounding along the cliff top in all their beautiful colours against a perfect blue sky. The highlight was most definately 11 Ring Ouzels which we saw going overhead in three flocks (3, 4 and 4) – one flock of four flew directly over our heads, awesome!

Besides overhead migration we had a count of 17 Wheatears on the pitch 'n' putt along with at least 100+ meadow pipits feeding, pied wagtails, a red-legged partridge, starlings and woodpigeons. A tortoiseshell butterfly was also seen.

I stayed on an hour after the others (9.30-10.30) and continued to record, but the passage had slowed down considerably by the time I left at 10.30am.


Birds I personally logged were:

Greylag Goose – 2
Golden Plover – 19
Redshank – 2
Green Sandpiper – 1
Stock Dove – 1
Woodpigeon – 437
Collared Dove – 2
Skylark – 1
Sand Martin – 147
Swallow – 173
House Martin – 26
Tree Pipit – 4
Meadow Pipit – 156
Yellow Wagtail – 28
Pied Wagtail – 17
Ring Ouzel – 11
Blackbird – 1
Blue Tit – 1
Great Tit – 4
Magpie –3
Jackdaw – 26
Rook – 5
Carrion Crow – 8
Starling – 8
Sparrowhawk – 1
Tree Sparrow – 23
Chaffinch – 23
Brambling – 1
Greenfinch – 8
Goldfinch – 776
Siskin – 195
Linnet – 189
Redpoll sp. – 13
Reed Bunting – 4
Chiffchaff – 1
Mallard –  2
Sandwich Tern – 2  

The full account from 6am is here:
http://www.trektellen.nl/trektelling.asp?telpost=494&site=0&land=5&taal=2&datum=20130415 

Went to visit my parents at Holme briefly. My mother had been to Holme Marsh Reserve early morning and seen a Garganey, a couple of Yellow Wagtails and heard a Willow Warbler singing by the second hide.

Holme Marsh Reserve
Lots of hirundines passing through, but no sign of garganey or willow warbler. Several marsh harriers around, gadwall, little grebes x 3, tufted ducks, coots, teal, long-tailed tits and a couple of chiffchaffs.

Titchwell RSPB
Stopped here briefly, mainly to look at the sightings book, before continuing along the coast. A Lesser Redpoll was on the feeders which was nice and also a Brambling along with the usual chaffinches, greenfinches etc. I walked around the 'Fen Trail' where I heard my first Willow Warbler of the Spring and there were several Chiffchaffs around. Continued to walk around the 'East Trail' but didn't really see anything of particular note – apart from lots of hirundines, usual coots, teal, greylags, tufted duck etc on 'Patsy's Pool'. I sat on the seat overlooking a small flooded/pool next to the last screen overlooking Patsy's Pool – this looks a particularly good spot for a Citrine Wagtail! I didn't stop at the 'feeding station' for lunch as I would normally do, as I had already made some scrumptious egg and vege sausage sandwiches.

Gun Hill and Burnham Overy Dunes
I think it was about 3pm when I parked up in the layby just outside Burnham Overy – and although I felt tired from my early start, I felt excited about finding something good.

Along the hedge lined track, a party of long-tailed tits were flitting about. Lots of Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins overhead, several Wheatears on the marsh  and large numbers of both meadow pipits and woodpigeons. Several skylarks singing high up in the skies and a couple of Marsh Harriers were seen. I saw 24 Wheatears altogether in this area (including Gun Hill). Also several blackbirds about. Good selection of birds on the pool east of the sea bank including several Avocets, tufted duck, mute swan, teal, coots, tufted ducks. At the end of the sea bank where the bushes are, I saw a couple of hedge sparrows dive under a bush trying to pretend they were something more exciting, but no other passerines here. I had a massive count of 93 Golden Plover in the field east of the path – they were were very difficult to count, after each re-count I found more, eventually giving up when I got to 93! 2 Yellow Wagtails bounded over my head. At Gun Hill there were at least 4 Wheatear and a nice male Stonechat perched on a stem. I sat and had a coffee and sandwich by the bushes on the seaward side of Gun Hill whilst watching a few chiffchaffs. Another 2 Yellow Wagtails flew over.

 Cormorants flying over Gun Hill, Burnham Overy Dunes.

Wheatears at Gun Hill, Burnham Overy Dunes.

I had planned to walk through the dunes and Holkham to catch the bus back to my car, but the time was running out to catch the last bus at 6pm, so had to re-trace my steps back to the car. On the way back I had 10 Yellow Wagtails feeding on the marsh not far from the farm gate (that you walk through) along with a couple of pied wagtails – they were beautiful to watch in the sunshine. Further along at the stile – on the field west of the main track I had a lovely selection of birds – amongst the huge numbers of woodpigeons, I could see Wheatears, blackbirds, 4 mistle thrushes and also close views of a pair of Bullfinches in the small oak by the ditch.

I spent ages stalking two Hares in a field and got really close to them, close enough for some decent pictures – the eye was crystal in my view finder! Hares are fascinating to watch – one of them was quite contented to just lounge in the long grass with his eyes closed whilst soaking up the sunshine and the other was busy feeding and was much more alert and soon cottoned on to the fact that I was not too far away and off they both ran. Luckily I got some shots before they escaped! Back at the car, 2 grey partridges were in the field on the other side of the road.

 Hares in evening sunshine at Burnham Overy.

Holme NWT
Parked up at the 5-bar gate, half way along the Firs Road. A Sparrowhawk flew out of the sea buckthorn. Cettis's Warbler singing. Bumped into Gary Hibberd who told me there had been around 20 Yellow Wagtails in the field with the Konik Ponies and about 12 Wheatears. When I looked in the same place, all the Yellow Wagtails had either moved on or retired for the night. I did count 8 Wheatears amongst the ponies though. I walked up to Gore Point, but didn't see anything of particularly note. A huge amount of hirundines, mostly swallows flew south, low over the marsh. Back at the car park area I could see a Barn Owl sitting on a post out in the middle of the marsh. I Met birder and photographer Bob Cobbold just before I left who told me something fascinating – he had seen 5 Red Kites around a week ago at Bacton all sitting on the ground – he said he had 'never seen five on the deck before'!!!

2 Tawny Owls sitting in a tree in a garden along the Firs Road as I left at 8.30pm and a few bats (pipistrelle I think) flying around. A Fox ran across the road at Chapel Bank, Old Hunstanton as I drove home to King's Lynn. I was so tired when I got home, I couldn't even write my blog!

Total number of Wheatears today: 49!